Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday that his nation will maintain its military response policy against Iran and Hezbollah attacks, even as President Donald Trump works to prevent additional escalation and maintain current ceasefire arrangements.
During a recorded address, Netanyahu affirmed Israel’s defensive actions against both enemies following recent assaults and maintained the country’s right to future responses. “Israel has the full right to self-defense, and we exercise it whenever necessary,” he stated.
Netanyahu explained that Hezbollah’s rocket attacks into Israeli areas led him to direct the Israel Defense Forces to target terrorist positions and Hezbollah personnel in Beirut. He noted that Iranian assaults on Israel resulted in Israeli counterstrikes against military and economic facilities throughout Iran.
Discussing the recent conflicts, Netanyahu dismissed what he characterized as Tehran and Hezbollah’s effort to create new deterrence rules. “Over the past 24 hours, Iran and Hezbollah tried to impose a new equation on us. That equation is intolerable and completely unacceptable to me,” he declared.
“They thought they could fire from Lebanon and Iran at Israel and that we would not act. That did not happen, and it will not happen. Not on my watch!” Netanyahu emphasized.
Netanyahu said the existing ceasefire resulted from Iran’s choice to stop ballistic missile launches against Israel. “At the moment, the fire has ceased because after we struck the terrorist regime in Tehran, it stopped attacking us,” he explained. “If the terrorist regime in Iran makes the mistake of attacking us again, we will respond with force.”
Netanyahu’s comments followed President Trump’s Sunday evening announcement that he planned to encourage the Israeli leader against launching more strikes after an Iranian assault involving 11 missile barrages.
“I am going to call Bibi right now and tell him not to retaliate. Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one,” Trump stated. “I don’t want to see an additional attack tonight.”
Barak Ravid of N12 reported that Washington received no advance notice of Israel’s planned Sunday night Iran operation. President Trump informed the network that Israel only notified the United States once the mission had already begun.
Monday saw Israel’s air force target the Karoun petrochemical facility in Mahshahr, Iran, along with additional sites. Iran retaliated by firing more missiles toward Israel.
Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu initially authorized a larger Monday afternoon strike but called it off following President Trump’s personal appeal to cease further military operations. The network indicated the two leaders conducted multiple discussions after the Beirut attacks, Iran’s ballistic missile strikes on Israel, and Israel’s follow-up Iran operations. The report stated Netanyahu contended that Iran had breached Israeli sovereignty and warranted a response before ultimately agreeing to cancel the planned mission.
