US and Israel Plan Renewed Iran Strikes as Netanyahu Pushes Regime Change

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made removing Iran's government an explicit political goal. On October 20, Al Jazeera reported that he said he had discussed the need to topple Iran's regime with US President Trump.

The statements come amid an Israeli election campaign in which criticism of Netanyahu does not necessarily mean opposition to military action. Al Jazeera reported on October 19 that his opponents considered his approach to Iran insufficiently tough.

On October 20, Iran International described regime change in Iran as an explicit part of Netanyahu's election positioning. His rivals were advocating tough measures against Tehran and criticizing his record.

On October 21, Times of Israel, citing a report based on sources, said Netanyahu had planned an attack earlier that month but Trump had opposed it. The proposed strikes would reportedly have been more intense than those in February. TGcom24 identified October 10 as the planned date and said Trump wanted to avoid escalation before the November 3 US midterm elections.

Netanyahu continued his public threats. Middle East Eye reported on October 21 that he said he wanted to "overthrow the regime in Iran". That same day, Arab News reported that Israel's opposition chief accused him of dangerously politicizing security ahead of elections.

Diplomatic efforts were also showing little sign of progress. On October 21, Al Jazeera reported that Tehran had "nothing new" to tell Washington following nuclear proposals reportedly offered by mediators, and remained determined to retain its uranium.

Later coverage shifted from the canceled October operation to possible renewed attacks. NYT Politics reported on October 21 that the United States and Israel were drawing up plans for strikes after elections. On October 22, Mint reported that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had met Netanyahu in Israel that week to discuss new strikes, citing US officials.

The coverage describes military planning, not an announced decision to attack. NYT Politics reported that Trump had repeatedly canceled plans to return to major combat and cautioned that renewed hostilities might be no more successful than the war's first phase.

The reported timing is not consistent across the coverage. Times now described preparations for a potential short but intensive campaign after the US midterms, while News18 reported that attacks could resume before the following week's Israeli polls. No settled launch date emerges from these reports.

The wider regional setting is also unsettled. Amwaj Media reported heightened risks of renewed conflict as the US-led Coalition mission in Iraq winds down and European governments threaten to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran.

The immediate issue is whether Trump approves any of the reported military options, and whether the election timetable continues to constrain action. The distinction between preparations and authorization remains central: NYT Politics reported both renewed planning and Trump's repeated cancellations of earlier plans.

Diplomacy remains another unresolved track. Further nuclear proposals, Iran's position on retaining uranium and the threatened return of UN sanctions could shape the next phase, according to reporting from Al Jazeera and Amwaj Media.