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‘It’s either us or them’: Netanyahu says Israel-Iran conflict will bring ‘a different Middle East’

‘It’s either us or them’: Netanyahu says Israel-Iran conflict will bring ‘a different Middle East’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Photograph: (AFP)

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Netanyahu said that he believes the conflict will mark a turning point in the region. He said, “We’re going to see a different Middle East, a reality we haven’t seen until now.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday (Jun 17) that the ongoing conflict with Iran could bring “a different Middle East”. He added that the military confrontation could facilitate the Abraham Accords normalisation agreements between Israel and Arab states.

In an interview aired on Channel 14 in Hebrew, Netanyahu was asked whether regime change in Tehran is a goal of his military campaign. He responded by saying that he “sees this through a historical lens…Cyrus freed the Jews, and today the Jewish state might free the Persians. Not in the sense that we’re doing it for them…In the end, they have to rise up themselves, but we are creating the conditions. And that’s why it could be consequential.”

He also claimed that “80 per cent” of Iranians “hate” their government, without citing his source for the figure. He called Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a “modern Hitler”, adding that Israel plans to destroy “additional regime facilities” in the operation.

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Netanyahu added that he believes the conflict will mark a turning point in the region. He said, “We’re going to see a different Middle East, a reality we haven’t seen until now.”

He stated he is expecting that the Arab world will further open up to Israel as a result of conflict with Iran, which could ultimately facilitate an expansion of the Abraham Accords, reported the Times of Israel.

“The Arab world has opened up to us,” the Israeli prime minister said. “And the threat we face now is Iran. It’s either us or them.”

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Khamenei says, ‘The battle begins’

For the first time since assassination threats from US President Donald Trump, Khamenei posted on X, “The battle begins.”

Earlier, Trump warned Iran’s Supreme Leader that he knows his exact location but will not target him, at least for now. Trump has also demanded Tehran’s “unconditional” surrender, as Israel and Iran exchange military actions for a fifth day.

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Prajvi Mathur

Prajvi Mathur is a Sub-Editor at WION with over 2 years of experience in journalism and digital content. With a keen interest in geopolitics and national affairs, she covers a wide...Read More