Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Benjamin Netanyahu issued a veiled threat against Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday, saying he would not guarantee the safety of Iran’s leadership as Israel and the United States continue their aerial campaign against Iran.
Speaking at his first press conference since the outbreak of the war, Netanyahu acknowledged that while the ongoing strikes have significantly weakened Iran’s military forces, they may not necessarily lead to the collapse of the clerical government in Tehran.
“I will not guarantee the life of any leader of this terrorist organization,” Netanyahu said when asked about possible actions against Mojtaba Khamenei and Naim Qassem. “I do not intend here to send a specific message about what we plan or what we will do.”
The Israeli prime minister said Iran “is no longer what it once was” after nearly two weeks of intense bombing, claiming that the country’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the paramilitary Basij had suffered severe blows.
Netanyahu also vowed that Israel would continue targeting Hezbollah after the Iran-backed movement launched attacks on March 2 in response to the killing of former Iranian leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict.
As the Israeli leader spoke via video link between two Israeli flags, air raid sirens sounded across much of central Israel, warning of incoming Iranian missile launches.
Israel says its military campaign is aimed at eliminating what it describes as an existential threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Israeli officials have also suggested that weakening Tehran’s leadership could eventually lead to the collapse of the government.
Despite widespread economic hardship and political dissatisfaction in Iran, however, there have been no significant signs of mass protests since the war began. Some Iranians had publicly celebrated the death of Ali Khamenei, whose security forces had previously been accused by critics of killing thousands of anti-government demonstrators in recent unrest.
Asked whether Israel was arming Iranian opposition groups and whether its strategy could fail to bring down the government, Netanyahu said the outcome ultimately depends on internal developments within Iran.
“We are creating the optimal conditions for the fall of the regime,” he said. “But I cannot say with certainty that the Iranian people will overthrow it – regimes fall from within.”
He added that even if the government remains in power, the ongoing war would leave it significantly weakened.
“What we can certainly do is help,” Netanyahu said. “And we are already doing so.”
