Israel PM Netanyahu congratulates Trump, says US 'unsurpassed' after attack on Iran

[Editor's Note: Follow our live blog for real-time updates on the latest developments in the Israel-Iran conflict.]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump on Sunday for the "bold" US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, calling the attack a historic moment that could lead the Middle East to peace.
"Congratulations President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history," Netanyahu said in a video address after Trump announced the US bombing of three Iranian facilities.
The attack demonstrated America was "truly unsurpassed," Netanyahu said, thanking Trump for creating a "pivot of history" that will "help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace".
"President Trump and I often say, peace through strength. First comes strength, then comes peace," Netanyahu said.
He added in a separate statement that the US attacks had been carried out in coordination with Israel and said the promise of destroying Iran's nuclear programme was fulfilled.
Earlier, Trump announced on his social media platform that US warplanes had struck Iran's Fordo nuclear enrichment plant, as well as the Natanz and Isfahan facilities.
The United States joined key ally Israel's bombing campaign after Trump spent days mulling possible involvement.
Israel and Iran have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since Israel launched attacks on June 13, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies having any such ambition.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Khaleej Times

36 minutes ago

• Khaleej Times

Pakistan condemns Trump's bombing of Iran — a day after nominating him for Peace Prize

Pakistan condemned on Sunday the strikes ordered on its neighbour Iran by Donald Trump, a day after Islamabad had said it would nominate the US President for the Nobel Peace Prize. Pakistan on Sunday said Trump's decision to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities violated international law and that diplomacy was the only way to resolve the Iran crisis. 'The unprecedented escalation of tension and violence, owing to ongoing aggression against Iran is deeply disturbing. Any further escalation of tensions will have severely damaging implications for the region and beyond,' Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Also on Sunday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and 'conveyed Pakistan's condemnation of the US attacks," a statement from the Pakistani leader said. Pakistan's information minister and the foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the apparent contradiction in the country's positions over the weekend. In Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, thousands marched in protest against the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. A large American flag with a picture of Trump on it was placed on the road for demonstrators to walk over. The protesters shouted out chants against America, Israel and Pakistan's regional enemy India. Pakistan on Saturday said it was nominating Trump as "a genuine peacemaker" for his role in bringing a four-day conflict with India to an end last month. It said he had 'demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship'.

Zawya

an hour ago

• Zawya

Gulf states on high alert after US strikes Iran's nuclear sites

DUBAI/RIYADH: Gulf states, home to multiple U.S. military bases, were on high alert on Sunday with their leaders calling on all parties to exercise maximum restraint following U.S. strikes on Iran that raised the possibility of a wider conflict in the region. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites with massive bunker-busting bombs in the early hours of Sunday, joining an Israeli assault in a significant new escalation. Gulf leaders including the United Arab Emirates president, the Emir of Qatar and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who had all hosted Trump last month for a tour of the region, discussed the serious implications of the escalation for international and regional security, the UAE state news agency reported. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, was on a high-security alert after the U.S. strikes, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Sunday, while Bahrain urged motorists to avoid main roads. Kuwait, another key oil exporter, said its defence council would remain in permanent session, according to the state news agency on Sunday, and set up shelters in a ministries complex. Tehran has previously warned that if it were attacked by the United States, it could target American assets in the region, including U.S. military bases. The country's parliament approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, according to Iran's Press TV, but a final decision rests with the Iranian Supreme National Security Council. Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and there are U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as in neighbouring Qatar and the UAE. Nuclear authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE said they had not detected signs of nuclear contamination following the strikes in Iran. "While the war has so far been contained in direct hostilities between Israel and Iran, direct U.S. involvement is a critical threshold that risks dragging the Gulf states, notably Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, which host large U.S. military facilities, into the conflict," said Hasan Al Hasan, a senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He said the risk of an open conflict between the U.S. and Iran could plunge the region into a devastating and potentially protracted conflict. The U.S. strikes added to airline woes with Singapore Airlines cancelling flights from Singapore to Dubai on Sunday and British Airways cancelling flights to and from Dubai and Doha. Airlines have been avoiding flying over large parts of the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel, due to ongoing missile exchanges. "In light of recent developments in the regional security situation, we urge citizens and residents to use main roads only when necessary to maintain public safety and to allow the relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently," Bahrain's interior ministry said on X. Bahrain also told 70% of its government employees to work from home on Sunday until further notice, citing escalating tensions, according to the Civil Service Bureau. The country's authorities earlier this week said they had activated a national plan to prepare for emergencies, set up an emergency centre and tested warning sirens. Local media also reported that Bahrain had set up 33 shelters. (Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo, Pesha Magid in Riyadh, Maha El Dahan and Nadine Awadalla in Dubai; Writing by Federico Maccioni; Editing by Andrew Mills, Clelia Oziel, Bernadette Baum and Giles Elgood)

Zawya

an hour ago

• Zawya

US airlines face heightened risks as global carriers bypass Middle East after attacks on Iran

An organisation that monitors flight risks warned on Sunday that U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region as some airlines cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Doha. Airlines continued to avoid large parts of the Middle East due to ongoing missile exchanges between Israel and Iran, the latest upheaval to travel in the region. Singapore Airlines said it cancelled scheduled flights from Singapore to Dubai following a security assessment and British Airways cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Doha. But following a barrage of early morning Iranian missiles, Israel has reopened its airspace for six hours on Sunday to bring back those stranded abroad since the conflict with Iran began on June 13. Safe Airspace, a membership-based website run by OPSGROUP, said the U.S. attacks on Iran may increase risks to U.S. operators in the region. "While there have been no specific threats made against civil aviation, Iran has previously warned it would retaliate by attacking US military interests in the Middle East - either directly or via proxies such as Hezbollah," Safe Airspace said. Meanwhile, flight tracking website FlightRadar24, said airlines maintained flight diversions around the region. Its website showed airlines were not flying in the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. They have chosen other routings such as north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, even if these result in higher fuel and crew costs and longer flight times. Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic. In the nine days since Israel launched its offensive against Iran, carriers have suspended flights to destinations in the affected countries, though there have been some evacuation flights from neighbouring nations and some bringing stranded Israelis home. With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed due to war, the Middle East region has become an even more important route for international flights between Europe and Asia. In addition to rerouting flights, airlines are also concerned about a potential spike in oil prices following the U.S. attacks, which will increase the cost of jet fuel. In the days before the U.S. strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar and United Airlines did the same with flights to Dubai. Safe Airspace said it was possible airspace risks could now extend to countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "We continue to advise a high degree of caution at this time," it said. RESCUE AND EVACUATION FLIGHTS The BA and Singapore Airline cancellations were only for Sunday, but Singapore cautioned that other flights between Singapore and Dubai may be affected as the situation remains "fluid". BA, which is owned by IAG, said customers scheduled to travel between now and June 24 to Dubai and Doha can rebook on a later flight up to and including July 6, free of charge. Its teams continue to keep the situation under review, it added. Israel's carriers, El Al Israel Airlines, Arkia, Israir and Air Haifa, said earlier on Sunday they had suspended rescue flights that allowed people to return to Israel until further notice. Flag carrier El Al said it would also extend its cancellation of scheduled flights through Friday and Israir said it had halted the sale of tickets for all flights through July 7. A spokesperson for Israel's airports authority said the country's main airport, Ben Gurion near Tel Aviv, was expected to reopen for rescue flight landings on Sunday between 1100 and 1700 GMT. The small Haifa Airport serving Israel's north would also be open from 1100 to 1700 GMT. El Al, along with Arkia, Air Haifa and Israir said they would operate at least 10 flights on Sunday starting at 1100 GMT. Tens of thousands of Israelis and others who had booked tickets to Israel are stuck abroad. At the same time, nearly 40,000 tourists in Israel are looking to leave the country, some of whom are going via Jordan's borders to Amman and Aqaba and others via Egypt and by boat to Cyprus. Japan's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had evacuated 21 people, including 16 Japanese nationals, from Iran overland to Azerbaijan. It said it was the second such evacuation since Thursday and that it would conduct further evacuations if necessary. New Zealand's government said on Sunday it would send a Hercules military transport plane to the Middle East on standby on Sunday to evacuate New Zealanders from the region. The government was also in talks with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist, it added. (Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney and Steven Scheer in Jerusalem; Additional reporting by Tim Kelly in Tokyo, Sam McKeith in Sydney and Alistair Smout in London; Editing by Sonali Paul, William Mallard and Clelia Oziel)