Netanyahu to Iranians: Your government spent $2.3 billion to attack Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, addressed the people of Iran on Tuesday, November 13, urging them not to lose hope and stating, "The Khamenei regime fears only one thing more than Israel, and that is the people of Iran." In his second direct message to the Iranian people, Netanyahu announced that the Islamic Republic spent $2.3 billion of the Iranian people's national wealth on the recent missile attack against Israel, urging Iranians not to let their government destroy their dreams. In a video message published on Tuesday, Netanyahu said, "A few weeks ago, I addressed the people of Iran directly. Tens of millions around the world and in Iran watched that video, and after watching it, many Iranians contacted Israel, so today I want to address the people of Iran again." He added, "Since the last time we spoke, the Khamenei regime has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles at my country. I wonder if he has told you how much this attack cost? Well, I guess not: it amounts to $2.3 billion." Netanyahu emphasized to the Iranians, "This is money they wasted from your precious resources on futile attacks. $2.3 billion. The damage from the missiles in Israel was minimal. But what was the cost for you?" He continued, "This amount could have added billions of dollars to your transportation budget. This amount could have added billions of dollars to Iran's educational budget. Instead, Khamenei revealed the regime's brutality and turned the world against your country. He has plundered the money that was supposed to belong to you." Netanyahu also told the Iranian people, "I want you to imagine, just imagine, if Iran were free, how different your life would be. You could express your opinion without fear. You could tell a joke without worrying about whether you would be taken to Evin Prison or not." He added, "Close your eyes and imagine the faces of your children. Beautiful, pure souls. Think of the infinite potentials they could have. Their whole lives are ahead of them. Imagine if instead of unnecessary wars that cannot be won, billions of dollars were invested in your children. How would their lives be? Their education and upbringing would be world-class." Netanyahu further stated, "You could have beautiful roads, advanced hospitals, and clean water. Israel has the most advanced desalination systems in the world and would be happy to help rebuild Iran's crumbling water infrastructure. These and many other things are what you could have. But this is what the Khamenei regime deprives you of every day. Instead of building Iran, they are obsessed with destroying Israel. What a pity!" He warned that "another attack on Israel would be very damaging to Iran's economy," stating that Ali Khamenei would "plunder billions of dollars more from you (the Iranian people). I know that many of you do not want this war. I do not want this war either. The people of Israel do not want this war. There is a force that puts your family in great danger. The dictators of Tehran. That's it!" Netanyahu added, "But there is also good news: this regime is getting weaker every day. Israel is getting stronger every day. The world has only seen a very small corner of our power. And yet there is one thing that the Khamenei regime fears more than Israel. Do you know what it is? It is you, the people of Iran!" He also said, "That is why they spend so much money and time trying to destroy your hopes and suppress your dreams. Well, I tell you this: do not let your dreams die. I hear the whispers. Woman, life, freedom!" The Prime Minister of Israel told the Iranian nation, "Do not lose hope and know that Israel and others in the free world are with you. The regime wants to destroy your future in its efforts to destroy our country. We will not let this happen. I have no doubt that in a free Iran, a day will come when Israelis and Iranians will build a future full of prosperity and peace. This is a future that Israel deserves. This is a future that Iran deserves. Let us together make this beautiful dream a reality." Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, September 30, in a "direct and unmediated" message to the "people of Iran," stated that Israel stands with them and that when Iran "is freed much sooner than everyone thinks," everything will be "different." The Prime Minister of Israel addressed the "Iranian nation" on social media platform X, saying he wanted to speak to Iranians "directly, without filters, and without intermediaries." He emphasized that the Islamic Republic "dominates you every day" and makes fiery rhetoric about defending Lebanon and Gaza, stressing that "the regime plunges our region deeper into darkness and war every day." Netanyahu referred to the killing of Mohammed Deif and Hassan Nasrallah, calling them "puppets" of the Islamic Republic, and warned that there is no place where Israel does not go "to protect our people and our country" at any moment. He added that the Islamic Republic regime is pushing the "noble people" of Iran to the edge of a cliff. He emphasized, "The vast majority of Iranians know that the regime does not care at all. Because if it did, it would stop wasting billions of dollars on futile wars across the Middle East and start improving your lives." Netanyahu continued, "When Iran is finally free - and that moment will come much sooner than everyone thinks - everything will be different." He referred to the long-standing friendship between Jews and Iranians, stating that they will "eventually live in peace. Our two countries, Israel and Iran, will be at peace on that day. This terrorist network that the regime has built on five continents will be bankrupt." He described the conditions in a "free Iran" as increasingly prosperous, with global investment, extensive tourism, and innovation in technology "based on the extraordinary talents present in Iran," asking, "Is this not better than endless poverty, oppression, and war?" Netanyahu also mentioned several cities in Iran, stating that across the country "tens of millions of good and worthy people with thousands of years of history behind them and a bright future ahead of them" live. The Prime Minister of Israel urged the Iranian people not to let a small group of "fanatical clerics" shatter their dreams and aspirations, emphasizing that the people of Iran, their children, and the entire world "deserve better than this." Netanyahu also pointed out the support of the leaders of the Islamic Republic for "the aggressors and murderers of Hamas and Hezbollah," stressing that he knows the people of Iran do not support these groups and said, "The people of Iran must know that Israel supports you." He concluded his remarks by saying, "In the hope that we will together witness a future filled with prosperity and peace."