Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that "our goal in Gaza is to achieve a decisive victory over Hamas so that it cannot pose a threat to Israel," warning that "we are facing an integrated Iranian axis."

In an interview with the British magazine "The Times", Netanyahu was asked if Iran attacked Israel directly and launched a war against it, would you ask the United States to defend you? He responded by expressing his appreciation for "American support, but I will not go into our defensive preparations, or for that matter, our offensive preparations," stressing that "we will do what we have to do to defend ourselves."

"I appreciate the fact that President Biden sent battle groups and carrier groups here in the early part of the war. And I appreciate the fact that he's doing it now," he added.

And whether a comprehensive war with Hezbollah is inevitable? Netanyahu said: “Hezbollah must think about the consequences of attacking Israel and of opening a broader war with it. I think that if they are thinking about that, they should think twice.”

Asked if he was concerned about the possibility of repeating the mistake with Hamas, “where they gain more power and capabilities and then catch you off guard years later?” Netanyahu stressed that “it is something that is on our minds a lot, especially after October 7. We are not only facing Hamas. We are facing the broader Iranian terror axis that includes Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah, the Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq, and also the efforts they are trying to make to establish another front in the West Bank. So we are facing a full-fledged Iranian axis and we understand that we have to organize ourselves for a broader defense that affects not only us but every country in the region, including our Arab partners.”

“If there is no war now, do you think it will break out later?” he said. “Nothing is predetermined. The stronger your alliances are, the less likely you are to take military action, but if you want peace, prepare for war.” He considered that “the opportunity still exists to reach a hostage deal,” after the assassination of Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukr and Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

He reiterated his refusal to comment on Israel's connection to Haniyeh's assassination, saying: "I said we would not comment on that, and I have not changed my mind."

Asked if he would be willing to accept a deal that would free all the hostages without ending Hamas’s control of the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said: “No, I don’t think so. And I think there is a broad consensus in Israel that if we do that, we will just have a repeat. There will be hostage-taking in the future, there will be another October 7, and in fact worse things could happen. So we have to achieve both goals, to achieve the release of all the hostages and to win the war,” stressing that “we are committed to releasing all the hostages. And in fact, I think the way we are going is the only way we can achieve that goal.”

As Prime Minister and head of the war government, do you accept responsibility for the treatment of Palestinian prisoners?

Netanyahu stressed that he bears responsibility for the mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, saying: "We are a country of laws. You have to obey the laws, the laws of war. This means that if there are any violations, they must be investigated and prosecuted if necessary."

On reports from the United Nations and other watchdogs that Israeli forces have abused Palestinian prisoners, including through sleep deprivation, waterboarding, dog attacks and even sexual assault, he said: “We have our own independent agencies, our own independent means of monitoring any abuses of this kind. And I think Israel is famous for that. It has what is called a proper judicial system, both inside and outside the military. In fact, it has probably the most independent judicial system on the planet, so the argument that we don’t investigate this is ridiculous.”

Source: "Times"