Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday evening that he intends to run for re-election in the 2026 legislative elections, declaring confidently that he will “win.”

The announcement came during an extended interview on Channel 14’s program The Patriots, where Netanyahu discussed key moments of his current term, tensions with Washington, and his perspective on the ongoing war in Gaza.

Welcomed by cheering supporters chanting “Bibi, King of Israel,” Netanyahu described the Gaza conflict as “the war of rebirth,” saying it had strengthened Israel and demonstrated the nation’s resilience.

He praised the “courage of soldiers and the wounded,” attributing recent military gains to “difficult but just decisions” and close coordination with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Addressing the war’s endgame, Netanyahu asserted that fighting would continue “until all hostages are freed and Hamas is disarmed.”

Turning to Lebanon, he defended Israel’s strike on Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, calling it “a decisive moment to break the axis of evil,” though he acknowledged that some advisers had warned of possible Iranian retaliation.

On diplomatic tensions, Netanyahu admitted to frictions with the Biden administration, claiming that Washington had temporarily halted weapons deliveries. “I told [US Secretary of State Antony] Blinken: if we run out of ammunition, we’ll fight with our bare hands,” he said.

Rejecting criticism over hostage negotiations, Netanyahu denied reports that former President Trump had dictated the terms of their release deal, insisting instead that “we worked together on a formula beneficial for Israel.”

Concluding the interview on a personal note, Netanyahu said he draws strength from public support and from his wife, Sara Netanyahu, whom he described as “my lioness, an inexhaustible source of courage.”