Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel prepared for ‘any scenario’ with Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that “Israel was prepared for any scenario” amid the ongoing tensions with Iran and was working in coordination with the US.

He made the remarks during a speech at an IDF combat officer graduation ceremony.

“The Middle East is at a crossroads. The extremist elements refuse to give up and are reorganizing to challenge us again,” he said.

“We are not resting on our laurels. We are prepared for any challenge and are working closely with the United States. I clarified to my friend [US President Donald] Trump the principles that should guide Israel in negotiations with Iran, and we are prepared for any scenario.”

“One thing is certain: if the Ayatollah regime makes a mistake and attacks us, they will experience a response they cannot even imagine,” he said.

Netanyahu also used the word “massacre” to describe the October 7 Hamas attacks during the speech. He said Israel had “experienced a terrible massacre on October 7.”

The choice to use the word “massacre” comes after the Prime Minister’s Office had requested that the word be removed from the title of a bill that proposes to establish a national day of commemoration for the October 7 Hamas attacks.

Rather than using the word “massacre” in the bill’s title, the Prime Minister’s Office decided that the wording for the attacks should be “events” and “incidents.”

The change in wording in the bill sparked outrage among bereaved families, who strongly condemned it last week. Many accused the government of attempting to reshape the narrative of October 7 to cover up failures.

There have been other instances in which the government has altered official terminology surrounding the war.

In October, the government voted in favor of Netanyahu’s proposal to change the official name of the Israel-Hamas War from Operation Swords of Iron to the War of Revival.

This decision also sparked controversy, with critics saying that framing the war as a “revival” was a way for the government to evade responsibility for the failures on October 7.

The political echelon has repeatedly blocked a state inquiry into the October 7 massacre, despite polls showing huge public support for this type of investigation.