Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he warned US leader Donald Trump about the strikes on Iran.
“I am in constant contact with President Trump. We have known each other for many years. And, of course, we warned our American friends and President Trump in advance“, he said in an interview with Fox News. “Trump knew about it“, Netanyahu added.
The Israeli prime minister believes that an attack by the Jewish state on Iran could lead to a change of power in the Islamic Republic.
“That could be the result. The Iranian regime is very weak“, the prime minister said. He claims that 80% of the Iranian population would like to overthrow the country's leadership.
Israel is determined to fulfill the task of eliminating the “dual threat“ from Iran; Israeli fighter jets are currently in the skies over “burning Tehran“. Netanyahu said this during a video address to the nation.
“Our wonderful pilots are in the skies over burning Tehran. We are determined to fulfill the task of eliminating the dual threat from the Islamic Republic“, he said.
“Dual threat“ refers to Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missiles, Netanyahu said earlier.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a second phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend, discussing the situation surrounding the Israel-Iran conflict.
„Today, President Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump. He welcomed the U.S. President's recent statements on ending the Israel-Iran conflict and establishing peace in the region, and stressed the need to take immediate action to prevent a catastrophe that could ignite the entire region. Erdogan said that the only way to resolve the dispute over the [Iranian] nuclear program is through diplomacy. "Turkey is ready to make every effort and provide assistance," the Turkish leader's office said in a statement.
Erdogan also said that "the spiral of violence that began with Israel's attacks on Iran has caused irreversible economic and civilian damage to both sides and that this dangerous trend must be prevented." Erdogan and Trump had already discussed the situation in the region on June 14.