Israel PM Netanyahu says war against Iran may take ‘some time’, but not years
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PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he saw the war as an opportunity for lasting peace in the Middle East, including between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 2 that the US and Israel’s war against Iran may take “some time” but it will not take years.
The US and Israeli air war against Iran
President Donald Trump initially projected the war to last four to five weeks, but added it could go on longer, and has since sought to justify a broad, open-ended war on Iran.
Mr Netanyahu rejected the idea of the conflict lasting years, like previous wars in the region.
“I said it could be quick and decisive. It may take some time, but it’s not going to take years. It’s not an endless war,” Mr Netanyahu said on Fox News’ “Hannity” program.
The assault on Iran formed part of a list of Mr Trump’s foreign policy actions that have marked a striking shift from his “America First” rhetoric against US interventions when he campaigned in the 2024 elections.
Mr Netanyahu said he saw the war as an opportunity for lasting peace in the Middle East, including between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“Yes I do,” he said, when asked if he saw a lasting path to peace in the region.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed over the weekend that only one in four Americans approved of US strikes on Iran that have plunged the Middle East into chaos.
US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that lasted several years made many Americans sceptical of Washington’s direct involvement in wars on foreign soil.
Mr Netanyahu said the US and Israel’s war against Iran was creating a scenario for the Iranian people to topple their government.
“Now, of course, it’s up to the people of Iran in the final count to change the government, but we are creating – America and Israel together are creating – the conditions for them to do so,” he said.
Mr Trump’s stated aims and timeline for the war have shifted since it began over the weekend. On Feb 28 when he announced the strikes, he urged Iranians to “take back your country” and implied a goal of toppling the government.
In comments on March 2, Mr Trump made no mention of toppling Iran’s government and said the war was needed to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies seeking, and to thwart its long-range ballistic missile programme.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons. Washington also has nuclear weapons. REUTERS
