Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Donald Trump on Sunday, June 22, after the president said the US military bombed three nuclear sites in Iran. “Congratulations President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,” Netanyahu said in a video message, adding that the attacks demonstrated “America has been truly unsurpassed.”
Netanyahu added that Trump had created a “pivot of history” that will “help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace.” He shared in a separate statement that the US attacks had been carried out in coordination with Israel and said the promise of destroying Iran’s nuclear program was fulfilled.
Earlier, Trump announced on his social media platform that US warplanes had struck Iran’s Fordo nuclear enrichment plant, as well as the Natanz and Isfahan facilities. The United States joins key ally Israel’s bombing campaign after Trump spent days mulling possible involvement.
Israel and Iran have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since Israel launched attacks on June 13, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies having any such ambition.
Meanwhile, Israel has raised its alert level, permitting only essential activities until further notice, the military announced on Sunday after the US strikes on Iran.
“It was decided to shift all areas of the country from Partial and Limited Activity to Essential Activity,” including “a prohibition on educational activities, gatherings, and workplaces, except for essential sectors,” the Israeli military statement said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern Saturday at strikes carried out by the US, calling them a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge.”
“At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos,” Guterres said in a statement. “There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.”
