Jerusalem, March 17 Claiming to have eliminated Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the joint US-Israeli strikes were aimed at weakening the Iranian government to give the Iranian people the opportunity to take their "destiny into their own hands".
"This morning, we eliminated Ali Larijani...Along with him, we also eliminated the commander of the Basij – they are the gangsters' assistants who are terrorizing the population in the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities," he said in a statement.
Larijani had effectively become the head of Iran's war management following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by Israel on February 28, in the opening strike of the war, which is now in its eighteenth day.
There was no word from the Iranian government on the fate of Larijani, the Secretary of the country's Supreme National Security Council.
"We are undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people an opportunity to remove it. It will not happen all at once, and it will not happen easily," the Israeli premier said.
"But if we persist, we will give them the chance to take their destiny into their own hands," he added.
The Israeli leader has constantly claimed that his country, along with the US, can enable the creation of a conducive situation for the overthrow of the Iranian regime, but the people of Iran will ultimately have to execute it.
He said that his country continues to operate in different parts of Iran from the air with Air Force jets and UAVs.
Repeating his earlier statement from a press conference last week, Netanyahu said that Israel has several surprises in store, and he is holding the stratagems close to his chest.
"We are helping our American friends in the Gulf. I spoke at length with President Trump on this matter yesterday. There is cooperation between our air forces and navies, between myself and President Trump and his staff. We will assist both through indirect attacks, which create immense pressure on the Iranian regime, and through direct actions," he said.
"There are many more surprises. 'By stratagems, you shall make war.' We will not reveal all the stratagems here, but as I told you, there are many," he asserted.
He also urged his forces, leaders and people to stay steadfast in their resolve to win.
"The most important thing for winning a war is determination: Determination, determination, determination. The determination of the leaders, the determination of the commanders, and the determination of the people. We are determined to win, and we will achieve these goals," Netanyahu said.
Asserting that Israel has emerged as a formidable power after the shock of October 7, Netanyahu, who has constantly come under attack from his people and opposition demanding a state commission of enquiry, said that Israel has emerged stronger than ever.
"I ask you to simply ignore the 'channels of gloom.' We are achieving historical milestones...We have reached a point where, after October 7, when we were on the brink of an abyss, we are now a formidable power, almost a global one, fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with our friend, the global superpower," he said, touting the strong alliance with the US.
The Premier also tried to assure the population that has come under attack and suffered losses, with thousands of insurance claims piling up, that they will receive the state's help in coping with it.