Said Amouri
19 March 2026•Update: 20 March 2026
JERUSALEM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Thursday that Iran’s missile manufacturing capabilities have been destroyed after 20 days of joint US-Israeli military operations against the country.
“We are winning, and Iran is being decimated,” Netanyahu said during a virtual press conference with foreign reporters.
He said that after 20 days of fighting, Iran’s military capabilities have sustained significant damage.
“I can announce to you that Iran has no ability to enrich uranium and has no ability to produce ballistic missiles,” he said.
Despite Netanyahu’s claim, Iran fired a barrage of 11 missiles at several areas in Israel as fighting between the two countries continued to intensify.
Netanyahu stressed that Israel “acted alone” in the attack on Iran’s South Pars natural gas field Wednesday, claiming that US President Donald Trump “requested avoiding further strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure and that Tel Aviv is complying with that.”
He added that Trump “always makes his decisions based on what is best for his country,” saying “the close relationship between the US and Israel helps achieve objectives very quickly.”
Netanyahu also claimed the war against Iran “will end sooner than people think,” without giving a timeline.
Israel and the US launched a joint offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people so far, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul
