Before the war with Iran began, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad had a plan to provoke protests in the country that would lead to the fall of the Iranian government, Middle East Eye reported, citing the New York Times.
Mossad chief David Barnea met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling him that the agency could mobilize the Iranian opposition to bring about regime change.
The plan was also presented to senior US officials during a visit to Washington in mid-January, which was then accepted by both Netanyahu and the US president Donald Trump despite doubts among some senior US officials and Israeli military intelligence.
According to US and Israeli officials, the Mossad promises were used by Netanyahu to convince the US president that the fall of the Iranian government was possible.
According to the Mossad plan, the war was to begin with the assassination of Iranian leaders, followed by "a series of intelligence operations designed to encourage regime change". According to the Mossad, this could lead to a mass uprising that would bring victory to Israel and the US.
At the beginning of the war, Trump's statements reflected the plan, but then the talk of regime change quickly evaporated. Less than two weeks later, US senators walked out of a briefing on the war to say that overthrowing the Islamic Republic was not one of its goals and that there was in fact "no plan" for the military operation.
For its part, US intelligence assessed "the regime in Iran as intact but largely degraded by attacks on its leadership and military capabilities". The CIA also assessed that the Iranian administration would not be overthrown, stating that if Iranian leaders were killed, "more radically" leadership will take over.
"The belief that Israel and the United States could help foment a widespread uprising was a fundamental flaw in the preparations for a war that spread across the Middle East," the NYT stated.
Although Netanyahu remains optimistic about the prospect of deploying troops on the ground in Iran, he is reportedly disappointed that Mossad promises to provoke an uprising have not materialized.
During a security meeting held a few days after the war began, Netanyahu said that Trump could end the war at any time if Mossad operations failed.
American military leaders have told Trump that Iranians will not take to the streets while bombs are falling.