TEL AVIV, December 12. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Iranians in a video message with assurances that his country wants peace and said Iran will be free much "sooner than people think."

"I want to make clear: Israel wants peace. We want peace with all those who truly want peace with us. And I have no doubt that you, the people of Iran, know this. I know that just as we want peace with you, you want peace with us. But you suffer under the rule of the regime that subjugates you and threatens us. You know what this regime is truly terrified of? It’s terrified of you, the people of Iran. And one day, I know that, one day this will change. One day Iran will be free. Women, life, freedom - that is the future of Iran, that is the future of peace. And I have no doubt that we will realize this future together, a lot sooner than people think. I know and I believe we will transform the Middle East into a beacon of prosperity, progress and peace," he said in English.

A video of his speech, with subtitles in Hebrew and Farsi, was posted to the prime minister’s accounts on X.

Turning to the latest developments in the region, Netanyahu expressed the view that Iran has failed in Lebanon and Syria, despite heavy spending on the effort.

"You know why Iran’s oppressors keep losing? It’s not only because they are incompetent and cruel - they are. It’s because they seek to conquer other nations, to impose fundamentalist tyranny on the Middle East, on the entire world. The only thing Israel seeks is to defend our state, but in so doing, we are defending civilization against barbarism," he said.

The prime minister described the current events as historical. They were set off, he said, by Israeli actions against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, among other things.

"And all this came, as President Trump pointed out this week, because of Israel and its fighting success," Netanyahu said.