Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a stern warning to Iran, stating that Israel will deliver a strong and decisive response to any attack carried out either directly or through proxy groups.
In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said the conflict with Iran could come to an end only if Tehran changes its policies or accepts the consequences of what he described as its destabilizing actions across the region.
He alleged that Iran is targeting several countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Jordan.
Netanyahu reiterated that any direct or proxy attack against Israel would be met with a severe military response.
The Israeli prime minister also expressed full support for U.S. President Donald Trump's diplomatic initiatives but insisted that Iran's nuclear program must be dismantled regardless of whether a new agreement is reached.
He further endorsed Trump's proposal to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, under which Riyadh would be permitted to pursue only a civilian nuclear program, not a military one, in exchange for establishing formal diplomatic ties with Israel.
Speaking about Lebanon, Netanyahu claimed that Israeli forces had pushed Hezbollah five to eight miles away from the Israel-Lebanon border and destroyed approximately 94 percent of the group's missiles and rockets.
He also claimed that a proposed trilateral agreement would pave the way for the first direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in decades. Under the proposal, Israel would withdraw its forces from Lebanon, while the Lebanese government would disarm Hezbollah.
However, Netanyahu acknowledged that it remains uncertain whether the Lebanese Army will be able to maintain effective control over the area.
