Netanyahu declares victory in “Operation Roaring Lion”: “Iran being decimated,” he says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a major address on March 19, 2026, confirmed the ongoing joint U.S.-Israel military campaign dubbed “Operation Roaring Lion” against Iran. He stated the operation is actively “decimating” Iran’s military capabilities, specifically targeting its nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile arsenal, and production industries. Netanyahu vehemently dismissed reports of his death and claims that Israel dragged America into the conflict as “fake news,” crediting President Trump’s unilateral leadership for the decisive action against what he termed an existential threat to the world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared publicly on Thursday to deliver a definitive update on the ongoing military campaign against Iran, forcefully countering what he labeled a wave of “fake news” and detailing the scope of the joint operation with the United States.

Opening with a blunt declaration—“First of all, I just want to say I’m alive, and you’re all witnesses”—Netanyahu set the tone for a speech focused on factual reporting and strategic clarity.

In a statement Netanyahu confirmed the operation, named “Roaring Lion,” is being conducted under “President Trump’s visionary leadership” with “great determination and unprecedented strength.”

The Prime Minister outlined three clear objectives for the campaign: first, the removal of Iran’s nuclear threat; second, the elimination of its ballistic missile threat before these systems become “buried deep underground and immune from aerial attack”; and third, “creating the conditions for the Iranian people to grasp their freedom.”

Netanyahu argued the action is a necessary response to a regime that has “waged war against America and Israel and the people of Iran for 47 years.”

He cited Iran attacks on civilians and assets across the Middle East—including in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and through proxies in Cyprus—and its attempts to blackmail global commerce by threatening the Strait of Hormuz. “Imagine how the Ayatollah regime would be able to blackmail the entire world if they had ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads,” he warned.

On the operational progress, Netanyahu reported decisive gains. “Despite the fake news… we are winning, and Iran is being decimated,” he stated.

He detailed that Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is being “massively degraded,” with hundreds of launchers destroyed and stockpiles hit.

Crucially, he emphasised that the campaign is now targeting “the factories that produce the components,” effectively “wiping out their industrial base in a way that we didn’t do before.”

Further battlefield assessments included the rendering useless of Iranian air defenses, the sinking of its navy (including units in the Caspian Sea), the near-destruction of its air force, and the induction of “utter chaos” in its command and control structure. “There’s still more work to do, and we’re going to do it,” he added.

Netanyahu directly confronted another piece of alleged misinformation: that Israel “dragged the US into a conflict with Iran.” “Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on,” he retorted, asserting Trump makes decisions based solely on American interests.

He highlighted a long-shared perspective between himself and Trump on the Iranian threat, recalling that the President, prior to his second term, initiated the conversation by stating, “Bibi, we’ve got to make sure that Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons.”

The Prime Minister framed the conflict as a defense of Western civilization itself against an ideological regime whose “raison d’etre” is “wiping out Western civilization and America that leads it.” He listed historical attacks on American interests, including attempted assassinations of Trump, to underscore the peril.

Concluding, Netanyahu asserted that while the U.S. and Israel see the threat “eye to eye,” the operation serves a global interest.

“We’re not only fighting our fight, we’re fighting their fight,” he said, claiming private support from dozens of world leaders.

“The world owes a debt of deep indebtedness to President Trump for leading this effort to safeguard our future,” he stated.-+