Netanyahu says war with Iran saved Israel from threat of ‘nuclear annihilation’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran had spared his country from what he described as Tehran’s threat of “nuclear annihilation.”

“The most important thing is that we saved the State of Israel from the threat of nuclear annihilation,” Netanyahu said, in what were his first comments after Washington and Tehran agreed to a deal to end the Middle East war.

“And what would that mean? It would mean that millions of Israeli citizens – you who are hearing me now – all of you would have been in terrible danger of mass death… And we have pushed away from us, for years, this danger of the annihilation of Israel’s population,” Netanyahu said in a televised press conference.

Netanyahu said Israeli forces would remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria “for as long as necessary,” hours after a deal was announced between Iran and the US to end the Middle East war.

“We established deep security zones around the State of Israel. We did this in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Syria,” Netanyahu said.

“And I want to make it clear: we will remain in these security zones for as long as necessary to protect our country.”

He added that he intended to run in elections scheduled for later this year, as he faced domestic criticism over his handling of the Middle East war and its aftermath.

“I am going to run in the elections and intend to win,” Netanyahu said.