Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas have been fundamentally weakened by sustained military operations, even as Israel faced sharp international criticism over the barring of Catholic leaders from Jerusalem’s holiest church on Palm Sunday.
Speaking at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Northern Command alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Netanyahu framed the conflict as a transformation of Israel’s strategic posture, saying the country had moved from defending against threats to initiating offensive action deep inside enemy territory.
“Iran is not the same Iran, Hezbollah is not the same Hezbollah, and Hamas is not the same Hamas,” he declared, describing what were once formidable armed groups as now fighting for survival.
Netanyahu credited the campaign with causing visible fractures in what he called the terrorist regime in Tehran, while pointing to the elimination of thousands of Hezbollah fighters and the dismantling of an arsenal he said once comprised around 150,000 missiles and rockets aimed at Israeli cities. He acknowledged, however, that Hezbollah retains a residual capacity to fire rockets, and said military discussions are underway to address that remaining threat.
Netanyahu also announced an expansion of Israel’s security buffer zone in southern Lebanon, saying he had instructed the IDF to push further into Lebanese territory to prevent anti-tank missile fire and eliminate any threat of cross-border invasion.
The military declarations were overshadowed by a diplomatic storm over religious access. Israeli police blocked Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the highest Catholic authority in the Holy Land, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, prompting the Latin Patriarchate to describe the incident as the first such prohibition in centuries.
Netanyahu’s office said there was no malicious intent, attributing the decision to safety concerns, and noted that Iran had repeatedly targeted Jerusalem’s holy sites with ballistic missiles during the ongoing conflict, with one strike landing metres from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The backlash was swift and broad. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the decision, saying the free exercise of worship in Jerusalem must be guaranteed for all religions, while European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas denounced the episode as a violation of religious freedom and the long-standing protections governing holy sites. Italy summoned Israel’s ambassador in Rome, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the incident an offence to any community that respects religious freedom. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described it as an unjustified attack on religious freedom, calling on Israel to respect international law and the diversity of beliefs.
Facing mounting pressure, Netanyahu subsequently announced he was restoring access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with Israeli security authorities drawing up a plan to allow church leaders to hold services during the remainder of Holy Week.
Meanwhile, Israeli public backing for the broader war effort remains relatively firm, with a recent Channel 12 poll indicating that around two-thirds of Israelis expressed satisfaction with the campaign’s achievements, including a majority of those who oppose Netanyahu politically.
