It will fall: Netanyahu vows to topple Iran regime, eliminate its Gulf proxies
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has laid out an uncompromising endgame for Israel's war against its regional enemies: Hamas will be eliminated, Hezbollah will fall and Iran's regime will be toppled.
Speaking at a ceremony honouring outstanding personnel from the Shin Bet domestic security agency at the President's Residence on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel had made significant progress but still had work to complete.
"We will eliminate Hamas, and first and foremost we will defeat the regime in Iran. We will topple it. It will fall. We will also deal with Hezbollah, and it too will fall," Netanyahu said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.'NO ONE IS IMMUNE'
Netanyahu also returned to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, saying Israel would continue pursuing those responsible.
"In the Gaza Strip, we are witnessing a phenomenon that I think surprises everyone as well," he said. "We are settling accounts with these murderers who murdered our people, our daughters, our wives and children on October 7th. And we are settling accounts with whoever is left, and there aren't many left because we are dealing with them."
"When we say to the terrorists: 'No one is immune, we will reach all of you,' you are actually carrying this out in practice," he added.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel will pursue Hamas members it holds responsible for the attacks. He also said the threat posed by Iran and its regional allies had not disappeared despite the damage Israel says has been inflicted on Tehran and its network of partners.
"The desire by Iran and its proxies to destroy the State of Israel has not disappeared, it has simply weakened," Netanyahu said.NETANYAHU SAYS IRAN REGIME WILL FALL
Netanyahu's most direct remarks were reserved for Iran.
"We have done most of the work, but there is still work to complete, and we will complete it," he said.
He then linked Israel's campaign against Hamas and Hezbollah to its broader confrontation with Tehran, saying Israel would seek to defeat Iran's government itself.
"We will eliminate Hamas and, above all, we will defeat the regime of Iran. We will bring it down. It will fall. We will also deal with Hezbollah, and this will also fall," he said.
The remarks go beyond a stated objective of weakening Iran's military capabilities. Netanyahu explicitly described the fall of the Iranian regime as an Israeli goal.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu had also said the Iranian regime was nearing its end and was "fighting for its life". He credited Israel's cooperation with the United States with damaging Iran's military and nuclear capabilities. Netanyahu's comments also come as Israel continues military operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
On September 10, Israel said its forces had destroyed a major Hezbollah underground complex at the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the operation helped consolidate an Israeli security zone in the area.- EndsPublished By: Satyam SinghPublished On: Sep 17, 2026 23:10 IST
