Departing for Rome, Netanyahu says opposition has rejected dialogue, wants ‘anarchy’

After meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the meeting was “important and comprehensive.”

He adds that he deeply appreciates US President Joe Biden’s and Austin’s commitment to Israel’s security.

“If there is anyone in Tehran who thinks that they can progress toward a nuclear bomb, they are mistaken,” he says.

He says he sees a shift in the US and Western attitude to Iran in recent months to a more aggressive stance that needs to intensify further, saying that this will be at the center of his conversations in Rome and other European capitals.

He also speaks about the ongoing protests around judicial overhaul plans.

“All of our efforts at dialogue have been met with total refusal from the opposition and attempts to bring the country to anarchy,” he says, adding that he won’t let the opposition bring down Israel’s democratically elected government – their true goal, he claims.

“We won’t let anyone disrupt Israel’s democracy and cancel the decision of the majority in Israel, as expressed in the recent elections,” he concludes.