Netanyahu declares Iranian regime change a military objective for IDF and Mossad

Speaking at an IDF officer cadets' graduation on 21 October 2026, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described overthrowing Iran's regime as a military objective for the IDF and Mossad, citing the nuclear threat. Defense Minister Israel Katz added that "Iran will burn" if it attacks Israel. The statements are official rhetoric rather than a reported operation, but they move Israel's declared aim from deterrence toward removing Iran's government, raising the risk of wider regional war involving Iran, its allies and possibly the United States.