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“Through the bold actions of our pilots and those of the United States, we have achieved almost complete control of the skies over Iran,” Netanyahu said.
By United with Israel Staff
As the war with Iran enters its second week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and the United States are pressing ahead with a coordinated military campaign aimed at dismantling the Iranian regime’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and reshaping the balance of power in the Middle East.
In a nationally televised statement marking one week since the launch of Operation “Roar of the Lion,” Netanyahu framed the campaign as a decisive moment not only for Israel but for the wider region and the Western alliance.
“We are in a decisive battle for our very existence,” Netanyahu said. “A week has passed since Operation Roar of the Lion began, and I want to salute our heroic pilots, the ground crews working around the clock, and our brave fighters on all fronts.”
He also praised Israeli civilians for their resilience under continued missile fire and for following the safety instructions issued by the Home Front Command.
“In safe rooms and shelters you are showing great strength,” Netanyahu said. “You are telling me, the government, and our soldiers: ‘Keep going until the end, until victory.’ I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support, and I tell you today: we will continue with full force.”
Netanyahu emphasized repeatedly that the campaign against Iran is being carried out in close cooperation with Washington, highlighting what he described as an unprecedented level of strategic coordination between the two countries.
“When I met President Trump in Florida months before he was elected to his second term, the first thing he said to me was: ‘Bibi, we must prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons at any cost,’” Netanyahu said.
“I want to thank my friend President Trump for the historic leadership he is showing, for the strong friendship between us, and for the closer than ever alliance between the United States and Israel that we are leading together.”
The operational partnership between the two militaries has produced significant results in the air campaign over Iran. U.S. Central Command underscored that cooperation in a message posted on X, writing that “the world’s two greatest Air Forces continue to dominate the skies over Iran,” alongside the American and Israeli flags.
The world’s two greatest Air Forces (🇺🇸 + 🇮🇱) continue to dominate the skies over Iran. pic.twitter.com/Irmfb1JEEx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 7, 2026
Netanyahu echoed that message in his remarks, saying Israeli and American pilots have established overwhelming aerial control.
“Through the bold actions of our pilots and those of the United States, we have achieved almost complete control of the skies over Iran,” he said. “With every passing day we are stripping away more and more of the regime’s capabilities.”
According to Netanyahu, the first week of the war has already inflicted severe damage on Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure.
“In the first week of the war we eliminated the tyrant Khamenei, neutralized dozens of senior Revolutionary Guard commanders and hundreds of terror operatives,” he said.
He added that Israeli and American strikes have destroyed key components of Iran’s military machine.
“We have destroyed government facilities, nuclear infrastructure, command centers and military bases, weapons factories, missile depots and drone warehouses, and hundreds of ballistic missile launchers,” Netanyahu said. “This significantly reduces the threat to the State of Israel.”
Netanyahu argued that the operation was launched to prevent Iran from achieving a level of nuclear protection that would have made its program virtually untouchable.
“The dictator in Tehran ignored the warnings of President Trump and ignored my warnings,” he said. “He ordered the rebuilding of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic capabilities and sought to bury them deep underground, beneath mountains, so they would be immune to attack.”
Allowing that effort to succeed, Netanyahu said, would have created a grave threat not only to Israel but to the United States and much of the world.
“There is no doubt that once this underground immunity was achieved, the ayatollah regime would have used these terrible weapons to destroy us,” he said, adding that Iran would then have threatened “the United States, Europe, the countries of the region, and the entire world with nuclear weapons.”
Netanyahu also warned Lebanon that Israel would continue striking Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful regional proxy, if the Lebanese government fails to enforce the existing ceasefire and dismantle the group’s military presence.
“The responsibility of the Lebanese government is to enforce the ceasefire and to disarm Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said. “If you do not do this, Hezbollah’s aggression will bring disastrous consequences upon Lebanon.”
At the same time, he signaled that Israel’s campaign inside Iran is far from over.
“We have an organized plan with many surprises to destabilize the regime and create the conditions for change,” Netanyahu said. “We have many more targets.”
He also delivered a direct warning to members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
“To those who oppress the Iranian people in the streets, I say this: you too are on the target list,” he said. “Whoever lays down his weapons will not be harmed. Whoever does not—his blood is on his own head.”
Netanyahu said Israel’s conflict is not with the Iranian people themselves and expressed hope that the fall of the regime could eventually lead to renewed ties between the two countries.
“We do not seek to divide Iran,” he said. “We seek to free Iran and to live with it in peace.”
He added that scenes of Iranian dissidents displaying both Iranian and Israeli flags together had moved him deeply.
“Whoever sees the joint waving of the Lion and Sun flag of Iran and the Star of David flag of Israel, and the warm embraces between Iranians and Jews in exile, is deeply moved,” Netanyahu said. “It gives enormous hope for the future.”
The prime minister concluded by saying the strategy guiding the campaign is rooted in decisive and proactive action following the October 7 Hamas massacre.
“After the terrible massacre of October 7, I decided to lead a fundamental shift,” he said. “Powerful actions one after another, proactive and surprising operations that dramatically change the balance of power between us and our enemies.”
Recalling his time serving in Israel’s elite Sayeret Matkal unit, Netanyahu pointed to a motto that he said continues to guide his approach.
“In the dining hall there was a large sign with two words: ‘The daring win,’” he said. “If you are afraid to act, you lose. But if you take calculated risks and throw the enemy off balance, you break his spirit.”
Netanyahu ended the address with a vow that the campaign will continue until its objectives are achieved.
“We will not stop fighting the tyrants in Iran,” he said. “Operation Roar of the Lion will continue with relentless momentum. Together we will stand firm, together we will roar like a lion, and with God’s help we will secure the eternity of Israel.”
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