Netanyahu says Iran campaign nears completion and hints Gaza war could end if Hamas lays down arms.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that Israel is “very, very close” to destroying Iran’s most dangerous nuclear and missile capabilities. In a pre-recorded address, he assured Israelis that the campaign won’t be dragged into a “war of attrition” but will continue until every objective is achieved.

“We are removing the threat,” Netanyahu declared, referring to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We won’t pursue our actions beyond what’s needed—but we also won’t stop too soon.”

His statement came less than 24 hours after US stealth bombers and cruise missiles struck Iran’s Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites in an 18-hour mission led by the Pentagon. Netanyahu praised the strikes as “very serious damage” to Iran’s nuclear core—especially Fordo, buried deep beneath a mountain.

Israel’s own strikes began on June 13, following what Netanyahu described as a clear threat of Iranian escalation after the death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024. According to the prime minister, the regime in Tehran had begun racing toward nuclear weaponisation and planned to produce 300 ballistic missiles per month.

“We had to act,” Netanyahu said. “We are eliminating the two concrete threats to our existence: the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat.”

He claimed Israeli operations have already destroyed more than half of Iran’s missile launchers in just 10 days.

Netanyahu also made cryptic reference to the whereabouts of Iran’s 400 kilograms of 60-per cent enriched uranium—just a step below weapons-grade—saying Israeli intelligence has “interesting intel” on it but declined to give details.

Asked whether the conflict could now expand, Netanyahu insisted Israel would not fall into a drawn-out confrontation. “When the objectives are achieved, then the operation is complete,” he said.

He also revealed that he had informed US President Donald Trump of Israel’s intentions well before the joint campaign began. “I knew that when push comes to shove, he would do the right thing,” Netanyahu said. “For America, for the free world, for civilisation.”

Turning to Gaza, Netanyahu suggested that the weakening of Iran’s regional power—particularly its support for Hamas—could help bring the 20-month conflict in the enclave to an end.

“Without the Iranian scaffolding, it all collapses,” he said.

He claimed the war in Gaza “could end tomorrow” if Hamas were to surrender, disarm, and release the remaining hostages. “It could end today. We think we can give Gaza a different future.”

The war began after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, which left around 1,200 people dead and 251 taken hostage. Twenty months on, 50 hostages remain in Gaza—including the bodies of at least 28 confirmed dead. Twenty are believed to be alive. Two others are feared to be in critical condition.

Negotiations with Hamas remain frozen, with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s latest ceasefire and hostage proposal reportedly rejected by the terror group. Netanyahu gave no sign that a diplomatic breakthrough was imminent.

Instead, he doubled down on Israel’s military strategy, arguing that the collapse of Iran’s external support would cripple Hamas from within. While no end to either conflict has been officially declared, Netanyahu’s tone suggested a coordinated final push is underway.

Whether Israel’s gamble in Iran will yield lasting calm—or trigger wider regional chaos—remains the question looming over an increasingly volatile Middle East.