Benjamin Netanyahu brushes off fears of ICC arrest during overseas travel

Netanyahu downplayed the risk of countries enforcing ICC arrest warrants placed on him, implying that IDF Special Forces would protect or rescue him.

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While Trump blusters, and Netanyahu spins, is Iran already on the brink of the bomb?

PM ethuses and president notes a good and important meeting behind closed doors at the White House on Tuesday. But the critical war they began in February is anything but over, and it's not clear they agree on how to win it

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i24NEWS:
Preparations for a large-scale American attack on Iran: A security source - "The Americans are preparing for something bigger than anything we've seen so far."

In Gaza, reports emerged of at least two terrorists being neutralized and several others injured during several attacks in the Gaza Strip.

🇺🇸 Trump on Iran:
"We are going to inflict a very severe blow on them, because it is now our turn to hit them.
They know that this attack is coming. They are asking us not to do it.
Last night, they tried to launch five rockets at us. We intercepted and destroyed them all."

Reporter: What can you say about the attack on the oil tanker in Egypt? Is this attack related to Iran?
Trump: "I'm aware of the situation. This is, more or less, a continuation of the previous events."

June 5 1967. Egyptian pilots were eating breakfast. 170 minutes later, their entire air force no longer existed. Operation Focus remains one of the most precisely executed military strikes in history. Israel hit the runways first — not the aircraft. A plane with no runway is a target, not a weapon. The Six-Day War was decided before most of the world woke up. #IsraelStrong #IranWar 🇮🇱💪

For a detailed exploration of the IDF’s wars, victories, and unique qualities, Chapter Twelve of The Modern Jewish State of Israel: The Jews & Israel

To learn more, download the Kindle version or order a copy

here: https://a.co/d/fIM6MOM.

Reporter: President Xi Jinping told you that China doesn't sell or provide weapons to Iran. A new report says that Iran is planning to acquire 400 missile launchers from China.

Trump: That would be very surprising. He told me that they wouldn't be involved.
He knows that I would be very disappointed in him.

Reporter: Do you want the House of Representatives to convene before August 31st to review and approve the sanctions proposal against Russia and Iran?

Trump: In short, it shouldn't be necessary, but if it is, I would be willing for them to also add Iran to the list of tariffs.

Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, on Iran: Trump has three options: success in reaching an agreement, continuing the sanctions, or taking military action.

Anything that leads to the end of Iran's nuclear program is what we want. That is our common goal, and we have talked about it.

ABC: Is your goal still to change the government?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: My goal is to ensure that Iran, with this government, does not have nuclear weapons. And that is something that both I and Trump agree on, because otherwise, it would be a different world.

They are different from other countries and societies. They have no qualms about killing their own people; you have seen it yourselves.

They have no qualms about wanting to see this great country destroyed, or my country destroyed. That is what they do.

ABC: When you met with President Trump at the White House, did you try to persuade him to resume attacks on Iran?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: Actually, no. That's a caricature and a humorous image. It's not true.

We actually analyzed all three possibilities, and I believe we did so in an open and frank manner, between friends and allies. It's his decision. I think the important thing is that we share a common goal.

Prime Minister Netanyahu on Iran: I don't know whether diplomacy is possible or not, but I am skeptical of Iran's methods.

They always lie, they always cheat, and they always play for time.

Can this behavior be changed with enough pressure, diplomatic pressure, and economic pressure? We must try.

ABC: If Iran attacks Israel, how will you respond?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: I think they will commit a terrible mistake, and we will respond with overwhelming force.

ABC: Earlier this month, Trump said, "You know who the boss is," meaning he is the one who makes the final decisions. Do you see it that way?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: In the United States, it is often said that Trump does whatever I say, and in Israel, it is often said that I do whatever he says.

But the truth is that we are partners, we are allies. He is the senior partner, and I am the junior partner.

I am the Prime Minister of Israel, and when I have to stand up for the interests and security of my country, I do so.

ABC: The New York Times reported that you told President Trump before the war that Iran's missile program would be destroyed within a few weeks, without closing the Strait of Hormuz, and that a change of government was also possible. Why did your initial assessment turn out to be so inaccurate?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: That was not my initial assessment, and that quote is a misrepresentation of my words.

I believe we must take action to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons, because if we don't, it's like a cancer, and if you don't remove it, you will die. We are discussing how to ensure that this disease does not return and does not spread.

The U.S. Central Command announced that U.S. forces have conducted extensive operations within Iran in response to recent Iranian missile attacks against U.S. forces in Jordan.

These airstrikes targeted dozens of sites belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance stations and air defense systems, as well as naval equipment.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that these strikes were aimed at further degrading Iran's ability to threaten U.S. forces, commercial ships, and countries in the Persian Gulf, as well as the capabilities of Iran-backed proxy groups.

Prime Minister Netanyahu on Iran: "I said we can create conditions that make this regime much weaker, but ultimately, it is the people of Iran who must take their destiny into their own hands.

I believe Iran is weaker than ever. I believe Israel is stronger than ever. But I cannot say that this regime has collapsed. That is not the case.

I predict that after this great rift between the people and the government, after this collective slaughter, this regime will eventually fall."

ABC: Did you anticipate that Iran would use the Strait of Hormuz in this way, effectively cutting off a significant portion of the world's oil supply?

Prime Minister Netanyahu: I thought it was possible they would do this, but I also thought they would consider the consequences. And frankly, no one could have predicted this with certainty.