Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Persian article.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his directive to his country's Mossad intelligence agency, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the country’s military intelligence agency is to “overthrow” the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 television this week, Netanyahu discussed last summer’s military operations against Iran.
“First and foremost, we acted alone. I personally launched Operation Rising Lion because we had to eliminate the existential threat posed by nuclear bombs to the state of Israel," he said.
The United States joined Israel last year in targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Both countries launched military operations against Iran on February 28.
The Israeli leader went on to describe the issue as “a matter of our very existence, because if this regime acquires nuclear bombs, we will no longer exist. If we do not overthrow this regime, it will destroy us,” he said. "And this is my directive today to the Mossad, the Israeli military, and military intelligence: overthrow this regime."
Separately, the U.S. news outlet Axios cited unnamed sources within the U.S. government who said U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Netanyahu on Monday, during a previously unannounced visit to Israel.
The Department of War declined to comment when asked by VOA to confirm the visit by Hegseth. Hegseth had posted on X that he visited troops under the U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, without specifying a location. CENTCOM is based in Tampa, Florida, but has a forward headquarters in Qatar – the largest U.S. airbase in the Middle East.
The reported meeting between Hegseth and Netanyahu took place just eight days before Israel’s election, while Washington and Jerusalem are discussing the possibility of resuming large-scale military operations against Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for Netanyahu, endorsing him for his re-election. During a phone call with President Trump, the Israeli prime minister said, "unfinished business concerning the Islamic Republic needed to be completed."
On Monday, Netanyahu posted a video of the conversation on his account on the social media platform X. Addressing President Trump, he said, “Donald, we have something we need to finish, and we will finish it together. We will finish it, and no one else will do it.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X on Sunday, " Last time you wanted to "finish the job", Iran emerged even stronger.
President Trump has said he would not order new military strikes against Iran before the upcoming November 3 midterm elections in the U.S.