Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned during a meeting with former U.S. military officials that "Iran hopes to overthrow regimes in the Middle East, and the first step to stop it is to defeat Hamas." The *Times of Israel* reported that Netanyahu cautioned former American generals and admirals who visited Tel Aviv on Thursday, stating that Iran aims to topple Middle Eastern countries like Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and that defeating Hamas is crucial to thwarting their plans.
In a meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu informed the delegation from the Jewish Institute for National Security of America that the ongoing conflict on "seven fronts" is managed by Israel's sworn enemy, Iran, which seeks to invade its regional neighbors, particularly Jordan. He added that their goal is to launch a joint ground attack from various fronts, along with coordinated missile strikes.
Netanyahu stated, "We have the opportunity to thwart this... the first condition is to cut the hand of Hamas." He pledged that "the individuals who did this to us (referring to the October 7 attack) will not remain alive... We are facing a long battle, but we will get rid of them."
