Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of his country’s strength and stressed his continued commitment to achieving a total victory against Iran and its proxies, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. He made the comments during an interview Tuesday night on Israel’s Channel 14 network, “The Patriots.” Netanyahu was asked about the current status of his vow from 2024 in which he said Israel would achieve “total victory” in the Gaza war. He said his previous pledge is still in effect and that doing so was an unremitting process. He also touted his country’s current geopolitical might, stating that Israel’s strength is at its zenith.“It never ends,” Netanyahu said about his pursuit of total victory. “Do you want to live in the Middle East or in the world? You have to be very strong. And we are very strong. Israel is stronger than it has ever been, and we have put off threats and weakened (our adversaries) considerably. We have more work to do. We will take care of what is left of the Iranian axis.”
The audience applauded his answer, according to The Times of Israel. Netanyahu’s interview on Tuesday was reportedly his first during his election campaign to the Hebrew media. His “total victory” pledge was in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel by Hamas. During an address to the United States Congress in July 2024, Netanyahu vowed to accomplish a “total victory” against those wishing to cause Israel harm.“Israel will fight until we destroy Hamas’s military capabilities and its rule in Gaza and bring all our hostages home,” Netanyahu said at the time. “That’s what total victory means. And we will settle for nothing less.”Netanyahu went on to list Israel’s accomplishments in its military conflicts since 2023, often in joint operations with the U.S. He mentioned eliminating much of the leadership in Iran’s proxy terrorist networks, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as the Iranian ayatollah. He emphasized the importance of his country remaining strong and being viewed as such by allies and enemies in the Middle East region. He said Israeli strength was important to geopolitics and to his country’s national security. “When you’re strong, people form alliances with you, and they make peace with you as well,” said Netanyahu.As for peace, he expressed his desire to ultimately reach as many accords as possible, even with countries that are not currently amicable. He wouldn’t get into specifics, nor would he identify most of the countries he meant by name, but Netanyahu remained optimistic about peace in the future. He did, however, hint at something possibly in the works with Lebanon.MASSIE ENTERS RESOLUTION TO HONOR 34 KILLED IN 1967 USS LIBERTY INCIDENT“I’m not naming names because I want to deliver results,” he said. “But everyone will see them… there are understandings with Lebanon that nobody foresaw. There are contacts with other countries as well. I can’t elaborate.”And while he did emphasize his preference for peace, he also noted that Israel would remain strong and continue to wield influence in the Middle East. He mentioned the importance of securing his country’s border and deterring enemies.“I think we need to safeguard our borders, said the Israeli prime minister. “But we must understand: as one power declines, another power rises. That is always the way things work. And the power that must continue rising — and to rise faster — is the State of Israel.”
