Netanyahu: Israel Has Broken Iran’s Stranglehold – and Will Strike Again if Necessary

On the backdrop of growing protests in Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns: “If we are attacked, the consequences for Iran will be severe.”

The Struggle of the Iranian People

While speaking today (Monday) in a “40 signatures” debate in the Knesset plenum organized by the opposition parties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the current unrest on the streets of Iran.

 “We identify with the struggle of the Iranian people. It is possible that we are approaching a decisive moment, in which the Iranian people will take their fate into their own hands,” he said.

Escaping Iran’s Noose

The Prime Minister further referred to the meeting he held last week with U.S. President Donald Trump: “President Trump and I agreed that we will not allow Iran to renew its missile industry or its nuclear program”.

He continued: “Our national resilience is our very existence; without existence, there is no resilience. The most important decision made by an Israeli government under my leadership was to strike in Iran, in order to remove two threats looming over us: the nuclear threat and the ballistic threat. And there was a third existential danger as well  – the tightening noose that Iran and its proxies – the countries of the axis of evil –  sought to place around our neck.”

The “noose” refers to the strategy of encirclement Iran deployed against Israel, with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria and the Houthis from Yemen.

“In the War of Revival [formerly called “Swords of Iron”], we made courageous decisions that shattered the axis of evil,” Netanyahu added, alluding, among others, to the strikes on Iran during the Israeli operation “Rising Lion” which saw Iran’s nuclear facilities obliterated.  “It is still here, licking its wounds and trying to raise its head – but it is far weaker than before.”

Protests Continue Across Iran

Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke of a possible turning point for the Iranian people as protests continued across Iran today (Monday). Demonstrators were reported to be chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in parts of Tehran, with additional protest rallies reported in the cities of Yasuj and Sari.

According to the opposition outlet “Iran International”, demonstrations have spread to 222 locations nationwide, including rallies in 78 cities across 26 provinces.

Iranian authorities announced the cancellation of all in-person schooling in Tehran Province for Tuesday and Wednesday, citing what they described as “extremely severe air pollution.” Most schools in the province were already closed on Monday, and authorities also extended closures to the neighboring Alborz Province.

🔴Chants of JAVID SHAH all across Iran during these protests.

Please share so the world no longer can deny what the people of Iran want. This will shut up every Islamic Republic mouthpiece, agent, reformist, and puppet of the I.R Brotherhood. pic.twitter.com/BZaRGvQHfP

— Savakzadeh (@Savakzadeh) December 31, 2025

Fears of Military Action

Senior figures in Iran’s leadership are concerned that the United States or Israel could exploit the unrest to carry out military action, according to a report published by Reuters, citing official sources in Tehran.

The officials said that warnings from the Trump administration, the deepening economic crisis, and heightened regional tensions have significantly narrowed the regime’s room for maneuver. They added that following the recent U.S. strike in Venezuela, fears have grown within the leadership that Iran could become “the next target” of what they described as President Trump’s aggressive foreign policy.

British newspaper The Times reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has an emergency plan to leave the country if the situation deteriorates further. Should Iran’s security forces and military fail to suppress the protests, defect, or refuse to carry out orders, he is reportedly prepared to leave Tehran with a small inner circle of 20 family members and close aides, with an intelligence source claiming logistical preparations are already in place.

Netanyahu issued his warning in the Knesset should Iranian leadership have other plans in motion: any attack on Israel would carry severe consequences for a regime already facing mounting internal and external pressure.