Netanyahu's war against Iran and the push for regime change

In the past three decades, Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that Iran is close to achieving a nuclear weapon despite the US and the IAEA stating otherwise. But one of the corollaries of the regional conflict that broke out post-October 7 is a weakened Iran, an abated Hezbollah, a decimated Hamas, and a Syrian State no longer ruled by Bashar Al-Assad. The nub of the regional conflict is that the once-powerful axis of resistance propped up by Iran has largely fallen. All these events presented Benjamin Netanyahu with the perfect opportunity to attack Iran even at a time it was pursuing a Nuclear deal with the US. The attacks caught Iran off guard even though it was already aware of a potential strike on its nuclear facilities by the state of Israel. However, what was once touted as an operation to deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons quickly changed into an attack on the Iranian state itself as the target shifted from nuclear sites to both civilian and non-civilian infrastructure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his intentions unequivocally clear in his televised speech where he urged the Iranian civilians to take matters into their own hands and urged them to help Israel facilitate a regime change in Iran. Netanyahu even chanted the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom" that was invoked during the anti-Hijab demonstrations, leaving no room for doubt regarding his true intentions. In the past few days, Israel has targeted uranium enrichment facilities, oil refineries, public infrastructure, the Red Crescent, and Iranian State TV. It’s clear that Israel intends to target the Iranian Mullah regime if not exterminate it. As per some media reports, the US turned down an Israeli plan to assassinate the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. If true, it both reflects the lengths Israel is willing to go to achieve its aims as well as the scope for negotiations even if they seem to be currently out of reach. While Israel has proclaimed aerial suzerainty over Tehran, the Iranian air defense systems still seem active. On the other hand, Tehran has scaled down the number of missiles directed at Israel yet again indicating a potential for negotiations. However, right now only the US president, known for whimsical actions, possesses the ability to quell this conflict. However, to make matters worse, he has demanded an unconditional surrender from Iran, something that Khamenei is unwilling to do at the moment. The continuous fusillade of Iranian missiles has revealed weaknesses of Israel’s air defense systems with Tel Aviv urging the US to intervene on its behalf. President Trump has not acquiesced to the demands of his Israeli counterpart yet but hasn't denied them either. However, if the US were to get involved in the conflict, matters could take a turn for the worse. Given the previous US misadventures in and around the region, it’s likely that a regime collapse in Tehran may not be in favor of the Iranian people. The Ayatollah now has limited options that he can seek. The only way the regime can survive is by giving up on its nuclear program.