The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth highlighted what it described as the “clear contradiction” in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements regarding the destruction of the Iranian nuclear program, between the first war against Iran in 2025 and the statements he is currently making in 2026, in light of the continuing escalation and the threat of new operations against Tehran.
According to the report, Netanyahu had announced in June 2025, following the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, that Israel had “destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities in one way or another,” adding at the time: “I promised this and this promise has been fulfilled.”
But Netanyahu returned, during an interview with “60 Minutes” on CBS, to confirm that “the matter is not over,” noting that there are “nuclear materials that must be removed from Iran,” in addition to “nuclear sites that must be neutralized.”
The newspaper saw that this transformation raises serious questions about the reality of what was achieved during the first war, especially since Netanyahu had described the operation at the time as “a historic victory that will remain for generations,” stressing that Israel had eliminated two “existential threats,” namely the nuclear bomb and Iranian ballistic missiles.
Yedioth Ahronoth added that it had approached Netanyahu’s office to request clarification regarding the gap between the old and new statements, considering that the contradiction is not limited only to the file of nuclear facilities, but also includes a description of the results of the two wars that were called “The Rising Lion” and “The Lion’s Roar.”
At the conclusion of the first war, Netanyahu said that Israel had achieved “all the goals of the war and much more,” while after the second war he returned to confirm that there were “other goals that must be completed,” adding: “This is not the end of the battle, but rather a stop on the way to achieving all our goals.”
The report also mentioned that the Israeli government had announced, after the end of Operation “Rising Lion,” its agreement to a ceasefire “in full coordination” with US President Donald Trump, after confirming the achievement of its military goals.
However, Netanyahu later stressed, after declaring a ceasefire in Operation “Lion’s Roar,” that Israel is “ready to return to fighting at any moment,” saying: “Finger is on the trigger.”
This internal controversy in Israel comes at a time when there is increasing talk about the possibility of carrying out new military operations against Iran, in light of the faltering negotiations and the continuing dispute over the fate of Iran’s uranium stockpile, amid fears that the region will slide into a broader and more dangerous confrontation.
