Tel Aviv, June 25, 2025 — In a nationally televised speech on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoked the Hebrew Bible to justify Israel’s 12-day military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Rising Lion, which resulted in the deaths of at least 600 Iranians, including women and children, and wounded thousands more, according to Iranian Health Ministry reports and international humanitarian monitors.
The speech, laced with religious references and military triumphalism, framed the Israeli-led assault as both a strategic necessity and a biblical imperative.
Biblical Justification for War
Quoting Proverbs 24:6 — “By stratagems shall you make war” — Netanyahu described the unannounced strikes as acts of divine foresight and national survival.
“At the decisive moment, we rose up and stood like lions, and our roar shook Tehran and echoed around the world,” he said, echoing militaristic and spiritual rhetoric that drew criticism from both secular and religious scholars.
The verse he cited has traditionally been interpreted in Jewish military philosophy as endorsing the use of tactical planning and cunning in warfare. However, critics say its deployment in justifying a preemptive strike with high civilian casualties is both morally and theologically questionable.
Details of the Assault: Massive Civilian and Strategic Targets Hit
The Israeli campaign included coordinated strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including enrichment facilities at Natanz, Arak, and Isfahan, and a US-led operation at Fordow, according to Israeli military briefings and Pentagon sources cited by Reuters and The New York Times.
Netanyahu also confirmed targeted assassinations of high-ranking Iranian officials, including nuclear scientists and IRGC commanders. In his words:
“We eliminated many senior commanders. We destroyed command centers. We attacked Revolutionary Guards bases. We attacked Basij bases. We struck the symbols of the regime.”
Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies, analyzed by Jane’s Defence Weekly, shows widespread infrastructure damage at all three enrichment sites, with independent sources confirming significant casualties among both military personnel and civilians in surrounding areas.
A “Historic Victory” or an Illegal War?
Netanyahu described the campaign as a “historic victory”, claiming it neutralized two primary threats:
- Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions
- Its arsenal of long-range ballistic missiles
“Had we not acted now, the State of Israel would have soon faced the danger of annihilation,” Netanyahu said.
However, this assertion is not supported by current US intelligence assessments. A preliminary report by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)—leaked to CNN—suggests that Iran’s nuclear capacity was only marginally delayed, and that most enriched uranium stockpiles were relocated before the strikes.
Iran, through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations, labeled the campaign as an “illegal war of aggression” and filed a formal complaint at the UN Security Council, alleging violations of international law under Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force without Security Council authorization or self-defense justification.
U.S. Role and Trump’s Support
Netanyahu explicitly thanked US President Donald Trump, stating:
“On his order, the US military destroyed the enrichment facility deep underground at Fordow.”
This aligns with Pentagon acknowledgments that U.S. B-2 bombers participated in joint operations targeting deep-earth nuclear infrastructure, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The Fordow site, buried deep in the mountains near Qom, is one of Iran’s most fortified facilities. Analysts from the Institute for Science and International Security estimate that while its electrical and access systems were compromised, the core centrifuge network may still be repairable.
Rhetoric Raises Alarm Over Future Strikes
Netanyahu concluded his address with a message many have interpreted as a warning of further military action:
“If anyone in Iran tries to rebuild this project – we will act with the same determination and the same force.”
His final lines echoed nationalist and theological themes:
“The nation rose as a lion. Am Israel Chai — the People of Israel live. And with God’s help – the eternal people will ensure the eternity of Israel.”
This language has raised concerns among regional analysts and rights groups that religious justifications are being used to normalize preemptive military aggression, a move they say could set dangerous precedents in global conflict norms.
International Reactions and Ongoing Investigations
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an independent investigation into potential war crimes and emphasized the need to avoid religious rhetoric in state-sanctioned violence.
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has reportedly opened a preliminary inquiry into civilian deaths in Isfahan and Arak.
- Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both condemned the use of religious doctrine to legitimize the targeting of civilian infrastructure.
References:
- Reuters, CNN, and The New York Times: DIA and strike assessment leaks
- Jane’s Defence Weekly and Maxar Technologies: Satellite analysis of strike sites
- Wall Street Journal: U.S. involvement at Fordow
- Israeli Ministry of Defence: Press briefings on Operation Rising Lion
- United Nations Charter (Article 2.4): Use of force prohibitions
- Amnesty International / Human Rights Watch: Statements on civilian casualties
- Institute for Science and International Security: Fordow facility damage estimates
- Proverbs 24:6 (Tanakh / Hebrew Bible)
