According to a report by Times of Israel, on Sunday November 9, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proclaimed that Iran, which he described as Israel’s greatest geopolitical and security threat, has been significantly weakened and “clearly downgraded” following recent military operations.
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu announced a NIS 1.2 billion ($368 million) development plan for Beersheba while addressing the country’s strengthened regional position.
He stated that Iran “has suffered a significant blow,” adding that “Israel’s power has risen; Iran’s power has declined; and the existential threat it posed to us and the region has been greatly pushed back.”
Netanyahu’s assessment came as he cited two reasons for Standard & Poor’s upgrade of Israel’s credit rating outlook to stable from negative on Friday. The Prime Minister argued that Israel’s geopolitical standing has substantially improved compared to its position before October 7, 2023.
Israeli security analysts have noted that Israel used to be deterred from attacking Iran by threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Syrian regime, but those threats were beaten back over recent years of conflict. Hamas has been severely weakened, Hezbollah suffered devastating losses, and the Syrian regime collapsed, effectively dismantling Iran’s network of proxy forces around Israel.
Netanyahu’s decades-long focus on Iran’s nuclear program reached a critical juncture in recent months when Israel launched strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and ballistic missile infrastructure. The Prime Minister claimed that Israel had taken out more than half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, significantly degrading Tehran’s military capabilities.
The Prime Minister also pointed to Israel’s economic resilience as evidence of the nation’s strength. He noted that unemployment remains at a historic low of less than 4%, while Israel’s debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to reach approximately 67-69% in 2024-2025, which Netanyahu characterized as among the lowest in the Western world when compared to economies like France, Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
However, challenges remain. Israeli security officials have reported escalating violence in the West Bank, attributed to Iranian provocations including arms smuggling and incitement, as Tehran attempts to compensate for losses elsewhere. Read Original