Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially confirmed that Israel and the United States have launched a joint military operation against Iran, describing it as a mission to eliminate what he called an “existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.”
In a statement addressed directly to Israeli citizens, Netanyahu said the operation named “Lion’s Roar” had begun just an hour prior to his address and called on the Israeli public to follow Home Front Command instructions in the days ahead, warning that patience and resolve would be required.
אחיי ואחיותיי אזרחי ישראל, לפני שעה קלה יצאנו ישראל וארה״ב למבצע להסרת האיום הקיומי מצד משטר הטרור באיראן.
אני מודה לידידינו הגדול הנשיא דונלד טראמפ על מנהיגותו ההיסטורית.
במשך 47 שנים קורא משטר האייתוללות ״מוות לישראל״, ״מוות לאמריקה״. הוא הקיז את דמינו, רצח אמריקנים רבים וטבח… pic.twitter.com/itTF5b4jB4
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) February 28, 2026
Netanyahu offered personal thanks to US President Donald Trump, describing his involvement as “historic leadership,” a framing that positions the operation as a landmark moment in the decades-long US-Israel strategic alliance.
The Prime Minister invoked nearly five decades of hostility, saying the Ayatollah’s regime had chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” for 47 years, spilled Israeli blood, killed Americans, and “massacred its own people.” He declared that such a regime could never be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons, calling it a threat not just to the region but to “all of humanity.”
In a notable passage, Netanyahu addressed the Iranian people directly, specifically naming the Persian, Kurdish, Azerbaijani, Baloch, and Ahwazi communities—urging them to “cast off the yoke of tyranny” and suggesting that the joint operation would create conditions for Iranians to determine their own future. The remarks signal that regime change, not merely nuclear disarmament, may be among the operation’s broader objectives.
Netanyahu closed with a rallying call to Israeli citizens, promising that together “we will ensure the eternity of Israel.” With Iranian missiles already detected heading toward Israeli territory and US forces on high alert across the Middle East, the coming hours are expected to be decisive.
Operation Lion’s Roar marks the most direct and open military confrontation between the US-Israel alliance and Iran in history.
