Benjamin Netanyahu: I have ordered the army and Mossad to topple the Islamic Republic

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, said at an election rally in the town of Dimona in southern Israel on Thursday, 22 October 2026, that he has ordered the army, Mossad and all of the country's security agencies to regard the overthrow of the Islamic Republic as the only acceptable solution to the threat it poses. He did not specify when or how the order would be carried out.

In the same speech, Netanyahu said that before any action he would inform US President Donald Trump of Israel's plans, but that he would not ask him for a green light to attack the Islamic Republic. According to him, there is only one way to end this threat, and that is to dismantle the government in Iran.

Overthrow of the Islamic Republic, Israel's declared goal

The remarks came a day after Netanyahu said on Wednesday, 21 October, that the Islamic Republic under the leadership of Mojtaba Khamenei had once again moved towards a nuclear weapon and that the only way is to overthrow this government. He has now raised this goal from a political position to a formal order for Israel's army and intelligence apparatus.

Netanyahu had earlier denied a Financial Times report saying that a multi-day attack on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities and government centres had been prepared for the weekend of 10 October and was called off after Trump objected ahead of the US midterm elections. Meanwhile, the US and Israeli militaries have reportedly prepared plans for new strikes on the Islamic Republic for after the US elections on 3 November.

Israel's election and rivals' reaction

Israel holds parliamentary elections on Tuesday, 27 October, and polls show a close race between Netanyahu's coalition and the opposition front led by Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of staff of the army. Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of exploiting security issues for electoral gain and called his remarks an election show.

Netanyahu's main rivals also hold hard-line positions on the Islamic Republic, and their differences are more about how the war is run and relations with Washington than about the principle of confronting Tehran.

Netanyahu said for the first time that the overthrow of the Islamic Republic is a formal order for Israel's army and Mossad.