US-Iran peace deal: Here’s what PM Netanyahu, other Israeli leaders said | Today’s news
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a joint military campaign led by Israel and the United States against Iran had protected the country from what he characterized as the threat of “nuclear annihilation” posed by the Islamic republic. He also revealed his “mission in life”.
Speaking publicly for the first time since Washington and Tehran announced a tentative deal early Monday to end the Middle East conflict, Netanyahu said: “The most important thing is that we saved the State of Israel from the threat of nuclear annihilation.”
“And what would that mean? It would mean that millions of Israeli citizens – you who are listening to me now – all of you would be in terrible danger of mass death… And we have pushed aside this danger of extermination of the Israeli population for years,” he added at a televised news conference.
“As long as I’m prime minister, it won’t happen”
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Netanyahu has said that the US-Iran peace deal protects Israel from the threat of nuclear annihilation posed by Iran, stressing that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is his “mission in life”.
Israeli leaders, including Netanyahu, have expressed displeasure with the US-Iran deal, arguing that it does not adequately ensure Israel’s security and allows Iranian influence in Lebanon, particularly with regard to Hezbollah.
The deal aims for a permanent halt to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, but Israeli leaders have vowed to maintain a military presence in the region to counter threats from Hezbollah.
Key outstanding issues include the status of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, specific conditions for sanctions relief, and enforcement mechanisms for a cessation of hostilities, particularly regarding Hezbollah’s actions in Lebanon.
Israeli officials have expressed skepticism about the deal, insisting it is not binding on them and expressing concern that it could jeopardize their security against threats from Iran and its affiliates.
Netanyahu vowed that Iran would be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons under any circumstances, regardless of the outcome or provisions of any future deal.
“With or without a deal, Iran will not have nuclear weapons – not today, not tomorrow. As long as I’m prime minister of Israel, that won’t happen,” he said, calling it his “life’s mission.”
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Netanyahu went on to mention: “I didn’t make a mistake at all… We said we wanted to remove the existential threat that hangs over us: first, the nuclear threat – and we did, second, the missile threat – and we did.”
Netanyahu sought to highlight what he described as the key successes of the military campaign amid growing criticism of his war management and accusations from opponents that he has little leverage in Washington’s negotiations over the deal.
He also added that Israeli forces will continue their presence in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria as long as necessary.
“We have created deep security zones around the State of Israel. We have done it in Gaza, in Lebanon and in Syria. And I want to make it clear: we will remain in these security zones as long as necessary to protect our country,” Netanyahu noted.
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The US-Iran deal aims to end the wider conflict in the Middle East, including fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have engaged in clashes with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
“Israel will not allow terrorist organizations to gain a foothold on our borders, dig terrorist tunnels on our territory, or prepare massacres near our citizens,” he said.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Bennett criticized Netanyahu
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war management, saying he would have been a stronger war leader and asserting that regime change in Tehran would only be possible after a change of government in Jerusalem, the Times Of Israel reported.
At a press conference in Tel Aviv, Bennett said: “The era of this Netanyahu government began with a civil war, continued with the October 7 massacre, and now ends with a historic failure against Iran.”
He added that under his leadership, Israel would embrace “a return to the security concept of quick, strong and decisive wars” instead of what he described as “dragging things out” under Netanyahu, and would also focus on “revitalizing the National Directorate of Public Diplomacy…which this government dismantled.”
Bennett also proposed sweeping policy changes, including “mandatory conscription for all and stopping conscription funding,” arguing that when the IDF is short of soldiers, “you have to take the same places over and over again, and you can’t win that way.”
He described Iranian policy as an “octopus doctrine” in which Israel would simultaneously work “with one hand preventing Iran from going nuclear and with the other hastening the regime’s collapse using political, economic, technological and military tools.”
He concluded that “the countdown to regime replacement in Iran will begin as soon as the government in Israel is replaced” and said he would handle diplomacy differently, claiming he would use his “credibility with the most pro-Israel president we’ve ever had to solely benefit Israel’s national interests” in what was seen as a jab at US President Donald Trump’s comments about Netanyahu’s legal problems.
Strait of Hormuz to reopen by Friday, Trump says
Meanwhile, an agreement between Iran and the United States to end the conflict in the Middle East prompted ships to once again pass through the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump said the key oil pipeline would be “fully open” by Friday, according to AFP.
Reopening this key global energy corridor would represent a major milestone in addressing the months of violence and economic disruption that began after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
Trump declared, “Ships are starting to move, many loaded with oil, out of the Strait of Hormuz,” noting that he “doesn’t think we’re going to need a lot of help” to keep the waterway open.
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Iranian state media said three oil tankers and two fully loaded cargo ships had passed through waters previously under a US naval blockade.
The report said Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the conflict, causing global oil prices to soar and raising fears of sustained inflation. In response, the United States restricted maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports.
It was also reported that the US, Iran and mediator Pakistan plan to formally sign a peace deal in Switzerland on Friday.
