Netanyahu, Bolton Adamant in Stopping Iranian Support to ‘Hezbollah’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with visiting US national security adviser John Bolton during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem on August 20, 2018. AFP PHOTO/Sebastian Scheiner
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with visiting US national security adviser John Bolton during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem on August 20, 2018. AFP PHOTO/Sebastian Scheiner
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Netanyahu, Bolton Adamant in Stopping Iranian Support to ‘Hezbollah’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with visiting US national security adviser John Bolton during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem on August 20, 2018. AFP PHOTO/Sebastian Scheiner
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) shakes hands with visiting US national security adviser John Bolton during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem on August 20, 2018. AFP PHOTO/Sebastian Scheiner

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton met in Jerusalem on Monday, reiterating their demand for Iran to halt its support to Lebanon’s ‘Hezbollah’.

A reliable source in Tel Aviv said that Netanyahu and Bolton discussed extensively how Iranian forces and their affiliated militias should be evacuated from Syria and how ‘Hezbollah’ should be returned to Lebanon.

“By removing the sanctions (the nuclear deal) enabled Iran to bring in billions and billions of dollars to its coffers which only fueled Iran’s war machine in Syria, and to support terrorist groups,” said Netanyahu.

He expressed gratitude to the US president for his decision to pull out from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, and to impose sanctions on the country.

Netanyahu went on to describe Trump's decision to pull out of the “terrible” Iran deal and move the US Embassy to Jerusalem as "momentous."

Bolton noted his “privilege and honor to be here in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital.”

Netanyahu responded: “Israel believes it has no greater friend and ally than the United States. And I believe that the United States has no greater friend and ally than Israel.”

“It’s a question of the highest importance for the United States that Iran never gets a deliverable nuclear weapons capability. It’s why President Trump withdrew from the wretched Iran nuclear deal. It’s why we’ve worked with our friends in Europe to convince them of the need to take stronger steps against the Iranian nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program,” said Bolton.

He met on Monday a number of security officers and politicians.

Bolton will resume his meetings on Tuesday by holding talks with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the National Security Council Meir Ben Shabat, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and Chief of General Staff of the Israeli Army Gadi Eizenkot.



Israel Decides to Continue War on Iran Whether or Not US Joins

Emergency personnel at an impact site following Iran's missile strike on Israel in Haifa, June 20, 2025. AFP 
Emergency personnel at an impact site following Iran's missile strike on Israel in Haifa, June 20, 2025. AFP 
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Israel Decides to Continue War on Iran Whether or Not US Joins

Emergency personnel at an impact site following Iran's missile strike on Israel in Haifa, June 20, 2025. AFP 
Emergency personnel at an impact site following Iran's missile strike on Israel in Haifa, June 20, 2025. AFP 

Despite continued efforts by Tel Aviv and its supporters in Washington to push the United States to join Israel in launching direct attacks on Iran, political sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military commanders decided to continue Israel’s military operations and in full force, even without the US direct involvement.

The Maariv newspaper said Friday that the US is aware of the Israeli position and has approved it.

It said US Vice President JD Vance held a virtual meeting with Netanyahu, in the presence military commanders on both sides, and discussed details of developments in the Israel-Iran war.

“All participants agreed there is an unprecedented, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attack Iran, and therefore, must not be missed,” the newspaper quoted Israeli officials as saying.

The officials are aware that Iran is currently vulnerable and will have a hard time defending itself and responding on multiple fronts in a way that affects Israel, it said.

Experts agree that it would be almost impossible for Israel to destroy alone Iran’s nuclear program. They state that the destruction of Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear site, Fordow, which was built deep inside a mountain to protect it from an attack, would require a Massive Ordnance Penetrator, that only the US military possesses. The GBU-57, a 30,000-pound earth-penetrating bomb, can only be delivered by the US B-2 bomber.

According to Maariv, even if Israel does not obtain the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, it still has enough weapons to strike hard Iran’s nuclear program, including the Fordow facility.

When the newspaper insisted on learning how Israel would carry such strikes, a senior source in Tel Aviv said, “Israel’s firepower is hellish.”

Meanwhile, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said on Friday that the Israeli military operations in Iran could last more than two weeks if the US decides not to join.

However, it said the strikes on Iran will achieve historic results, reducing and destroying the foundations of the nuclear project.

Yedioth Ahronoth said some 20 officers from the country’s Military Intelligence (Aman), have been working since the end of 2022, on a target bank of sites to strike Iran’s nuclear program.

The group of officers was dubbed the “Head Cutting Forum” because it planned to assassinate a list of top Iranian scientists who work at the nuclear program.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel mainly focused on assassinating nuclear scientists working under the leadership of top Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed by Israel in November 2020.

“Israel began assassinating a number of these scientists, early last decade, through secret units recruited in Iran and trained to become clandestine agents,” the newspaper wrote.