Trump quoted as saying he's 'ready to finish the job'

Netanyahu orders IDF, Mossad to pursue regime change

White House rules out attack before US midterms

Washington Post sees possible election-season political posturing

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the groundbreaking ceremony for the Atarot Heritage Center at a closed airport in East Jerusalem, near the separation barrier from the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Oct. 5 (local time). [AFP]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the groundbreaking ceremony for the Atarot Heritage Center at a closed airport in East Jerusalem, near the separation barrier from the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Oct. 5 (local time). [AFP]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the only way to eliminate the threat posed by Iran is to topple its current government, hinting at the possibility of resuming military operations alongside the United States. President Donald Trump also claimed he was ready to finish the job on Iran, though the White House drew a line at any attack before next month's midterm elections.

According to the Washington Post, Netanyahu made the remarks in a speech at an Israeli military officer commissioning ceremony on Thursday, claiming that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was seeking to restart Iran's nuclear weapons program.

"He has decided to follow in his father's footsteps and again attempt to develop the bomb of death," Netanyahu said. "The only way to eliminate this threat once and for all is to topple the Iranian regime."

He added that this was the directive he was issuing to the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad and the country's security agencies, saying the threat to Israel would not disappear as long as the current Iranian government remained in power.

Netanyahu also said Trump had recently told him he was "ready to finish the job," though he noted that Trump indicated he would only do so with Israel's help.

The remarks came amid growing speculation that the United States was weighing a resumption of military operations against Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Israel on Tuesday and met with Netanyahu. The Pentagon described the meeting as routine consultations, but some American media outlets raised the possibility that the two sides were preparing to resume military action.

The US government, however, has said it has no immediate plans to strike Iran. Trump has publicly stated he would not attack Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly reaffirmed that position in a statement Thursday, saying the United States would not attack Iran before the midterms. She said Iran was "in very bad shape economically and militarily" and that the US maritime blockade was proving effective.

Some analysts suggested Netanyahu's hawkish remarks may have been a political message timed to the election season. Trump faces the midterms, while Netanyahu himself is set to contest Israel's general election on Tuesday.

Whether a military operation could actually bring down the Iranian government remains unclear. Military experts say airstrikes alone are unlikely to topple a regime and that an external attack could in fact strengthen internal cohesion within Iran.

Regime change could require a ground invasion, but Trump has been reluctant to expand ground operations out of concern over potential US military casualties.

Given these military challenges, the Washington Post said the threats raised by Trump and Netanyahu appeared to reflect "some of the political rhetoric of the election season."

Even so, the United States has been raising its military pressure in the Middle East by deploying additional carrier strike groups and troops to the region — moves aimed at ensuring it can respond immediately should Trump decide to resume strikes.


sjy@heraldcorp.com