Netanyahu’s inner circle doubts military action can topple Iran’s regime

Sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior security officials believe military action will weaken Iran’s regime but will not topple it, Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 reported.

One of Netanyahu’s allies recently said he did not believe military action could replace Iran’s regime, but could only weaken it.

A senior Israeli security official was also quoted as saying that “a military attack will not topple the regime, but will weaken it”.

These assessments contradict Netanyahu’s own statements in recent days, when he said the mission must be completed and Iran’s regime toppled during the remaining two years of US President Donald Trump’s term.

About six months ago, Netanyahu said that toppling the regime was a matter for the Iranian people.

Earlier on Monday, Trump told US media that “there will be no strike on Iran tonight”.

In a video message, Netanyahu warned Iran and its allies against attempting to disrupt Israel’s parliamentary elections, scheduled for Tuesday.

“We have intelligence indications that Iran and its proxies may try to challenge us by launching attacks aimed at disrupting the elections,” he said.