Netanyahu Vows Fresh Strikes on Iran if Needed as Ex-Israeli PM Says Netanyahu is 'Incapable of Governing'

JERUSALEM, July 1: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would launch fresh military strikes against Iran if necessary, insisting Tehran "will not have nuclear weapons" despite a new US-Iran diplomatic framework aimed at easing tensions.

Speaking to Israel's Channel 14, Netanyahu claimed Israel had "saved ourselves from atomic bombs" through its actions against Iran and warned that further military action remained an option if Tehran resumed pursuing nuclear weapons.

His remarks came after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Washington and Tehran, brokered with Pakistani mediation, took effect on June 18. The agreement provides a framework for ending hostilities, easing sanctions, addressing Iran's nuclear programme, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and advancing broader regional security arrangements. Israel has consistently opposed any agreement it believes could allow Iran to retain nuclear capabilities.

Meanwhile, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett launched a sharp attack on Netanyahu's leadership, saying the premier is "incapable of governing his own government" because he is dependent on far-right coalition partners.

In an interview with broadcaster Mario Nawfal, Bennett said National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and ultra-Orthodox parties effectively dictate government policy.

"He is incapable of governing his own government because Ben-Gvir and Smotrich and the Haredim all control him," Bennett said, adding that he would never have appointed Ben-Gvir to his own cabinet and would not have tolerated inflammatory statements from ministers.

Bennett also argued that Israel's global standing has deteriorated because of the government's own actions rather than foreign media or external criticism. He said ministers were inflicting "self-inflicted wounds" on Israel's image while the government had conducted "zero public diplomacy."

Criticizing the prolonged military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon and against Iran, Bennett said the extended conflicts were inconsistent with Israel's traditional military doctrine and were placing an unsustainable burden on the country's economy and military reservists.

"If we have to pursue war, do it quickly, intensively, win and move on to stabilize the region. When you drag it on for such a long time, it exhausts our economy, exhausts our reservists," he said.