Israel says it doesn’t seek regime change in Iran

Israel doesn’t seek regime change in Iran, the Israeli ambassador to Russia Simone Halperin has said.

“There’s no goal of regime change,” the ambassador told reporters, according to Interfax. “That’s not Israel’s goal in this operation.” She said such matters are up to the people of Iran to decide.

Furthermore, Halperin said Israel doesn’t set timeframes for its operation.

“Israel doesn’t set timeframes…We don’t set boundaries in terms of Iranian territories which contain threats or which have facilities that can pose threats to Israel,” she said.

Israel launched what it calls Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities in the early hours of Friday, calling it a preemptive strike designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons. Tehran retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. 224 people died and 1,227 were injured in Iran. Iranian authorities said 90% of the victims are civilians.

In Israel, 24 have died and 287 injured amid Iranian counterstrikes.