Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, flanked by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in Jerusalem, confirmed on Dec. 22 his intention of raising with U.S. President Donald Trump more attacks on Iran. He said that Israel is aware that Iran has been conducting “exercises” recently, adding that he will discuss Tehran’s nuclear activities with President Trump. “We are following this and doing all the necessary preparations,” Netanyahu remarked.
Despite “great achievements” during a 12-day war against Iran in June, Netanyahu said, basic Israeli and U.S. expectations of Iran were unchanged, including lowering its uranium enrichment level. “Obviously it will be an item in our discussions,” he said of his meeting with Trump next week. “We are not seeking confrontation” with Iran, he claimed, but rather, “stability, prosperity and peace.”
Still, Netanyahu said the focus of his discussions with Trump will be on moving to the next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan, as well as dealing with Lebanon’s Iran-based Hezbollah militants. He cited Israel’s “desire to see a stable sovereign Lebanon” and efforts to prevent the blocking of international shipping by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces.
