Jerusalem, April 11 Claiming "historic achievements" in the fight against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on Saturday that the "campaign is not yet over," but Israel has managed to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"The campaign against Iran is not over; we still have more to do. But even now, it can be clearly stated that we have achieved historic successes," Netanyahu said in the video in Hebrew.
"We launched this campaign because Iran was close to acquiring nuclear weapons and the capability to produce hundreds of missiles per day. These were two existential threats that we had to address," the Israeli Prime Minister asserted.
"Khamenei wanted to conceal the production of missiles and the nuclear program deep underground, in such a way that even B-2 aircraft would not have been able to reach it. We could not stand idly by," he claimed.
Amid questions about the fate of more than 400 kilograms of enriched uranium still lying in Iran, the Israeli leader reiterated that it will be removed from the Islamic Republic through diplomatic means or by force.
Moving to a map of West Asia with the Iranian axis highlighted in red shortly after the start of his video statement, Netanyahu said, "They wanted to strangle us, and we are strangling them."
"We have achieved this; we still have more to do," he stressed.
The statement came as US and Iranian negotiators were meeting in Islamabad to discuss a potential ceasefire.
The Israeli leader repeated that he had spent much of his life ensuring that Iran would not acquire nuclear weapons, including by approving covert operations to delay it and also informing the world of the danger.
"But the world wouldn't listen," he said, adding that Israel "broke the barrier of fear" by striking Iran last June.
Applauding the support received from Israeli citizens, Netanyahu said that Iran has been weakened and is "begging for a ceasefire."
"This is reflected in the internal conflicts at the top; we are aware of this. We see the growing difficulty (in Iran) in meeting the needs of its citizens. This is reflected in the profound weakening of the regime. Iran is no longer the same Iran," he claimed, stressing that Israel has emerged stronger in the process.
"Those who threatened to destroy us are now fighting for their own survival," the Israeli Premier asserted.
He also claimed major achievements on other fronts that posed a threat to Israel – Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza.
"As a result of the strength we showed, Lebanon has reached out several times in the past month to begin direct peace talks. I approved this subject to two conditions: we want to achieve the disarmament of Hezbollah, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations," Netanyahu said.
"We have created a security zone of between 8-10 km. We are fighting Hezbollah because we are determined, I am determined, to restore security to the residents of the north – they deserve it, like all citizens of Israel," he said.
The Israeli leader accused Hezbollah of planning a covert operation to "invade and conquer the Galilee."
According to local media reports, Israel and Lebanon are scheduled to hold talks in the US next week, despite Israel insisting on continuing its military operations against Hezbollah.
Netanyahu also hinted at resuming fighting against Hamas in Gaza.