Prime Minister Netanyahu listed three decisions where he claims he defied foreign pressure — entering Rafah, striking Hezbollah, and confronting Iran — asserting Israel's independence of action. The statement, released Sunday evening, echoes his broader messaging about Israeli sovereignty.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement Sunday evening listing three operational decisions he says he made against external advice: the ground entry into Rafah, the strikes on Hezbollah, and the confrontation with Iran. The phrasing — 'They said not to enter Rafah; we did' — echoes his pattern of emphasizing defiance of foreign pressure, particularly from the Biden administration during the war in Gaza.
His statement did not specify which countries or officials he was referring to, nor did it respond to any specific recent event. It follows a series of background messages from Washington in recent weeks: a senior White House official warned Iran to limit Hezbollah movements (June 17), President Trump posted that Iran must 'immediately' stop Hezbollah or face stronger strikes (Sunday), and Trump separately threatened 'very hard' strikes on Iran if Hezbollah continues. Netanyahu's message, similarly timed on a Sunday evening, appears to preempt or rebut any expectation that Israel would subordinate its operational planning to foreign demands.
As The Zioneer reported on June 8, Netanyahu previously said the equation Iran and Hezbollah tried to impose 'is unacceptable' and asserted Israel's right to act against its enemies. The current statement adds no new operational details but reinforces that framing at a moment of parallel US-Iran-Hezbollah tensions.
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