In a bold statement on Fox News Sunday, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted that Israel’s ongoing military operations against Iran are steadily eroding the Tehran regime’s iron-fisted control. Speaking from Washington on March 1, Bennett highlighted how targeted strikes have significantly degraded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), opening a window for the Iranian people to shape their own destiny.
Bennett detailed the strategic phases of the campaign. ‘The first wave aimed at decapitating the leadership,’ he explained, emphasizing that initial efforts focused on neutralizing top commanders. With Iran’s air defense systems now compromised, Israel is moving to dismantle the broader security apparatus. ‘When you hit command and control centers, you cripple the entire system,’ he said, adding that these actions are loosening the chains of oppression on ordinary Iranians—though ultimate liberation rests with them.
Crucially, Bennett stressed that regime change is not Israel’s goal. ‘Our precise objective was self-defense, eliminating the existential threat that has loomed over us for years,’ he clarified. He warned that without intervention, Iran could soon possess thousands of ballistic missiles, intercontinental capabilities, and nuclear weapons aimed at Israel, Europe, and the US.
The IRGC, once a formidable force, now stands severely diminished. ‘Today’s IRGC is not the IRGC of a month ago—its commander is gone, much of the leadership eliminated,’ Bennett noted. Yet, he cautioned uncertainty prevails inside Iran; an uprising could erupt in days, months, or not at all.
Drawing parallels to the Soviet Union’s unforeseen collapse in the 1980s, Bennett described Iran’s regime as riddled with corruption, decay, and detachment from its people. Long-standing tensions stem from Israel’s view of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and support for armed proxies in the Middle East as direct threats to its survival. As strikes continue, the region watches closely for signs of internal upheaval in Tehran.