Every time in history that Tehran (as the capital) has fallen, regime change has followed. In the past century, Reza Shah the Great captured Tehran, and the Pahlavi dynasty rose to power. But fifty-some years later, a deceitful, malevolent, and criminal Shiite cleric, with the help of Western propaganda and Islamic-Marxist terrorist groups, landed in the heart of Tehran. With Khomeini’s arrival, not only did Tehran fall, but the entire 2,800-year history of monarchy, Iranian civilization, national pride, the prestige of the name “Iran” and “Iranian,” and the security and peace of the Middle East collapsed.
For 47 years now, a syndicate of Islamic criminals has brought shame and disgrace to Iran.
In Operation Rising Lions, Israel rose for its survival. As Netanyahu rightly said, this is a vital battle against a ruthless, destructive enemy. From a political and realist perspective, Israel perceived the threat from the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile programs and its terrorism-linked mafia, and had to neutralize it—this is a war that the Islamic Republic has waged since the winter of 1979.
With the fifth day of the attack (Tuesday, June 17), Israel, beyond merely boosting deterrence, demonstrated that it is the dominant regional power and has shifted the balance of power. From a structuralist viewpoint, Israel’s five-day display of strength introduced a new regional security identity, showing it is the actor that defines the red lines in the Middle East. It shattered the destructive ideology of Khomeinism and the so-called “resistance” (Islamic terrorism), the wicked ideology of the Islamic Republic, and exposed the hollow might of the regime and its empty security capabilities.
Israel clearly sent a message to the world: it defines the playing field in the Middle East and is the region’s only state with nuclear weapons and no rival.
Mossad, in tactical coordination with the Israeli army, showcased precision, strategic superiority, and deep intelligence infiltration. In a multilayered and multifront attack, it eliminated Islamic Republic military figures, penetrated Iran’s security structure, and dismantled the regime’s intelligence agencies one by one. According to counterterrorism doctrine, Israel paralyzed the command-and-control structure of Tehran’s leadership. With a multidimensional strategy, it crippled the clerical regime’s intelligence capabilities, rendering the regime's internal survival fragile—especially now that even Trump has urged the people of Iran to leave Tehran, the capital.
In practice, the clerical regime—a force of occupation, plunder, and repression—has lost control of Tehran. Mossad’s infiltration, with skilled agents and exceptional human intelligence coordination, defeated the Islamic Republic’s counterintelligence apparatus both in Tehran and across multiple provinces. The regime lost the skies—Israeli jets roam freely—and lost control of the ground and any rapid response capability.
Mossad’s counterterrorism unit entered Iranian soil with elite teams—though it’s unclear in which cities and over what properties Mossad has control. But 100 hours of Israeli fighter jets over Tehran in four days is nothing short of a miracle in coordinated military-intelligence operations.
Mossad’s intelligence operation wasn’t limited to Tehran; it spanned more than 15 provinces to neutralize the regime’s imminent threats. It even killed some military leaders in their homes and completely paralyzed the Islamic Republic’s intelligence protection agency.
In practice, with the destruction of radar and air defenses, the Tehran regime has suffered a devastating intelligence defeat. Mossad’s deep espionage in Iranian territory invalidated years of the regime’s propaganda. In the realm of security and intelligence studies, Mossad’s strike on Tehran will be a unique case study in 21st-century security research.
The psychological impact of the operation forced Tehran’s dictator Khamenei into hiding underground. This boastful, cowardly, murderous, and repressive ruler—who for 27 years has shamelessly committed every possible crime against Israel, like a deranged, narcissistic, stubborn psychopath—has repeatedly provoked the Islamic terror mafia against Israel.
The full scope, depth, and extent of Mossad’s engagement with the clerical regime in Tehran is still unknown. In eliminating the military, intelligence, and spy leadership, Mossad has shown that they were all key players in Islamic terrorism. But Mossad’s real surprise was the psychological pressure and shock aimed at Iranian society—reminding them that when the Islamic Republic’s security structure collapses, its repression machine will also shut down, and there will be no safe place left in the country for the regime.
The country has become filled with tension, fear, and crisis, while the confused regime clings only to propaganda and threats against the people—a machine that Mossad is gradually dismantling. The Israeli operation in Iran may last two to three weeks, and the regime’s propaganda apparatus will gradually fall apart. But unless the serpent’s head—the axis of evil, Khamenei—is crushed, Mossad’s precisely coordinated intelligence operation will not reach its ultimate operational goal.
Perhaps a domestic uprising, occurring simultaneously, will halt Israel’s operation; perhaps Israel is waiting for society to rise and excise this cancer. But in the end, with smoke, fire, explosions, blackouts, internet outages, and a broken state media apparatus in the fallen capital, Israel's doctrine in this conflict with the Islamic Republic has reinforced its counterterrorism strategy.
The desperate, chaotic, and militarily clueless regime has blindly and unforgivably fired missiles at civilian areas in Israel.
I hope that in the coming days there will be no military coup in Iran, no martial law, and no entry of terrorists from Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or Iraq into Iran—beyond all this, Mossad has succeeded in humiliating the warmongering, deranged dictator of Tehran.
Today, Khamenei is hiding like a sewer rat in an underground bunker in northern Tehran. He is the lead actor in the tragicomedy of repeated mistakes—cornered and trapped—possibly only moments away from being eliminated by Mossad, which would finally rid the world of his evil. And patriotic people of Iran will hopefully soon rejoice at the humiliation, weakening, and defeat of Tehran’s dictator.
Erfan Fard is an Iranian writer and political analyst who often writes op-eds for Arutz Sheva and currently resides in the United States.