Israel is creating the conditions for the Iranian regime to be overthrown and is currently engaged in a historic operation, which could have significant implications for the Western world as well, Religious Zionist Party MK Simcha Rothman told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
Regarding whether Israel would be able to topple the Iranian regime in Operation Roaring Lion, Rothman said Israel could create the conditions for internal change.
“We can give them the opportunity, but no one can do it for them. No one can rule Iran unless they have the trust, ability, and power of the people inside Iran,” he told the Post.
“What we can do is create conditions that allow those forces to rise and bring change. If they seize that opportunity, it would be a major development,” he added.
Rothman described the joint US-Israeli operation as a “very major historical event for the State of Israel.”
“It must be said, we are confronting an enemy that has sought to destroy us for decades,” he said.
The war extending beyond Israel
He also emphasized that the significance of the war extended beyond Israel and carried implications for the United States and the broader Western world.
“Iran is not only an enemy of Israel,” Rothman said. “So in that sense, this is not only a development in how Israel deals with threats, but also a development in how the Western world and the United States confront existential threats.”
As Israel continues military action in Lebanon after Hezbollah joined Iran in the conflict, Rothman stressed that Israel cannot allow the terror group to reestablish its military threat.
“We cannot allow Hezbollah to return and threaten our communities,” he said. “We cannot allow them to rebuild their military strength and weapons stockpiles there; that’s something we cannot accept.”
However, he added that Israel must also act with patience and restraint.
“We also need to see how to deal with the threat with patience and the necessary restraint,” Rothman said.
He pointed to the earlier Operation Rising Lion against Iran in June 2025 as an example of how Israel’s military campaigns often unfold in stages.
“Many times, even with Iran, we stopped the first phase after 12 days of Operation Rising Lion,” he explained. “Some people said, ‘What did you accomplish? You didn’t finish everything.’
“No, we didn’t finish everything. But without Rising Lion [in June], we wouldn’t have been able to carry out [the current] Operation Roaring Lion.
“So, we need to understand that this is not something that ends in one moment. The main principle is that we don’t stop until we finish. Not every front has to end on the same day, but we must understand that you cannot end a campaign while the enemy is still standing.”
As chairperson of the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, Rothman also addressed the question of advancing legislation during wartime.
While noting the importance of unity between the opposition and coalition, he said that debate can continue even during conflict.
When will the war end?
Regarding when the war might end, Rothman said that no clear timeline could be given.
“No one can really give an assessment,” he said.
“Especially since there are several partners involved here. It’s not only Israel alone and not only the United States alone, so there are greater complexities.”
However, he emphasized that endurance would be the key factor in the outcome of the war.
“If there is one thing the world should learn from Israel over the past two and a half years, it’s that nothing is more important than endurance,” Rothman said.
“During the last two and a half years, there were many voices, both in Israel and certainly around the world, telling us to stop the campaign,” Rothman said regarding the Israel-Hamas war that began on October 7, 2023.
“If we had listened to them, if we had listened to [former US president Joe] Biden at the first stage, [Yahya] Sinwar would still be alive, Hamas would have returned to the October 7 lines, [and] Rafah and the Philadelphi corridor would have gone back to the same situation as before.”
“So we need endurance. That requires endurance from our population and from the army, but the most important factor is the endurance of the political and governmental leadership, the decision-makers.”
“That’s very difficult in our era, but so far [US President Donald] Trump and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu are showing the kind of endurance that many other leaders in the world lack.”
Rothman also underscored that there was no better time for Jews around the world to make aliyah.
“Unfortunately, wartime in Israel is often a trigger for attacks on Jewish communities and antisemitic incidents around the world,” Rothman said.
“I think it’s always a good time to think about joining the State of Israel and making aliyah. But during a war, when Israel shows the world that this is where the capabilities, the strength, and the opportunities are, it may be an even better time,” he said.