Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran may take "some time" but it will not take years.
The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran began with attacks against Tehran on Saturday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and prompting Iranian retaliation against Israel and missile attacks at Arab nations with U.S. bases across the Middle East.
President Donald Trump initially projected the war to last four to five weeks, but added it could go on longer, and has since sought to justify a broad, open-ended war on Iran.
Netanyahu rejected the idea of the conflict lasting years, like previous wars in the region.
"I said it could be quick and decisive. It may take some time, but it's not going to take years. It's not an endless war," Netanyahu said on Fox News' "Hannity" programme.
The assault on Iran formed part of a list of Trump's foreign policy actions that have marked a striking shift from his "America First" rhetoric against U.S. interventions when he campaigned in the 2024 elections.
Netanyahu said he saw the war as an opportunity for lasting peace in the Middle East, including between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"Yes I do," he said, when asked if he saw a lasting path to peace in the region.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed over the weekend that only one in four Americans approved of U.S. strikes on Iran that have plunged the Middle East into chaos.
U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that lasted several years made many Americans skeptical of Washington's direct involvement in wars on foreign soil.
Netanyahu said the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran was creating a scenario for the Iranian people to topple their government.
"Now, of course, it's up to the people of Iran in the final count to change the government, but we are creating - America and Israel together are creating - the conditions for them to do so," he said.
Trump's stated aims and timeline for the war have shifted since it began over the weekend. On Saturday when he announced the strikes, he urged Iranians to "take back your country" and implied a goal of toppling the government.
In comments on Monday, Trump made no mention of toppling Iran's government and said the war was needed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies seeking, and to thwart its long-range ballistic missile programme.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons. Washington also has nuclear weapons.
The U.S. will impose "never seen before" measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, Washington's Treasury Secreta...
President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to abandon its next planned electromagnetic aircraft launch sy...
A diplomatic dispute has erupted between Cuba and the Dominican Republic after Santo Domingo ordered the withdr...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment