Israeli army chief clashes with Netanyahu over toppling Iran’s regime

Israeli media reports have highlighted growing divisions between Israel’s political and military leadership over how to deal with Iran, with security officials and allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believing that Iran’s regime cannot be toppled through direct military action.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported an “unprecedented” confrontation between army chief Eyal Zamir and Netanyahu, which escalated in recent hours over their positions on Iran and related developments.

According to the report, Zamir and several senior security officials fear that the political leadership’s approach could lead to a serious miscalculation and trigger a dangerous military escalation with Iran ahead of Israel’s elections. Concerns are also growing within the military that the Iran issue could be used for political purposes.

Meanwhile, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 quoted sources close to Netanyahu and senior security officials as saying that regime change in Iran cannot be achieved through military strikes. They said such operations could weaken the regime but would not bring about its collapse.

These assessments contrast with remarks made by Netanyahu in recent days, in which he called for the mission to be “completed” and Iran’s regime to be toppled during the remainder of US President Donald Trump’s term in office.

About six months ago, however, Netanyahu said that the decision to topple Iran’s regime rested with the Iranian people themselves.