📰 6 sources 10 articles · 22 Oct 2026, 00:11 → 22 days ago

Netanyahu says 90% of the mission against Iran is done and that striking nuclear sites is not enough while the regime stands

In a series of remarks and an interview with Israel's Channel 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had completed 90% of the mission against Iran and its proxies, arguing that striking Iranian nuclear facilities is not enough as long as the regime in Tehran remains. He denied reports that US President Donald Trump had recently prevented him from launching an attack on Iran, justified the strikes as preemptive moves to stop Tehran from producing nuclear bombs, and linked the Iran file to the Israeli elections set for 27 October.

📍 Where things stand: The statements continue to emerge from the same interview, with no new related field development announced by Israel or others.

⏱️ Timeline

22 Oct 2026, 00:11 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel had completed 90% of the mission against Iran and its proxies, without further details on the nature or timing of the mission or the operations involved.
22 Oct 2026, 11:33 In remarks carried in live coverage, Netanyahu denied reports that US President Donald Trump had recently prevented him from launching a military attack on Iran, argued that toppling the Iranian regime is necessary to remove the threats, and likened its nuclear program to cancer.
22 Oct 2026, 12:14 In a remark to Israel's Channel 7, Netanyahu said that striking Iranian nuclear facilities is not enough as long as the regime in Iran remains in place.
22 Oct 2026, 13:01 Netanyahu added that 90% of the mission had been completed with 10% remaining, asserting that Israel "crushed its opponents" in Lebanon.
22 Oct 2026, 13:28 Channel 7 quoted Netanyahu as saying that dismantling Hamas would fall on Israel, and that he had told the Americans that if they found an international force to dismantle Hamas they should bring it, noting that they had searched month after month and found nothing.
22 Oct 2026, 14:33 Netanyahu escalated his rhetoric toward Iran, threatening a decisive strike and describing the confrontation as existential with no middle-ground solutions; in an interview with Israel's Channel 7 he linked the Iran file to the Israeli elections scheduled for 27 October, urging voters to settle what he called the fateful decision.
22 Oct 2026, 15:39 Netanyahu justified the military strikes against Iran, saying Israel acted preemptively to prevent Tehran from producing several nuclear bombs he said were intended to destroy Israel; he argued that waiting would have given Iran a chance to move closer to acquiring nuclear capability, and that the strike was the necessary option to prevent what he called an existential threat.

Timeline written by AI from the sources below; updated as new reports arrive.

How the sources covered it

Some coverage centered on the 90% figure and the denial that Trump had blocked an attack, while others led with the threat of a decisive strike and the link to the Israeli elections; one outlet added details on dismantling Hamas and another included Iranian economic news.

وكـالـة مـعـا الاخـبـارية Limited itself to reporting Netanyahu's announcement that 90% of the mission against Iran and its proxies was completed, without details on the mission's nature or timing.
Iran International Presented the remarks within live coverage highlighting Netanyahu's denial of reports that Trump blocked him, his call to topple the Iranian regime and his comparison of its nuclear program to cancer, alongside Iranian economic news such as the dollar exceeding 273,000 tomans and Germany cancelling the license of a Saderat bank branch.
Lebanon Debate Combined in one report the 90% figure, the statement that striking nuclear facilities is not enough while the regime stands, and the denial of reports about Trump preventing an attack, pointing to a context of regional escalation and reports of preparations.
Lebanon ON Highlighted the phrasing "we completed 90% and 10% remains" along with Netanyahu's assertion that Israel "crushed its opponents" in Lebanon.
المترجم احمد المقادمة Focused on what Channel 7 quoted from Netanyahu about the insufficiency of attacking nuclear facilities, and on the Hamas disarmament file and his telling the Americans that no international force was available for it.
Masrawy Emphasized the escalation and the threat of a "decisive strike", the description of the confrontation as existential, the linking of the Iran file to the 27 October Israeli elections, and the justification of the strike as a preemptive step to prevent the manufacture of nuclear bombs.