Israeli PM Netanyahu Says Tehran Nearing 'Downfall', End Of Regime Is 'Near', As US And Iran Resume Strikes

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Days after the United States and Iran resumed tit-for-tat strikes after nearly a month of relative calm, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday (6 September) said that Tehran is nearing its downfall as it struggles to fight for its existence, adding that a further objective is yet to be fulfilled.

Netanyahu made these remarks during a governmental meeting held for a Rosh Hashanah toast.

In a post on X, Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying, "The achievements are immense, but there is still more to complete. I mean, first and foremost, the toppling of the regime. This regime in Iran - its end is near. It is weak, it is fighting for its life, it is faltering. And there is another mission to complete, which we are determined to bring about. This will permanently change the face of the Middle East and the history of our people. We know that we are determined to do this, and we are determined and know that we are capable of doing this."

Israeli PM lauds IDF, defends decision to expand conflict

Elaborating further, Netanyahu lauded the Israel Defense Forces (IDF ) and wrote, "We are on the threshold of Rosh Hashanah, and more than ever, the State of Israel comes first. Thanks to the wise and courageous decisions we made together around this table, thanks to the heroism of our fighters, thanks to the resilience of our people - we have achieved tremendous accomplishments. Israel is stronger than ever; our enemies are weaker than ever. Together with the United States, we have achieved tremendous successes in removing an existential threat hanging over our heads. We have pushed away atomic bombs and ballistic missiles, and we have struck the Iranian axis with immense power."

Defending the decision to expand the conflict and target its neighbours in the Middle East, the Israeli PM stated that Tel Aviv is determined to defend itself and strike the country's enemies. He added, "From here, I want to bless the heroic soldiers of the IDF and the security branches who labor constantly. We are eliminating terrorists around the clock – in Lebanon, in Gaza, and in Judea and Samaria."

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Netanyahu's remarks come a week after Washington and Tehran resumed hostilities after the US military attacked Iran's Larak Island, with the latter retaliating by attacking US troops stationed in Middle Eastern countries.

Over the weekend, the two sides also traded strikes and targeted vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran said it struck three oil tankers using an "unauthorised route" through the strategic waterway that has been at the centre of negotiations between the US and Iran. The Islamic Republic also attacked several US-linked ships in retaliation for Washington's attacks on Iranian tankers.

The latest exchange of attacks and conflicting claims over the strait's status indicate that an end to the war launched by the US and Israel against the Islamic Republic more than six months ago remains unlikely in the immediate future, Bloomberg reported.

On 6 September, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright suggested that there would not be any let-up in the US presence, including a sea blockade aimed at curbing Iranian oil exports and efforts to facilitate the safe passage of other commercial vessels through the strait.

Following Wright's remarks, Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said that Tehran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz only if Washington stops threatening and attacking the Islamic Republic, IRIB reported. He said,“Iran will commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open when the US neither threatens nor attacks Iran.”

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