As the United States and Iran grapple to reach a deal to end the war for good as it enters its 11th week, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said that war is far from over as there is a lot left to be done.
Netanyahu said that while the war has “accomplished a great deal”, it is not over.
In an interview with CBS on Sunday, May 10, Netanyahu said that there is still nuclear material — enriched uranium — that needs to be taken out of Iran.
“There are still– enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that– Iran supports. There are ballistic missiles that they still– want to produce. Now, we’ve degraded a lot of it. But all that is still there, and there’s work to be done,” the Israeli PM said.
When asked how this enriched uranium will be taken out of Iran, he responded, “You go in, and you take it out.”
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However, Netanyahu shied away from sharing military plans and a timeline regarding that operation but described it as “terrifically important mission”.
He said that Trump told him, “I want to go in there”, which is believes can be done physically and is the “best way” if there is an agreement. However, Netanyahu refused to share what would happen if there is so such agreement.
Netanyahu’s remarks came amid stalled peace talks between the United States and Iran as President Trump called Tehran’s response to US’ peace proposal as “totally unacceptable”. Iran sent its response to the latest US proposal on Sunday morning through Pakistan, the country acting as the main mediator between the two nations.
Does ceasefire in Iran mean ceasefire in Lebanon?
Apart from Iran, Israel is facing threat from one more front — Hezbollah in Lebanon — and has been actively engaged in war with the militant group.
According to Iran’s state media, among the demands made by the Islamic Republic to the latest US’ proposal is to end the war on all fronts, “especially Lebanon”.
However, Netanyahu sought to rule out that possibility during his interview, saying that Iran wants ceasefire in Lebanon for “Hezbollah to stay there and continue to torture Lebanon, continue to hold its people hostage”.
The Israel Prime Minister appeared hesitant to give a clear picture on what ceasefire with Iran and Lebanon would look like, and went on to say that if Iranian regime is weakened, it would mean end of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, and Houthis in Yemen.
“If Iran– if this regime is indeed weakened or possibly toppled, I think it’s the end of Hezbollah, it’s the end of Hamas, it’s probably the end of the Houthis, because the whole scaffolding of the terrorist proxy network that Iran built collapses if the regime in Iran collapses,” Netanyahu said.
He added that while toppling the Iranian regime remains a possibility, it is not guaranteed.
The war between Iran and the United States, backed by Israel, started on February 28 and remains under a temporary ceasefire after weeks of fighting as both the sides aim to reach a sustainable solution.
As the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively blocked, Iran has warned countries that has put sanctions on it their vessels will “face problems” while passing the key trade waterway.
