Netanyahu claims he saved Israel from destruction as Iran ‘already obtained’ atomic bomb; rivals say he’s lying
Source says PM’s assertion, made to right-wing Channel 14, is unfounded; election opponents Eisenkot, Bennett pillory PM for fear-mongering, peddling falsehoods
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview Tuesday night, claimed that he saved Israel from an Iranian nuclear bomb that they “already had obtained,” a claim that his election rivals dismissed as a falsehood told to scare the Israeli public.
The statement, which Netanyahu made during his appearance on the right-wing Channel 14, was the first time that the premier had ever claimed that Iran had already obtained a nuclear weapon. He has long boasted of advancing policies that prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
He did not elaborate on his claim in the interview and was not pressed to explain the statement.
No previous US or Israeli intelligence assessments have previously accused Iran of already building nuclear weapons.
Instead, Iran has been accused of enriching uranium to levels with no peaceful use and of seeking the technology that would allow it to break out and develop a bomb in a very short time.
Netanyahu may have gotten carried away in highlighting the threat from Iran and his steps against the regime or simply misspoke, but he did not issue a subsequent correction. A source familiar with the matter told Haaretz that Netanyahu’s claim was a “complete lie.”
נתניהו לפני יומיים: כל עוד אני ראש ממשלה לא יהיה לאיראן נשק גרעיני
נתניהו אתמול: היו להם פצצות אטוםחתיכת נוכל pic.twitter.com/b2EqF7SHzQ
— אמיר שפרלינג (@ShperlingAmir) July 1, 2026
Speaking on Wednesday, Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot and former prime minister Naftali Bennett both denounced the claim as outlandish.
At the Herzliya Conference, Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff and a member of the war cabinet, insisted, “Iran never obtained nuclear weapons. I’m well aware of all the intelligence.”
“Netanyahu is inventing a reality, making up threats, and that’s his way to scare the Israeli public,” he said.
Also, speaking at the conference, former prime minister Naftali Bennett called the statement “a lie,” accusing Netanyahu of trying to rewrite history.
Bennett vowed that under his leadership, following the next election, “the strategic goal of the State of Israel will be the overthrow of the Iranian regime — before Iran acquires a nuclear weapon.”
“To achieve this, bombs are not enough,” he said. “We will initiate a comprehensive campaign that will deepen the weaknesses of the Iranian economy. We will develop cyber systems that will disrupt the regime’s ability to oppress its own citizens.”
Iran, which vows to destroy Israel, has consistently denied seeking to acquire an atomic bomb, while remaining adamant about its right to operate a full-scale civilian nuclear program.
Before the 12-day war in 2025, Iran, as a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty — unlike Israel, which is widely assumed to have atomic weapons — allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear sites under its safeguards deal with the Vienna-based body.
The IAEA estimates Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent before the conflict began, now believed to be buried in bomb-battered underground nuclear facilities. That is close to the 90% needed to make a bomb, has no civilian application, and would be enough for 10 nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick.
The Times of Israel Community.