Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Friday that he ordered the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program in November 2024, shortly after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said the decision came as Israel observed Iran accelerating its weaponization efforts beyond uranium enrichment. He claimed that Tehran began producing 300 ballistic missiles a month after Israeli strikes last year on Iran’s missile infrastructure.
עדכון חשוב >> pic.twitter.com/Ia0tTnkBs3
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 13, 2025
Though he initially set the operation for April 2025, Netanyahu said unnamed “various reasons” delayed the launch. One likely factor was U.S. President Donald Trump’s April announcement of direct talks with Iran over its nuclear program. Netanyahu offered no explanation for why the strike was launched now.
“We decided we couldn’t wait anymore. We are at midnight,” Netanyahu declared.
He also reiterated a long-standing claim that he wanted to strike Iran in 2011–2012, though former Israeli officials have disputed that version.
