New Delhi: When Israel launched its attacks against Iran on June 12, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the military offensive was meant to stop Tehran from making a nuclear bomb. But as the conflict continues to escalate, the magnitude of Israel’s military strikes — not just limited to nuclear and missile sites, but key government infrastructure — point to a different scheme: regime change.
Netanyahu is launching the attacks in a way that it weakens the regime. The Israeli PM has already said that killing Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would “end the conflict” between the two arch-enemies. Netanyahu even equated Khamenei to a “modern Hitler”.
There’s a growing buzz that Netanyahu’s aim behind the attacks goes beyond preventing Iran from making nuclear weapons and he wants to create unrest in the Islamic country, which can go a long way in the toppling of the regime. Khamenei holds supreme powers in Iran and there are reports that he is transferring the authority to the Iranian military as US gets involved in the conflict.
Under the codename Operation Rising Lion, Israel conducted coordinated strikes on nuclear facilities, missile complexes, and key military installations, killing several top commanders and nuclear scientists. Even as the initial aim was to target Iran’s nuclear programme, later attacks have penetrated deep into the regime’s political and security infrastructure. These strikes have targeted the foreign and defence ministries, police headquarters, the state broadcaster in Tehran and energy infrastructure as well.
The scheme may boomerang
With these attacks, Netanyahu apparently aims to bring about instability in the country and shake up the regime. A CNN report said after the Israeli attacks, there are mounting calls for regime change in Iran; and these calls are being made by members of the US Congress, Israeli officials and certain exiled Iranian activists. Some experts say that these attacks are meant to take advantage of growing public angst and unrest in the country to try and bring down the ruling government.
Making direct appeals to the Iranian public, Netanyahu has been asking them to “stand up to the regime” and indicated that Israel’s campaign is likely to “clear the path for you to achieve your freedom”. He has also claimed that “80% of the people would throw these theological thugs out”.
However, some experts opine that Netanyahu’s designs may boomerang, and the public sentiment in Iran may turn against Israel after the massive destruction caused by the attacks. The attacks meant to destabilise the country may unify the population. Most Iranians don’t like Israel’s intervention in the country’s domestic affairs. The Iranian health ministry claims that 90% of casualties so far are civilians. This figure is enough to make over 90 million Iranians despise Netanyahu’s motive. Many in Iran support political change through democratic procedures and are prepared for an uprising — but not at the heavy price they are currently paying due to Israel’s actions.
