Washington: Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday said Israel’s campaign against Iran is steadily eroding the regime’s grip on power, arguing that sustained strikes are weakening the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and creating space for the Iranian people to determine their future.
“Well, we’ve got plenty of targets to weaken and weaken the regime, the IRGC, a siege of all the terror apparatus that is terrorising its own people,” Bennett said in an interview with Fox News Sunday.
He described the initial phase of operations as focused on eliminating top leadership, saying, “The first wave was to decapitate the leadership.” He added that after taking down air defences, Israel could now move to dismantle the broader security structure.
“When you hit the main centres of command and operation and coordination, you can weaken it,” Bennett said. “Imagine that the Iranian people have chains of oppression on them. We’re weakening those chains. But ultimately it’s up to the Iranian people to rise up and tear those chains and fight for their own freedom.”
Bennett emphasised that Israel’s objective was defensive. “Israel’s precise goal was not regime change,” he said. “Our goal is to defend ourselves and to remove the horrible nightmare that was on top of us for such a long time.”
He argued that inaction would have left Israel and others exposed to a growing threat. “Had we not acted now, Iran would have had tens of thousands of ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, and nuclear arms that could hit Israel, Europe and the United States,” he said.
Bennett also suggested the Iranian military structure had already suffered major blows. “The IRGC today is not the IRGC from a month ago. It’s much weaker. Its commander has been taken out. Much of its command has been eliminated, and we’ve just started,” he said.
However, he acknowledged uncertainty about internal developments in Iran. “Whenever you talk about public action or uprising, no one can really know, because it could take days, it could take months, and it could not happen,” Bennett said.
He drew a comparison to the collapse of the Soviet Union. “Remember the former Soviet Union in the 80s, no one knew when it would collapse. This is a very similar regime in terms of corruption, rot, disconnection from the people and just the sheer evil,” he said.
On the broader regional implications, Bennett said, “I think the big lesson is: Do not mess with President Trump.” He added, “Already now, the world is a safer place compared to yesterday.”
Israel has long viewed Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes as existential threats. Tensions have escalated over Tehran’s enrichment activities and its support for armed groups across West Asia.
With Iranian leadership reportedly shaken and regional tensions rising, Bennett’s remarks underscore Israel’s position that continued military pressure is necessary, even as questions remain over how events inside Iran will ultimately unfold.
(IANS)
