Israel Says Goal Is Not Iran Regime Change as Trump Vetoes Ayatollah Strike
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in an interview with CNN on Sunday said that his country's goal is not regime change even as Israel's forces expand their strikes in Iran.
The admission follows the revelation that President Donald Trump had vetoed Israel's plan to target Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Reuters.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of State for comment outside of normal business hours through submission form.
Why It Matters
Israel struck Iran with a wave of airstrikes overnight on Thursday U.S. time, which it described as a "preemptive" offensive based on "high-quality intelligence" that Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon.
The strikes hit a variety of Iranian targets, including military personnel and nuclear scientists, in what Israeli leadership has called "Operation Rising Lion."
Israel's strikes have killed at least 406 people in Iran and wounded another 654, according to a human rights group that has long tracked the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists. Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures. Israel has said 14 people have been killed since Friday and 390 have been wounded, the Associated Press reported.
Khamenei condemned the attacks and promised to retaliate, saying Israel had "sealed for itself a bitter and painful destiny." Iran's military vowed a "crushing response," according to the state-run IRNA news agency, and fired salvos of missiles and drones at sites and cities across Israel.
Iranian officials have always denied seeking a nuclear weapon. The United States and Iran have held five rounds of negotiations regarding the country's nuclear program, with a sixth round scheduled for Sunday that ultimately did not happen as Israel and Iran each continue to carry out attacks on each other.
Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on June 15. Inset: Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei during the Friday prayer...
Rocket trails are seen in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on June 15. Inset: Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei during the Friday prayer ceremony on October 4, 2024, in Tehran, Iran. More
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images // Iranian Leader's Press Office - Handout/Getty Images
What To Know
Speaking with CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga, Sa'ar insisted that his country's goal is not to force regime change in Iran, saying, "The security Cabinet had decided on the objectives," and that regime change "was not one of the objectives."
"This is for the Iranian people to decide," Sa'ar said. "We, Israel, don't see the Iranian people as our enemies. We had great relations with Iran until 1979 until the Islamic Revolution, when a very fanatic and barbaric regime came to power. And these are the people that chant 'Death to America,' 'Death to Israel.' And they put as an objective to eliminate the State of Israel."
"It's not for us to decide: That's for the Iranian people to act or to do what they want to do," Sa'ar added. "We took as an objective the nuclear program, the ballistic missiles program, the elimination program. It's all things we must stop and create the conditions for moves afterwards that also will able to achieve these objectives."
When asked about what kind of advanced notice the U.S. had about the attack, Sa'ar said Israel had informed the Trump administration that "we are going to act," which occurred after the U.S. and Iran had an opportunity to reach a diplomatic solution.
He accused Iran of wanting to just "waste time and continue" pushing forward their nuclear plans "even during negotiations."
"Iran is in a situation of non-compliance. They breach everything they were committed to," Sa'ar said, noting that Iran's foreign minister had cancelled his interview with CNN, which would have immediately followed Sa'ar's own.
"After all other options are gone, we must take care of our security and of our existence. Of course, we informed the US as friends and allies that we are going to operate," he said.
Meanwhile, Trump wrote in a Saturday social media post that the U.S. "had not nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight."
Iran has said it believes the U.S. is involved. Israeli officials have reportedly asked the Trump administration to join in on efforts to attack Iran, with Iran's nuclear program having long been a focal point of U.S. and Israeli concern.
Trump talked to ABC News' Rachel Scott on Sunday about the matter, saying, "We're not involved in it. It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved."
Trump Rejected Israeli Plan to Kill Khamenei
Reports on Sunday from the Wall Street Journal and Reuters revealed that Israel had attempted to execute a plan to take out Khamenei, but that Trump put a stop to it. Both outlets cited unnamed senior U.S. administration officials.
One of the sources told Reuters: "Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," underscoring the U.S. desire to keep distance from the conflict.
An unnamed U.S. official on Sunday told CNN that Trump did indeed reject the plan to assassinate Khamenei.
Israel had the chance to kill Khamenei, but Trump opposed the plan, which prevented Israel from pursuing the opportunity. A second source told the outlet that Trump's opposition comes from a desire to avoid another protracted and involved war in the Middle East.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an interview on Sunday with Fox News said: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that."
He added: "But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States."
Photo taken after an explosion in downtown Tehran amid Israel's two-day campaign of strikes against Iran on June 15.
Photo taken after an explosion in downtown Tehran amid Israel's two-day campaign of strikes against Iran on June 15.
Khoshiran/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP! Also, during my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were going at it hot and heavy, as they have for many decades, and this long time conflict was ready to break out into WAR. I stopped it (Biden has hurt the longer term prospects with some very stupid decisions, but I will fix it, again!). Another case is Egypt and Ethiopia, and their fight over a massive dam that is having an effect on the magnificent Nile River. There is peace, at least for now, because of my intervention, and it will stay that way! Likewise, we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address on Friday: "More is on the way...The [Tehran] regime doesn't know what hit them. They don't know [what] will hit them."
What Happens Next?
Israel and Iran have shown no indication of decreasing their exchange of missiles, with more to follow as the U.S. seeks de-escalation and an end to the current conflict.
This article included reporting by The Associated Press.
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