As Israel’s war with Iran continues, former Israeli National Security Adviser Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror said the fighting could last six to eight weeks and may extend into the Pesach holiday, while suggesting that dramatic developments may already be unfolding inside Iran.
In an interview on Radio 103FM with hosts Amichai Etali and Gideon Oko, Amidror said Israelis may have to prepare for the possibility of celebrating Pesach under wartime conditions, including spending time in protected shelters.
“We’ll reach Pesach. I don’t understand what the problem is if we have to hold our Seders in shelters. If in order to destroy Iran we need to sit in shelters on Pesach, I think that is a worthy price,” Amidror said.
He explained that U.S. military assessments indicate that a successful campaign against Iran would likely require several weeks of sustained operations.
“I believe the Americans calculated targets for six to eight weeks so that the blow to Iran will be very severe,” he said.
According to Amidror, the central objective of the war is not necessarily the immediate collapse of Iran’s ruling regime in Tehran, even if such an outcome would be desirable.
“It would be better if the regime were replaced, but I’m not sure that can be achieved from the air,” he explained. “If we cannot replace the regime, we must ensure only one thing — that the regime will not pose a threat. We cannot change their worldview.”
He added that while the Iranian regime is currently weak, there is no organized opposition capable of stepping in and assuming power.
“The Iranian regime is weak, but there is no opposition that can take power. We want a regime weak enough that we can return and destroy whatever we want,” he said.
Amidror also addressed concerns surrounding Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles, saying that even the possibility of seizing the material cannot be ruled out, although such an operation would be complex.
“We can make sure there are no Iranians in the area and take it if we know where it is,” he explained. “You can create a bubble that you protect from the air, bring in a force with appropriate air support, and remove the material from there.”
He said the uranium itself does not currently pose an immediate danger in its present form.
“It is stored in containers that are not very large. From a rough calculation I made based on unofficial papers I read, it is something like between twenty and thirty containers.”
Amidror also commented on the possibility that Mojtaba Khamenei could emerge as Iran’s next supreme leader, warning that such a development could lead to further escalation.
“There is now a new ruler in Iran, and he will have to decide whether to sacrifice Iran for the sake of his rule or drink the cup of poison,” he said. “Based on his experience, I fear for the fate of the Iranians.”
At the same time, former figures in Israel’s intelligence community suggested that major covert operations may already be taking place inside Iran as part of the current campaign.
Shagiv Asoulin, a former senior Mossad official, said in a separate interview that some operations carried out inside Iran have not yet been revealed to the public.
“I can say that big things have happened in Iran, on the scale of the beepers and perhaps even more,” he said. “Maybe they don’t photograph as dramatically, but with time we will hear about them and they will be no less amazing.”
He added that additional significant moves may still be “up the sleeve” and could become known as the conflict continues.
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