By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday has warned that the conflict with Iran is “not over yet”, stated Israel is preparing for every possible scenario despite recent efforts to halt hostilities.
Israeli military chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir and Defence Minister Israel Katz also indicated that further operations remain on the table, with Israel said it will retain military deployments in Lebanon and stay prepared for any escalation.
Netanyahu was addressing an Israeli Air Force graduation ceremony at Hatzerim Air Base said preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains a central objective of Israeli policy.
He also said new security challenges were emerging even after what he described as significant setbacks suffered by Tehran.
Netanyahu said Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons
According to local media reports Netanyahu said “The Iranian regime has been dealt a severe blow, and our policy is clear that Iran will not possess nuclear weapons, whether with or without an agreement. If we had not acted, Iran would have acquired nuclear weapons; the war is not over yet, and new challenges are emerging before us”.
He also stressed that maintaining Israel’s air superiority remains a key pillar of the country’s defence strategy.
The remarks came a day after US President Donald Trump declared that the Washington-Tehran truce was “over” and said further diplomatic engagement with Iran would be “a waste of time” after recent military exchanges between the two countries.
According to media reports Iran targeted commercial shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz before launched retaliatory strikes on US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The attacks followed US strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets and the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran’s oil exports.
Israeli military chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir echoed Netanyahu remarks said the campaign against Iran had not reached its conclusion.
“Major operations are still expected to lie ahead of us,” Zamir said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz also said the military was ready to resume operations against Iran if required.
“If we have to go back, we will go back with even greater force,” Katz said.
He added that Israel remained alert to maintain its aerial superiority and counter regional threats.
Netanyahu said Israel had demonstrated the reach of its military capabilities “from Yemen to Iran”.
He added that operations against Iran and its allied groups would continue.
Netanyahu also said Israeli forces would remain deployed in Lebanon “as long as the need requires.”
