Middle East & North Africa
Netanyahu: Iran is again developing “bombs of death” – “my order to the army and the Mossad is regime change”; Katz: “If Iran attacks, Iran will burn”
At an officer graduation ceremony, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran is again trying to develop nuclear weapons and that overthrowing the regime is the only way to remove the threat. Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Tehran and its proxies against attacks during next week’s elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, October 21, that Iran is trying again to develop “its bombs of death” and that the only solution is the overthrow of the regime. He spoke at the graduation ceremony of the Israeli army’s officer school, known as Bahad 1, in southern Israel, and his office published the statement on X.
“The regime in Iran has not yet learned its lesson. Mojtaba Khamenei, the tyrant of the day, decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He pulled out the safety pin and Iran is trying again to develop the bombs of death,” Netanyahu said. “There is only one way to remove this threat once and for all: the overthrow of the regime in Iran. And that is my order to the army, the Mossad and the security services.”
At the same ceremony, Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Iran and its allies not to attempt attacks during next week’s elections, according to Ynet. “In recent days we have identified attempts by our enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies, to carry out terror attacks that would affect the outcome of the elections in Israel,” he said. According to Katz, “the Iranian regime is at its weakest point”, and that weakness “could lead it to the most extreme measures, including against the State of Israel”.
“Our message to the Iranian regime is clear: we detect your attempts, we are ready to thwart them, and we are ready to strike you with all our force. If Iran attacks Israel, Iran will burn!” the defence minister said.
Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who also addressed the new officers, stressed that Israel’s defence is a common goal. “The mission of defending the State of Israel is shared by all of us and is greater than any disagreement. The army is the people’s army and unity within it is essential to its strength,” he said, amid the effort to draft ultra-Orthodox men.
The statements come days before the Israeli elections and after the surprise visit by Pete Hegseth to Israel. Netanyahu is at the same time in a sharp dispute with Erdogan, whom he accused of dreaming of an Ottoman revival.
