NEW YORK, Apr 10: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the war with Iran is not over and remains “unfinished business” as many of Israel’s objectives have not been achieved, according to a report in The New York Times.

Following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire that went into effect around April 7–8, 2026, he said in a televised address to Israeli public, that the “double existential threat” of Iran’s ballistic missiles and its nuclear programme has been “distanced,” he said, but not eliminated.

The Times pointed out that his address was less about victory than unfinished business.

“We still have goals to complete,” Netanyahu said, “and we will achieve them either by agreement or by the resumption of fighting.”

He was speaking at the end of the deadliest day in Lebanon since the resumption of hostilities last month between Israel and Hezbollah fighters across Israel’s northern border.

On Thursday, under international pressure to dial down the violence, Netanyahu said he had instructed his government to open talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible.”

The negotiations would focus, he said, on establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon, and the disarmament of Hezbollah, which is also a significant political force in the country.

Forty days after Israel and the United States launched their military offensive against Iran, life in Israel was getting back to normal, the Times said.

“While Netanyahu and many other Israelis have praised the military’s accomplishments in downgrading their enemies’ capabilities, so far there have been no total victories or lasting diplomatic resolutions,” the Times commented.

At the same time, it said, Netanyahu’s domestic political timetable is pressing, with elections due before the end of October.

“914 days of war, over 2000 killed, tens of thousands wounded, 4 open fronts and — 0 decisive wins!” Avigdor Liberman, the leader of a right-wing Israeli opposition party, sniped on social media, tallying up the account on Israel’s side.

The United States is now shifting its attention from the battlefield to negotiations with Iran. Israeli officials will not be in the room, adding to the sense of unease among the Israeli public. Israel and Pakistan, the mediating country that is hosting the talks, have no formal diplomatic relations.

In the hours after President Trump announced the temporary cease-fire, the Israeli military bombarded Beirut and other areas and said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes. More than 200 people were killed and more than 1,000 others were wounded in the strikes, according to the Lebanese authorities.

“The timing may have been intended to demonstrate that Israel did not count Lebanon as part of the cease-fire understanding, or to get in a final salvo while it was still possible,” according to the Times.