Israel's decision to attack "regime targets" in Iran like Evin prison, and its open desire to encourage an overthrow of Ayatollah Ali Khameini's government is misguided and potentially dangerous, a top expert on Iran said on the Haaretz Podcast.

"I have serious doubts that something positive will come out of it," said Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies' Iran and the Shi'ite Axis Program and a former Iran specialist in Israeli military intelligence.

The Israeli military has had "amazing" operational success against Iranian nuclear and military targets, he said, but expressed worry that there appears to be "no exit strategy that will help us preserve our achievements while ending this war" and that the decision to attack targets like Evin Prison, state television and other non-military locations "have been taken very lightly" and "actually might cause us to erode our achievements against Iran."

He warned that Israel moving to assassinate Khameini would transform the war "from a political to a religious dispute" and "find ourselves in an endless conflict" that would also fail to spark a revolution in Iran and "do far more harm than" good.

Also in this episode, host Allison Kaplan Sommer ventures out of the studio and goes underground into a makeshift tent city in the parking lot of a sprawling mall, where Tel Aviv residents seek nightly protection from Iran's ballistic missiles.

The voices from the encampment under Dizengoff Center represent the millions of Israelis caught without anywhere to securely spend the night under fire.

"It's humid, the floor is rock hard, there's no good circulation, and there's constant activity even when there's no siren," said Jeffrey Lubata as he settled into a tent for the night with his family. But, he noted, it is safe.

This episode was recorded before a cease-fire was announced between Israel and Iran on Tuesday.

Subscribe to Haaretz.com for up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Israel and the Middle East in English. 

Israel's decision to attack "regime targets" in Iran like Evin prison, and its open desire to encourage an overthrow of Ayatollah Ali Khameini's government is misguided and potentially dangerous, a top expert on Iran said on the Haaretz Podcast.
"I have serious doubts that something positive will come out of it," said&nbsp;Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies' Iran and the Shi'ite Axis Program and a former Iran specialist in Israeli military intelligence.
The Israeli military has had "amazing" <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-17/ty-article/.premium/israeli-pilot-who-struck-iran-we-thought-wed-encounter-more-effective-defense-systems/00000197-7ec9-da11-a797-fef93e720000">operational success</a> against Iranian nuclear and military targets, he said, but expressed worry that there appears to be "no exit strategy that will help us preserve our achievements while ending this war" and that the decision to attack targets like <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-23/ty-article/.premium/israel-hits-tehrans-evin-prison-amid-heavy-idf-strikes-on-irans-repressive-regime/00000197-9c42-d5ef-a9bf-bfee8e600000">Evin Prison</a>, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-16/ty-article/.premium/israel-struck-irans-state-tv-in-tehran-during-a-live-broadcast/00000197-79a4-d9fe-a597-ffbc5d0c0000">state television</a> and other non-military locations "have been taken very lightly" and "actually might cause us to erode our achievements against Iran."
He warned that Israel moving to <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-15/ty-article/.premium/trump-blocked-israeli-plan-to-assassinate-irans-supreme-leader-netanyahu-denies/00000197-74cf-d717-a1df-f6df91d80000">assassinate Khameini</a> would transform the war "from a political to a religious dispute" and "find ourselves in an endless conflict" that would also fail to <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-23/ty-article/.premium/israeli-ministers-say-israel-cooperating-with-iranian-opposition-call-for-regime-change/00000197-9d1f-d27e-a1d7-fd1fb0860000">spark a revolution</a> in Iran and "do far more harm than" good.
Also in this episode, host Allison Kaplan Sommer ventures out of the studio and goes underground into a <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-22/ty-article-magazine/.premium/in-photos-where-israelis-take-cover-as-irans-missiles-strike/00000197-974a-d237-a1bf-b75eb5250001">makeshift tent city</a> in the parking lot of a sprawling mall, where Tel Aviv residents seek nightly protection from Iran's ballistic missiles.
The voices from the encampment under Dizengoff Center represent the millions of Israelis caught without anywhere to securely spend the night under fire.
"It's humid, the floor is rock hard, there's no good circulation, and there's constant activity even when there's no siren," said Jeffrey Lubata as he settled into a tent for the night with his family. But, he noted, it is safe.
This episode was recorded before a <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-24/ty-article/.premium/trump-says-complete-and-total-ceasefire-agreed-between-israel-and-iran/00000197-9ed6-d344-a59f-9ed6d29c0000">cease-fire was announced</a> between Israel and Iran on Tuesday.
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From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

Your audio guide to Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

Haaretz Podcast

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer. 

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

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