Netanyahu tells Israel’s military the US and Israel must topple Iran’s regime

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the United States and Israel must topple the Iranian regime¹. He spoke at an Israel Defense Forces officer graduation ceremony on Wednesday night^1,3. He delivered the message to the military’s newly graduating officers³.

Netanyahu ordered the IDF and the Mossad intelligence agency to pursue the overthrow of the Iranian regime². He was talking about taking down the regime, not only about pressure on Iran³.

In the speech he targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father after Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike on 28 February^1,2. Netanyahu said that Khamenei had made a decision about the course he would follow¹.

Netanyahu has also been pressing President Donald Trump to resume strikes against Iran, as both leaders contend with poor polling ahead of critical elections⁵.

Why it matters to investors

A stated goal of regime change goes beyond the aims of earlier military campaigns. The United States took part in the June 2025 war and again in the campaign launched on 28 February this year⁴. Netanyahu’s promise of regime change raises the question of whether Israel can topple the government in Tehran⁴.

The remarks are the Israeli government’s position as stated by its prime minister, not a confirmed plan agreed with Washington^1,2. The push for renewed US strikes shows that Netanyahu wants American participation in the next phase⁵.

Netanyahu has turned an order to the IDF and Mossad into a stated objective of overthrowing Iran’s leadership, rather than striking specific targets^2,3. He framed the task as a joint US and Israeli aim, which ties the risk to US decisions as well as Israel’s¹.

What to watch

The key question is whether Trump resumes strikes against Iran, as Netanyahu has pressed him to do⁵. Both leaders face elections in which poor polling is a factor, which bears on the timing of any decision⁵.

Any steps by the IDF or Mossad on Netanyahu’s order would mark a shift from statement to action^2,3. Iran’s response to an explicit call for its government’s overthrow is a further risk to watch^1,4.