Israel sees no certainty Iran’s government will fall despite war

JERUSALEM/DUBAI, March 11 - Israeli officials in closed discussions have acknowledged there is no certainty the war against Iran will lead to a collapse of its clerical government, a senior Israeli official told Reuters, with no sign of an Iranian uprising amid the bombardment. Read more at straitstimes.com.

JERUSALEM/DUBAI, March 11 - Israeli officials in closed discussions have acknowledged there is no certainty the war against Iran will lead to a collapse of its clerical government, a senior Israeli official told Reuters, with no sign of an Iranian uprising amid the bombardment.

However, despite commentary by U.S. President Donald Trump that the war may finish soon, Israel's assessment is that Washington is not close to instructing an end to the conflict, two Israeli officials said.

The intense U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign killed the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as a host of senior military commanders, but it has also killed civilians and smashed homes and public buildings, angering many Iranians.

With missiles striking across Tehran and other cities, and with the Iranian authorities threatening deadly force against any who dares protest, Iranians who might otherwise come to the streets may also fear to do so until the war ends.

Still, Iran's long-term challenges look worse than ever, with ever harsher sanctions strangling the economy and little prospect of better times ahead for a population whose protests in January were crushed with thousands dead.

ISRAEL DOES NOT ASSESS U.S. CLOSE TO ENDING WAR