Fall of Iranian regime not a goal, says Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the fall of the Iranian regime is not the goal but could be the result of the Iran-Israel conflict. His comment comes as US President Donald Trump said he would decide about an attack on Iran in two weeks. 

"The matter of changing the regime or the fall of this regime is first and foremost a matter for the Iranian people. There is no substitute for this. And that's why I didn't present it as a goal. It could be a result, but it's not a stated or formal goal that we have,” he said in an interview, adding that Israel alone had the power to remove all of Iran’s nuclear facilities whether Trump decides to join them or not. 

Meanwhile, analysts believe that Israel might need the help of the US to use its military’s bunker-busting bombs to destroy the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. Iran’s underground nuclear complex at Fordow is buried deep beneath a mountain near the city of Qom, which makes it incredibly resistant to airstrikes. According to Reuters, around 2,000 centrifuges are currently operating at Fordow, most of them advanced IR-6 machines, with up to 350 enriching uranium to 60 per cent.

Netanyahu said Israel has the “power to remove all our targets, all their nuclear facilities” when questioned about Fordow and if it could be breached without the Americans. "He will do what is good for the United States and I will do what is good for the State of Israel and I must say that up to this moment everyone is doing their part," Netanyahu said.

Separately, the White House said that Trump will make a decision within the next two weeks on whether to launch a military strike against Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted a message from Trump, saying, "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."

Leavitt said that while Trump is open to a diplomatic solution with Iran, his main priority remains preventing the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon. She added that any agreement must ban uranium enrichment by Tehran and dismantle its capacity to develop nuclear arms.