Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted that Israel is ready to return to war with Iran.
In an exclusive interview with CNBC, Netanyahu, who was asked if there actually is a ceasefire with Iran, said: "I think there's a tactical game that is being played."
"And Iran surely knows what [Trump] has said, that if necessary, there will be a full-scale return to military action," Netanyahu said. "It's a president's decision; Israel is ready, and the US forces are ready."
“I think Iran should take that into account,” he said. “I think they are taking into account what they're playing with fire; that's clear."
Declining to comment on the details about his call with Trump, Netanyahu said he gets to talk to him frequently. According to Netanyahu, he and Trump talk "once every two days". The two presidents "have common goals... we want to achieve them," according to him.
However, Netanyahu acknowledged that "it's an open question on how the war should end" when asked what he would like to see from a possible ceasefire deal.
Netanyahu batted down any rift with Trump, claiming that although they occasionally have "tactical disagreements," they "agree on the main things."
According to him, these include stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and threatening Israel with it.
"We occasionally have these tactical disagreements, just like in the best of families," he remarked. However, "as great friends, we always find a way to work them out."
He said, "We can disagree in the morning and find common ground by the afternoon."
The Israeli prime minister emphasised, "We must disarm Hezbollah and demilitarise Lebanon if we want to save Lebanon and achieve Lebanon-Israel peace — and I do want that."
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"About 20 Iranian nuclear scientists have been eliminated by us. We have the same objective in mind. The new deal will be better than the Iran nuclear deal, not a copy of it," claimed Netanyahu during his interview.
Because the current Iranian leadership has been "enormously" weakened, Netanyahu anticipates a regime transition in Iran, but he did not specify when.
Netanyahu remarked, "You can't quite predict when a regime like that goes under." "You didn't foresee it in other instances, such as Romania and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which happened even though no one foresaw it. Why? Because the fissures were spreading beneath.
He stated, "You have huge cracks in Iran right now, and you can't predict when it'll happen."
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