Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel has the right to defend itself and warned that Iran must be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons, during an interview with Piers Morgan.
"Every country has a right to self-defense, and so does Israel," Bennett said. "We don't want war. For us, it's very personal. My son is in the war. Many families have their children in the war. We hate war, but we are being attacked, so obviously we have to defend ourselves."
Morgan questioned Bennett about concerns among some supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump that a potential agreement with Iran may not go far enough beyond the previous nuclear deal framework that Trump withdrew from during his first term. "This is certainly not the final deal. President Trump has been very clear that he's going to dismantle the nuclear program so Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon."
He said any agreement must achieve three goals: removing Iran's uranium stockpile, preventing Tehran from building a large ballistic missile capability, and dismantling its network of regional terror groups. "For many years, I've been a proponent of what I called the octopus doctrine - that means attacking the head, not just Iran's tentacles."
He emphasized that the regime collapse was both a possibility and a necessity. "Now, though, it is a disconnected, corrupt, incompetent regime destined to collapse. We've seen the true Iran. Imagine what it would look like if it acquires nuclear weapons."
Bennett, who has been mentioned as a possible future prime minister, also issued a direct warning to Iran's leadership. "I believe that soon in Israel there will be a new government. Hopefully, I'll lead that new government. And I want to tell the Iranian regime: I will be your worst nightmare ever."
He added that Israel would continue working to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to challenge the regime's regional influence. Bennett urged Western countries to accelerate that process through a combination of measures, like supporting Iranian protesters by helping maintain access to communications networks during future unrest. "War is one of the tools, but there are many others."