Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, saying Tehran’s nuclear and missile programmes pose a threat far beyond the Middle East and endanger global security.

Speaking on Sunday during a visit to Bet Shemesh, a town hit by an Iranian ballistic missile — Netanyahu said the operation, titled “Operation Roaring Lion,” was launched in coordination with the United States.

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"This is the third day of Operation Roaring Lion, which the Israeli army and the State of Israel launched, together with our great friends in the US and President Trump, to thwart existential threats to Israel, and great threats to America and the entire world," Netanyahu said.

The missile strike on Bet Shemesh, about 35 km from Jerusalem, killed nine people and left more than 20 injured after hitting a residential area.

Netanyahu warned that Iran’s rhetoric and military ambitions extend beyond Israel and the United States.

"They chant, ‘Death to Israel, death to America.’ That's their ultimate target. But I said that they would also target those in between – that they would target Europe. They did,," he said, in an apparent reference to reports of an Iranian attack on a UK base in Cyprus.

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Highlighting concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Netanyahu cautioned against Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missile capabilities.

"If this terrorist regime... gets nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, ballistic and intercontinental ballistic missiles, they will threaten all of humanity. So we set out to protect ourselves. But in so doing, we protect many others," he said.

The latest escalation follows the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israel operation on Saturday. In retaliatory attacks carried out by Iran, around 10 people were killed and dozens injured in Israel, according to officials.

Netanyahu also thanked US President Donald Trump for his support.

"I want to say a special thanks to our great friend and a great leader of the world, Donald Trump, for joining us in this crucial effort to save the world,” he said.