Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken about Israel’s military strength, Gaza, Türkiye, Syria, Palestine, artificial intelligence, weapons production and the future of the country. On Türkiye, Netanyahu said he is not looking for a confrontation. However, he said Israel cannot depend only on the intentions of other countries because those intentions can change. He argued that Israel must always maintain stronger capabilities than its enemies. Netanyahu said countries tend to respect stronger nations and are more willing to make peace with them. For this reason, he believes Israel must continue increasing its military and strategic strength. He also spoke about Türkiye’s role in Syria. Netanyahu said Israel created a security zone in Syria because of concerns about a possible jihadist threat. He said Israel warned both Syria and Türkiye not to allow Turkish military forces to become established farther south. According to Netanyahu, Israel sent warnings through the United States, other channels and directly to Syria. He said that after the situation changed, Israel responded through military action. On Gaza, Netanyahu said some people had urged Israel during the war to leave Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages. He said he rejected that approach and instead chose military force in an effort to bring the hostages home. Netanyahu also outlined plans to expand Israel’s defense industry. He said he wants Israel to become an industrial superpower in weapons and ammunition. He mentioned India and Germany as countries coming to Israel and said Israel needs large defense industries to support its security. He also said hundreds of billions would be added to the defense budget over the coming decade and that some facilities would be built underground. On artificial intelligence, Netanyahu said Israel wants to become the world’s third AI superpower. He said Israel is not trying to compete directly with the United States or China but wants to compete with other countries and become a major global force in AI technology. Netanyahu also spoke about Jewish immigration. He said Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people and that Jews around the world should be able to come to Israel, particularly as antisemitism continues in different parts of the world. On Palestine, Netanyahu said he would not bring supporters of a Palestinian state into his government. He argued that establishing a Palestinian state would create a major security risk for Israel. He described the current period as a historic opportunity that Israel cannot afford to lose. Netanyahu further said the balance of power in the Middle East is changing. According to him, some powers decline while others rise, but the most important power that must grow is Israel. He also clarified that Israel’s conflict is not with Islam itself. Netanyahu said Israel did not destroy Islam and that he has no intention of destroying Islam. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios that the Strait of Hormuz was open and described Iran’s response to U.S. actions as relatively mild. Trump suggested that Iran did not want the United States to launch further attacks. Together, the remarks show Netanyahu’s focus on military strength, defense production, technology and maintaining Israel’s strategic advantage while tensions continue across the Middle East.