Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will describe a new approach to responding to the threat of Iran and its proxies in his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

One of the major themes of his speech will be to broaden the focus to the challenge Iran presents to the rest of the Middle East and to the United States, beyond Israel’s fight against three Iranian proxies: Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

The focus on Iran is similar to his speech in his previous address to Congress, in 2015, when he spoke out against the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, but White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that he expects Netanyahu to “reinforce themes and arguments not at odds or in contradiction to our policy.” 

With a light schedule due to the political upheaval in Washington, Netanyahu spent much of Tuesday making final touches on his speech with his close confidante and adviser Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi — who previewed the speech in broad strokes for Sullivan during their strategic dialogue on Iran last week — as well as his Diplomatic Adviser Ophir Falk. 

Also taking part in the process was the prime minister’s new spokesman Omer Dostri, who accompanied Netanyahu abroad for the first time this week. Dostri’s previous job was a defense analyst on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 and a fellow at right-wing Israeli think tanks; he replaced longtime Netanyahu aide Topaz Luk who recently decamped to a less demanding role as Likud spokesman.

The “struggle to free all the hostages” will play a prominent role in the address, a source in Netanyahu’s delegation said. The prime minister brought 13 relatives of hostages with him to Israel, including the grandfather of one-year-old Kfir Bibas and four-year-old Ariel Bibas who are still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, as are their parents. 

Netanyahu’s remarks to the families on Monday are also an indication of what he will say about negotiations to free the hostages in his speech.

The prime minister said that he is “doing all I can to combine the humane and necessary goal and commandment to bring back the hostages and at the same time protect the existence of the State of Israel. I am not willing under any circumstances to concede victory over Hamas.”

“As for a deal, the conditions are ripening, there is no doubt,” he added. “This is a good sign, and the additional sign is that we see the enemy’s spirit is beginning to break.” 

The source in Netanyahu’s entourage in Washington said that the speech, scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, “will present the righteousness of Israel and the courage of our fighters.” 

A baseball cap with the text “total victory” featured prominently in the photos Netanyahu’s office released from his flight to the U.S., a nod to the message he plans to relay in his speech about the need to defeat Hamas.

On the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday, Netanyahu said that he will “seek to anchor the bipartisan support that is so important to Israel” and say that “regardless of who the American people choose as their next president, Israel remains America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East.” 

The address is “an opportunity to thank [Biden] for the things he did for Israel in the war and during his long and distinguished career in public service,” Netanyahu said.