By Janatan Sayeh | August 15, 2025
As many Iranians blame the regime’s policies for deepening the country’s water crisis, which “[threatens] millions of residents,” Israel is seizing the moment to voice support for the Iranian public and encourage regime change.
In an August 12 televised speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to offer water desalination technology to Iranians while calling on the people to “take to the streets [against the regime],” adding that “Israel stands with you.” Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Gila Gamliel echoed the remarks that day and hinted at a regime collapse, writing, “Next year in a free Tehran!”
Naftali Bennett, the former Israeli prime minister, delivered a similar message to Iranians the same day, accusing the Islamic Republic of spending its money on “bombs, terror, and missiles.” He concluded by pledging that Israel would help Iran overcome these challenges “in the near future,” suggesting that the Iranian regime’s days are numbered.
These statements are not limited to Jerusalem’s top leadership; officials with operational responsibilities have echoed the sentiments. Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said on August 14 that the ongoing threats from the Islamic Republic could be met, if necessary, by Israel confronting it again and carrying out operations in Iran with full force.
Israeli officials’ remarks drew sharp reactions in Tehran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian dismissed them as a “mirage,” while Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Israel of trying “to deceive the Iranian people with a glass of treated sewage water.” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered a contradictory response, blaming sanctions for hindering water desalination progress while also claiming that Iran already has the technology to solve the crisis.
Tehran is preparing for more than a mere media rebuttal to Israel as it braces for a new round of escalations. The regime formed a new Defense Council under the existing Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) to centralize wartime decision-making. Announced on August 3, it differs from the SNSC in its permanent inclusion of the conventional Army (Artesh) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Last formed during the eight-year Iran–Iraq War, the revival of the Defense Council signals that the regime is preparing for another conflict.
Leveraging Iranians against the Islamic Republic
Without any reliable nationalist armed opposition to the regime—excluding sectarian separatist groups or Islamist terror networks—the Iranian people remain the main leverage against it. This status explains why Israel intensified messaging campaigns toward Iranians during the 12-Day War, hacked state television to urge rebellion, and struck law enforcement and military bases widely seen as part of the regime’s repression apparatus. The June 24 ceasefire took effect the day after Israel struck these targets, before people could mobilize.
There is no doubt about the Mossad’s operational capabilities inside Iran, but Iranian dissidents are carrying part of the weight. Citing anonymous Mossad officials, ProPublica reported on August 7 that Iranian nationals working with Israel were pivotal to Israeli successes during the recent conflict. The sources said their motives were both personal and political: “Some were seeking revenge against a repressive, clerical regime.” They also noted, “The agents in Iran who broke into the safes, set up the machine guns, blasted the air defenses and watched the scientists’ apartments were not Israelis. All were either Iranians or citizens of third countries.”
Israeli officials added that the regime’s deepening unpopularity has greatly eased the task of enlisting such operatives.
An ongoing shadow-war
Despite a ceasefire and an appearance of calm, a wave of mysterious explosions and fires across Iran suggests that Tehran and Jerusalem remain in direct confrontation. Between June 25 and August 7, more than 30 such incidents occurred in multiple provinces, striking targets that spanned economic hubs and properties owned by military officials.
While it remains unconfirmed whether these were Israeli sabotage operations, the Islamic Republic has sought to downplay them, attributing many to gas leaks or other accidents. Jerusalem has offered no comment but may be orchestrating these incidents to strengthen its position against the regime in anticipation of another round of fighting.
The problem is, the leadership and unwashed masses of Iran, no matter how much each reviles each other, are part of the same death cult. And they have been bred to hate jews.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Good to hear that Israel is likely still conducting covert operations in Iran to weaken the Islamist government there. That’s essential to put teeth behind Israel’s messages to the Iranian public to do everything they can to overthrow the evil regime!