Benjamin Netanyahu: the Islamic Republic must go, but it will not fall before Israel's election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with the public broadcaster Kan on Wednesday 14 October 2026 that the overthrow of the Islamic Republic is necessary and that this regime must go; however, he did not consider its fall before Israel's parliamentary election on 27 October realistic.

Asked whether the Islamic Republic might collapse before voting day, Netanyahu said he does not consider such a prospect realistic. He added that as long as the Islamic Republic's leaders remain in power they will seek Israel's destruction, described the confrontation as a battle of "us or them", and said he would make sure that they fall, not Israel.

Netanyahu and Donald Trump

The Israeli prime minister said he is in constant contact with US President Donald Trump. He said he does not usually talk about his private conversations, but that Trump fully understands the danger the Islamic Republic has created. Netanyahu called this relationship decisive for the two years remaining of Trump's presidential term, and doubted that his election rival, Gadi Eisenkot, could work with the US president to the same extent.

The remarks came a few days after Netanyahu had said that an attack on the Islamic Republic before Israel's election is not in that country's interest. It had also been reported earlier that, in a call with Trump, he discussed a new joint operation against the Islamic Republic's nuclear and military sites.

Tehran awaits a renewed attack

At the same time, the Jerusalem Post, citing several regional diplomats, reported that the Islamic Republic's leaders regard a resumption of the US attack as inevitable, and that their question is not "if" but "when". An IRGC spokesman has also said a resumption of the war cannot be ruled out, and a senior official of the Islamic Republic has said that despite the talks, Tehran must be ready to fight.

Almost eight months have passed since the start of the war between the United States and the Islamic Republic on 28 February 2026, and attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have in recent days reached their highest level since the war began.

Netanyahu called the overthrow of the Islamic Republic necessary, but put it off until after Israel's 27 October election.