The New Yorker:

There appears to be no off-ramp yet, as the destruction and death toll mount in both countries.

By Robin Wright

After the first cycle of attacks between Israel and Iran, on Friday, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, made a direct appeal to Iranians to rise up against theocratic rule. Operation Rising Lion—the code name for Israel’s sweeping assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities and military leaders—was “clearing the path” for them, he said, in a video released by his administration. “The time has come,” he said, “to unite around your flag and your historic legacy by standing up for your freedom from an evil and oppressive regime.” That regime, he added, has “never been weaker.” Then, in Farsi, with Israel’s flag behind him, Netanyahu invoked the rallying cry that mobilized tens of thousands of Iranians during the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in 2022. “Zan, Zendegi, Azadi,” he said. On Saturday, he claimed, in another video, that senior Iranian leaders were already “packing their bags” and preparing to flee.

Israel’s campaign, militarily and rhetorically, has quickly evolved beyond its initial targets. Over the weekend, it hit Iran’s energy facilities, including a gas depot and an oil refinery, triggering huge fires and spewing smoke across the sprawling capital of about ten million people. “Tehran is burning,” the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, boasted on X. Energy resources were struck in other cities, too, sabotaging Iran’s main sources of revenue. Israeli officials also began telling local and foreign media outlets that assassinating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader since 1989, was “not off limits.” (President Donald Trump reportedly vetoed the idea, but the fact that Israeli leaders even discussed it with their counterparts in Washington reflects how far they’re willing to go.)

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