Iran made a “big mistake tonight,” says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of the security cabinet meeting in Jerusalem shortly after an Iranian missile attack, “and it will pay for it.”
The strike on Israel earlier in the evening “failed,” he says.
“It was thwarted thanks to Israel’s air defense system, which is the most advanced in the world,” says the prime minister, thanking the US for its support as well.
“The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies,” says Netanyahu. “[Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar and [top Hamas military commander Mohammed] Deif did not understand this, [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah and [Hezbollah chief of staff Fuad] Shukr did not understand this, and there are probably those in Tehran who do not understand this.”
“They will understand,” he threatens, stressing that “whoever attacks us — we will attack him.”
He says this is the case wherever Israel fights “the axis of evil” — in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iran.
Netanyahu calls for the “forces of light in the world” to unite against Tehran: “They must stand by Israel. The choice has never been clearer between tyranny and freedom, between blessing and curse.”
“Israel is on the move, and the axis of evil is retreating,” Netanyahu insists. “We will do everything necessary to continue this trend, to achieve all the goals of the war, primarily the return of all our hostages, and to ensure our existence and our future.”