Jerusalem — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that Israel is "very, very close" to achieving its strategic goals in its escalating conflict with Iran, as tensions continue to rattle the Middle East and reverberate globally.
Speaking from the Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel—hours after the facility was struck by an Iranian missile—Netanyahu reiterated that the military campaign launched on June 13 was aimed at neutralizing two key threats: Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its arsenal of ballistic missiles.
“We are advancing, step by step, to achieve these goals,” Netanyahu declared during a nationally televised address. “We are very, very close to completing them.”
The remarks came in the wake of a coordinated U.S. airstrike on three Iranian nuclear sites earlier Sunday, ordered by President Trump in what American officials described as a show of unity with Israel.
Though Netanyahu stopped short of providing a timeline for ending Israel's air campaign, he firmly ruled out the possibility of being drawn into a prolonged conflict.
“We will not be dragged into a war of attrition,” he said. “But we also won’t finish up too soon. When the aims are achieved, the operation will be concluded, and the fighting will stop.”
The prime minister remained vague on whether the military objectives include regime change in Tehran, a notion floated by some analysts but not publicly endorsed by Israeli officials.
Despite the devastating impact on Israeli civilian life—schools and businesses have shut down, Ben Gurion Airport remains closed, and thousands of Israelis are stranded abroad—Netanyahu has enjoyed broad domestic support for the campaign. Even his political rival, opposition leader Yair Lapid, has praised what he called the tactical success of the strikes.
Still, a growing chorus of voices within Israel is urging the government to de-escalate, pointing to the compounded economic toll of this conflict layered atop the long-standing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Some analysts speculate that if Netanyahu succeeds in his Iran campaign, he may soften his hardline stance in negotiations with Hamas, which has dragged on for over 20 months. The Israeli leader has so far resisted international pressure to make concessions, largely due to opposition from his far-right coalition partners.
But on Sunday, Netanyahu hinted that success against Iran—widely regarded as a chief sponsor of Hamas—could hasten the resolution of other regional conflicts.
“There’s no doubt that our great achievements in Iran contribute to achieving the goals in Gaza,” he said.
As missiles continue to fall and regional alliances are tested, all eyes remain on how far Israel will go—and when, if ever, the bombs will cease.
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Israel-Iran war