Israel-Iran War: Netanyahu admits to South Pars strike, hints conflict may end soon

With war in West Asia almost entering its fourth week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday (March 19) that Tehran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium or fabricate ballistic missiles. And, for the first time since the start of the conflict, Netanyahu said he sees “this war ending a lot faster than people think.”

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump publicly hinted he did not know in advance about Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars field, which supplies fuel for most of its domestic needs, and said that he had told Netanyahu not to hit Iranian energy infrastructure.

Here are the key takeaways from the statements from Netanyahu’s briefing, which offered some indication of where the war is headed.

Owning up to the ‘unilateral’ South Pars attack

Weeks after the joint United States–Israeli offensive against Iran, differences emerged between Trump and Netanyahu over Israel’s decision to strike a key Iranian gas field. Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field triggered retaliatory Iranian strikes on energy infrastructure across West Asia, pushing already high global energy prices even higher and prompting Gulf allies to urge Trump to rein in Netanyahu.

However, Trump said the US “knew nothing” about its ally, which had “violently lashed out” at Iran “out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East”.

On Thursday, Netanyahu set the record straight by saying that Israel had independently carried out the strike, adding that while Israel acted alone, Trump later urged restraint, and Israel is currently holding off on further attacks in the area.

Hinting at navigation relief and an end in sight

With rising concerns over global trade disruption in the wake of the disruption of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the Israeli PM dismissed Iran’s threats to close the Strait.

While accusing Iran of attempting to pressure the international community through economic and energy leverage, he, in fact, said that such a move would fail since Tehran’s capabilities have weakened. With Netanyahu also stating that Israel was helping reopen the key Strait of Hormuz passageway, and that the war may end sooner than people think, oil prices saw a correction and relief.

This followed a volatile day, when oil prices surged dramatically on the back of an Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field and an Iranian attack on energy infrastructure across the region. However, market sentiment shifted as Netanyahu said that joint US-Israel strikes had significantly degraded Iran’s strategic capabilities and that the war would “end faster than people think”.

Reinforcing Israel-US alignment

During the briefing, Netanyahu emphasised a strong alignment with the US President, describing their cooperation as ‘exceptionally close’. He said both countries are working together with “great determination,” underscoring shared strategic goals and synchronised actions in addressing the situation.

“It’s been said that for 40 years I’ve been saying that Iran is a danger to Israel and a danger to the world. That is true,” Netanyahu said in Jerusalem. “You know who else said that? President Trump.” He added, “Look, I don’t think any two leaders have been as coordinated as President Trump and I. He’s the leader. I’m his ally. America is the leader.”

While speaking about an end in sight to the conflict, Netanyahu outlined Israel’s core objectives: eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat, dismantling its ballistic missile capabilities, and creating conditions that could enable political change within Iran — framing this as a security necessity as well as a move towards regional stability. Trump, meanwhile, has consistently maintained that his primary objective is to ensure Iran “never has a nuclear weapon”.

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More