Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held his first press conference since the outbreak of the Iran conflict on March 12, publicly addressing recent U.S.-Israel military operations and his stance toward Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Netanyahu issued veiled threats against the new leader during the conference, labeling him a “puppet of the Revolutionary Guards” and stating he wouldn’t even get the chance to appear in public. He emphasized that Israel would continue targeting organizations threatening national security, declaring: “I will not provide life insurance for any terrorist organization leader.” He declined to disclose details on potential specific actions.
Additionally, Netanyahu warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah that it had already felt Israel’s military might and would pay a “heavy price” for any future aggression. He stressed that Israel’s objective is to prevent Iran from moving its nuclear and ballistic missile programs underground, noting that if necessary, conditions could be created to facilitate regime change in Iran. However, he emphasized that whether this ultimately occurs depends on whether the Iranian people spontaneously protest.
Commentary:
Netanyahu’s statements demonstrate resolute determination and military deterrence. However, deeper analysis reveals that the strategic objectives of this conflict remain highly uncertain. According to multiple Israeli security officials, the initial airstrikes against Iran lacked a realistic plan for regime change. The expectation of popular uprisings was largely wishful thinking, not grounded in reliable intelligence. Indeed, despite U.S.-Israeli strikes severely damaging Iranian military facilities and weakening its ballistic missile and military industrial capabilities, the regime remains temporarily stable. No large-scale protests have erupted among the populace, and regime change has not materialized in the short term.
In the long term, the core indicator of the war’s effectiveness may lie in the approximately 440 kilograms of enriched uranium buried in mountains that U.S. forces bombed last June. If this nuclear material remains under Iranian control, it could significantly accelerate nuclear weapons development and even trigger a new nuclear arms race. While Israel prioritized weakening Iran and its proxies to protect its national security in the short term, it appears unable to eliminate the nuclear threat entirely.