Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel is near completing its goals in deconstructing what he called the dual threats of Iran’s ballistic missile program and nuclear program.
Addressing Israeli media, Netanyahu underscored that though Israel will not let itself be pulled into an extended war of attrition, the war against Iran would not be brought to a premature end. “We won’t overdo it, but we also won’t cut short,” he said. “Once our goals are achieved, the operation will terminate, as will the combat.
He reaffirmed his conviction that the Iranian regime is an existential threat to Israel. “This is a regime that wants to annihilate us, and that is why we decided on this operation to remove the nuclear and missile threat. We are moving step by step and are very close to achieving these objectives,” Netanyahu stated.
The Prime Minister confirmed Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear site had suffered heavy damage in recent US attacks that used bunker-buster bombs, although the full measure of the destruction is still being evaluated. Iran, in turn, has pledged to defend itself from further hostility.
When asked about the situation regarding Iran’s 60% enriched uranium stockpile, Netanyahu refused to give details but said Israel is carefully following it. “It’s a key part of a nuclear program not the sole one, but a very important component,” he explained, adding that Israeli intelligence is monitoring it closely.
Iran had been producing 60% enriched uranium, a level just short of the 90% required for weapons, until Israel’s first attack on June 13. This is much higher than the 3.67% limit under the 2015 nuclear accord, to which Iran was adhering until the US pulled out of the accord in 2018.
There are high tensions still as the operation continues.