JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (NPA), March 3, 2026 — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of launching missile attacks on civilian areas in response to ongoing joint military operations by Israel and the United States. Netanyahu said Israel’s strikes are aimed at protecting civilians and neutralizing what he described as “existential threats.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Netanyahu explained that Israel’s military campaign against Iran was designed to “remove existential threats and to create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny. That day is near—and when it arrives, Israel and the United States will be there.”
The conflict has intensified, with Israeli and U.S. forces carrying out repeated strikes on Iranian military targets, while Iran has retaliated with missile barrages targeting Israel and several Gulf states. Netanyahu urged Israeli citizens to strictly follow Home Front Command instructions, noting that compliance has saved lives, though some casualties have occurred among those outside protected areas.
Addressing the Iranian people directly, Netanyahu called on them to prepare for change, saying: “The day to cast off the yoke of tyranny is near as the ‘Lion’s Roar’ military campaign continues. Israel and the United States will stand with the Iranian people—but it depends on them. We will be there.”
Netanyahu also warned that Iran’s missile strikes have extended beyond the Middle East. “They fired yesterday on a large part of the countries in the region, and indeed, they have fired on Europe too,” he said. He cautioned that if Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons, “they will threaten all of humanity.”
He also stressed that Israel’s actions, in coordination with the United States, are not only for national defense but also for global security: “We embarked to remove this danger first and foremost from ourselves, but we are acting together with the United States on behalf of and for all of humanity.”
