Yesterday, as Israeli officials described the operation against Iran as successful, they also indicated that the strikes were the beginning of what could be a prolonged campaign, warning the public that large Iranian attacks were expected.
Israel says the goal is to damage Iran’s nuclear programme. Officials believe that Iran is in a weak position – its air defences had been degraded in air strikes last year and its proxies in the region, particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon, have been severely damaged – and have said that, in their view, there was a window of opportunity to act.
But the scale of the attacks could suggest another objective: to topple the regime. Last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a video message, making a direct appeal to the Iranian people and urging them to rise up against their leaders.
“The objective of Israel’s military operation is to remove both the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat to Israel,” he said. “And as we achieve our objectives, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your objective, which is freedom.”
This will probably be one of the main concerns of the Iranian leadership, as their main priority has always been to guarantee the regime survival. They are now under a lot of pressure, and it is unclear whether the attacks will lead to domestic instability, or an anti-regime movement.
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