Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a sweeping defense of his country’s recent military actions at the JNS International Policy Summit on Sunday, claiming that operations against Iran and its regional allies have dramatically reduced threats to Israel’s security.
Speaking to the gathering, Netanyahu pushed back against critics who had urged him to avoid military action in Rafah, hold back from striking Hezbollah, and steer clear of any confrontation with Iran.
“What have we achieved?” he asked the audience, before walking through what he called the results of those decisions.
Netanyahu said Israel successfully prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and that joint operations with the United States resulted in what he described as the most extensive airstrike campaign in Israel’s history. He credited American military cooperation for making those strikes possible.
“We destroyed Iran’s nuclear infrastructure,” he said. “We knocked out 20 of their top nuclear scientists — 12 in Rising Lion, another eight in Roaring Lion.”
Beyond nuclear targets, Netanyahu said Israeli forces also struck Iran’s missile production, military industries, navy, and air force, while causing what he estimated to be hundreds of billions of dollars in economic damage to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He argued that the sustained military pressure had weakened the Iranian regime to the point where its eventual collapse was possible.
“But we didn’t just confront Iran. We shattered Iran’s terror axis,” he said.
Netanyahu told the summit that Israel eliminated senior terrorist leaders, killed tens of thousands of fighters, and managed to bring all hostages held in Gaza back home.
“And despite those who said it couldn’t be done, we brought back to Israel every single hostage, every single hostage, every last one of them,” he declared.
Addressing the situation in Lebanon, Netanyahu said Israel had wiped out more than 90% of the roughly 150,000 rockets and missiles that Hezbollah had stockpiled, severely weakening the group’s military capability.
He also confirmed that Israel has established security zones in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon, and made clear those positions would be held indefinitely.
“As long as we need to protect our people, we will remain in the security zone in South Lebanon,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister also defended the conduct of Israeli forces in both Lebanon and Gaza, saying troops go to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties while carrying out operations against armed groups.
He closed his remarks by reaffirming his personal commitment to keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran’s hands, regardless of how ongoing diplomatic talks unfold.
“No matter what happens in the talks, with an agreement, without an agreement, I pledge to you that Iran, as long as I’m Prime Minister, will never have a nuclear weapon, never,” he said. “As long as I am the Prime Minister of Israel, I will not let that happen.”
