As hopes of regime change in Iran fade, Netanyahu faces political test

"This is the culmination of what [Netanyahu] has tried to rebrand as the War of Redemption, which in his mind started on October 7, 2023."

— Neri Zilber , Academic

"We can already say with certainty: this is no longer the same Iran, this is no longer the same Middle East, and this is not the same Israel."

— Benjamin Netanyahu , Politician

"Some of it is permanent, and some of it is semi-permanent."

— Nadav Shoshani , Executive

""Your dreams will become a reality. When the time is right, and that time is fast approaching, we will pass the torch to you. Be ready to seize the moment!""

— Benjamin Netanyahu , Politician

""If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.""

— Donald Trump , Politician

""I think the war is very much complete, pretty much.""

— Donald Trump , Politician

"can no longer be allowed to exist"

— Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , Politician

"measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end – and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into"

— Donald Trump , Politician

"dirty work Israel is doing for all of us"

— Friedrich Merz , Politician

"Whatever he does, he tries to turn everything to his advantage … This is a guy who never takes responsibility but only credit … Everything is opportunistic and everything is transactional."

— Yossi Mekelberg , Academic

"Netanyahu’s supporters support him even more and opponents oppose him like before."

— Tamar Hermann , Academic

"The operation [against Iran] led by Prime Minister Netanyahu was unquestionably justified, but it also, undeniably, benefited him politically."

— Udi Tenne , Executive

"People are going to give Netanyahu a lot of credit for the operation against Iran and polls show this."

— Lahav Harkov , Academic

""This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down.""

— Pete Hegseth , Executive

""The main target is the calculus in Washington that [Mr. Trump and Israel] can just wage a war and then call a ceasefire, and that things will get back to normal.""

— Hassan Ahmadian , Academic