Netanyahu Talks ‘Complete’ Victory with Trump as Israel Prepares Iran Attack

Prime Minister Netanyahu's office issued a statement translated from Hebrew (via the Government Press Office).

A year ago, I said something simple. “We will change the face of the Middle East.” And we are actually doing that. Syria is not the same Syria. Lebanon is not the same Lebanon. Gaza is not the same Gaza. And Iran, the leader of the Axis powers, is not the same Iran. I also felt the strength of our arms.

Today, we are working strongly and with due care to ensure the security of all countries in the region and to ensure the stability and security of all our borders. This is not to say that there are still challenges ahead of us. There are challenges regarding Iran and its bloody proxies, as well as additional potential threats, as the reality is dynamic and rapidly changing.

So I would like to talk a little bit about Syria. We are not interested in a conflict with Syria. We will determine Israel's policy regarding Syria according to the realities on the ground. We recall that for decades Syria has been an active enemy of Israel. It has attacked us repeatedly. It allowed others to attack us from that area. Iran allowed Hezbollah to arm within its territory.

We have taken a series of intensive measures in recent days to ensure that something like this never happens again. Together with Defense Minister Katz, I directed the IDF to thwart potential threats from Syria and prevent terrorist elements from gaining control of our border areas.

In a matter of days, we destroyed the capabilities that the Assad regime had built over decades. It also attacked Hezbollah's weapons supply route through Syria. Yesterday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qasem openly stated that “Hezbollah has lost its military supply route through Syria.” Of course, this is further proof that we have attacked the entire Iranian axis.

But I want to be clear and warn. We are committed to preventing Hezbollah from rearming. This is a long-term test for Israel that we must face and will continue to face. I declare unequivocally to Hezbollah and Iran. To prevent your attacks on us, we will continue to take action against you in all areas and at all times as necessary.

Last night, I discussed this with my friend, President-elect Donald Trump of the United States. We had a very friendly, warm and meaningful discussion. We discussed the need for Israel's complete victory and discussed at length the efforts we were making to free the hostages.

We will continue to take decisive action to bring home all hostages, living and dead. Let me add that the less discussion we have on this matter the better, and with G-d's help we will be successful.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump mended relations before the election and have met several times since then. President Trump threatened Hamas with “hell to pay” if it did not release the hostages by January 20.

Some things are unconfirmed report President Trump is reportedly considering military action against Iran. Current White House national security press secretary John Kirby suggested on Fox News Friday that President Joe Biden could do the same.