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Secret War Goals Exposed: Botched Israeli 'Jailbreak' Strike Derailed Plan to Put Ahmadinejad in Power
A stunning report by The New York Times reveals that Israel and the US planned to install former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's new leader following the February 28 airstrikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The highly unorthodox plan, intended to utilize an established internal figure to govern a collapsing state, was quickly derailed on the first day of the war after an Israeli "jailbreak" strike meant to free Ahmadinejad from house arrest went awry, leaving him wounded.
ND
by News Desk
2026-05-20
Secret War Goals Exposed: Botched Israeli 'Jailbreak' Strike Derailed Plan to Put Ahmadinejad in Power

Detailed Report

  • An Audacious Plan for Regime Change: A bombshell report published by The New York Times has revealed that the United States and Israel formulated an audacious, highly unorthodox plan to install former hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's new leader. The strategy was mapped out during the initial phases of the conflict, directly following joint airstrikes on February 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

  • The "Internal Successor" Strategy: According to US intelligence officials briefed on the matter, the blueprint was originally drafted by Israeli planners and approved by Washington. It aligned with US President Donald Trump’s early wartime assertion that any post-regime leadership should emerge from "someone within" Iran who possessed the capability to govern the country's complex political, social, and military landscapes. Sources confirmed that Ahmadinejad had been actively consulted about the regime-change operation, though the exact level of his ongoing cooperation remains unclear.

  • The Unorthodox Choice: Analysts and Washington insiders expressed profound shock at the choice of Ahmadinejad, who governed Iran from 2005 to 2013. During his tenure, he was a fierce adversary of both Washington and Tel Aviv, famously calling to "wipe Israel off the map," aggressively advancing Iran's nuclear program, and cracking down heavily on domestic dissidents. However, after falling out with Iran's ruling theocracy and being repeatedly barred from running for office by the Guardian Council, Western planners viewed him as a viable, stabilizing force to manage a collapsed state.

  • The Failed 'Jailbreak' Strike: The high-stakes strategy fell apart almost immediately on the first day of the war due to a botched military operation. Believing Ahmadinejad was under strict house arrest in Tehran, Israeli forces launched a targeted airstrike on his residence. The objective was a high-risk "jailbreak" intended to eliminate the security forces guarding him and secure his freedom. Instead, the strike went awry; Ahmadinejad survived the attack but was wounded, and several of his guards were killed. Following the botched operation, both the former president and US officials reportedly became deeply disillusioned with the regime-change plan, and his exact current whereabouts remain unknown.

Tagged:

#IranConflict #MahmoudAhmadinejad #RegimeChange #NewYorkTimes #USForeignPolicy #IsraelMilitary #MiddleEastNews #BreakingNews #Geopolitics
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