STORY: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited on Monday (March 2) a site west of Jerusalem hit by an Iranian strike and said it was the third day of "Operation Roaring Lion" aimed at thwarting "existential threats to Israel" alongside the United States and U.S. President Donald Trump.

He also thanked Trump "for joining us in this crucial effort to save the world," after U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and prompted Iran to retaliate with missiles fired at Israel and at least seven other countries.

Khamenei was killed on Saturday, state media confirmed, after the United States and Israel launched the most ambitious attack on Iranian targets in decades.

Iran has called the strikes unprovoked and illegal and responded with missiles fired at Israel and at least seven other countries, including Gulf states that host U.S. bases.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, VISITING SITE OF IRANIAN STRIKE IN BEIT SHEMESH, WEST OF JERUSALEM

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: BEIT SHEMESH, ISRAEL (MARCH 2, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, VISITING SITE OF IRANIAN STRIKE IN BEIT SHEMESH, WEST OF JERUSALEM

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER, BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING:

"This is the third day of Operation Roaring Lion, the operation the Israeli army and the state of Israel set out to, with our great friends, the United States of America and President Trump, to thwart existential threats to Israel and great threats to America and the entire world. When I stand here in a place that was bombarded by the terrorists in Tehran against innocent civilians, you see the difference. The tyrants of Tehran target civilians. We target the tyrants of Tehran to protect civilians. I've said for many years that they threaten not only Israel and not only America. They chant death to Israel, death to America. That's their ultimate target. But I said that they would also target those in between, that they would target Europe. They did. And if this regime, this terrorist regime of the kind we've never seen in the world, if they get nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, ballistic missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles, they will threaten all of humanity. So we set out to protect ourselves, but in so doing, we protect many others. And I want to say special thanks to our great friend and a great leader of the world, Donald Trump, for joining us in this crucial effort to save the world. Thank you." / NETANYAHU WALKING OFF

3. NETANYAHU WALKING OFF