Israeli PM claims 'destroyed' Iran's capability to produce new ballistic missiles

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israeli strikes have set back Iran's military capabilities by "many years" and destroyed its capacity to produce new ballistic missiles.

In his first televised address since the temporary truce came into effect, Netanyahu said that Israel is "prepared to return to combat at any moment if required."

Claiming victory in the war, he rejected media reports that Washington has imposed the truce, asserting that the US-Iran agreement was achieved after full coordination with Israel.

However, he noted that Israel has not achieved all of its goals. There are "still objectives to complete, and we will achieve them -- either through an agreement or by resuming the fighting."

He hailed Israel's "great achievement" in the war, primarily "crushing" Iran's capability to produce new ballistic missiles. "We destroyed the factories that manufacture the missiles," he said. "The Iranians are firing what remains in their stockpiles. Those stockpiles are steadily being depleted."

Netanyahu said that US President Donald Trump has agreed that any enriched material remaining in Iran would be removed, "either by agreement or by renewed fighting."

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US assets in the Middle East.

Official figures showed that missile attacks by Iran and its allies have killed 42 people and injured 7,183 others in Israel during the conflict.

A two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran took effect early Wednesday.