Netanyahu: We’re now fighting a doomsday war that will change the Middle East
In a televised speech on Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the current military confrontation with Iran as a “doomsday war,” stressing that Israel is fighting an existential battle that will lead to a radical reshaping of the Middle East, and that his military now has full control over Iranian airspace.
Netanyahu’s crucial remarks came to present his vision for the escalating course of military operations, which began on February 28 with the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and has since seen an intense exchange of strikes between the two sides.
Netanyahu explained that his government made a strategic decision to radically change the balance of power in the region, following October 7, 2023.
He pointed out that these events were a turning point, which prompted Israel to adopt a new strategy based on launching successive attacks with the aim of reshaping regional balances in its favor.
He added that this policy has contributed to the transformation of Israel into a regional superpower, stressing that the current military operations come within the framework of confronting what he described as the existential threat posed by Iran.
Speaking about the results of the operations on its first day, Netanyahu revealed new details about the strike that targeted the Iranian leadership.
He said that Israeli forces had succeeded in assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as a large number of military commanders and hundreds of IRGC.
He also pointed to the destruction of government headquarters, military industrial facilities, missile depots, and ballistic missile launchers, referring to the scale and scope of the strikes on Iran’s military infrastructure.
The Israeli prime minister stressed that the Israeli army is now in full control of Iranian airspace, considering that this reflects the great military superiority that Israel has achieved since the beginning of the confrontation.
Netanyahu claimed that the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ignored Israeli warnings and continued to develop weapons that Tehran was hiding, claiming that these capabilities would have been used to destroy Israel, Europe and other countries, stressing that the decision to attack Iran was made with the aim of aborting these threats before it was too late.
He also revealed his government’s fears that Iran might attack US bases in the region, and then expand the attacks to include Israel, noting that this possible scenario was one of the main drivers for early military action.
In his speech, Netanyahu borrowed terms with heavy religious and historical weight, such as “doomsday war,” reflecting his vision of this confrontation as a watershed moment in the history of the conflict.
The statements about full control of Iranian airspace are aimed at reassuring the Israeli public that the Israeli army is now capable of striking any target deep inside Iran whenever it wants.
As the war continues for the ninth day in a row, the region appears to be on the cusp of a new phase, as each side tries to impose its equations on the ground, amid uncertainty surrounding the nature of the coming days and the size of the mutual responses.
