Toppling the Iranian regime is possible. It may not be imminent, but it’s closer now than ever before. Operation Rising Lion — effectively the First Iran War (and hopefully the last) — has laid the groundwork. The regime is shaken, aged and, after a series of precision assassinations, not exactly brimming with leadership options. Of course, it’s more complicated than it sounds and anything sounds good on paper. But this isn’t a luxury.
The Ayatollah regime is the most dangerous enemy the Jewish people have faced since the Third Reich. Even if it temporarily loses the ability to enrich uranium, its nature won’t change as long as it remains in power. That’s why simply “preventing nuclear or ballistic capabilities” cannot be the sole goal of this campaign. That approach treats the symptom, not the cause — and if left unchanged the threat to Israel will eventually return.
To truly secure the gains of this war, we must reach not just weapons depots, but also tug at the strings of the Persian heart. We would do well to inspire them. If we don’t, we may walk away with pyrrhic victories — and a problem that soon re-emerges.
Naturally, we can’t do this alone. This mission demands more than even the boldest Israeli military operation — even one that could be rejected as too far-fetched for a Hollywood script. It will require international partners and complementary efforts beyond the battlefield. Diplomatic initiatives and psychological strategy are essential. Together, these elements can create the conditions for collapse. But if there’s one component without which all others fail, it’s the Iranian people. The regime will fall if they will it. If they are too hopeless to rise, it will remain.
That’s why we must speak to them — not just about them. We must engage with the people directly, not only send evacuation warnings to their leaders.
This isn’t some novel idea. In every conflict, Israel communicates directly with the population of its adversary. The messages aren’t aimed solely at leaders but at the broader public. Sometimes the content is nearly identical for both audiences; other times, it’s slightly tailored. But the goal is usually the same: to drive a wedge between rulers and ruled, complicating the enemy’s leadership decisions. To apply pressure — nothing more.
But this time is different. The gap between Iran’s rulers and its citizens is no longer just a tool to complicate decision-making. It’s a potential path to regime collapse. And that can’t be achieved with a tactical psy-op alone — like middle-ranking officials receiving threats from the Mossad, as reported in the Washington Post. Sparking an uprising dynamic will require something much bigger: a full-scale strategic consciousness campaign aimed at the broader Iranian public.
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That could mean taking over Iranian media channels, promoting internal conversations in markets and public spaces, incorporating Persian-language remarks into official IDF spokesperson statements (not just from the Persian-language unit, which is valuable but insufficient), bringing non-uniformed Israeli figures into the conversation, encouraging exiled Iranians to speak out, or even giving Operation Rising Lion a parallel sentimental name in Persian. These are just a few non-exhaustive examples of what such a campaign might involve.
Gadi EzraPhoto: Abigail UziIts goal, regardless of which Israeli branch leads it, should be singular: to remind the Iranian people that they are not alone — and to move them to action. To sharpen within them the belief that a bond still exists between us, and that their freedom is possible.
The war with Iran has opened with remarkable execution. But when history measures it, success will not be defined by the drama of the opening strike — it will be judged by whether the threat to Israel was eliminated. Dismantling the Ayatollah regime — not just halting enrichment or missile development — is the key to that goal. And the path to achieving it lies not only in weapons stockpiles, but in the hearts of the Iranian people. We’d be wise to help stir them. Otherwise, we may be left with fleeting victories — and a danger that inevitably returns.
- Gadi Ezra is former Israeli special forces and Israel’s former National Public Diplomacy Unit Director