Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited an Iranian missile strike site in the southern city of Arad on Sunday and called on world leaders to join the Israeli-US military offensive against Iran, pointing to Tehran’s recent ballistic missile attack on the UK-US military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean as evidence of the threat’s reach.
Iran fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia. One was intercepted; the other failed to hit its target. But the attack confirmed Iran possesses missiles capable of travelling far beyond what had previously been assumed or publicly acknowledged.
מהזירה בערד: מסר חשוב מאוד ממני אליכם >> pic.twitter.com/lA3ZXd70On
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 22, 2026
“They fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Diego Garcia. That’s 4,000 kilometres. I have been warning all the time. They now have the capacity to reach deep into Europe. They already have fired on European countries, Cyprus,” Netanyahu said at the site. He also accused Iran of attempting to block the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an effort to “blackmail the entire world” by choking off a critical maritime and energy route.
“What more proof do you need that this regime that threatens the entire world has to be stopped? Israel and the United States are working together for the entire world. And it’s time to see the leaders of the rest of the countries join up. I’m happy to say that I can see some of them beginning to move in that direction, but more is needed,” Netanyahu said.
He framed the campaign in explicitly global terms, echoing US President Donald Trump’s calls for the international community to confront what he called a “terrorist, fanatic regime of zealots.” Trump has repeatedly complained about the lack of international support for the offensive. Netanyahu said the campaign’s purpose extends beyond American or Israeli security: “And it is time for them to act.”
Netanyahu also condemned a separate Iranian strike near Jerusalem, describing it as an attack on the holy sites of all three major monotheistic faiths. “They fired on Jerusalem, right next to the holy sites of the three monotheistic faiths: the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. By dint of a miracle, none of them were hurt, but they were targeting the holy sites of the three major monotheistic religions,” he said.
Asked about Iran’s attacks on Israeli civilians, Netanyahu drew a distinction between civilian harm and the campaign Israel is conducting. “We’re responding with great force, but not on civilians. We’re going after the regime. We’re going after the IRGC, this criminal gang, and we’re going after them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic assets. We’re going after them very strongly.”
He outlined two stated military objectives. The first is the complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes, along with their production infrastructure. “We’re well on our way in achieving it,” he said. The second is creating conditions for Iranians to remove the current government. “We’ve also set a goal of creating conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow this tyranny that has tormented them and made life miserable and is making life miserable for the entire world. And I hope we achieve that too,” Netanyahu added.
