Netanyahu: "Iran's Nuclear and Missile Capabilities Collapsed... Early End to War Possible" [US-Iran War]

Netanyahu Shows Confidence in Second Press Conference
Boasts of Military Successes... "Division Among Iranian Leadership"
Trump Also Rules Out Possibility of Ground Troop Deployment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel has effectively gained the upper hand in the war against Iran. He stated that Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities have collapsed, raising the possibility that the war could end sooner than expected. U.S. President Donald Trump also fueled hopes for an early end to the war by drawing a clear line against the possibility of deploying ground troops.

On the 19th (local time), at his second press conference since the outbreak of the war, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Iran can no longer enrich uranium and has lost the ability to manufacture ballistic missiles,” describing Iran as “weaker than ever.”

Pointing to military achievements, Prime Minister Netanyahu suggested the possibility of an early end to the war, saying, “The war could end sooner than people think.” He claimed that over the past 18 days, the Israeli Air Force had dropped 12,000 bombs across Iran, destroying 85% of its air defense network and 60% of its ballistic missile launchers. He also stated that Israel had neutralized Iran’s military infrastructure on all fronts, including the northern naval base on the Caspian Sea coast.

At the same time, he strongly denied allegations that Israel had dragged the United States into the war, calling them “fake news.” He emphasized, “Who would think they could tell President Trump what to do?” and added, “President Trump is a person who makes his own decisions based on America’s interests.” Nevertheless, he noted that military cooperation between the two countries was very close and that they were “achieving their goals at lightning speed.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu also explained that, at President Trump’s request, Israel had decided to halt additional airstrikes on Iranian gas fields. Previously, South Pars, Iran’s largest gas field, and the natural gas processing facilities in Asaluyeh on the southwestern coast, had been hit by Israeli airstrikes. Iran immediately retaliated by launching missile strikes against key gas facilities in the Ras Laffan region on Qatar’s northern coast.

Netanyahu further claimed that the combined offensive by the United States and Israel was causing cracks to appear within Iran’s internal power structure. He said, “There are serious divisions within the Iranian leadership,” adding, “It is unclear who is actually in control.” In particular, he mentioned Iran’s new leader Mojtaba Khamenei, noting that “he has not emerged as a successor,” and said that “tensions are rising across the leadership.”

Meanwhile, on the same day, President Trump, during a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House, was asked whether he would consider deploying or increasing U.S. ground forces in Iran. He replied, “No. I am not sending troops (ground forces) anywhere.” He added, “Even if I were to do so, I wouldn’t announce it in advance, but I am not sending troops,” further raising expectations for an early end to the war.