Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel was committed to bringing down Iran’s ruling regime, arguing that its collapse would pave the way for the elimination of Hezbollah in Lebanon and peace between the two neighboring countries.

Speaking at a local ceremony, near the Lebanese border, Netanyahu said the Israeli military had made significant progress in its campaign against Hezbollah but had yet to complete its objectives.

“We have completely transformed the picture in northern Israel, thanks to our heroic soldiers and the warfare that took place here,” he said, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“We have essentially destroyed all the massive terrorist infrastructure, both underground and above ground. But we are also committed to completing the task.”

“Finishing the job means bringing down the terrorist regime in Iran. It is the head of this poisonous octopus. You cut it off, and it will fall. We will also have peace with Lebanon,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli prime minister reiterated that eliminating Iran’s leadership was his primary objective, confirming that he had discussed the matter with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday.

“We must complete the elimination of the Iranian regime — that is the primary objective,” Netanyahu said. “I have spoken about this with President Trump more than once, including the day before yesterday.”

Netanyahu argued that Iran’s leadership would continue pursuing nuclear weapons and rebuilding its network of regional allies as long as it remained in power, even if it suffered further military setbacks.

“Even if it is battered, wounded and beaten, it is so fanatical that it will try again to do what it did a year ago, and which we stopped them from doing: producing nuclear bombs and rebuilding the ‘axis,’” he said.

“Therefore, the only way to prevent this is to bring down this regime, and then the elimination of Hezbollah will follow,” Netanyahu added.

His remarks directly linked Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah to its broader confrontation with Tehran, which backs the Lebanese armed group and other militant organizations across the region. Netanyahu has repeatedly portrayed Iran as the central force behind what Israel calls its regional terrorist network.

The comments came as the Trump administration reportedly approached a decision to launch another strike on Iran.

The U.S. administration came “very close” to approving an attack on Iran on at least one recent occasion, several sources familiar with the discussions told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

The report followed remarks by Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, last week, when he told reporters to “wait till you see what we do to Iran.”

Although Trump has said the United States will not bomb Iran again before November 3, Iranian officials told Reuters on Tuesday that Tehran continued to expect U.S. strikes to resume sooner or later.