The Iran war, which began on February 28 with the United States and Israel striking Tehran, has now entered its third week. The conflict moved into a new phase after Iran dealt what was described as its heaviest blow to Israel the previous night, targeting Dimona, where the nuclear facility is located, and the city of Arad with hypersonic Fattah missiles. Debate continues, meanwhile, over how the war began.
According to the American newspaper The New York Times, when the Donald Trump administration and Israel decided to go to war with Iran, Mossad presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a plan. Mossad chief David Barnea said, days after the war began, that the attacks could trigger Iran’s opposition into action and might even lead to unrest, riots, and ultimately the collapse of the Iranian government.
Barnea also conveyed this idea to senior officials in the Trump administration in Washington in mid-January.
“Once Khamenei Is Killed…”
According to more than a dozen senior American and Israeli officials who spoke to the newspaper, the plan was presented shortly before the war began. Its first stage involved the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. His death, it was believed, would spark a mass uprising. Netanyahu believed in the plan and immediately used it in an effort to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump.
They Could Not Convince Trump
Officials cited by the newspaper said Netanyahu was warned during the process that the plan might not work. At the same time, some U.S. military officials in Washington told Trump that Iranians would not take to the streets to protest their government while American and Israeli bombs were raining down on the country.
The two leaders, who had initially approached the plan with great optimism, quickly realized that it would not succeed. At a meeting held days after the war began, Netanyahu expressed his disappointment to Mossad officials.
Debate Over Kurdish Groups
The newspaper also included claims regarding the possible use of Iranian Kurdish groups in an uprising in the region. According to the report, although the original plan has failed, Israeli officials still want to use Kurdish groups inside Iran as proxy forces. U.S. officials, however, are not receptive to the idea. This disagreement is causing tension between the two sides.
