Iran must remove enriched uranium or face renewed fighting, Israeli premier says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that any enriched uranium remaining in Iran would have to leave the country either through an agreement or renewed military action.

"The enriched material that still remains will leave Iran. It will leave either by agreement or through a renewal of the fighting," Netanyahu said in televised remarks carried by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

The premier claimed that a temporary ceasefire with Iran was "not the end of the war but a station on the way" toward achieving Israel's objectives, stressing that Israel is ready to resume combat "at any moment required."

He also claimed that Iran is entering negotiations from a weakened position, insisting that Israel has inflicted significant damage on Iran's military and nuclear capabilities.

On Lebanon, Netanyahu said Israel insisted that any ceasefire with Iran would not include Hezbollah.

The US and Iran announced a two-week truce on Tuesday aimed at paving the way for a final agreement to end a war launched by Washington and Tel Aviv against Tehran on Feb. 28, which has left thousands dead and wounded.

Pakistani mediators said the truce includes Lebanon, while Netanyahu said it does not. Hezbollah has so far adhered to the ceasefire despite continued Israeli strikes.

The Israeli army launched a wave of deadly strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least 254 people and injuring 1,165 others, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense.

Israel has carried out airstrikes and a ground offensive in southern Lebanon since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect in November 2024.