WATCH: Israel ‘very close’ to creating conditions for regime change in Iran, Netanyahu adviser says

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk stated in a Jerusalem Post interview that Israel is "very close" to creating conditions for regime change in Iran, while emphasizing that the decision rests with the Iranian people. Falk credited military pressure and the US-led economic blockade for weakening Iran and its proxies, citing strikes on senior figures and nuclear scientists. He did not offer a timetable or detail further assistance to Iranians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser Ophir Falk told the Jerusalem Post in a studio interview that Israel is "very close" to creating conditions for regime change in Iran. Falk said military and economic pressure, including the US-led economic blockade and strikes on senior figures, nuclear scientists, missiles, launchers, and production capabilities, has severely weakened Iran and its regional proxies. He stressed that regime change is ultimately up to the Iranian people. Falk described Operations Rising Lion and Roaring Lion as "two of the most successful military operations in recent history" with "incredible" achievements, while acknowledging the danger facing Iranians who protest. He did not offer a timetable for political change or detail further assistance. On Gaza, Falk said Hamas could disarm "in an afternoon" and outlined three requirements: disarming Hamas, demilitarizing the territory, and deradicalizing its population, consistent with the Trump-led Board of Peace plan. He said Israel would not redeploy before full disarmament. Falk acknowledged Israel has been less successful in information warfare than on the battlefield. On hostage negotiations, he said Netanyahu rejected the assumption that Hamas would kill all hostages and insisted on bringing them home as a war objective. Falk argued no deal was available between November 2023 and January 2025 that would enable Israel to achieve its war objectives.