Brett Baier (4:41)

First of all, let me start at the beginning. Why did you launch this operation now?

Benjamin Netanyahu (4:46)

Because we were facing an imminent threat, a dual existential threat. One, the threat of Iran rushing to weaponize their enriched uranium to make atomic bombs with a specific and declared intent to destroy us. Second, a rush to increase their ballistic missile arsenal into the capacity that they would have. 3,600 weapons a year, new weapons, within three years, 10,000 ballistic missiles, each one weighing a ton, coming in at Mach 6 right into our cities, as you saw today. And then in 20, in six years, 20,000. That's. No country can sustain that and certainly not a country the size of Israel. So we had to act. It was the 12th hour. We did act to save ourselves, but also, I think, to not only protect ourselves, but protect the world from this incendiary regime. We can't have the world's most dangerous regime, have the world's most dangerous weapons. We're protecting ourselves, but by doing so, we're protecting many others.

Commentator (5:44)

Now, Bibi wasn't done there. He also talked about the intel that was shared from Israel with the US and he said it was very clear that Iran had a plan and it was a plan of mass destruction.

Brett Baier (5:58)

You know, I just want to press you on the intel on the nuclear part. Less than two months ago, the new Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard testified on Capitol Hill saying that everything had been suspended since 2003 and had not restarted, that the nuclear program had not been restarted by the Iranians. So did something change from end of March until this week? Was the US intel wrong?

Benjamin Netanyahu (6:21)

The intel we got and we shared with the United States was absolutely clear, was absolutely clear that they were working in a secret plan to weaponize the uranium. They were marching very quickly. They would achieve a test device and possibly an initial device within months and certainly less than a year. That was the intel we shared with the United States. I think we have excellent intel in Iran. I think we've proven that. And that is something that we couldn't possibly accept. Whether it would be 6 months or 12 months or 13 months is immaterial. Once they go that route, it's too late. And we will not have a second holocaust, a nuclear holocaust. We already had one in the previous century. The Jewish state is not going to have the holocaust made it on the Jewish people. It's not going to happen. Never again is now. And we have to act now.

Commentator (7:11)

Now it's very clear the Prime Minister of Israel believes that this needed to be done now. It could not wait another six weeks or six days or even six. It was a real threat that was taking place now. And it's pretty clear that he believes that he has done something that the world should approve of. Now there was also another very interesting part of the conversation that he had with Brett Baer about who may have been behind the assassination attempts on Donald Trump. Take a listen carefully to what he has to say.

Benjamin Netanyahu (7:43)

So that's the difference. They're a terrorist regime. We can't have Iran have nuclear weapons. And by the way, our intel shows that they intend to give these nuclear weapons to their Houthi proxies and others. And that's nuclear terrorism on a global scale. It threatens everyone. And the last thing is they have plans to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles right now. 8,000 kilometers very soon, just at a little distance and they can reach the eastern seaboard of the United States. These people who chant death to America, try to assassinate President Trump twice, kill 241 of your Marines in Beirut, killed and injured thousands of American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. Try to bomb a restaurant in Washington, D.C. chant death to America, burn the American flag. Do you want these people to have nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to your cities? Of course not. Yeah, so we're defending ourselves, but we're also defending the world.

Brett Baier (8:36)

I want to talk about the nuclear threat. I want to talk about President Trump. You just said Iran tried to assassinate President Trump twice. Do you have intel that the assassination attempts on President Trump were directly from Iran through proxies?

Benjamin Netanyahu (8:49)

Yes. Through their intel? Yes. They want to kill him. Look, he's enemy number one. He's a decisive leader. He never took the path that others took to try to bargain with him in a way that is weak, giving them basically a pathway to enrich uranium, which means a pathway to the bomb padding it with billions and billions of dollars. He took up his fake agreement and basically tore it up. He killed the Qasem Soleimani, he said, made it very clear, including now, you cannot have a nuclear weapon, which means you cannot enrich. He's been very forceful. So for them, he's. He's enemy number one. Yeah, look, they also tried to kill me, but I'm his junior partner.

Commentator (9:29)

There's no doubt that Donald Trump and Bibi are extremely close. And calling yourself a junior partner is a perfect way of saying. It's.

Ben Ferguson (9:37)

Now story number two, Donald Trump speaking.

Commentator (9:39)

Out very clearly that he is going to allow Israel to do what it needs to do to protect and defend itself. In fact, the Israeli ambassador, the UN had this to say about the difference between what Israel is doing to Iran and what Iran is doing to the Israeli people. Are you confident, though, that you're doing enough to make sure that Iran is isolated, especially with the rest of the.

Brett Baier (10:01)

Middle east, that Iran is here and they're here alone?

Israeli Ambassador (10:05)

Well, I speak with many friends from the Gulf area. They will not say publicly, but they are very happy to see what we are doing now. They feel safer when they see our aircraft flying over Tehran and targeting those military bases. But look what happened yesterday. We are targeting military bases, infrastructure of ballistic missiles and nuclear reactors, and they are targeting our cities, our neighborhoods. Unfortunately, last night was a very difficult night. Ten people died because of those attacks. And also tonight, it's going to be a hard night in Israel.

Commentator (10:36)

He is absolutely right that there is a huge difference between the two scenarios. And, of course, the media doing everything they can to be apologists for Tehran. One of the questions the President was asked on the way to the G7 summit was this. And it's very clear the media wants Donald Trump to tell Israel to stop doing what they're doing. Have you asked Israel to pause their airstrike?

Donald Trump (11:00)

Well, I don't want to say that.

Commentator (11:02)

Well, I don't want to say that. After the question from the reporter. Pretty clear. Mr. President. Have you asked Israel to pause their airstrikes into Iran? The president not done there in his comments. Also being asked about the Israel Iran conflict and how he would be involved.

Donald Trump (11:25)

Well, we get along very well and I will tell you that I think I have great respect for each other. And can you give us a sense.

Commentator (11:33)

Of what you're doing to try to.

Donald Trump (11:34)

De escalate the situation between Iran and Israel? Well, I hope there's going to be a deal. I think it's time for a deal and we'll see what happens. But sometimes they have to fight it out. But we're going to see what happens. I think there's a good chance there'll be a deal.

Commentator (11:48)

Now, we all know that President Trump is the master of the are the deal and there's a very good chance at some point he could step in and help calm things down. But there's also the important fact that the president clearly stands with Israel. And yes, the media was even dumb enough to ask him that question. And the president had a very simple response. Will the US Continue to support Israel in its defense? We do. Yeah. Thank you very much. We do. Thank you very much. Yet again, the president making it clear he stands side by side with Israel, the people and the leadership.

Ben Ferguson (12:25)

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow. This is an iHeart podcast.