‘Will Act With A Force Not Yet Known’: Netanyahu Warns Iran As US Warship Heads Towards Middle East

Last Updated:January 20, 2026, 09:27 IST

Netanyahu warned Iran of unprecedented military force if attacked, as the USS Abraham Lincoln moves toward Middle East. He opposed Turkish and Qatari roles in Gaza's postwar plans.

File photo of Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a sharp warning to Iran on Monday, vowing an unprecedented military response should Tehran attack Israel.

“If it makes a mistake and attacks us, we will act with a force it has not yet known," Netanyahu told a session of the Knesset (parliament), reported Xinhua.

He said Israel is “closely" monitoring Iran, warning that “no one can predict what the future holds for Iran, but it will not return to what it once was," implying irreversible consequences for Tehran in any conflict.

The remarks came as the United States is reportedly moving the nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group toward the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran.

Separately, Netanyahu addressed U.S.-led plans for Gaza’s postwar governance, in which Turkish and Qatari officials have been mentioned as possible participants in the US President Donald Trump-chaired “Board of Peace."

“We have a certain disagreement with our friends in the United States over the composition of the advisory board that will accompany the processes in Gaza," Netanyahu said, adding that neither Turkish nor Qatari soldiers would be allowed in the enclave.

Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza and has uneasy ties with Qatar, although Türkiye and Qatar are among the mediators between Israel and Hamas.

News world ‘Will Act With A Force Not Yet Known’: Netanyahu Warns Iran As US Warship Heads Towards Middle East

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