Almost pressed: Knesset member assesses the likelihood of regime fall in Iran

Israel has practically put pressure on Iran with its military operation, but overthrowing the regime is not an end in itself, as the key goal is the nuclear program, as well as factories for the production of ballistic missiles and drones. At the same time, there is a high probability of the Iranian government capitulating.

This was stated on the air of “Pryamoy” by Yevhen Sova, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, MP from the “Our Home Israel” party.

“We do not have a goal to overthrow the regime as such. This is not the goal of our army’s operation now in Iran, in Tehran, specifically in the skies of Tehran. If this happens, then, of course, we will only be glad. But before we talk about the fall of the regime, we have specific operational goals. The first operational goal is to deliver the maximum blow to Iran’s nuclear program… These are the places where we can deliver air strikes and destroy or at least significantly slow down the pace of development of the nuclear program. The second component, the second operational goal is everything related to uranium enrichment… This has become especially dangerous after Iran began to increase its enrichment,” Sova noted.

Another important target of Israel, according to the deputy, were factories producing ballistic missiles and drones.

“The third point is very important, and I hope it concerns you as well – these are factories for the production of ballistic missiles and drones. The program that Iran has been developing for the past 20-plus years is the buildup of its ballistic missiles. We need to make a distinction here. We are talking about missiles and launchers. Therefore, what was done in the first two days was strikes on factories and strikes on the production of such missiles. And what has been happening in recent days is, in particular, strikes on launchers,” the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset explains.

At the same time, he commented on the likelihood of the fall of the Iranian regime against the backdrop of anti-government protests and sabotage against security forces.

“Of course, we would be glad if the Iranian people, with whom we have no problems, stood up today and asked their leadership the main question: why has Iran spent billions, if not hundreds of billions of dollars, from the sale of oil and gas on its nuclear program and on supporting terrorist organizations all these years? Iran is a state of terror. This is a country that destabilizes the situation all over the world with its tentacles. And that is why today, as we understand, many countries in the world are impatiently waiting for Israel to do this dirty work, and then we can talk about the fact that at least some stability will appear in the Middle East,” Sova noted.

At the same time, the Israeli MP expressed the opinion that it would be good for Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz and block oil exports from the region, because this would create a “casus belli”, that is, a “pretext for war”, and Israel’s partners would be able to join the military operation.

“I’ll tell you my personal position. It would be very good if Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. This is a “casus belli”. This, of course, would lead to the involvement of world powers on our side… Simply closing the Strait of Hormuz and thereby closing access to a third of the world’s oil and gas from the Persian Gulf is a stupid thing that Iran could do, but God forbid that they do it. Then, of course, the great powers, primarily the United States, will come into force. That’s when we can talk about the fall of the regime,” Knesset Deputy Speaker Yevgeny Sova emphasized.

As is known, on the night of Friday, June 13, Israel launched a large-scale air strike on the territory of Iran . The targets were facilities related to the Iranian nuclear program, in particular, uranium enrichment plants in Natanz and Fordow, as well as missile bases in Kermanshah and Khorramabad. Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz and other major cities were under attack.

An airstrike on Tehran killed more than 70 people, at least 20 of them high-ranking military personnel . According to Iranian media reports, the attacks killed key military figures in the country, including the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, Chief of General Staff Mohammad Bagheri, and nuclear physicist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi.

In response, on June 14, Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones into Israel . Explosions rang out in the skies over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and air defense systems scrambled to intercept the threat. The Israel Defense Forces urged residents to take shelter. Initial reports indicate that at least several people were killed in Israel, dozens were injured, and there was damage.

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