Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign to refocus the world attention on Iran’s nuclear missile program began long before his Sunday appearance on CBS’s "Face the Nation."
Netanyahu, who renewed his calls on Sunday for the West to stop Iran’s march toward nuclear weapons, took to Twitter late last month to declare that Israel would instill "a fear of death" in its enemies.
"The will to win and the ability to break the opponent and instill in him a fear of death at the decisive moment—this is how battles are won," Netanyahu tweeted early in the morning on June 26.
U.S.-based Jewish officials said the tweets provide a window into the Israeli leader’s thinking, as Iran gets closer to achieving nuclear arms capabilities.
Netanyahu declared that his is prepared to take aggressive military action against anyone who attacks Israel.
"No one will injure the state of #Israel without a response, and the response shall be powerful and decisive," Netanyahu tweeted.
He also noted that regional instability had led Israel to boost its defense.
"The reality around us is changing at tremendous speed," Netanyahu wrote. "It is volatile and dynamic, and we must be prepared accordingly."
One top official with a pro-Israel organization said Netanyahu’s blunt tweets are a sign that he is serious about military intervention in Iran.
"People seem to be endlessly shocked by the Israeli prime minister's expressed an explicit determination to prevent Iran from going nuclear," said the source.
"It could be that they're just pretending, so that they can wake up the day after Israel takes military action and feign surprise," the source said. "It's impossible for him to be clearer: if they have to, the Israelis will act to prevent the mullahs from getting their hands on apocalyptic weapons."
Another Jewish officials said the tweets show that Netanyahu is "grounded in the tough realities of war and peace."
"Israel lives in a neighborhood where her enemies are close at hand," the official said. "America enjoys the protection of two oceans, and is able at times to ignore threats or delay responding to them. Israel cannot afford such behavior—and so it is heartening to see that the prime minister is so grounded in the tough realities of war and peace."
Both sources agreed to speak only on background so as not to be seen publicly speculating about Netanyahu’s intentions.
Netanyahu reiterated his concerns about Iran and its newly elected leader over the weekend during an interview with CBS’s Bob Schieffer.
Iranian President-elect Hassan Rowhani is "a wolf in sheep’s clothing," Netanyahu said, describing the new leader’s strategy as, "smile and build a bomb."
"He brags about the fact that he talked to the Europeans while completing a nuclear conversion plan," Netanyahu said. "I think they can’t be allowed to get away with it."
Iran is "getting closer and closer to the bomb, and they have to be told in no uncertain terms that will not be allowed to happen," Netanyahu said.
Israel is still prepared to take military action against Iran, Netanyahu said.
"I’m determined to do whatever is necessary to defend my country, the one and only Jewish state from the regime that threatens us with renewed annihilation," he said.
Earlier in the day on Sunday Netanyahu called for a "credible" military action against Iran during a meeting with his cabinet.
"Iran is going full steam ahead on developing nuclear weapons," Netanyahu was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel.
The Israeli prime minister’s public appearance came just days after the White House indicated that it was willing to engage in "direct talks" with Rowhani, who is viewed by some as a moderate reformer.
"We don’t know how much influence Rowhani will have," one senior administration official said on Friday, according to the New York Times.
"Rowhani’s tone suggested he was ‘going in a different direction’ and might be open to a broad deal that would result in the lifting of sanctions, particularly those that have drastically cut into Iran’s oil revenue," the Times wrote.