NETANYAHU: “WE WILL OVERTHROW THE IRANIAN REGIME”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has explicitly said that Israel intends to bring down Iran’s government, elevating regime change to a stated strategic objective.
“First, we will defeat the Iranian regime. We will overthrow it; it will fall,” Netanyahu said during a ceremony honoring prominent members of Israel’s security services on September 17, 2026, according to Israel Hayom.
Netanyahu said Israel has significantly weakened Iran and its regional allies, while acknowledging that “work remains to be done.” He also reiterated Israel’s intention to eliminate Hamas and confront Hezbollah.
The remarks go beyond previous Israeli statements focused primarily on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic-missile capabilities, explicitly framing the fall of the Iranian government as an objective.
The statement is authentic but is being recirculated amid the latest escalation in the region. The remarks do not, by themselves, specify how Israel intends to achieve regime change or what military or political steps would be involved.
Source: Israel Hayom