In a striking address to the Iranian people delivered on Thursday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke directly to the citizens of Iran, highlighting the failures of their government and expressing hope for a future of peace and freedom in the region.
Netanyahu began by reflecting on the recent collapse of regimes and organizations financially and militarily supported by the Iranian government. “Your oppressors spent over $30 billion supporting Assad in Syria,” he said. “Today, after only 11 days of fighting, his regime collapsed into dust.”
He pointed to similar defeats in Gaza and Lebanon, where Hamas and Hezbollah suffered devastating losses.
The Prime Minister criticized Iran’s rulers for mismanaging national resources. “The money your oppressors stole from you literally went up in smoke,” he declared. “You must be furious imagining the new roads, schools, hospitals that could have been built.”
Netanyahu attributed the repeated failures of Iran’s proxies to more than incompetence. “It’s because they seek to conquer other nations, to impose fundamentalist tyranny on the Middle East – on the entire world,” he said, contrasting this with Israel’s stance: “The only thing Israel seeks is to defend our state. But in so doing, we’re defending civilization against barbarism.”
The Prime Minister hailed the recent military successes as part of a broader transformation in the region. He cited U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks crediting Israel’s “fighting success” with dismantling the Iran-backed axis of terror.
“I have no doubt that you, the People of Iran, know this,” he said. “I know that just as we want peace with you, you want peace with us.”
He called attention to the oppressive nature of the Iranian regime and its fear of its own citizens.
“You know what this regime is truly terrified of? It’s terrified of you, the people of Iran,” Netanyahu said. “One day this will change. One day Iran will be free.”
Ending his speech with the rallying cry “Women, Life, Freedom” – the slogan of Iran’s opposition movement – Netanyahu envisioned a brighter future for the Middle East. “I know and I believe we will transform the Middle East into a beacon of prosperity, progress, and peace.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
