Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has spoken with US President Donald Trump, who saw a chance of reaching a deal with Iran, reports Reuters.

Trump believed there was a possibility of “leveraging the mighty achievements obtained by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the US military, in order to realise the goals of the war in a deal — a deal that will preserve our vital interests,” Netanyahu said in a video statement released by his office.

He also said, “We will protect our vital interests under any circumstances,” adding: “At the same time, we continue to strike both in Iran and in Lebanon.”

Netanyahu claimed that the ongoing strikes were “crushing the missile programme and the nuclear programme” of Iran and also “inflicting heavy damage on Hezbollah”.

“Just a few days ago we eliminated two more (Iranian) nuclear scientists, and this is not the end,” he said.