Dim Amor

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared yesterday that Israel has destroyed Iran's nuclear project in an operation he called "Lion's Den", hours after a ceasefire took effect and following a sharp diplomatic confrontation with US President Donald Trump. In a classified statement delivered to the media, Netanyahu claimed that "we removed two immediate existential threats" and that "the opening blow will be recorded in the annals of history".

The operation, which lasted 12 days according to the Prime Minister, included the elimination of senior command in Iran, destruction of central nuclear facilities, and extensive strikes throughout the country. Netanyahu claimed that "in one swift action we eliminated Iran's senior command, including three chiefs of staff and additional senior officials, eliminated the senior nuclear scientists who led the nuclear program and sought to bring destruction and death upon us".

The targets attacked included the enrichment facility at Natanz, the conversion facility at Isfahan, and the heavy water facility at Arak. Netanyahu noted that under Trump's guidance, the US military destroyed the facility at Fordow, while Israel simultaneously attacked "dozens of facilities including laboratories and centrifuge manufacturing plants." According to him, "we completed the mission and struck the entire archive, which concentrated all of Iran's knowledge for creating an atomic bomb".

The Prime Minister emphasized that the operation also eliminated Iran's missile threat. "Iran's intention to threaten Israel with thousands of ballistic missiles has been removed", he said, detailing that "we destroyed headquarters, attacked Revolutionary Guard bases, Basij bases, and attacked symbols of the regime". The heaviest blow was delivered "several hours before the ceasefire", when "we eliminated hundreds of regime operatives in the most devastating attack Tehran has seen in the last fifty years".

Despite the tense conversation with President Trump that occurred just hours before the statement, Netanyahu thanked him for assistance in the war. "I thank you on behalf of my friend President Trump and the United States for their part in defending Israel and removing Iran's nuclear threat", the Prime Minister said. "The United States' participation not only on the defensive side is a historic event, this has never happened before. Israel has never had a greater friend than Trump in the White House, and I thank him greatly for the joint work".

However, behind the expressions of appreciation, a sharp diplomatic confrontation between the two leaders was revealed. President Trump declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that took effect at seven in the morning, but two and a half hours later expressed dissatisfaction with both sides' behavior. "I'm not satisfied with both sides, and especially not with Israel", the President said before boarding Air Force One on his way to the NATO summit in the Netherlands. "Both countries violated the ceasefire. I didn't like that Israel discharged ammunition after declaring it".

The presidential criticism intensified on his social media platform, where Trump wrote: "Don't drop the bombs. If you do this, it's a serious violation. Bring your pilots home now". The President added that "Israel needs to calm down, I have to make it happen. I'll see if I can make this happen".

Sources in Washington and Jerusalem revealed that Trump conducted a tense conversation with Netanyahu, during which he physically stopped a planned Israeli attack in Tehran. Ultimately, Netanyahu convinced the American President to agree to only a symbolic response against an Iranian radar, and all Israeli aircraft that were defined by Trump as "friendly" turned around and returned home.

The ceasefire came after Iran fired missiles toward Israel that were successfully intercepted, leading the Chief of Staff and Defense Minister to announce their intention to respond. Trump refused to blame Iran for violating the ceasefire and criticized the Israeli response, despite the fact that the response ultimately amounted to a symbolic strike on a radar.

The Israeli government officially approved the ceasefire more than two hours after it took effect, stating that "Israel has removed a double immediate existential threat: both in the nuclear domain and in the ballistic missile domain". Despite the achievements claimed for the operation, Netanyahu emphasized that "we are not complacent or secure, quite the opposite", and referred to the Gaza arena where Hamas is still operating.

"We must defeat Hamas and free all the hostages", Netanyahu said. "To the families of the hostages I say we have not stopped for a moment, including during the war, our efforts to bring all our hostages home, and we will not relent from this sacred mission until it is completed".

Operation "Lion's Den" is described by the Prime Minister as a "historic victory" that will stand for generations, where "the opening blow will be recorded in the annals of Israel's wars and will be studied by all the world's armies". Netanyahu warned that if anyone tries to rehabilitate Iran's nuclear project, Israel will act "with the same determination and power to cut down any such attempt".

The diplomatic confrontation with Washington testifies to the tension inherent in the relationship, even when both leaders define each other as close friends. While Netanyahu speaks of Trump as "the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House", the American President expressed frustration with Israel's conduct even after the ceasefire, indicating the complications that could develop in the international arena following the operation.

Photo: In accordance with Section 27A