Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spent almost four decades pressing both Israeli security officials and the United States to confront Iran, crediting nearly 1,000 hours of appearances on American television with helping to shape US policy and public opinion.
Speaking about his long campaign against what he described as the Iranian threat, Netanyahu said it had taken years to redirect Israel’s security agencies from focusing mainly on Iranian proxies to targeting Iran itself.
“I have been dealing with this issue, I have been against Iran for almost 40 years,” Netanyahu said. “You need to be aware of the danger, you need to be able to bring, and it took me a long time, to bring our security agency, which deals with Iran itself and not only its missions.”
He added that the effort succeeded only after he secured a united government capable of direct action. “And that’s what we did in the end, when I got this united government that I mentioned,” he said.
Netanyahu also said persuading the United States and its political leaders had required considerable time. “And it also took a long time to bring the United States to recognition,” he stated.
He attributed much of his influence in Washington to extensive media exposure. “I was able to do this because I had, I don’t want to say thousands, but close to a thousand hours on American television, with the ability to influence the United States, with the intimate recognition of all its leaders, those who support us and those who do not support us, the ability to navigate this field, which without it, without it what are you?” Netanyahu said.
Israeli policy toward Iran has long centered on preventing the development of nuclear weapons and limiting Tehran’s regional influence through support for armed groups in the Middle East.
