Netanyahu Orders Mossad, IDF to Topple Iran's Regime

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made bringing down the Islamic Republic an explicit Israeli objective. He said he has directed the Mossad intelligence agency, military intelligence (Aman) and the IDF to work toward that goal. He warned that if Iran's regime obtains nuclear weapons, it will destroy Israel.

Netanyahu spoke Sunday at a briefing with diplomatic correspondents, Arutz Sheva reported. The session covered Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, the October 7 failures and the government he hopes to form after the elections.

"The Iranian regime cannot remain there. It simply cannot. This regime will have to fall, and I am committed to bringing it down, and I will bring it down," Netanyahu declared.

He described the effort as a sustained, wide-ranging campaign. "Our plan is a very comprehensive and determined plan to bring about the fall of the regime. This is my plan. This is the directive I gave to all the security agencies," he said.

Netanyahu said Israel has completed about 90 percent of its work against Iran and that the regime is now very weak. He cautioned that Tehran would still try to rebuild its nuclear program, revive other unconventional weapons programs and restore its network of proxies across the region.

"Like cancer, this will not end as long as that regime remains in place," Netanyahu warned.

He also addressed the regime's crackdown at home, saying widespread killings and injuries have kept Iranians off the streets even though the government has been weakened.

Asked about coordination with US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu said Israel prefers to act with American agreement but will not make its goals conditional on it. "The objectives I set are not dependent on US consent. I always strive to obtain it," he said. "But when necessary, we will also act independently. We have already done so, and if necessary, we will do so again."

The Iran remarks were part of a broader national security doctrine Netanyahu laid out nine days before Israel's October 27 elections. Yeshiva World News, citing Ynet, reported that the doctrine includes plans for roughly NIS 450 billion in defense spending over the next decade. That would come on top of a previously agreed additional package of about NIS 350 billion.

Netanyahu also warned that a future US president could turn hostile to Israel. He said the remaining two years of Trump's term should be used to complete Israel's major missions on every front.

On other fronts, Netanyahu said Gaza would not be rebuilt, in any part, before Hamas is disarmed and the territory demilitarized. He also said Israel would not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its military capabilities in Lebanon.

The briefing followed an interview with Fox News host Mark Levin that aired Saturday night. Netanyahu said in that interview that Iran is developing intercontinental missiles to reach the United States and that the only way to deal with the threat is to "get rid of this regime."