Netanyahu on national television: 'This is not a war without end, it is a door to peace'

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on national television that the Trump administration made the right decision in bombing Iran and discharging the top leadership of the theocratic regime, claiming that the now-dead Iranian leaders were "committed to destroying America."

The Israeli leader uttered these words with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity on United States prime time.

In addition to highlighting the U.S. role in the attack in an operation dubbed Epic Fury that now entered its third day with Iran retaliating throughout the Middle East, the Israeli prime minister also assured that this will not be an "eternal" conflict.

"This is a gateway for peace, for a broader peace, and I believe that we can achieve it," Netanyahu said. "So this is not — this is not an endless war. This is a gateway to peace. It's the exact opposite of what people are saying."

Asked by Hannity about versions claiming that Israel pressured Washington to intervene in the conflict, the Israeli prime minister laughed for several seconds, dismissed the accusations as "ridiculous" and defined Trump as the "strongest leader in the world."

Netanyahu's words on one of the most-watched programs across the country come at a time when Americans are increasingly critical of foreign interventions by the federal government. Indeed, President Trump promised in his campaign to end the wars started by his predecessors, and some critics point out that the strikes against Iran contradict his America First tenets. However, senior Trump administration officials have said the attack was "preemptive," avoiding future American casualties in a conflict that, for the White House, was "imminent." Some Democratic lawmakers have criticized this stance, arguing that Intelligence reports did not warn of an imminent Iranian attack.

In addition to promising that this war will open a window to peace, Netanyahu also said the U.S. must attack for its own survival, with Iran, in his view, being a threat to the country's security.

"Iran for 47 years has been chanting death to America," the Israeli prime minister said. "They bombed your embassies. They tried to assassinate Donald Trump, the President of the United States, twice. They murdered their own people; they massacred so many. And they spread a worldwide web of terror. This is a regime committed to destroying the United States of America."

Netanyahu also heaped praise on Trump, whom he credited with returning the US to its place as "leader of the world." The prime minister also spoke of the need for action by "the good guys" in the world.

"There is great danger, and it's time to act. The good guys need to act early enough. And there are those leaders, so-called leaders, who don't see it. And they just sit back and they, you know, they say, "Oh well, it's a terrible thing," Netanyahu said. "No, it's not a terrible thing to protect humanity, to protect America, to protect Israel, to protect the free world from this theological thuggery. These fanatics who don't care—who just export death, mass death, everywhere."