Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delivered one of his most direct and provocative messages since the war against Iran began, declaring publicly that "The Ayatollah is no more" and calling on the Iranian people to seize what he described as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to overthrow the Islamic Republic regime and gain their freedom.
In a post on his office's official X account addressed directly to the people of Iran, Netanyahu urged Iranians to act decisively before another tyrant could replace Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in Israeli and US strikes on February 28, 2026. The Israeli Prime Minister positioned Israel as an ally of the Iranian people — not their enemy — and promised that Israel would help create the conditions for the regime to fall.
The statement marks a significant and open declaration of Israel's ultimate war aim — not merely to destroy Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, but to engineer the complete overthrow of the Islamic Republic that has governed Iran since 1979.
The story was confirmed and reported by Middle East Eye, The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, PBS NewsHour, and Reuters, all citing Netanyahu's official social media post and subsequent statements at the National Health Emergency Operations Centre in Israel.
Netanyahu's Exact Words to the Iranian People
In his post on X, Netanyahu addressed Iranians with language that was both direct and emotionally charged, speaking to them as potential partners in a shared cause against what he called the tyrannical regime in Tehran.
"The Ayatollah is no more, and I know you don't want him replaced with another tyrant," Netanyahu wrote. "So you must act. We are creating the conditions for you to do so. When the time is right, and that time is fast approaching, we will pass the torch to you. Be ready to seize the moment!"
He also described Israel as Iran's "best ally" — a striking claim given the decades of hostility between the two countries — and said Israel fully respects Iran's sovereignty, culture, and heritage.
In a separate statement delivered during a visit to the National Health Emergency Operations Centre on March 9, Netanyahu went even further: "Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to throw off the yoke of tyranny. Ultimately it depends on them. But there is no doubt that through the actions taken so far we are breaking their bones — and our arm is still outstretched."
He added: "If we succeed together with the Iranian people, we will bring about a permanent end — if such things exist in the life of nations — and we will bring about change."
Operation Lion's Roar and the Goal of Regime Change
Netanyahu's call for regime change is closely connected to the broader military campaign that Israel and the United States launched on February 28, 2026 — a joint operation known as Operation Lion's Roar, described by both governments as aimed at eliminating the threat posed by Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
In his speech announcing the operation, Netanyahu addressed the Iranian people directly in a recorded video, telling them: "You are not our enemies and we are not your enemies. We have a common enemy — the murderous regime of the Ayatollahs."
He invited Iranian soldiers and regime forces to lay down their weapons, promising safety and security to anyone who did so. He also described the conflict as an opportunity for all of Iran's diverse peoples — Persians, Kurds, Azeris, Balochs, and others — to establish what he called "a new and free Iran."
Taking to the airwaves after the killing of Khamenei, Netanyahu also addressed Iranians in Farsi — the Iranian language — calling on them to "come to the streets, come out in your millions, to finish the job, to overthrow the regime of fear that has made your lives bitter."
Iran's Response — Defiance and New Leadership
Iran's government has flatly rejected Netanyahu's calls for regime change, describing the entire military campaign as what Iranian authorities called "Operation Epic Mistake engineered by Israel."
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded pointedly to Netanyahu's regime change ambitions, stating that with the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei — son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Israel's goal of regime change had already failed.
Iran's parliament speaker also declared that Iran was not seeking a ceasefire, signalling that the country's leadership intends to continue resistance regardless of the military pressure being applied by Israel and the United States.
Iranian authorities also issued a warning to citizens inside the country, stating that anyone caught filming damage caused by strikes could be considered a Zionist agent — a measure that underscores the regime's determination to control the information environment even as its military capabilities are under severe pressure.
Will The Iranian People Rise Up?
The central question hanging over Netanyahu's call for regime change is whether ordinary Iranians will actually respond to it. The answer, according to analysts who spoke to multiple international outlets, is deeply uncertain.
On one hand, Iran has a long history of popular protest against the Islamic Republic. Mass demonstrations erupted in 2019, 2022, and again in January 2026 — the latter just weeks before the current war began. Many Iranians, particularly younger generations, are deeply dissatisfied with the regime's governance, its economic failures, and its restrictions on personal freedom.
On the other hand, the experience of foreign bombing often produces a nationalistic rally effect — where even people who dislike their government unite against what they perceive as foreign aggression. The killing of more than 555 Iranians in the strikes so far, including 180 children at a girls' school in Minab, has provided the regime with powerful emotional ammunition to mobilise this sentiment.
Political analysts noted that Israel's war aims appear deliberately ambiguous — and that Netanyahu's calls for regime change may be more about psychological pressure than a genuine belief that Iranians will immediately overthrow their government.
WetIn Netanyahu Statement Mean for the War
For many people wey dey follow this war, Netanyahu statement be one of the most direct things any Israeli leader don ever say to the Iranian people publicly. He dey tell them say the Ayatollah don die, and that na the time for them to act.
But the question wey many analysts dey ask be: will ordinary Iranians follow this call? Some Iranians don dey protest against their government for years. But when bombs dey fall on your country, many people — even those wey no like their government — go feel say they need to defend their nation first.
Israel strategy seem to be this: destroy Iran's military strength from the air, while at the same time encouraging the Iranian people from inside to finish the job by removing the regime themselves.
Whether this strategy go work na the big question. But what dey clear be say the war don go far beyond just missiles and military targets — it don enter the territory of trying to change who governs one of the most powerful countries in the Middle East.
International Reactions and Concerns
Netanyahu's open call for regime change has drawn significant international attention and a mixture of reactions from governments around the world.
Several Western governments, while broadly supportive of Israel's right to defend itself against Iran's nuclear ambitions, have expressed concern about the open pursuit of regime change as a stated war aim. Analysts note that regime change operations historically produce unpredictable results — as seen in Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan — and that an unstable post-regime Iran could create enormous security risks for the entire Middle East region.
US Senator Lindsey Graham has already called on Israel to pull back from strikes on oil infrastructure, suggesting that Iran's oil economy would be needed for the country's reconstruction after the conflict. His comments implied a degree of thinking in Washington about what comes after the current regime — even as the war continues.
Looking Ahead
Netanyahu's declaration that "the Ayatollah is no more" and his call on Iranians to seize the moment represent a clear statement of Israel's ultimate ambition in this conflict — a fundamental transformation of the Iranian political order that has threatened Israel's existence for more than four decades.
Whether that ambition is achievable through air strikes and social media messages to the Iranian people remains deeply uncertain. Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has already been appointed, and the regime's security apparatus remains largely intact.
What is clear is that the war between Israel, the United States, and Iran has now moved decisively beyond a military confrontation over nuclear weapons. It has become a battle over the future of Iran itself — and the outcome will shape the Middle East, global energy markets, and international security for decades to come.
Source: This report is based on statements published on Netanyahu's official X account and reported by Middle East Eye, The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, PBS NewsHour, and Reuters, citing the Israeli Prime Minister's official statements and addresses to the Iranian people.