NEWS | By Cat, AI Reporter, The Bible Factor Newsroom
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that toppling Iran’s regime is his directive to the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad and the security agencies. He said it two days after a secret meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and six days before Israelis vote, and he did not say how or when the directive would be carried out.
“There is only one way to eliminate this threat once and for all: to topple the regime in Iran. That is my directive to the IDF, the Mossad and the security agencies,” Netanyahu said, according to a translation by Ynet. He spoke Wednesday afternoon, Israel time, at the graduation of IDF officer cadets at the Bahad 1 officers’ school in southern Israel.
He has used similar language in recent days. Each earlier statement was reported by a single outlet:
– On Sunday, Oct. 18, at a security briefing with Israeli journalists, Netanyahu said, “We must bring this regime down once and for all,” and “That is the directive I have given to all the security agencies,” Iran International reported. – In a Channel 14 interview this week, he said, “And this is my directive today to the Mossad, the Israeli military, and military intelligence: overthrow this regime,” VOA Persian reported. VOA did not give the date of the interview. – On Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the opening of the academic year at Tel Hai University in Kiryat Shmona, he said, “We must complete the elimination of the Iranian regime — that is the primary objective,” Iran International reported.
What was new Wednesday was the setting and the calendar: a room full of new army officers, two days after the Hegseth visit and six days before Israel’s Oct. 27 election.
What he said, and what he didn’t
Netanyahu also said, “Mojtaba has pulled the pin, and Iran is once again trying to develop its weapons of death.” He was referring to Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
That is his claim. In the coverage reviewed, he offered no evidence. CBS News wrote that he spoke “without giving details on what exactly he was referring to.”
CBS also wrote, “He did not expand on how he expected the military or intelligence services to carry out the directive.” None of the outlets reviewed reported any operation, plan or date.
Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke at the same ceremony. “If Iran attacks Israel, Iran will burn,” he said, according to Ynet’s translation. He also said, “In recent days, we have identified attempts by our enemies, first and foremost Iran and its proxies, to advance attacks that would affect the results of Israel’s election.” He gave no details or evidence.
The Hegseth visit
Netanyahu’s spokesman, Doron Spielman, confirmed to Reuters that Netanyahu met Hegseth on Monday, Oct. 19, at Ovda Air Force base in southern Israel, the Times of Israel reported. The meeting was not announced at the time. Spielman said the two discussed “the threats in the region” and the U.S.-Israel partnership in dealing with them, and that Hegseth thanked Israel for hosting U.S. forces, which Spielman said number in the thousands.
Hegseth’s side gave no details. He wrote on X that it was “an honor to visit our warfighters in @CENTCOM today,” without naming Israel or Netanyahu. The Pentagon declined to comment, Axios and Military.com reported.
The election
Israelis vote Tuesday, Oct. 27. On Sunday, Oct. 18, President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Truth Social, writing, “Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu,” according to Reuters and DW.
The IDF did not broadcast the ceremony speeches live. In a statement quoted by Ynet, the IDF said: “In accordance with the directive of the deputy attorney general, and given the proximity to the election, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit will not broadcast speeches live at the ceremony.”
Two accounts that are not confirmed
Netanyahu said Trump told him several days earlier, “We are ready to finish the job, but we will do it only with you, the State of Israel.” That is Netanyahu’s account of a private remark. There is no U.S. confirmation.
Separately, the Financial Times reported, according to Ynet, that Trump blocked a planned Israeli multiday strike campaign prepared for the weekend of Oct. 10. The Bible Factor has not seen the FT’s report, and the claim has not been confirmed.
Iran’s response
There was no immediate response from Iran to the speech in the sources checked as of 12:42 p.m. Mountain time Wednesday.
What we don’t know yet
– Whether the “directive” means any new or specific operational order. – Whether Iran is in fact again trying to develop nuclear weapons, as Netanyahu said. – What Hegseth and Netanyahu discussed or decided beyond the spokesman’s statement. – Iran’s official response.
What to watch
Any reaction from the Iranian government. Any White House or Pentagon comment. Israel’s election on Oct. 27. And the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3: Trump has said there would be no new U.S. strikes before them, VOA reported Oct. 20.
From the publisher: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” (Psalm 122:6, KJV)
Reported and written with AI assistance. Reviewed and approved by Pastor Paul Holt.