TEL AVIV — While Israeli officials avoid publicly discussing the possibility that Iranian Kurds could join the US-Israeli campaign against Tehran, Israel is quietly encouraging ethnic groups inside Iran that oppose the regime to mobilize.

Senior Israeli officials who have spoken with Al-Monitor since the start of the military operation against Iran say the goal is to create conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow the regime in Tehran. Associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say the Israeli government believes the first cracks in the regime are emerging.

“Our role is to undermine the regime and its ability to oppress the people and kill protesters, to deprive it of its destructive and oppressive capabilities and prevent it from recovering quickly from these blows," a senior Israeli military source said, citing Iran's success in rebuilding its missile program after last June's war. 

"We estimate that the dramatic weakening of the regime, the continuation and deepening of the economic crisis, an international siege and a complete naval blockade will hasten the fall of the regime," the source added.