Netanyahu Urges Middle East Alliance Against Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sharply criticized Iran and called for a Middle Eastern alliance to address the threat posed by the Islamic Republic in a recent speech delivered in Washington, DC.

“All countries that are at peace with Israel and all those countries who will make peace with Israel should be invited to join this alliance,” Netanyahu said while addressing a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday, according to Iran International.

Netanyahu further depicted Iran as a common enemy of both Israel and the United States, describing the two nations as sequential targets for the Islamic Republic.

“For Iran, Israel is first, America is next, so when Israel fights Hamas, we're fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah, we're fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, we're fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, we're fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America,” he noted.

The Israeli leader outlined that defeating Hamas in Gaza is a key part of his broader strategy against Iran, which he believes will significantly weaken Iran’s “axis of terror” and lead to a shared victory over their common adversary. Netanyahu also emphasized the need for a strengthened US-Israel alliance, framing the conflict as a battle between “barbarism and civilization.”

Netanyahu's comments prompted immediate reactions from Palestinian groups and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei’s official X account mocked both Israel and the US, highlighting their failure to defeat Hamas despite significant backing.

“The strength of the resistance becomes more and more prominent every day. A huge system in all military, political, and economic dimensions, such as the U.S., stands behind the Zionists in the fight against Hamas, but they have not succeeded in bringing it to its knees,” reads the post.

Earlier, Iran’s president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian stated that “the Islamic Republic will not leave the Palestinian people alone under these difficult conditions”, referring to the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Pezeshkian pledged that his administration would prioritize the Palestinian issue, calling it central to the Islamic world.

“We will do our utmost to stop the war and stop the genocide,” Pezeshkian said, stressing that the long-term goal must be to help the Palestinian people obtain their full rights.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has escalated over the past nine months, with significant military operations focused on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. This escalation followed a Hamas attack on Israeli territory, which resulted in 1,139 deaths, including 764 civilians and 373 Israeli security personnel. Additionally, 251 people were taken hostage.

Israel responded with extensive aerial and ground offensives. The operation has expanded to include broader regions, with Gaza – Hamas’s stronghold – at the center. Gaza’s health authorities reports over 39,000 Palestinians killed and 89,800 wounded since the start of the conflict.

On Monday, multiple Israeli airstrikes near Khan Younis resulted in 70 deaths, according to Gaza’s health authorities. Earlier this month, Israel estimated that around 1.8 million Palestinians are now living in the expanded “humanitarian zone” in Gaza.