Netanyahu vows “crushing blows,” claims Iranian axis has been broken

Shafaq News – Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Tuesday to deliver “unprecedented crushing blows” to anyone who threatens Israel, declaring that the Iranian axis* has been “broken” and that the face of the Middle East has changed.

Marking the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, attack, Netanyahu asserted that “whoever raises a hand against us will suffer unprecedented crushing blows,” and described the current days as decisive, vowing to “continue operations to achieve all the war’s objectives.”

He added that Israel will “continue efforts to return all hostages, eliminate Hamas’s regime, and ensure Gaza never again threatens Israel,” characterizing the campaign as a decisive war on seven fronts “for our existence and future.”

His statement coincided with the start of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt on Monday, reportedly based on a plan attributed to US President Donald Trump to end the Gaza war.

Earlier, Trump expressed optimism on Monday about the progress of the Gaza ceasefire plan, stating that negotiations are “going very well.” 

*The term “Iranian axis” refers to the Axis of Resistance—an Iran-led alliance of state and non-state actors across the Middle East that opposes Western and Israeli influence. It includes Iran at its core, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, several Iraqi Shia militants under the Popular Mobilization Forces (notably Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba), Yemen’s Houthi movement (Ansarallah), and Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.