Israel’s relentless Iran regime change campaign complicates US hopes of negotiating
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
The United States and Israel are working in tandem to topple the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regime, but the two countries don’t seem to be so hand-in-glove when it comes to who will govern when the dust settles.
President Donald Trump has stated that he is primarily concerned with cutting a deal with an insider. He has referenced Delcy Rodriguez — the acting president of Venezuela after the White House-sanctioned abduction of former dictator Nicolas Maduro — as a prototype.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, is posting photos of himself calling in assassinations and issuing a blank check for the Israeli military to kill any regime official they find.
“Looking at Israeli messaging versus the U.S., paired with the division of labor, it is clear that Israel is taking the lead in facilitating regime change,” Janatan Sayeh, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner.
President Donald Trump listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an arrival at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
He continued, “Israelis are engaging Iranians more directly, sending messages of solidarity while also dismantling the repression infrastructure.”
Israel’s message behind the assassination campaign is clear — the Islamic regime is beyond salvaging, and Iranians need to take to the streets to help oust their oppressors themselves.
“I’m telling the Iranian people,” Netanyahu said last week at a press conference, “the moment you can come out for freedom is getting closer. We are standing beside you and helping you. But at the end of the day, it’s up to you.”
While the U.S. has pulled back a bit on its offensive strikes since killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his closest allies at the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the Israeli military has continued systematically picking off the highest-ranking officials in Iran.
The new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains at large. The Iranian government has acknowledged he was wounded early in the campaign, but no proof of life has been offered. Even the ayatollah’s first address to the people was read on state television by a newscaster.
The U.S. and Israel agree that they’re “not going through this to end up with another Khamenei,” but the agreement seems to end there.
For Israel, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi “would be the most viable candidate,” Sayeh told the Washington …
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
The United States and Israel are working in tandem to topple the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regime, but the two countries don’t seem to be so hand-in-glove when it comes to who will govern when the dust settles.
President Donald Trump has stated that he is primarily concerned with cutting a deal with an insider. He has referenced Delcy Rodriguez — the acting president of Venezuela after the White House-sanctioned abduction of former dictator Nicolas Maduro — as a prototype.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, is posting photos of himself calling in assassinations and issuing a blank check for the Israeli military to kill any regime official they find.
“Looking at Israeli messaging versus the U.S., paired with the division of labor, it is clear that Israel is taking the lead in facilitating regime change,” Janatan Sayeh, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner.
President Donald Trump listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an arrival at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
He continued, “Israelis are engaging Iranians more directly, sending messages of solidarity while also dismantling the repression infrastructure.”
Israel’s message behind the assassination campaign is clear — the Islamic regime is beyond salvaging, and Iranians need to take to the streets to help oust their oppressors themselves.
“I’m telling the Iranian people,” Netanyahu said last week at a press conference, “the moment you can come out for freedom is getting closer. We are standing beside you and helping you. But at the end of the day, it’s up to you.”
While the U.S. has pulled back a bit on its offensive strikes since killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his closest allies at the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the Israeli military has continued systematically picking off the highest-ranking officials in Iran.
The new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains at large. The Iranian government has acknowledged he was wounded early in the campaign, but no proof of life has been offered. Even the ayatollah’s first address to the people was read on state television by a newscaster.
The U.S. and Israel agree that they’re “not going through this to end up with another Khamenei,” but the agreement seems to end there.
For Israel, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi “would be the most viable candidate,” Sayeh told the Washington …
Israel’s relentless Iran regime change campaign complicates US hopes of negotiating
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
The United States and Israel are working in tandem to topple the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regime, but the two countries don’t seem to be so hand-in-glove when it comes to who will govern when the dust settles.
President Donald Trump has stated that he is primarily concerned with cutting a deal with an insider. He has referenced Delcy Rodriguez — the acting president of Venezuela after the White House-sanctioned abduction of former dictator Nicolas Maduro — as a prototype.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, is posting photos of himself calling in assassinations and issuing a blank check for the Israeli military to kill any regime official they find.
“Looking at Israeli messaging versus the U.S., paired with the division of labor, it is clear that Israel is taking the lead in facilitating regime change,” Janatan Sayeh, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner.
President Donald Trump listens as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an arrival at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
He continued, “Israelis are engaging Iranians more directly, sending messages of solidarity while also dismantling the repression infrastructure.”
Israel’s message behind the assassination campaign is clear — the Islamic regime is beyond salvaging, and Iranians need to take to the streets to help oust their oppressors themselves.
“I’m telling the Iranian people,” Netanyahu said last week at a press conference, “the moment you can come out for freedom is getting closer. We are standing beside you and helping you. But at the end of the day, it’s up to you.”
While the U.S. has pulled back a bit on its offensive strikes since killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his closest allies at the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the Israeli military has continued systematically picking off the highest-ranking officials in Iran.
The new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains at large. The Iranian government has acknowledged he was wounded early in the campaign, but no proof of life has been offered. Even the ayatollah’s first address to the people was read on state television by a newscaster.
The U.S. and Israel agree that they’re “not going through this to end up with another Khamenei,” but the agreement seems to end there.
For Israel, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi “would be the most viable candidate,” Sayeh told the Washington …
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