Dismantling the Iranian Regime from the Bottom Up
The article argues that Israel's strategy of targeting the leadership of terrorist organizations is insufficient, and proposes an alternative: dismantling the Iranian regime from the bottom up, by dividing the country into regions, encouraging local uprisings, and establishing an alternative leadership that would gain international recognition. The author, Doron Hadar, bases his argument on lessons from Gaza and Lebanon.
In an opinion piece, Doron Hadar, a reserve IDF General Staff negotiation team commander, argues that Israel's strategy of targeting the leadership of organizations and regimes in the 'axis of evil' – in Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza – is insufficient. He notes that the elimination of Ali Khamenei, Hassan Nasrallah, and Ismail Haniyeh has been replaced by figures who are less charismatic but no less extreme. In Gaza, military achievement did not lead to strategic change, and Hamas has rebuilt its strength. In Lebanon, an arrangement with the government and the activity of the Lebanese army may undermine Hezbollah. In Iran, the strike on the top of the Revolutionary Guards exposed the possibility of change, but the regime has stabilized its control. Hadar proposes an alternative strategy: gradual action from below, dividing Iran into regions, creating conditions for local uprising, and establishing an alternative leadership that would gain international recognition. He emphasizes that targeting the leadership alone is not enough, and that loss of control over the population and territory undermines the regime's ability to recover.