Israel has pivoted its military operation in Iran from trying to spur regime change by crippling its political apparatus to destroying as much of Tehran's military infrastructure as possible before the conflict ends.
The shift comes as Israeli officials have become convinced President Donald Trump could soon try to end the conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Israel's military has struck its priority targets and is now returning to some sites to deepen the damage.
It is another sign Israel has backed away from trying to bring down Iran's regime from the air. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said from the start of the conflict on Feb. 28 that the operation aimed to create conditions for Iranians to overthrow their government.
But Israel and the U.S. have since concluded that any uprising would fail against a still-entrenched government, the Journal reported. Israel's military has not publicly reported any strikes on Iran's internal security forces since the beginning of the week. Netanyahu also has stopped publicly calling on Iranians to prepare to overthrow their government.
"It looks like it's moving from an operation to dislocate the regime and push it off balance to one that is taking advantage of this opportunity to reduce Iran's military capabilities before they call it a day," Farzin Nadimi, an Iran-focused senior fellow with the Washington Institute, told the Journal.
"Almost every military-industrial factory I know of has been struck, most of them at least twice," he said. "They are very systematic and meticulous in this regard."
Intermediaries in the Middle East have worked in recent days to open a diplomatic path to ending the conflict. Mediators said Iran and the U.S. each have staked out aggressive positions that make an agreement unlikely. They are continuing to push for the sides to meet in the coming days, according to the Journal.
Trump has indicated from the start that he did not want a prolonged conflict and hoped to resolve it in four to six weeks. Sunday marks one month since the conflict began.
Although Israel still has more targets, it would consider the operation a success even if it ended now, Israeli security officials told the Journal. U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that the U.S. and Israel have badly damaged or destroyed a majority of the facilities Iran used to build missiles, drones and warships.
Gulf Arab states are worried that if the conflict stops now, Iran will extend its control over the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Journal. That would give Tehran greater influence over energy industries that are their economic lifeline. It would also leave Iran's regime clearly in control of the streets and military operations.
Israel's security establishment believes Iran's crumbling economy and internal strife have put the regime on an irreversible path to collapse, according to the Journal. Officials say that could happen during the conflict or later.
"We don't know how much time there is until there will be some kind of deal," Amir Avivi, a former senior Israeli defense official close to the current government, told the Journal. "So really destroying the industries and eliminating top commanders and dealing with the ballistic missile launchers, this is the top priority."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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