以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡周一告诉美国广播公司新闻，针对伊朗最高领袖阿里·哈梅内伊将结束而不是升级上周晚些时候爆发的以色列和伊朗之间的持续战斗。
当美国广播公司驻华盛顿首席记者乔纳森·卡尔(Jonathan Karl)被问及美国广播公司新闻和其他媒体关于唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统拒绝了以色列刺杀伊朗最高领袖的计划的报道时，内塔尼亚胡表示，“这不会使冲突升级，而是会结束冲突。”
“我们已经经历了半个世纪的冲突，这个政权让中东的每个人都感到恐怖;轰炸了沙特阿拉伯的阿美油田;正在到处传播恐怖主义、颠覆和破坏，”内塔尼亚胡说。“伊朗想要的是‘永远的战争’，他们正把我们带到核战争的边缘。事实上，以色列正在做的是阻止这一点，结束这一侵略，我们只能通过抵抗邪恶的力量来做到这一点。”
当被问及以色列是否会以最高领袖为目标时，内塔尼亚胡表示，以色列正在“做我们需要做的事情”
内塔尼亚胡说:“我不会透露细节，但我们已经锁定了他们的顶级核科学家。”“基本上是希特勒的核团队。”
内塔尼亚胡表示，在以色列寻求消除伊朗核项目的过程中，支持以色列符合美国的利益。
“今天，是特拉维夫。明天，就是纽约了。听着，我理解“美国第一”。我不懂《美国已死》。这就是这些人想要的。他们高呼“美国去死”因此，我们正在做一些为人类服务的事情，这是一场正义与邪恶的战斗。美国现在、应该、也确实站在正义的一边。这就是特朗普总统正在做的，我非常感谢他的支持，”他告诉卡尔。
以色列总理还驳斥了《华尔街日报》的报道，该报道称，伊朗一直在紧急发出信号，表示希望结束敌对状态，恢复关于其核项目的谈判。
“我并不惊讶。我的意思是，他们想继续进行这些虚假的谈判，他们撒谎，他们欺骗，他们欺骗美国。你知道，我们在这方面有非常可靠的情报。“他们想继续建造他们的核武器和大规模弹道导弹库，他们正在向我们的人民开火。他们想在谈判的同时继续制造针对以色列的两种生存威胁。这是不可能的。”
当被问及如何回应一些反对美国军事支持以色列打击伊朗的共和党人，包括评论员塔克·卡尔森时，内塔尼亚胡说，伊朗是“对整个世界的威胁”
“我们不仅仅是在与我们的敌人作战。我们在和你的敌人战斗。看在上帝的份上，他们高呼，“以色列去死，美国去死。“我们只是在路上。这可能很快就会传到美国，”内塔尼亚胡说。
卡尔森在周五的时事通讯中写道，“美国不应在任何层面上参与对伊朗的战争。没有资金，没有美国武器，没有地面部队”，美国应该让以色列“打他们自己的战争”。
“我们正在采取行动。美国在国防上支持我们。非常非常感谢。但这是对整个世界的威胁，”内塔尼亚胡说。“这是对以色列的威胁;正如我所说的——对我们的阿拉伯邻居;去欧洲;去美国。他们高呼“美国去死”但是-"这不关你的事"?这不是近视。这是完全的盲目。"
“有时你必须表明反对邪恶的立场。这是美国人民本能理解的。我不得不说大部分都是。这就是特朗普总统所理解的。我们不能让这种情况发生，”他补充道。
在周一更新的旅行警告中，美国国务院似乎已经将整个以色列和约旦河西岸列为“四级:不要旅行”——这是最高的警告级别。
卡尔问内塔尼亚胡，如果特朗普要求他停止轰炸并恢复外交谈判，他是否会停止轰炸。
内塔尼亚胡说:“特朗普总统是一位伟大的领导人，世界上的伟大领导人，也是以色列的伟大领袖和伟大朋友，他在谈判中非常明确地提出了这些条款。”
他说，伊朗不能拥有核武器，为了不让它拥有核武器，它不能拥有浓缩铀的能力，而浓缩铀是制造核武器的先决条件。
他后来补充说，伊朗人不想真诚地继续谈判，他们在继续制造武器，是在“愚弄美国”。“他们不想坐在桌子旁边——他们想炸掉桌子。具体来说，他们想炸毁以色列，争取时间，”内塔尼亚胡说。
后来，卡尔说，内塔尼亚胡和特朗普似乎在以色列是否应该除掉哈梅内伊的问题上存在分歧。内塔尼亚胡回应说，“我不会急于下结论。”
卡尔问内塔尼亚胡还想从特朗普和美国得到什么，或者他是否希望美国空军帮助他们。
内塔尼亚胡称赞了美国帮助以色列对抗无人机和导弹的防御措施，但补充说，“至于美国还会做什么——这取决于特朗普总统。他会做最符合美国利益的事情，但重要的是要明白，我们深深感谢他的帮助，以及绝大多数美国人民的帮助和支持，因为他们明白我们在与什么作斗争。
“我们正在与一个憎恨我们双方的政权作战，这个政权正试图暗杀我们双方，正试图给整个中东和全世界带来死亡和毁灭。有时候你必须表明立场。你站在正义一边对抗邪恶。这正是美国在特朗普总统领导下正在做的事情，”内塔尼亚胡说。
特朗普周一在加拿大参加七国集团(G7)峰会时，被问及美国军事介入冲突需要付出什么代价;他回答:“我不想谈那个。”
根据卫生部公共关系和信息中心的负责人，截至周一早上，伊朗的死亡人数为224人。根据总理办公室周一早上发布的消息，以色列已有24人死亡，592人受伤。
两国关系的升级发生在美国和伊朗就德黑兰核项目举行高层会谈之前，会谈定于周日在阿曼恢复。伊朗已经暂停了会谈。
伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇周日在德黑兰举行的大使会议上表示，如果“没有美国的同意和支持”，以色列对该国的持续攻击就不可能发生
阿拉格奇呼吁国际社会谴责以色列袭击伊朗核设施。
“这可能是以色列政权跨越的最后一条国际法红线，如果国际社会对这些红线无动于衷，它肯定会对所有其他国家产生后果，”阿拉格奇说。
Netanyahu tells ABC he's not ruling out taking out Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that targeting Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would end, not escalate, the ongoing fight between Israel and Iran that erupted late last week.
When asked by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl about reports from ABC News and other outlets that President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader, concerned that it would escalate the conflict, Netanyahu said, "It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict."
"We've had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorizes everyone in the Middle East; has bombed the Aramco oil fields in Saudi Arabia; is spreading terrorism and subversion and sabotage everywhere," Netanyahu said. "The 'forever war' is what Iran wants, and they're bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil."
Asked if Israel would target the supreme leader, Netanyahu said that Israel was "doing what we need to do."
"I'm not going to get into the details, but we've targeted their top nuclear scientists," Netanyahu said. "It's basically Hitler's nuclear team."
Netanyahu said it in America's interest to support Israel as it seeks to eliminate Iran's nuclear program.
"Today, it's Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it's New York. Look, I understand 'America First'. I don't understand 'America Dead'. That's what these people want. They chant 'Death to America.' So we're doing something that is in the service of mankind, of humanity, and it's a battle of good against evil. America does, should, and does stand with the good. That's what President Trump is doing, And I deeply appreciate his support," he told Karl.
Israel's prime minister also dismissed a Wall Street Journal report that Iran has been urgently signaling that it is wants to end hostilities and resume negotiations over its nuclear program.
"I'm not surprised. I mean, they want to continue to have these fake talks in which they lie, they cheat, they string the U.S. along. And, you know, we have very solid Intel on that," he said. "They want to keep on building their nuclear weapons and building their mass ballistic missile arsenal, which they're firing at our people. They want to continue to create the two existential threats against Israel while they're talking. That's not going to happen."
Asked to respond to some Republicans opposed to America's military support for Israel's strikes against Iran, including commentator Tucker Carlson, Netanyahu said Iran is a "threat to the entire world."
"We're not just fighting our enemy. We're fighting your enemy. For God's sake, they chant, "death to Israel, death to America." We're simply on their way. And this could reach America soon," Netanyahu said.
In his Friday newsletter, Carlson wrote that "The United States should not at any level participate in a war with Iran. No funding, no American weapons, no troops on the ground," and that the United States should let Israel 'fight their own wars'.
"We're taking the action. America is supporting us in defense. Deeply, deeply appreciated. But this is a threat to the entire world," Netanyahu said. "It's a threat to Israel; as I said -- to our Arab neighbors; to Europe; to America. They chant 'Death to America.' It's though -- 'This is not your business'? This is not myopia. This is utter blindness."
"Sometimes you have to take a stand against evil. And that's what the American people instinctively understand. Most of them, I have to say. And that's what President Trump understands. We cannot let that happen," he added.
In an updated travel advisory on Monday, the State Department appears to have classified all of Israel and the West Bank as "Level 4: Do Not Travel"—its highest advisory level.
Karl asked Netanyahu about whether he would stop bombing if Trump requested him to do so and to resume diplomatic talks.
"Well, President Trump has been a great leader, a great leader of the world, and a great leader and a great friend of Israel, and he put forward the terms very clearly in the negotiations," Netanyahu said.
"He said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and in order for it not to have a nuclear weapon, it cannot have the capacity to enrich uranium, which is the prerequisite for nuclear weapons."
He later added that the Iranians do not want to continue negotiations in good faith and are "stringing the U.S. along" as they keep building up their weapons. "They don't want a seat at the table -- they want to blow up the table. Specifically, they want to blow up Israel and purchase time," Netanyahu said.
Later, Karl said it seemed like Netanyahu and Trump were disagreeing over whether Israel should take out Khamenei. Netanyahu responded, "I wouldn't rush to conclusions."
Karl asked what more Netanyahu would want from Trump and the United States, or if he expected the U.S. Air Force to help them.
Netanyahu praised the American defenses helping Israel against drones and missiles, but added, "As far as what else America will do -- that's up to President Trump. He will do what's in the best interest of the United States, but it's important to understand that we deeply appreciate his help and the help and the support of the great majority of the American people, because they understand what we're fighting against.
"We're fighting against a regime that hates us both, that is trying to assassinate us both, that there is trying to bring death and destruction throughout the Middle East and to the world. And sometimes you have to take a stand. You take a stand with the good against evil. And that's precisely what America is doing under President Trump," Netanyahu said.
Trump, in Canada on Monday at the Group of Seven summit, was asked what it would take for the United States to get involved militarily in the conflict; he replied, “I don't want to talk about that."
The death toll in Iran was 224 as of early Monday, according to the head of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health. In Israel, 24 have been killed and 592 injured, according to a release from the Prime Minister's office on Monday morning.
The escalation between the two countries came ahead of high-level talks between the United States and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, which were scheduled to resume on Sunday in Oman. Iran has since suspended the talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a meeting of ambassadors in Tehran on Sunday that Israel's ongoing attacks on the country could not have happened "without the agreement and support of the United States."
Araghchi called on the international community to condemn Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.
"This is perhaps the last red line of international law that the Israeli regime has crossed, and if the international community is indifferent to these red lines, it will certainly have consequences for all other countries," Araghchi said.
