UPDATE 2 – Netanyahu says Israel faces ‘complex, difficult’ days amid Iran tensions

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel is navigating “complex and very difficult” days, signaling growing concern over rising tensions with Iran and the prospect of a broader confrontation.

Speaking before the Knesset, Netanyahu said the country faces days that “touch the life of the nation,” adding that uncertainty hangs over the coming period.

“No one knows what tomorrow holds,” he said, calling for unity as Israel prepares for possible escalation with Iran.

Netanyahu warned that Tehran would face a “severe response” if it attacked Israel, saying Iran would make “the biggest mistake in its history” by doing so.

Addressing the Knesset, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called for striking Iran’s oil fields and energy facilities, claiming that such attacks would help bring down what he described as the “Ayatollah regime,” even if they trigger diplomatic friction with the United States.

“You know I am the opposition leader and Netanyahu and I are rivals, but on this he is right. Iran must be attacked with full force,” Lapid said in his comments carried by the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

“If a confrontation erupts, we will all set aside our disagreements,” he added.

Lapid called on Israel not to hesitate, even at the cost of what he described as a cautious diplomatic confrontation with Washington.

“Oil fields and energy facilities must also be bombed. That is what will bring down the Ayatollah regime,” he said.

Separately, Israeli Channel 13 reported that Netanyahu held a “limited” security meeting attended by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Mossad chief David Barnea, and Military Intelligence head Shlomi Binder to discuss the possibility of a US strike on Iran.

According to the public broadcaster KAN, Israel is preparing for the possibility of the US imposing restrictions on Tel Aviv to launch an attack on Iran in the first hours of a potential US strike.

KAN said if Iran launches ballistic missiles toward Tel Aviv, Israel would receive a “US green light” to immediately attack Iran.

The United States has increased its military presence in the region, amid reports of a potential strike on Iran aimed at curbing its nuclear and missile programs.

Israeli media reported Monday evening that US refueling aircraft had landed at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

Israel’s Security Cabinet met Sunday for more than three hours to assess the risk of war with Iran.

Channel 12 reported that Israeli officials view the next round of US-Iran talks, scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, as a critical juncture.

On Sunday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed that fresh negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear file will take place in Geneva.

Oman previously facilitated discussions between the two sides, including a session in Geneva last week following earlier talks in Muscat on Feb. 6.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref and Rania Abushamala