Name: Israeli PM Netanyahu says Iran 'weaker than it's ever been' | BBC News
Uploaded: 2026-03-20T21:48:32.000Z
Duration: 15 min 10 s
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Heavy explosions have been reported across Tehran as the Israeli military continues to bombard the Iranian capital.

The Israeli military says it is targeting the infrastructure of the regime without specifying what.

Basic passive voice

Reports from Iran say the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Ali Mohammed Naini was killed in one of the attacks.

The Israeli military also said it struck targets in southern Syria overnight in response to attacks against the Druze population in the city of Suwaydah.

The targets, a command center and weapons in military compounds belonging to the Syrian government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will hold off on attacks on Iranian gas fields after being asked to by US President Donald Trump.

Elsewhere, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain all reported missile or drone attacks.

A drone attack at a Kuwaiti oil refinery has caused a fire, according to state media.

Large booms were heard in the sky with Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system kicking into action.

The latest night of attacks came after Israel's prime minister claimed the Iranian regime is weaker than it's ever been and can no longer enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles.

In a second televised address since launching the war against Iran, Benjamin Netanyahu said ground forces would be required in Iran in order to change the regime.

He also said Israel will hold off attacks on Iranian gas fields after being asked to by US President Donald Trump.

He also insisted that Israel did not drag the US into the conflict.

Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?

I don't think any two leaders have been as coordinated as President Trump and I.

Fact number one, Israel acted alone against the Slawiya gas compound.

Fact number two, President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks, and we're holding out.

Our Middle east correspondent Ilan Nell, told me more about the Israeli prime minister's comments from Jerusalem.

There was a short statement from the Israeli military that came out in the middle of the night saying it was carrying out a new wave of strikes targeting what it called regime infrastructure in Tehran, without giving any more details about that.

This came after there were these rounds of missiles that were fired towards Israel overnight in quick succession.

Actually five rounds in the space of about an hour and a half.

Four times around midnight, sirens went off in Jerusalem and the thuds of interceptions were heard overhead.

That has actually continued this morning as well.

We've had a couple more rounds of missiles fired towards Israel with no reports of any casualties.

But it does seem to be a message coming from Iran that it still does have this capability.

After the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in that news conference was talking about how Iran had been decimated by the war, how the US And Israel were winning the war.

He said that Iran no longer had the ability to enrich uranium and that Israel was continuing to destroy its nuclear facilities.

He said that Iran no longer had the ability to manufacture ballistic missiles either.

Eland we heard there from the the prime minister that he insists that the US that Israel, sorry, did not drag the US into war.

There's been lots of confusing messages about exactly who's in control, who's calling the shots, but Mr.

And that really came to a head again this week when Israel attacked the South Pause gas field, this vast gas field in Iran, other gas facilities.

And then that drew this furious response from Iran attacking the energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arab neighbors.

Now, it was said very quickly in the Israeli media and other reports as well that there was close coordination between Israel and the US when it came to that strike.

They said these two partners are working so closely.

And that was briefings that they had had, particularly in the Israeli media.

But then the Israeli prime minister came out saying, you know, in line with what President Trump had claimed, that Israel had acted alone in striking the South Pass gas field.

He said that he had pledged to President Trump to hold off on such attacks in the future.

Now, that did have some effect in steadying the energy markets because, you know, that had really led to a surge in oil prices and gas prices in the past couple of days.

Also other comments that came out, the US Announcing that it would increase oil production.

And there was also that joint statement that came from the UK and other European countries, Japan and Canada late yesterday where they were saying that they would assist in appropriate efforts to help shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

A number of Gulf countries are again coming under attack from drones and missiles fired by Iran with reports of strikes in the uae, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain overnight, including another strike on Kuwait's Mina Al Ahmandi oil refinery correspondent as they Bashiri is in Dubai following developments across the Gulf nations and had more on the strikes on a Kuwaiti oil refinery.

It's a day after countries in the Gulf and a group of Arab nations and Islamic nations urged Iran to halt its attacks and to hold them on energy infrastructure in particular as well.

And then news came this morning from the state oil firm KPC in Kuwait that an oil refinery had been hit by multiple drones that Emergency crews battle the fire there but had to shut down multiple units as a precaution.

And this was already a scenario that these countries in the region had desperately wanted to avoid.

The energy sector being brought into this war.

Remember their economies are built around that energy sector.

And then on top of it in Qatar, they're still assessing the damage, severe damage at the Raslafan energy field that they have an LNG field that has been right now they've assessed its export capacity for Qatar is down 17% that it will cost $20 billion annually.

And that capacity is estimated to be down for the next five years.

And so all of this is still happening as the region is celebrating aid the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

And as in Iran and for Iranians around the world, they celebrate Nowruz Persian New Year.

But of course a very big shadow has been cast over those celebrations.

A security correspondent is Frank Gardner and he told us more about Saudi Arabia's warning from its foreign minister towards Iran.

Well, he's dangling the threat there, I think hoping to put the Iranians off carrying out any more missile strikes on Saudi Arabia's key critical national infrastructure.

Things like Rustinur, its export terminal, similar thing up at Jabail, at Yambu and at Sunrath.

These are all part of the kind of beating heart of the Saudi economy.

Similar institutions, installations in Kuwait and of course here in Qatar.

Iran probably isn't taking much notice of that.

And the Iranians will know that if the Saudis were to enter this war, I mean it would have a negligible impact compared to the might of the US military.

One is that the Iranians will intensify that bombardment of Saudi installations, possibly even extending their target set to hit more civilian targets.

But also there is the domestic risk because if Saudi Arabia enters this war on the side of the US and Israel, it is effectively being seen by its population as taking sides with Israel against a Muslim country that's dangerous.

So I think they'll think very carefully before doing that.

They've spent billions and billions of dollars on buying state of the art F15s and other aircraft for the United States.

They've tried to diversify away from just the US in recent times.

The Saudi military has not performed particularly well in Yemen.

They fought a long, nearly 10 year long war there.

They did a lot of bombing their Targeting was dreadful.

They hit weddings and funerals and schools and hospitals.

There were a lot of civilian casualties from those Saudi bombings.

And on the ground, their army didn't really perform particularly well.

So they've had a very bloody experience in Yemen in which the Houthis essentially repelled the Saudis.

So Saudi Arabia entered that war in 2015 hoping to.

Achieve a quick victory by the end of the year.

It dragged on for years and the Houthis were able, as I say, to repel them.

They train hard, they've got some good kit, they've had good instructors, they've practiced.

And Frank, before I let you go, obviously today is really significant for people across the region who are gathering for Eid in Iran.

Are people wanting to celebrate or is it tense?

Well, I'm going to be honest with you, we're a little bit constrained here.

The Qataris, the government here has confined us to one location.

They're not keen on us filming anywhere outside that.