Netanyahu Says Toppling Iran’s Regime Is Only Way to End Threat
“Iran wanted to destroy us; we stopped them. They wanted to produce nuclear bombs; we stopped them... Yet they persist,” Netanyahu said during an election rally in the southern Israeli town of Dimona.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the only way to eliminate the threat posed by Iran was to topple its government, as tensions between the two countries remained high ahead of Israel’s upcoming election.
“Iran wanted to destroy us; we stopped them. They wanted to produce nuclear bombs; we stopped them... Yet they persist,” Netanyahu said during an election rally in the southern Israeli town of Dimona.
“Therefore, there is only one way to end this: by toppling this regime,” he added.
Netanyahu said he had issued the directive to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Mossad intelligence agency, and other Israeli security branches, but did not specify when or how the plan would be implemented.
The remarks came as Netanyahu entered the final week of a closely contested re-election campaign.
According to sources cited by the Financial Times on Wednesday, Netanyahu had instructed the Israeli military earlier this month to prepare for renewed strikes against Iran. US President Donald Trump reportedly opposed the proposal.
Trump has publicly said he does not intend to resume the war, which the United States launched alongside Israel in February, ahead of the US midterm elections scheduled for early next month.
Earlier this week, Netanyahu thanked Trump in a video message for endorsing him in the Israeli election, saying the two leaders had “a job to finish” in Iran.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also issued a warning to Tehran on Wednesday, saying the Iranian government was at its weakest point but could respond with extreme measures.
“The Iranian regime is at its weakest point ever, and we recognise that this weakness could lead it to take the most extreme steps,” Katz said at an officers’ graduation ceremony in southern Israel.
“If Iran attacks Israel, Iran will burn!” he warned.
Katz also alleged that Israel had detected attempts by Iran and its allied groups to carry out attacks that could influence the upcoming Israeli election.
“In recent days, we have identified attempts by our enemies — led by Iran and its proxies — to advance attacks that could affect the outcome of Israel’s elections,” he said.