Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert and senior researcher at Tel Aviv’s Institute for National Security Studies, told the Financial Times that Israel’s endgame was the “total destruction of this regime, of the pillars of this regime, of everything that holds it together: the IRGC, the Basij [grassroots militia], its strategic capabilities.” “If we can have a coup, great. If we can have people on the streets, great. If we can have a civil war, great. Israel couldn’t care less about the future . . . [or] the stability of Iran.”
“That is a point of difference between us and the US. I think [Washington is] more concerned about nation-building and threats to their regional partners,” he added.
A person familiar with Israeli government thinking told the Financial Times: “Israel wants to destroy the Iranian regime’s capabilities to such an extent that it will not have to fight another round. They don’t want rounds two, three and four. They want to finish the job now.”
