‘Not a terrible thing to protect the world from theological thuggery’: Netanyahu on US-Israeli strikes in Iran

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (local time) backed the US-Israeli military action against Iran as a part of Operation Epic Fury/Roaring Lion, noting that it protects not only US, Israel but also the world at large from ‘theological thuggery’.

In an interview to Fox News, the Israeli PM said, “It’s not a terrible thing to protect humanity, to protect America, to protect Israel, to protect the free world from this theological thuggery. These fanatics who don’t care — who just export death, mass death, everywhere”. In a slew of scathing remarks, he slammed Iran for murdering thousands of Americans and spreading a worldwide web of terror.

He said, “Iran for 47 years has been chanting death to America. They have murdered and maimed thousands of Americans. They bombed your embassies. They tried to assassinate Donald Trump, the President of the United States, twice. They murdered their own people, they massacred so many. And they spread a worldwide web of terror. This is a regime committed to destroying the United States of America.”

ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU on why Iran strike was needed: “Iran for 47 years has been chanting death to America.”

“They bombed your embassies. They tried to assassinate Donald Trump, the President of the United States, twice. They murdered their own people, they massacred so many. And… pic.twitter.com/Mz8l2XhOU2

— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 3, 2026

Netanyahu praised the leadership of Trump and added, “There’s never been a President like Donald J. Trump. His resoluteness, his decisiveness, his clarity of thinking, the way he gets things — gets right to the crux of things. He cuts through all the fluff, cuts through the chase, gets down to the main point, and it gets down to the main action that needs to be taken.”

He further said, “I think for Israel and I think for the countries of the free world, let me tell you, I think for the world. We’re very lucky to have him as the leader of the free world, and in fact the leader of world. He’s brought America back to being the leader the world.”

Netanyahu told Fox News, “This is not an endless war, this is a gateway to peace. There is great danger and it’s time to act.”

Earlier, US Vice-President JD Vance on Tuesday (local time) said President Donald Trump decided to take action against Iran in order to protect America’s national security. Vance added that Trump had determined to ensure America remains safe not only for a few years during his tenure as the President, but to ensure that Iran could ‘never’ to have a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile, in a video message on Monday to the Joint Force, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called it a “generational turning point America has waited for since 1979”. He urged them to stay determined and re-iterated Trump administration’s slogan–peace through strength.

As developments follow in wake of the tensions in West Asia, Israeli Ambassador to US, Danny Danon met US First Lady Melania Trump ahead of the UN Security Council session and underlined that the alliance between Israel and the United States stands firm.

Also on Monday in a post on Truth Social, Trump attacked the “radical left” for their response to the American strikes.

A full-scale conflict erupted in West Asia involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, following a major “military offensive” launched on February 28. In a coordinated operation known as Operation Epic Fury/Roaring Lion, US and Israeli forces carried out large-scale air and missile strikes across Iran, targeting key military sites, nuclear-related infrastructure, and leadership compounds.

In response, Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, further widening the conflict and heightening risks for civilians and expatriates alike.

World leaders and international bodies are currently urging de-escalation as the risk of a wider regional conflict grows, though fighting continues without a clear end in sight. (ANI)