Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Iranians in a video message with assurances that his country wants peace and said Iran will be free much "sooner than people think."
The prime minister described the current events as historical. They were set off, he said, by Israeli actions against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, among other things.
"I want to make clear: Israel wants peace. We want peace with all those who truly want peace with us․․․ The only thing Israel seeks is to defend our state, but in so doing, we are defending civilization against barbarism," he said.