Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper revealed in a lengthy report the details of an American-Israeli plan that aimed to overthrow the government in Iran during the recent war, but it failed and was not implemented, amid intense debates inside Israel about the reasons for that.
According to the report written by journalists Nahum Barnea and Ronen Bergman, the plan was the primary goal of the war, under the slogan of achieving “absolute victory,” but the process that was supposed to resolve the matter was not achieved after about 40 days of fighting.
The report explained that the idea was based on previous operations that increased the confidence of political and military leaders, in addition to the belief that Washington fully supports this step, but this support was not strong in all stages of the plan.
According to the data, the plan included launching a broad military operation that would end with the overthrow of the regime, through stages that included intense air strikes targeting the senior leadership, followed by field movements that included supporting a ground attack from local forces, in addition to igniting internal protests that would lead to the collapse of authority.
However, these stages faced successive difficulties, as calls for the Iranian people to take to the streets did not succeed, and the ground attack faltered before it began, after a decision by US President Donald Trump to stop it, influenced by opinions within his administration and the opposition of prominent figures to the plan.
The report indicated that regional contacts, including the action of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had a role in influencing the American decision, especially with regard to preventing any movement that might strengthen the influence of Kurdish forces in the region.
He also indicated that the US administration was not in agreement regarding the “regime change” plan, as some officials considered it unworkable, while Trump preferred to follow a method that relied on pressure to subjugate the regime instead of overthrowing it.
In the field, the report explained that the air strikes did not result in the collapse of the regime’s structure as expected, while Tehran was able to maintain its stability, and even used strategic pressure cards, the most important of which was the threat to close the Strait of Hormuz.
The newspaper concluded that the plan ended in disappointment in Israel, with its influence in decision-making declining after the first days of the war, and internal criticism increasing, amid questions about the feasibility of betting on the overthrow of a complex and entrenched regime like the Iranian regime.
