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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the joint US-Israeli campaign was “crushing” Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and called for Iranians to rise up and overthrow the Islamic republic.
Netanyahu spoke soon after the new Iranian ruler Mojtaba Khamenei’s first statement, in which he vowed to avenge the Iranians killed in the war so far.
“We are crushing Iran and Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said in a televised media briefing.
In wide-ranging comments on the war, Netanyahu said he was seeking to use the conflict to oust the clerical leadership in Tehran.
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“I have added a third objective, which is to create, for the Iranian people, the conditions to bring down this regime,” Netanyahu said.
The other two goals remained preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and destroying its ballistic missile capabilities, he said.
The Israeli leader used his remarks to demand that Beirut rein in Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has joined Iran in launching missile strikes on Israel.
“I told the Lebanese government a few days ago — you are playing with fire if you continue allowing Hezbollah to operate, in violation of your commitment to disarm it,” he said.
“The time has come for you to do so. Now, if you do not do so, it is clear that we will do so,” he continued.
Hezbollah on Thursday said it carried out a number of attacks against Israel, including on an air defence system near the town of Caesarea, home to Netanyahu’s private residence.
Israel has threatened to target Lebanese government infrastructure if the attacks by Hezbollah persist.
Netanyahu had a personal message for Iran’s new leader, saying: “We eliminated the old tyrant, and the new tyrant, the puppet of the Revolutionary Guards, can’t show his face in public.”
Khamenei had earlier issued a first statement in his name that was read out by a TV presenter.
Iranian security chief Ali Larijani said Thursday that his country would not give up fighting until the United States came to regret the “grave miscalculation” of launching its war against the Islamic republic.
US President Donald “Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation,” Larijani said on X.
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iranian supreme leader, says his country will continue to close the Strait of Hormuz to pressure Iran’s enemies.
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Khamenei spoke on Thursday in a recorded speech — his first address since succeeding his father as the country’s leader on Sunday.
On March 2, a commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strait was “closed” and that any vessel attempting to pass through the waterway would be set “ablaze”.
Major container shipping lines suspended sailings through the strait and the Suez Canal over the escalating security risks.
At least five tankers have been damaged, two personnel killed, and about 150 ships stranded around the strait, which separates Iran and Oman.
Crude oil prices have since crossed $100 per barrel on Monday — the highest level since July 2022.
On Wednesday, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters, said oil price will reach $200 a barrel.
He said Iran would not allow “a single litre of oil” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of the US, Israel, and their allies.
Donald Trump, the US president, has warned that “death, fire, and fury will reign upon them (Iran)” if they stopped the flow of oil within the passage.
Khamenei reiterated Iran’s stance in his statement.
