Tel Aviv [Israel], March 20 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday lauded the resilience of the citizens amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia and said that work is underway to gradually reopen schools with 'responsibility and sound judgement'.

He made the remarks in a video message in Hebrew shared on X.

The Israeli PM thanked people for their perseverance, and said, 'We are working to gradually reopen schooling, with responsibility and sound judgment, and to return to our children, as much as possible, stability, security, and routine.'

He added, 'Together with my colleagues in the government, we continue to do everything to ease the burden on citizens, to strengthen the economy, to assist reservists and their families, and to persist in the effort until achieving all the campaign's objectives. The resilience you are demonstrating and the adherence to the Home Front Command's instructions give us the strength to continue acting with determination for Israel's security and for the future of our children.'

https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2034747442051121386?s=20

Earlier, addressing a press conference, PM Netanyahu had asserted that Israel is gaining the upper hand in its ongoing military campaign against Iran, claiming that Tehran's military capabilities are being significantly weakened.

He said, 'We are winning, and Iran is being decimated. Iran's missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded and will be destroyed.

'Detailing the operations, Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces have targeted and destroyed hundreds of missile launchers, while also inflicting heavy damage on Iran's missile stockpiles and production infrastructure.

'Hundreds of their launchers have been destroyed, their stockpiles of missiles are being hit hard, and so are the industries that produce them. In rising line, we destroyed missiles, and we destroyed a lot of nuclear infrastructure,' he said.

He further emphasised that recent operations have expanded beyond targeting weapons to dismantling Iran's broader defence manufacturing ecosystem.

'What we're destroying now are the factories that produce the components to make these missiles and to make the nuclear weapons that they're trying to produce. We're wiping out their industrial base in a way that we didn't do before,' he added.

Netanyahu also claimed that Iran's air defence systems have been neutralised, its naval capabilities severely damaged, and its air force significantly weakened.

The development comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, with both sides engaged in an escalating conflict marked by missile exchanges and military operations. (ANI)