Netanyahu says striking Iran nuclear sites insufficient while regime stands

JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel's Channel 7 that striking Iran's nuclear facilities is not enough while the Iranian government remains in place, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

Al Jazeera Arabic carried the remark in a breaking-news post on its Telegram channel on 22 October. The post gave only a one-line summary. It did not include the full interview, the date it was recorded or any further quotes. Zenga News has not independently verified the interview.

Remarks at Dimona rally

The Telegram post fits with statements Netanyahu made at an election rally in the southern town of Dimona, as reported by Arab News. He said he would brief US President Donald Trump on Israel's intentions but would not ask for permission to strike Iran.

"I will brief Trump on what we intend to do, but I will not ask him for the green light to strike Iran," Netanyahu said, according to Arab News.

He then described a standing instruction to Israel's security services.

"I have issued a directive stating that the only acceptable solution is the overthrow of the regime in Iran." — Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, as quoted by Arab News

At the rally, Netanyahu said Iran had wanted to destroy Israel and to produce nuclear bombs, and that Israel had stopped both. "Yet they persist," he said. "Therefore, there is only one way to end this: by toppling this regime."

Netanyahu said he had given the directive to the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad and all Israeli security branches, Arab News reported. He did not say when or how it would be carried out.

Arab News gave the day of the Dimona remarks as Thursday, but its report was published on Wednesday evening. Zenga News could not resolve that difference from the material available. It is also not clear from the sources whether the Dimona remarks and the Channel 7 interview were separate events.

Report of a delayed strike

Arab News cited a Financial Times report, published on Wednesday and based on anonymous sources, on Israel's earlier planning. According to the Financial Times, Netanyahu had planned strikes on Iran earlier this month. The newspaper said Trump objected to reigniting the fighting before the US midterm elections.

The Financial Times reported that the Israeli military was ready to act on the weekend of 10 October. It said the targets would have included Iranian nuclear facilities, sites linked to the government and civilian infrastructure such as energy plants. Neither the Israeli nor the US government is quoted in the source material confirming or denying that account. The identities of the Financial Times sources are not known.

Military flights near Iranian border

Arab News also cited Axios on an Israeli military flight on Monday. Axios, quoting Israeli and US officials, reported that dozens of Israeli air force fighter jets flew as far as the Iranian border.

According to Axios, the flight took place about a week before the Israeli elections. It happened on the same day that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Netanyahu.

Some Israeli and US officials told Axios the sortie was not unusual and was meant to deter Iran, Arab News reported. Axios said it could also have led to a miscalculation. That could have prompted an Iranian response and restarted the war.

Axios's sources said Israel told the US beforehand. They said Israel described the operation as a training exercise for "power projection". They said its aim was to deter Iran from attacking Israel before the elections.

Opposition criticism

Yair Lapid, a former prime minister and the centrist leader of Israel's parliamentary opposition, criticised Netanyahu's statements on Wednesday, according to Arab News, which cited AFP. Lapid is a contender in the election due next Tuesday.

"I'm just stunned at hearing Netanyahu recklessly hurling around security threats," Lapid said. "Netanyahu is turning Israel's security into an electoral circus," he added. He said Netanyahu was "responsible for the longest string of security failures in Israel's history".

Lapid accused the prime minister of dangerously politicizing the country's security ahead of the vote. Netanyahu's response to the accusation is not included in the source material.

Background

Arab News said Netanyahu is running neck and neck in recent polls against an opposition bloc that includes Lapid. The bloc is led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief.

The opposition has sought to draw attention to Netanyahu's failure to prevent the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas, which Arab News described as the deadliest in Israel's history.

The source material refers to earlier fighting between Israel and Iran, saying the planned strikes would have reignited it. It gives no details on when that fighting took place or how it ended.

The sources do not say whether Israel has set a date for any strike. They also do not say whether the US has changed its position since the Financial Times report. Neither the Iranian government nor the White House is quoted in the material reviewed.