Netanyahu: Toppling Iranian regime is Israel’s ‘central mission,’ goal ‘within reach’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel’s “central mission” is to topple the Iranian regime, asserting that the goal was “within reach.”

“The regime is now faltering. It is weaker than ever. It is fighting for its survival,” Netanyahu said during a Rosh Hashanah toast with the IDF General Staff Forum in Tel Aviv, crediting Israel’s military operations since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, atrocities with ebbing the Iranian threat.

“I am confident in our ability to remove this threat once and for all – in other words, to topple this regime,” Netanyahu said. “That is the central mission that still lies ahead of us, but it is close. It is not impossible. It is within reach.”

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“It is no coincidence that they are not attacking us. They are attacking everyone except us. They know our strength, the force of our blows and our determination,” he added.

In a warning to Israel’s enemies, Netanyahu said, “Don’t mess with us. If you have learned anything, don’t mess with us. We have the strength, the determination and the internal unity to defeat you.”

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Netanyahu’s remarks came after Defense Minister Israel Katz warned earlier in the day that if Iran attacks Israel, the military will target all of the regime’s infrastructure, “including energy infrastructure.” Katz was responding to a Reuters report that Iran warned the United States it would respond forcefully to any Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon’s Ali Taher Ridge, under which is a “strategic” underground Hezbollah facility that the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday had been cleared out ahead of its demolition.

The warnings from Netanyahu and Katz came as Channel 12 news reported that Israeli officials believe Iran’s Quds Force and Hamas have intensified efforts to carry out attacks against Israelis abroad, raising concerns they could seek to exploit the upcoming Jewish holidays and the third anniversary of October 7.

According to the network, Israel’s political and defense leadership believes Tehran may seek to stage a high-profile attack overseas, shifting its retaliation against Israel to another arena in the hope of achieving a greater impact.

‘Stop acting like crazy people’

As the US and Iran engaged in renewed fighting this week, Vice President JD Vance said Washington would only return to negotiations with Tehran if if the latter stops targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We are not talking to the Iranians, and we are not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping,” Vance said during a press briefing. “My advice to the Iranians is stop acting like crazy people.”

US President Donald Trump has recently suggested that he was not interested in negotiating with Iran under any circumstances, so Vance’s remarks indicated a bit more flexibility on behalf of the administration.

Asked whether the Iran war will be over by the November 3 midterms, Vance responded, “I wouldn’t call it a war,” before indicating that the conflict timeline will depend on whether Iran allows traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to flow freely.

“When will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is I don’t know the answer to that question,” he said.

Vance claimed that the flow of oil in the strait is getting closer to prewar levels and that 15 million barrels came out of the channel the previous night.

“The reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping… Yes, gas prices are higher in the United States, but they’re way worse everywhere else in the world,” he said, touting the Trump administration’s energy policy.

On the deadly US strike earlier this week that reportedly hit a wedding in southern Iran, Vance confirmed that CENTCOM was probing the matter, while expressing skepticism over Iranian state media’s information on the incident.

“If we do make mistakes, again, this is a big difference between us and Iran, when our military makes mistakes, they learn from them to try to get better from them,” Vance added.

Aside from military action, Washington has vowed to choke Iran’s economy, threatening to slap sanctions on its trade partners while maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports and oil exports.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright pledged on Wednesday that a US plan for expanded sanctions targeting Iran’s economic partners would deliver “absolutely maximum pressure,” while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week that a turning point in this US pressure campaign could come “within weeks or months,” adding that Iran’s economy need not collapse to achieve this.

Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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