Netanyahu says Israeli agencies working to overthrow Iran's government
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel's agencies were working under his direction to overthrow Iran's government, claiming it was "on its last legs anyway."
Asked in an interview with i24News whether Mossad chief Roman Gofman was working to topple the Iranian government, Netanyahu said: "All of our agencies, under my guidance, are working to overthrow this regime, to defeat it."
Netanyahu said Israel's strategy had been to confront Iran directly while weakening its regional allies. "My intention was that ultimately we would clash with Iran, with the head of the octopus, and we would sever the arms, clear them out, strike this axis of evil, and we did so very forcefully," he said.
His comments came as the United States and Iran engaged in their largest exchange of fire since July. US forces struck targets along Iran's southern coast on Tuesday, while Tehran launched missiles and drones at American positions across the region.
Israel has not joined the latest exchange, although Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces were prepared to strike Iran if Israel came under attack.
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Gofman took over as Mossad director on June 2 after previously serving as Netanyahu's military secretary. At his inauguration, Netanyahu said helping bring down Iran's government was part of Gofman's mission.
Netanyahu also addressed Israel's operations in Gaza, claiming the country now controls more than 60 per cent of the territory. He said Israel would continue pursuing what he described as "dismantling, demilitarisation, evacuation in places where needed" to prevent Gaza from again becoming a threat to Israel.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
