Netanyahu vows to topple Iranian regime, claims 90% of work to defeat Israel's enemies is complete
Key Facts
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to topple the Iranian regime during a briefing for reporters in Jerusalem on October 18, 2026, according to the Times of Israel. He said Israel had, in his assessment, completed 90% of the work needed to defeat its enemies, linking its completion to his re-election. Speaking about the leadership in Tehran, he added: "The regime must fall," pledging to work to bring it down. During the briefing, Netanyahu combined that pledge with a presentation of his security record to reporters ahead of the election. He cited completing the work he described as part of his case for seeking another term, while affirming his readiness to continue acting against Israel's enemies.
Discussing relations with the United States, Netanyahu said Israeli security needs did not depend on securing Washington's approval, according to the Times of Israel's coverage of the briefing. He stressed that his country would act independently if necessary, saying: "We will also act independently." He outlined a security doctrine prioritizing offensive initiative and pre-emptive action. The doctrine he presented included strengthening border defenses alongside the offensive moves he advocated. He also listed independence from foreign arms suppliers among his security priorities, while affirming Israel's freedom to make its own decisions.
Against the backdrop of contacts over Iran, The National reported, citing U.S. media, that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel. The meeting took place amid discussions about potentially resuming major combat operations against Iran, according to the newspaper. Investing.com cited the Financial Times as reporting that targets of the proposed Israeli bombing campaign included power stations, nuclear facilities and Iranian regime assets. On the political front, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his support for Netanyahu's re-election on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. The endorsement came after Trump had withheld it for months as their regional strategies diverged, the agency said.
The security conditions Netanyahu outlined at his briefing extended to Gaza and Lebanon, according to the Times of Israel. In Gaza, he reiterated his refusal to allow reconstruction before Hamas is disarmed. He also made demilitarization of the territory a condition for proceeding with its rebuilding. In Lebanon, he said the Lebanese army had not demonstrated sufficient capabilities to dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure. He added that Israel would carry out the task itself if the Lebanese army failed to remove the threat, including the possibility of Israeli intervention on this issue among the positions he announced during the briefing.
For his part, Trump threatened to finish the job against Iran unless it changed its behavior quickly, according to the Associated Press. But he expressed reservations about the United States undertaking the task alone if Netanyahu lost the election. On the economic front, the agency reported that the average U.S. gasoline price reached $4.33 a gallon on the Friday preceding its report. It cited data from the American Automobile Association. That represented a 45% increase from the pre-war price level, according to the data cited by the agency.
Israel is heading toward elections scheduled for October 27, according to the Associated Press, after Netanyahu warned in an interview with i24NEWS that Iran might try to influence the vote by engineering security incidents. During the interview, he declined to disclose the intelligence underpinning that assessment. He stressed that the elections would take place on schedule despite attempts at disruption that he accuses Israel's adversaries of planning. In the United States, Investing.com cited the Financial Times as reporting that the White House had confirmed Washington would not attack Iran before the midterm elections. The U.S. elections take place on November 3, according to the Associated Press. Trump had said intensified bombing of Iran after that vote was "possible," the agency reported.