Israeli PM Netanyahu says Iran war is 'beyond halfway point'

[0:00] Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that more than half of his military aims over [0:05] Iran have been achieved, but that he doesn't want to put a schedule on the timeline for ending the [0:10] conflict. The Israeli leader told U.S. media that the attacks by the U.S. and Israel were [0:16] weakening Iran's leadership by degrading the country's military, missile and nuclear [0:21] capabilities. His comments follow those by President Trump threatening to, quote, [0:26] obliterate Iran's energy structure if a deal is not reached shortly. Our Middle East correspondent [0:33] Yolanda Nell is in Jerusalem and has been giving me her analysis of the Israeli Prime Minister's [0:37] comments. He looks like he's choosing his words very carefully, not wanting to contradict things [0:42] that might be said by the U.S. administration. Just yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of State [0:47] Marco Rubio said that the war would be finished in weeks and not months. So here, the Israeli [0:53] Prime Minister speaking to the U.S. cable channel Newsweek. [0:56] Newsmax, knowing, of course, there is growing domestic opposition in the U.S. to the war [1:03] in Iran, he said it's definitely beyond the halfway point, but I wouldn't want to put [1:08] a schedule on it. And then he went on to clarify that he meant that the war was more than halfway [1:14] in terms of the missions that it had carried out, not necessarily in terms of the timing. [1:20] And he listed what he said were the goals of the war that were being achieved when it [1:26] came to... [1:26] Newsmax, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, he said thousands of their members had been [1:31] killed by the joint U.S. and Israeli operations. He said that, basically, when it comes to [1:38] the arms industry, they're close to finishing the arms industry in Iran, that they were [1:43] tackling the ballistic missile sites and wiping out the nuclear program, which has, of course, [1:50] been seen as an existential threat by Israel, although Iran said it had only... [1:56] the Israeli Prime Minister said that regime change was not necessarily the goal, but he [2:04] did say that he thought that, because of the pressure that was now being put on the Iranian [2:09] regime, that it was weakening it internally and that it would collapse internally. [2:14] And Yolanda, you have, on one hand, those comments from the Israeli Prime Minister saying [2:18] that he believes half of those war aims have been achieved. At the same time, in southern [2:25] Lebanon, he's been ordering an exceptional... [2:25] Yes. [2:25] That's what he's saying. [2:25] …觀ating the war. [2:25] …A way of passing out the Arab world. [2:26] He's done that. [2:26] …He's done that. [2:26] …Ward of conduct. [2:26] …Ward of conduct. [2:26] …Ward of conduct. [2:26] …Ward of conduct. [2:26] …Ward of conduct. [2:26] …Ward of conduct. [2:26] …Ward of conduct. [2:26] expansion of the invasion there yes on Sunday he ordered this expansion going [2:35] deep into southern Lebanon as saying that already that Israeli forces had [2:40] penetrated deep into three areas of the south of Lebanon where they are fighting [2:46] against the Iran-backed Hezbollah which came into this war a day after Israel [2:53] and the u.s. launched their attacks on Tehran he said really that what they're [2:58] aiming for there is that they are trying to stop the possibility of a Hezbollah [3:05] invasion of northern Israel in the same way that Hamas attacked southern Israel [3:11] in the 7th of October and also the aim of Israel is to stop what could be sort [3:18] of anti-tank fire across the border into the north of [3:22] Israel [3:23] well but there is a bit of a contradiction in terms of what the [3:26] military is suggesting its aims are and the aims of the Israeli Prime Minister [3:31] and defense minister as they've outlined they're suggesting that they want to [3:35] hold for a longer period that's occupation of southern Lebanon the [3:39] military have been suggesting it's more of a sort of temporary situation and [3:45] there has been again overnight more soldiers who have been killed for [3:51] Israeli soldiers [3:52] killed in close contact with Hezbollah in fighting that's going on in southern [3:57] Lebanon a reminder of the costs of this war for Israel as it widens its [4:02] offensive against Hezbollah and we've also had 3 Unifil peacekeepers who have [4:09] been killed in the past couple of days you know just showing the dangers of this [4:16] operation. Yolande Neldaire reporting from Jerusalem meanwhile missile attacks continue across the Gulf of [4:21] Israel. [4:22] across the gulf a q80 oil tanker in the port of dubai has been hit in an iranian air attack [4:28] sparking a huge fire well the vessel was reportedly en route to china all 24 crew members [4:34] are reported to be safe and the blaze is under control our correspondent lorna gordon is in [4:40] dubai and has been giving us the latest updates following the attack that was a drone attack [4:46] overnight so the authorities here say it occurred just after midnight on a very large oil tanker [4:54] at anchorage in the waters off of dubai as you said none of the crew on board the 24 strong crew [5:01] were injured in that attack there were initially concerns of a potential oil spill in the gulf but [5:08] the authorities here say that has been averted within the last hour here in [5:16] dubai we've heard a number of ex explosions perhaps as many as half a dozen when that happens [5:24] alerts are sent out to the phones of everybody here in the area warning them to seek shelter and [5:31] stay inside the all clear has now been given the authorities generally say that most of the [5:38] explosions heard are interceptions and they said of this last attack that their defense systems [5:44] were responding to a [5:46] missile threat as i said they they say most of the attacks are intercepted but of course [5:53] that drone attack on that tanker in the waters off of dubai is evidence that some of them do get [6:00] through lordy you were just mentioning there that people receive alerts on their phones what do all [6:06] of this mean for people going about their daily lives how much of a consideration is it for them [6:13] well those alerts tell people to seek shelter [6:19] and stay inside for the most part the alerts appear to come at night time rather than [6:26] during the day and certainly if you look around this part of dubai to a degree life is continuing [6:33] as normal there is building work continuing there are people heading out in and out of their offices [6:42] the traffic in and out of dubai airport is also continuing albeit at a a reduced [6:48] level compared to normal but it has picked up since this situation these attacks started [6:56] just over a month ago if evidence was needed of how busy the airport [7:00] is starting to become the flight i took in was almost completely full [7:05] a couple of days ago so a lot of people still transiting through dubai airport albeit at a much [7:12] reduced level and life here is continuing although people who know the city well say it is far from [7:18] normal and much quieter than usual our Lorna Gordon there in Dubai while Israel [7:25] says that it's investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of [7:29] three UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces have been [7:33] fighting Hezbollah two Indonesian personnel were killed on Monday when an [7:37] explosion destroyed their vehicle our correspondent Lina sin job has more now [7:42] from Beirut what we know from the unifil is that you know the attack [7:47] yesterday was I know with the explosion in in a car the vehicle that the [7:54] peacekeepers were driving during a patrol they're conducting in the south [7:59] of Lebanon that's only 24 hours after you know another incident where one [8:04] peacekeeper also was killed when a projectile exploded in their base this [8:10] is an area that is really under the control of the Israelis at the moment [8:13] because you NFL is based in Nakura Nakura [8:17] right the last point of you know on the border between Israel and Lebanon which [8:24] is you know the the blue line as they call it where they are stationed there [8:30] to monitor they've been established there since 1987 and since 1978 I'm [8:37] sorry and they've been there since then monitoring the situation with the with [8:42] the forces and with the classes between Israel and Hezbollah and now with the [8:47] Israelis expanding their boots on the ground taking control of large swathes [8:52] of the south of Lebanon in what they say efforts to eliminate threats from Israel [8:58] they are the ones who are in control of this area and as you said they are [9:03] investigating the case while the unifil did not clarify the who is behind these [9:09] attacks that made them lose three members of the peacekeepers within the [9:14] course of two days