Washington, March 1 – Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that Israel’s campaign against Iran is steadily weakening the regime’s grip on power, arguing that sustained strikes are weakening the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and creating space for the Iranian people to determine their future.
“We have plenty of targets to weaken the regime and the IRGC, as well as the entire network of terror that is terrorizing its own people,” Bennett said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
He described the initial phase of operations as focused on eliminating top leadership, saying, “The first step was to decapitate the leadership.” He added that after taking down air defenses, Israel could now move to dismantle the broader security structure.
“When you target the main centers of command and operation, you can weaken it,” Bennett said. “Imagine that the Iranian people are under a system of oppression. We are weakening that system. But ultimately, it is up to the Iranian people to rise up and break free and fight for their own freedom.”
Bennett emphasized that Israel’s objective was defensive. “Israel’s precise goal was not regime change,” he said. “Our goal is to defend ourselves and to remove the horrible situation that we have been facing for so long.”
He argued that inaction would have left Israel and others exposed to a growing threat. “Had we not acted now, Iran would have had tens of thousands of ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, and nuclear weapons that could hit Israel, Europe, and the United States,” he said.
Bennett also suggested that the Iranian military structure had already suffered major blows. “The IRGC today is not the IRGC from a month ago. It is much weaker. Its commander has been taken out. Much of its command has been eliminated, and we have just started,” he said.
However, he acknowledged uncertainty about internal developments in Iran. “Whenever you talk about public action or uprising, no one can really know, because it could take days, it could take months, and it might not happen,” Bennett said.
He drew a comparison to the collapse of the Soviet Union. “Remember the former Soviet Union in the 80s, no one knew when it would collapse. This is a very similar regime in terms of corruption, rot, disconnection from the people, and just the sheer evil,” he said.
On the broader regional implications, Bennett said, “I think the big lesson is: Do not mess with President Trump.” He added, “The world is already a safer place compared to yesterday.”
Israel has long viewed Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes as existential threats. Tensions have escalated over Tehran’s enrichment activities and its support for armed groups across West Asia.
With Iranian leadership reportedly shaken and regional tensions rising, Bennett’s remarks underscore Israel’s position that continued military pressure is necessary, even as questions remain over how events inside Iran will ultimately unfold.
