Netanyahu Vows Iran Will Never Get the Bomb on His Watch

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a forceful address Sunday at a commemorative event marking fifty years since the death of his brother, Lieutenant Colonel Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed leading the 1976 rescue operation at Entebbe. Speaking at the memorial, the prime minister said Israel had launched two major operations over the past year aimed at eliminating what he described as an immediate existential threat posed by Iran. He framed the operations as part of a continuous national struggle for survival, one that he connected directly to the legacy of his brother's sacrifice five decades earlier.

Netanyahu also addressed Israel's continued military presence in southern Lebanon, pledging that Israeli forces would remain in the security zone there for as long as necessary to protect residents of northern Israel and the country as a whole. The remarks reaffirm a position the prime minister has held throughout the recent conflict, emphasizing that any withdrawal would be contingent on conditions on the ground rather than a fixed timeline. His comments come even as a broader US-brokered ceasefire and diplomatic framework involving Iran continues to unfold in the region.

Turning to Iran directly, Netanyahu issued an unequivocal vow that he would never permit the Islamic Republic to acquire nuclear weapons, regardless of how ongoing diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran ultimately play out. "As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, that will not happen," he said. The statement underscores a consistent red line Netanyahu has drawn throughout his tenure, signaling that Jerusalem will continue to act independently to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran even as international diplomacy proceeds on a separate track.