Israel and US 'plan A' was uprising in Iran - NYT

Israel was hoping to ignite a mass internal uprising in Iran in order to overthrow the Iranian government, The New York Times reported citing Israeli and American officials.

As the U.S. and Israel prepared to go to war with Iran, the head of Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, went to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a plan.

Within days of the war’s beginning, David Barnea, the Mossad chief, said that his service would likely be able to galvanize the Iranian opposition - igniting riots and other acts of rebellion that could even lead to the collapse of Iran’s government. Barnea also presented the proposal to senior U.S. administration officials during a visit to Washington in mid-January.

Netanyahu adopted the plan. Despite doubts about its viability among senior U.S. officials and some officials in other Israeli intelligence agencies, both he and President Trump seemed to embrace an optimistic outlook.

Three weeks into the war, an Iranian uprising has not yet materialized. The belief that Israel and the U.S. could help instigate widespread revolt was a foundational flaw in the preparations for a war that has spread across the Middle East.

Instead of imploding from within, Iran’s government has dug in and escalated the conflict, striking blows and counterblows against military bases, cities and ships around the Persian Gulf, and against vulnerable oil and gas installations.