Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant Rosh Hashanah message this week, declaring that toppling Iran's regime is now "within reach" and framing it as the last major goal left in Israel's ongoing campaign against Tehran. Speaking at a holiday toast held at the Kirya, the Israeli Defense Ministry's headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu was joined by Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and members of the IDF General Staff Forum. He told the room that Israel had spent three years fighting what he called the "War of Redemption," a period stretching from Operation Rising Lion through Operation Roaring Lion, and that the results have secured the country's future in ways he described as historic. According to Netanyahu, Iran had aspired to eradicate Israel and arm itself with nuclear weapons, and Israel has systematically pushed that threat back.

The heart of Netanyahu's remarks centered on what he called the "central mission" still ahead: removing Iran's regime entirely. He described the government in Tehran as "faltering" and "weaker than ever before," insisting it is now fighting for its own survival rather than posing an offensive threat. Netanyahu expressed confidence in Israel's ability to finish the job, crediting the country's soldiers, pilots, navigators, and home-front defenses, along with what he called the resilience of the Israeli public. He was careful to frame the goal as difficult but achievable, saying plainly that toppling the regime "is not impossible" and that Israel is closer to it than ever before.

Netanyahu also used the moment to send a pointed message beyond Israel's borders. He claimed that Iran is now lashing out at nearly every other actor in the region while notably avoiding direct confrontation with Israel, a pattern he attributed to Tehran's awareness of Israeli military strength and resolve. His warning to adversaries was blunt and repeated for emphasis: "Do not mess with us. If you have learned anything, do not mess with us." He closed by tying that warning directly to national identity, saying Israel possesses the power, determination, and internal unity needed to prevail against its enemies.

The timing of Netanyahu's comments is notable, arriving just ahead of Rosh Hashanah 5787, which begins at sundown on September 11. His remarks continue a pattern of increasingly confident rhetoric from Israeli leadership following military operations against Iran over the past year, even as Tehran's own officials have responded with hostile rhetoric of their own in recent months. Whether Netanyahu's prediction of regime collapse proves accurate remains to be seen, but his comments make clear that Israel's leadership views this as an active and near-term objective rather than a distant aspiration. For now, the message stands as one of Netanyahu's most direct public statements yet on the endgame he envisions for Iran.