Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that Iran has lost its ability to enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles following 20 days of coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel.

Speaking in Jerusalem on Thursday local time, Netanyahu described the operation as a resounding success, claiming it has decimated Iran's military infrastructure.

In the initial phase of what he termed "Rising Lion," the strikes obliterated missile stockpiles and severely damaged Iran's drone and missile arsenals, including key nuclear facilities. Netanyahu emphasised that the current efforts target the industrial backbone enabling Iran to rebuild these capabilities.

"We are winning and Iran is being decimated," Netanyahu told reporters. He detailed how hundreds of Iranian launchers have been destroyed, alongside substantial portions of missile stockpiles and the factories producing their components. This phase, he said, wipes out the entire industrial base that previously escaped destruction.

Netanyahu portrayed the campaign as a global safeguard, with Israel and the US protecting the world from Iran's threats. The strikes, he claimed, have massively degraded Tehran's military capacity, though CNN noted that no concrete evidence was presented to support these assertions.

On the political front, Netanyahu cautioned that it remains premature to predict outcomes in Iran. He stressed the need for a transitional leader to avoid merely swapping one authoritarian figure for another, invoking historical parallels by warning against replacing "Hitler with Himmler."

Ultimately, he said, any regime change hinges on the Iranian people seizing the moment. "We can create the conditions, but they have to exploit those conditions," Netanyahu remarked, underscoring that air power alone cannot spark revolutions—a ground element is essential, though he offered no specifics.

Economically, Netanyahu highlighted Israel's backing of US initiatives to stabilise energy markets by reopening vital shipping lanes. He expressed confidence in American efforts to clear the Strait of Hormuz, predicting a subsequent drop in global oil prices.

Netanyahu praised his close alignment with US President Donald Trump on neutralising Iran's nuclear ambitions. "I didn't have to convince President Trump," he said, noting Trump's pre-existing grasp of the dangers posed by Iran's underground nuclear program and potential nuclear-tipped missiles aimed at the United States.

Looking ahead, Netanyahu advocated for strategic infrastructure to bypass chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz. He proposed oil and gas pipelines traversing the Arabian Peninsula westward to Israel's Mediterranean ports, deeming the concept "definitely possible" as a long-term fix for energy vulnerabilities.

Amid these remarks, Netanyahu voiced optimism about the conflict's swift resolution. "I also see this war ending a lot faster than people think," he stated, as regional tensions simmer with ongoing US-Israel operations against Iran and mounting worries over energy security and Tehran's political future.

ANI