Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed claims that he takes cues from US President Donald Trump, insisting that both leaders make decisions independently in the interests of their
respective countries.
Speaking at the JNS Summit in Jerusalem, Netanyahu addressed speculation surrounding his relationship with Trump, saying perceptions in both Israel and the United States misrepresent the nature of their ties.
“In the United States, they say that President Trump does everything that I ask him to do. And in Israel, they say that I do everything he wants me to do,” Netanyahu said.
“Well, neither is true. We’re leaders of independent and proud countries. We stand for our interests. I stand for the interests of Israel and for its security,” he added.
Netanyahu also said that while he and Trump often agree on major issues, there are occasions when their views differ. However, he stressed that the relationship between the two leaders is based on mutual respect.
“And often we see eye to eye. Sometimes we don’t. But we respect each other’s sovereignty and leadership and commitment to our people,” he said.
According to AFP, Netanyahu also said that no political developments would alter Israel’s position on the issue.
“And with regard to Iran, whatever political developments may unfold, I will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. As long as I serve as Prime Minister of Israel, that will not happen,” he said.
Later on Sunday, Netanyahu again claimed that the Middle East conflict had helped remove what he described as an existential threat posed by Iran.
“We prevented Iran from carrying out a plan to annihilate us, and today they would have had an atomic bomb to do so,” he said at a public event, according to AFP.
“We prevented that from happening. We removed the existential danger. Had we not acted. Iran would have had atomic bombs, and let me tell you something, they would have used them.”
Netanyahu further argued that joint US-Israeli actions had significantly weakened Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
He said the campaign had inflicted damage from which the force might “not recover for a long time”.
“Because once you deal these blows and once the rift between the regime and people is so deep, you cannot tell when such a regime would fall,” he said.
“I think we created the condition for it to fall. That is what will be the real triumph when the Iranian people take their own destiny in their hands, and they knock out this brutal regime that is terrorising them and terrorising the rest of the world.”
ISRAEL TO REMAIN IN SOUTHERN LEBANON
The Israeli Prime Minister also said Israeli forces would remain deployed in southern Lebanon for the foreseeable future.
“We will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect the cherished residents of the north and all the citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu said.
AFP reported that Netanyahu maintained Israel’s operations in Lebanon were directed against Hezbollah and not the Lebanese state.
Addressing civilian casualties, he said he had been informed that the ratio of Hezbollah fighters killed to civilians harmed was five to one.
“Five terrorists killed for every civilian that is harmed in the process. Five to one. Unheard of,” Netanyahu said.
Reiterating that Israel’s conflict is with Hezbollah, he said peace with Lebanon would be possible once the Iran-backed group is dismantled and disarmed.
“When that proxy of Iran is no longer a threat, when it’s dismantled, when it’s disarmed, yes, we’ll have peace with Lebanon, and I look forward to signing it,” he said.
The remarks came as US-Iran talks continued in Switzerland and amid ongoing regional tensions involving Iran, Israel and Hezbollah.
