As the joint attack on Iran with the United States continues, Israel sees its mission as the culmination of a long-term policy: to introduce regime change from within.

Following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Iranian people directly in a radio broadcast, calling on them in Farsi to “take to the streets, to the roads of millions, get the job doneoverthrow the regime of fear that makes your lives miserable.”

“Your pain and sacrifice will not be in vain. The help you hoped for – is now coming,” he said of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that have killed more people More than 555 people in Iran180 of them girls school in the south of the country.

“The Israeli authorities have not made it clear, but it is clear that what they want to see is regime change in Iran,” said Aaron Bregman, a senior fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, who returned to Israel before the latest round of attacks to research a book.

“I was stuck in Tel Aviv and spent a lot of time with Israelis in local shelters. I was surprised by the strong support for the war from these Israelis, who were mostly liberal,” he said. “They, like their leaders, believe that the Middle East will be radically better if the Iranian regime is overthrown, which is of course nonsense.”

But the question is how invested Netanyahu and his allies are in ensuring a smooth regime change in Iran.

Israeli officials know that Iran, including its opposition, has a wide range of views and backgrounds.

Many Iranians who take to the streets, including during massive protests in January, are united simply by hostility to the government, with different factions calling for demands ranging from the restoration of the monarchy to full democracy. However, others have rallied to the government’s side following the attacks on their country and the killing of Khamenei.

The problem still exists

“I don’t think the public is transparent about Israel’s war goals,” former Israeli government adviser Daniel Levy told Al Jazeera. “My sense is that Israel has no real interest in smooth regime change. I think most (Israeli leaders) believe this is a fairy tale, although Netanyahu and allies may not be willing to admit it publicly.”

“Israel is more interested in regime and state collapse,” Levy noted. “They want Iran to collapse, and if the spillover effects are to Iraq, the Gulf and much of the region, so much the better.”

“They will remove significant regional impediments to their freedom of movement, leaving Israel and its allies free to reshape those areas and, more importantly, continue to kill Palestinians and possibly even take action against Turkey as the next logical step,” he said. This reflected a recent rise in anti-Turkish rhetoric in Israel, with politicians even Describe the characteristics of the country Known as the “New Iran”.

However, while public interest in the war may be high, there is widespread agreement that its duration may not have been chosen by Israel.

Most of Israel’s military spending is borne by the United States, as evidenced by the attack on Iran Not very popular. Likewise, in a world where many countries criticize Israel for its genocidal campaign against the Palestinians, especially in Gaza, U.S. diplomatic influence is critical to shielding its allies from criticism and even broader sanctions.

It is far from clear how long U.S. allies in the Gulf will be prepared to fend off Iranian attacks on their territory in response to a war they have repeatedly warned against. Likewise, Levy warned that it was difficult to predict how long it might take for U.S. President Donald Trump’s regional diplomatic pressure to begin to have an impact.

“This is the holiday of Purim, which also marks the survival of the Jewish people from the Persian threat 2,500 years ago, and we still celebrate it today. People understand that,” Barak said.

“Israel is fighting alongside our greatest ally and the most powerful nation in the world as never before,” Barak continued. “It’s hard to make any predictions, but Trump has his own priorities and his own endgame, which may not be the same as ours. Trump may withdraw and let Israel take responsibility. What will happen then, I don’t know.”

public support

Iranian missiles may be hitting Israel, but analysts there say widespread public sentiment supports active hostilities against Iran with U.S. support.

It stems from years, if not decades, of messaging that Iran and its allies are the main threat to Israel.

from Netanyahu has repeatedly warned With Iran on the verge of acquiring a nuclear weapon and politicians of all stripes predicting Israel’s imminent destruction by Iran, the outbreak of a conflict seen by many Israelis as a final showdown with their enemy is almost welcome.

Politicians from the right to the center left supported the U.S. and Israeli decision to attack Iran.

Yair Golan, leader of the center-left Democratic Party, angered many Israelis last May when he said the endless killings of Palestinians risked reducing Israel to a “pariah state.” He welcomed the war, saying the Israeli military had his “full support” in “eliminating the Iranian threat.”

Other opposition politicians, such as centrist Yair Lapid and right-wing Naftali Bennett, have sided with Netanyahu in his confrontation with Iran.

“People here know Iran is a threat. They know it because Iran keeps telling us,” said political pollster Mitchell Barak, a Netanyahu aide in the early 1990s. “They (Iran) have the weapons, they have the will, and we know they are ready to attack. Everyone is happy that the war is going on, and this time, it will be over.”

“This makes Israelis very proud because it is a fully joint operation with the United States,” Barak said at a shelter in West Jerusalem. “The goal is regime change and protection of Israelis. They understand that. Israelis are settling down and determined to get this done.”