Netanyahu Claims Iran’s Nuclear Program ‘Crippled Quite a Bit’ After US-Israeli Strikes

TEL AVIV, Jul 26: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that joint US-Israeli military operations have significantly damaged Iran’s nuclear program, claiming Tehran’s capabilities have been pushed back by several years.

In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said the strikes targeted key elements of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and eliminated 20 senior nuclear scientists involved in the program.

“We knocked out 20 of their chief nuclear scientists in the two operations that we did with the United States,” Netanyahu said, adding that Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been weakened “quite a bit.”

However, he warned that the international community must remain vigilant to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its nuclear capabilities.

Netanyahu also issued a warning to Iran against any future attacks on Israel, whether carried out directly or through allied groups in the region.

“If Iran attacks Israel, either directly or through proxies, either with ballistic missiles, or UAVs, or killer drones, it will make a terrible mistake,” Netanyahu said. “Because our response, Israel’s response, will be very, very forceful.”

The Israeli leader said Israel would respond strongly to any threat from Tehran, as tensions continue to remain high between the two countries.

Netanyahu also voiced support for US President Donald Trump’s approach of linking Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear ambitions with possible normalization ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

He said he would welcome Saudi Arabia joining the normalization process, noting that Israel has already established agreements with several Arab countries.

Rejecting claims that Israel has become internationally isolated, Netanyahu said many countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East continue to seek Israeli technology, security cooperation and military expertise.

Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington next week to attend the funeral of former US Senator Lindsey Graham and is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump during the visit.