By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2024-10-28 17:15:21 | Updated at 2024-10-28 19:24:04
2 hours ago
The Biden administration had been very public in its insistence that Israel not strike Iran's nuclear facilities or its oil fields.
By TOVAH LAZAROFF OCTOBER 28, 2024 19:00
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen over an Iranian billboard targeting him in Tehran (illustrative)
(photo credit: Canva, MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA/REUTERS)
Israel is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset as he touted the IDF's successful strike against the Islamic Republic's conventional military targets, including its production of anti-ballistic missiles.
"Stopping the Iranian nuclear program is at the forefront of our minds, and for obvious reasons, I cannot share with you all our plans and actions in this regard," Netanyahu said as he addressed the opening plenum of the Knesset's winter session.
"Our long-term strategy, which I hope will be achieved in the near future, is to dismantle the axis of evil, cut off its arms in the south and in the north" and "to exact a heavy price from Iran and its proxies, and to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons," Netanyahu stated.
"I have not given up, and we will not give up on this central goal," he stressed.
Netanyahu had been under pressure to order an IDF strike on Iranian nuclear facilities as part of Israel's retaliatory strike against the Islamic Republic on Saturday morning.
Security decisions amid US pressure
The Biden administration had been very public in its insistence that Israel not strike Iran's nuclear facilities or its oil fields.
His opponents have accused him of caving to US pressure and not taking into account Israel's strategic needs.
Netanyahu defended himself against such charges during his speech,
"We maintain a continuous dialogue with our American friends, but the fateful decisions concerning our security, including the choice of goals and objectives, we make ourselves, according to our interests and considerations," he stated.
