Israel Wants Regime Change In Iran, Turns Towards Donald Trump To Deliver

Last Updated:January 31, 2026, 19:08 IST

Israel stays silent as US military builds up in the Middle East, with Netanyahu privately urging Washington to strike Iran while fears of limited action to persist.

Israel stays silent as US military builds up in the Middle East, with Netanyahu privately urging Washington to strike Iran while fears of limited action to persist.

As global attention focuses on a growing US military build-up in the Middle East, Israel’s leadership has maintained an unusually low public profile, offering little commentary on the prospect of Washington confronting Tehran.

Apart from statements backing anti-government protests in Iran earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet have largely avoided public discussion about the United States potentially taking military action against Israel’s most formidable regional adversary.

“This silence shows how important this moment is for Netanyahu," said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli Defence Intelligence officer and now a senior Iran researcher at Israel’s Institute for Security Studies, told the BBC. “With so many US forces deployed in the Gulf and President Trump weighing action against Iran, Netanyahu sees this as a golden moment he cannot afford to miss."

Others say the restraint is deliberate. Asaf Cohen, a former deputy director of Israel’s signals intelligence unit, said Israel believes Washington should take the lead this time. “The Americans are stronger, have greater capabilities, and far more international legitimacy," he said.

Netanyahu has long viewed Iran as Israel’s primary strategic threat and a major source of instability in the region. Analysts say his public silence does not reflect a lack of behind-the-scenes engagement with Washington.

Earlier this week, Israel’s military intelligence chief Shlomi Binder held meetings with US intelligence agencies in Washington. Israeli media reported that discussions focused on potential targets inside Iran.

Citrinowicz believes Netanyahu is privately urging the US toward far-reaching strikes aimed at weakening or even toppling Iran’s leadership. He suggested that when Netanyahu was reported to have asked President Donald Trump to hold back earlier this month, it was because the proposed action was seen as too limited.

Netanyahu has previously encouraged Iranians to rise up against their rulers, notably in a Fox News interview last year. Trump, meanwhile, is weighing a range of options from symbolic strikes to full-scale action while publicly alternating between military threats and calls for renewed negotiations.

While several US allies warn that attempts at regime change could destabilise the region, many in Israel see potential security gains. A change in leadership in Tehran, they argue, could eliminate the threat from Iran’s ballistic missiles and curb any future nuclear ambitions. It could also weaken Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah, which Israeli analysts estimate still possesses tens of thousands of rockets in Lebanon.

By contrast, some Israeli lawmakers fear that limited strikes or a new deal with Iran would leave the regime intact and ultimately pose greater risks.

“When you’re dealing with total evil, you don’t act in a limited way," said Moshe Tur-Paz, a member of the Yesh Atid opposition party and Israel’s parliamentary defence committee. “Across the political spectrum, there’s a shared understanding of the Iranian threat."

Memories remain fresh of last year’s 12-day conflict, when Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities prompted Tehran to launch hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israeli cities. Some penetrated air defences, hitting residential areas in Tel Aviv and killing at least 28 people.

For many in Israel, analysts say, another confrontation that leaves Iran’s leadership untouched would come at too high a cost.

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