Netanyahu claims US-Israeli strikes crippled Iran’s nuclear program 'quite a bit'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that joint military operations with the US have crippled Iran's nuclear ambitions "quite a bit," pushing the program back several years.

"We knocked out 20 of their chief nuclear scientists in the two operations that we did with the United States," Netanyahu told Fox News.

He asserted that while Tehran's capabilities were severely degraded, the international community must remain on "constant watch" to prevent any attempts to restore the program.

The prime minister warned that if Iran targets Israel through direct strikes or proxies, the response will be "very, very forceful."

Netanyahu also expressed strong alignment with US President Donald Trump's strategy of linking Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear needs to its entry into the Abraham Accords. He said he would be "delighted" to extend normalization to Riyadh, noting Tel Aviv previously had agreements with several Arab nations.

Netanyahu dismissed claims that Israel is becoming isolated, suggesting that many nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are seeking Israeli technology and military cooperation.

The Israeli prime minister is scheduled to visit Washington next week to attend the funeral of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, where he is expected to hold discussions with the US president.