Netanyahu: War with Iran ends only when regime falls

The war with Iran will end “when the Iranian regime falls, or weakens to such an extent that it understands it must end its nuclear programme,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a Sunday interview with Fox News.

Netanyahu insisted that Iran must terminate its nuclear ambitions “with or without a deal,” noting that joint US–Israeli strikes against the Islamic regime had set the programme back by “a good few years.”

He added that an Iranian nuclear weapon would pose a “mortal peril to every citizen in the United States,” asserting that Israel would “pursue all means to prevent that” from happening.

The decision on whether to resume major strikes on Iran was, he said, “in many ways” up to US President Donald Trump, warning that Tehran retained the capability to rebuild facilities and infrastructure damaged or destroyed in previous attacks.

“If Iran attacks Israel, either directly or through proxies, using ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or killer drones, it will make a terrible mistake,” Netanyahu added. “Israel’s response will be very, very forceful.”

Netanyahu expressed full support for President Trump’s strategy on Iran, even if Washington opted against immediate new strikes, adding that Israel and the US “constantly” shared intelligence on the Islamic Republic.

The prime minister also said he intended to travel to New York despite comments from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani suggesting he would not be welcome in the city. “I’ve appeared [at the United Nations] almost every year during my prime ministership,” Netanyahu said.

Addressing the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him and other Israeli officials, Netanyahu noted that former ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who had sought the warrant, had since been “completely exposed as a criminal” — a reference to Khan’s dismissal from the ICC following allegations of sexual harassment.

Netanyahu argued that Khan had exploited war crimes accusations against Israel to divert attention from his own conduct. “On the day he was due to visit Israel, he cancelled everything, called a news conference, and accused the former defence minister and me of war crimes,” Netanyahu said. “Now we’ve learned why.”

He accused Mamdani of relying on Khan’s allegations, claiming the mayor-elect was “fomenting hate” through threats of arrest and accusations of war crimes. “He is supposed to be the mayor of all New Yorkers,” Netanyahu said. “Instead, he is trying to turn one group against another.”

Pointing to a stabbing attack at a New York synagogue the day after Mamdani’s comments, Netanyahu suggested the timing was not coincidental. “I think it’s shameful,” he said. “It is very bad for New York, and it is very bad for peace.”

He added that many Jewish residents in New York felt increasingly uncomfortable amid rising antisemitism in the city, further accusing Mamdani of celebrating the October 7 attacks and supporting Hamas despite public denials.

Turning to regional diplomacy, Netanyahu described recent developments regarding Lebanon as “positive,” citing direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials that led to a bilateral agreement following Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s visit to Washington. “The fact that this deal was put forward is a major advance,” he said. “It demonstrates that Hezbollah’s ability to intimidate the Lebanese government and its president has been sharply reduced.”

While acknowledging that the Lebanese military’s capacity to clear designated areas of Hezbollah militants “remains to be seen,” Netanyahu said Israel was willing to give the agreement a chance.

He also backed the proposed US–Saudi nuclear agreement, saying President Trump was “absolutely right” to make the deal conditional on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords.

Source: The Jerusalem Post