Netanyahu says ‘new alliances with important countries’ are being formed in West Asia amid Iran war

He did not name the countries but said he hoped “soon, I will be able to tell you more about these important alliances”.Netanyahu said, “On the eve of this festival of independence, Israel is stronger than ever. The whole world hears the roar of our lion in our struggle against the evil regime in Iran, a struggle in which we have made immense achievements.”The address came as Israel mourns four soldiers killed in ground operations in Lebanon. Netanyahu said the gains came with “painful costs”.He said, “One month into our joint operations with the United States, we are systematically crushing a terrorist regime that for decades screamed: ‘Death to America, death to Israel.’…The Ayatollah’s regime launched a massive effort to destroy us, take over the Middle East, and threaten the entire world.”“He sought to fuel these murderous ambitions by developing nuclear programs and ballistic missiles, funding and arming terrorist proxies around us, and confronting the heavy sanctions imposed on him,” Netanyahu said.He said Iran’s long-term spending on its military ambitions has yielded little benefit.“Now, I want to tell you. Over the last few years, all this has cost Iran about a trillion dollars. And now it can be said. That trillion went down the drain”, he said.Drawing on Passover imagery, Netanyahu said Israel has repeatedly struck down its adversaries.“We have dealt with ten adversaries on the axis of evil” including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, the group in Judea and Samaria, the Houthis in Yemen and multiple targets inside Iran.In actions against Iran, he cited attacks on “their nuclear program, their missiles, the regime’s infrastructure, its forces of oppression and the ‘plague of the firstborn’, or in our case, the blow to the senior leadership”.“From the tyrant Khamenei, to the nuclear scientists, and to the master-killers of the Revolutionary Guard and Basij, not to mention Nasrallah, Haniyeh, Deif, Sinwar, and many others,” Netanyahu said.He said that Iran is now “weaker than ever” while Israel is “stronger than ever”, but he also said that the war is not over yet.Netanyahu also said global attitudes toward Iran were changing, with some leaders privately acknowledging the threat.“I spoke to the leaders of the Middle East secretly and in public meetings. I also spoke to the leaders of Europe. I also spoke to the leaders of America, even to American presidents. They did not understand the threat. Today, there is no one who does not understand the magnitude of the threat. There are some people who say to me in private conversations. ‘Prime Minister, we understand. We are afraid to say it, but we understand.’ And there are people who say. ‘We understand’, and, thank God, they are also taking action”, he said.While reaffirming ties with Washington, Netanyahu said the joint effort had dealt a “crushing blow” to Iran, leaving the regime “shaken” and suggesting it was “destined to collapse”.He said last year’s Israeli operation “Rising Lion” and the ongoing “Roaring Lion” have significantly reduced Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.Some analysts interpreted the speech as laying the groundwork for a possible US decision to end the war without a formal agreement.US President Donald Trump has recently suggested that the conflict could end soon, indicating that Washington may stop the war once it achieves its objectives.Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Netanyahu’s speech, calling it “arrogant” and accusing him of achieving only one thing, “destroying us from within”.Lapid linked his criticism to the government’s recent budget and the passage of the controversial death penalty bill.