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Netanyahu: Israel Today Has More Freedom of Action in Iran Than Ever

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attend a ceremony for the 70th cohort of military combat officers, at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attend a ceremony for the 70th cohort of military combat officers, at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Netanyahu: Israel Today Has More Freedom of Action in Iran Than Ever

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attend a ceremony for the 70th cohort of military combat officers, at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attend a ceremony for the 70th cohort of military combat officers, at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 31, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Israel is able to reach anywhere in Iran should the need arise, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.

Netanyahu, in a speech to new military officers, said that Israel has unprecedented freedom of action following its recent airstrikes against Iran.

"Israel today has more freedom of action in Iran than ever. We can reach any place in Iran as necessary," Netanyahu said. "The supreme goal I gave to the Israel Defense Forces and the security branches is to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon."

Israel attacked military targets in Iran with pre-dawn airstrikes Saturday in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles Iran fired on Israel earlier this month. It was the first time Israel’s military has openly attacked Iran.

Israel is widely thought to be behind a limited airstrike in April near a major air base in Iran that hit the radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery. Iran had earlier fired a wave of missiles and drones at Israel, causing minimal damage, after two Iranian generals were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic post in Syria.

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South Korean President Lee, Xi Pledge Closer Economic, Security Cooperation 

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, 10 June 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, 10 June 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)
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South Korean President Lee, Xi Pledge Closer Economic, Security Cooperation 

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, 10 June 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, 10 June 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged on Tuesday to work for substantive advances in economic ties and peace and security on the Korean peninsula, Lee's office said.

In their first phone call since Lee took office last week, the South Korean president told Xi he hoped the two countries would pursue a more active exchange and cooperation in the areas of economy, security and culture, his spokesperson said.

"President Lee requested China to play a constructive role for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and peace and security," Kang Yu-jung told a briefing.

"President Xi in response said the Chinese side would make efforts for the resolution of the issues ... as they are matters of common interest to the two countries," Kang said.

Lee took office on June 4 after winning the presidency in a snap election called after the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol over a failed martial law attempt in December. Lee has since spoken to US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Chinese state media earlier said Xi told Lee that the two countries should respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and ensure ties move forward "on the right track."

A strategic cooperative partnership between both countries would bring more benefits to both and "inject more certainty into the chaotic regional and international situation," Xi was quoted as saying by state broadcaster CCTV.

China is South Korea's biggest trading partner and diplomatic relations between the two have improved since a 2017 spat over South Korea's installation of a US missile defense system that Beijing opposed.

While reiterating the importance of the US-South Korea alliance, Lee has also expressed more conciliatory plans for ties with China and North Korea, singling out the importance of China as a major trading partner while indicating a reluctance to take a firm stance on security tensions in the Taiwan Strait.