Netanyahu backs reported U.S. naval blockade on Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel supports the U.S. plan to impose a naval blockade on Iran later today.

"We support President Trump's firm stance to impose a naval blockade on Iran," Netanyahu said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting.

The U.S. military said the blockade would apply to all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, raising fears it could further escalate tensions amid a fragile two-week truce.

"We are in constant coordination with the United States," Netanyahu said.

He said he had spoken on Sunday with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who, according to Netanyahu, was calling from his plane returning from Islamabad after leaving negotiations with Iran.

According to Netanyahu, Vance said the main issue in the talks has been the removal of all enriched material and the assurance that there will be no further enrichment.

Netanyahu also confirmed Israel was establishing a deeper security buffer zone in Lebanon along the Lebanon-Israel border.

"We are not talking about five posts, we are talking about a solid, deeper security zone that both prevents the threat of invasion and pushes away the anti-tank missile threat," he said.

He accused Hezbollah of establishing what he called "terror villages" in southern Lebanon, where the group had set up military positions. "Every terrorist position, and there are many, has simply been flattened," he said. "You need to see it -- it is a huge change."

Hezbollah entered the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran on March 2 by launching rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel for the first time since a ceasefire on Nov. 27, 2024, prompting Israel to carry out an intensified military campaign targeting multiple areas across the country.

A two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States took effect on Wednesday. Israel said it would abide by the truce but argued the agreement does not apply to Lebanon. That assertion was rejected by Iran and by mediator Pakistan.