Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that a third Iranian attack on Israel “would simply cripple Iran’s economy,’ in his second English-language video statement addressed to the Iranian people within months.
“A few weeks ago, I spoke directly to the people of Iran. Millions of people around the world, millions in Iran itself saw that video. And after they saw it, many Iranians reached out to Israel. So today, I want to once again address the people of Iran,” Netanyahu said.
“It would rob you of many more billions of dollars,” he said of a potential additional attack, after claiming that the October ballistic missile attack on Israel cost Tehran $2.3 billion.
A Netanyahu spokesperson later clarified that $2.3 billion represented the cost of the more than 200 ballistic missiles fired at Israel.
His warning that another attack would “cripple” Iran’s economy could also be interpreted as a threat that if Iran attacks again, Israel will seek to cause significant economic damage to Iran.
Netanyahu last addressed the Iranian people just two days before Tehran launched some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1, sending most of the population rushing to bomb shelters and safe rooms. The assault — Iran’s second direct attack on Israel, after a drone and missile strike in April — caused relatively minor damage to military bases and some residential areas in Israel and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank.
Iran said its October 1 attack came in retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed terror leaders and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander.
Iran has threatened to strike Israel again after Israel retaliated last month with an airstrike on Iranian air defense batteries and military sites protecting crucial energy facilities.
Netanyahu said that the October attack “did marginal damage to Israel.”
“But what damage did [it] do to you?” he asked. “That sum could have added billions to your transportation budget. It could have added billions to your education budget.”
“But instead, Khamenei exposed the regime’s brutality and turned the world against your country. He robbed you of money that should have been yours,” the prime minister said.
Netanyahu argued that Iranians’ lives would be transformed if the regime spent money on education, infrastructure and health care instead of on wars with Israel.
“I want you to imagine — just imagine — how your life could be different if Iran was free. You could speak your mind without fear. You could make a joke without wondering if you’d be carted off to Evin prison. Close your eyes. Picture the faces of your children — beautiful innocent souls. Think of the endless potential they would have. Their entire lives are ahead of them,” he said.
”Imagine how your children’s lives would look if billions of dollars were invested in them instead of being wasted on wars that can’t be won. They would receive world-class education. You would receive beautiful roads. Advanced hospitals. Clean water. You know, Israel has the world’s most advanced desalination system and we’d be happy to help rebuild Iran’s collapsing water infrastructure. These and so many other things are the things that you could have,” he stated.
“But that’s what Khamenei’s regime denies you every single day. They obsess about destroying Israel, rather than about building Iran. What a shame,” Netanyahu continued. “Another attack on Israel would simply cripple Iran’s economy. It would rob you of many more billions of dollars.”
“I know that you don’t want this war,” Netanyahu said. “I don’t want this war either. The people of Israel don’t want this war. There is one force putting your family in grave danger: the tyrants of Tehran. That’s it.”
While the Iranian regime gets weaker, Netanyahu said, Israel gets stronger. “The world has seen but a fraction of our power,” he said.
“Yet there’s one thing Khamenei’s regime fears more than Israel. You know what it is? It’s you — the people of Iran. That’s why they spend so much time and money trying to crush your hopes and curb your dreams.”
“Well, I say to you this: don’t let your dreams die. I hear the whispers: Women, Life, Freedom,” he said, referencing the slogan of nationwide Iranian protests in 2022.
Looking to a future in which there is peace between Israel and Iran, Netanyahu said: “Don’t lose hope. And know that Israel and others in the free world stand with you.”
“The regime wants to destroy your future as they seek to destroy our state. Well, we won’t let that happen. I have no doubt that one day in a free Iran, Israelis and Iranians will build together a future of prosperity and peace,” he said. “That is the future Israel deserves. That is the future Iran deserves. Together, let us turn this beautiful dream into a reality.”
Israel unveils the Dragon
Shortly before Netanyahu’s comments, the military unveiled its latest submarine.
Israel’s submarines are seen as a key strategic asset for the Jewish state. According to foreign reports, the vessels are able to carry nuclear missiles and grant Israel a “second strike” capability, meaning the ability to launch atomic weapons even if the homeland is attacked. This is meant to serve as a deterrent toward the country’s enemies.
A ceremony was held earlier Tuesday in Germany to officially name the Israeli Navy’s sixth submarine, INS “Drakon” — or Dragon — though the vessel will not be delivered until 2025, the military said.
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