Senior Israeli official says Iranian regime will ‘never go back to what it was’ – report

Channel 12 news cites a senior Israeli official saying that the Iranian ruling regime will never return to the hold on power it had before the growing anti-government protests began last month.

“The story of the Iranian regime is over,” the official is quoted as saying on the TV network’s primetime broadcast. “It will take however long it takes, but it will never go back to what it was.”

Separately, Channel 12 reports that Israeli officials don’t anticipate the regime can be brought down in days or even in weeks. It believes that the Iranian government will escalate its crackdown on protests, and that it believes at least 2,000 protesters have already been killed.

Human rights groups said earlier today that at least 500 had been killed. Internet and phone access have been largely shut down, leaving reports difficult to verify.

The TV network also reports that the Prime Minister’s Office has reprimanded ministers who have been speaking publicly about toppling the Iranian regime, telling them that only Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will express the government’s position.

Netanyahu said earlier today that Israel “supports their struggle for freedom and firmly condemns the mass killings of innocent civilians.”

“We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be liberated from the yoke of tyranny, and when that day comes, Israel and Iran will once again be faithful partners in building a future of prosperity and peace for both nations,” Netanyahu added.