Netanyahu Calls for Israel to Reduce Dependence on US Weapons Following US-Iran Peace Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants his country to increase its military autonomy in order to reduce dependence on support from the United States. “I greatly appreciate the support we have received from our American friends, but we need to free ourselves from dependence and build our own independent weapons network,” Netanyahu told reserve officers during a training course in the occupied West Bank, as quoted by Al Arabiya. The statement was delivered to the officers on 18 June 2026, but his office only released the remarks on Tuesday (23/6/2026). “Today I say: We need an independent weapons network of our own. We must produce our own weapons,” Netanyahu said. His comments came as the US and Iran had just agreed to end their war. Several ministers and officials in Netanyahu’s cabinet have voiced opposition to Israel being involved in the US-Iran agreement, particularly regarding a cessation of attacks on Lebanon. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, since its founding in 1948, Israel has received economic and military aid from the US worth more than 300 billion dollars, far more than any other country since 1946.