Regime change in Iran could be a result of Israel's military attacks on the country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday, saying Israel would do whatever is necessary to remove the "existential threat" posed by Tehran.

Israel launched "Operation Rising Lion" with a surprise attack on Friday morning that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and says the campaign will continue to escalate in coming days. Iran has vowed to "open the gates of hell" in retaliation.

Israel's military has said the current goal of the campaign is not a change in regime, but the dismantling of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Asked by Fox's Bret Baier on his "Special Report" program if regime change was part of Israel's military effort, Netanyahu said: "Could certainly be the result because the Iran regime is very weak."

"We're geared to do whatever is necessary to achieve our dual aim, to remove ... two existential threats - the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat," Netanyahu said in one of his first interviews since Israel's attacks began.

"We did act - to save ourselves, but also, I think, to not only protect ourselves, but protect the world from this incendiary regime. We can't have the world's most dangerous regime have the world's most dangerous weapons," he said.

Israel has said its operation could last weeks, and Netanyahu has openly urged the Iranian people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers.

Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday, killing scores and raising fears of a wider conflict, as U.S. President Donald Trump said it could be ended easily while warning Tehran not to strike any U.S. targets.

Asked about a Reuters report that Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Netanyahu said: "I'm not going to get into that."

But he said he had informed Trump ahead of Friday's military action. American pilots are shooting down Iranian drones headed toward Israel, he said.

Asked whether Israel has the capacity to hit Iran’s underground sites, Netanyahu said, “We’ve certainly done quite a bit. We’ve destroyed the main facility in Natanz. That’s the main enrichment facility. And if we need to, we’ll add whatever is needed. But yes, we’re committed to achieving both goals. I’m not going to get into all of our objectives. I don’t want to get into specific operational plans.”

“We have quite a few startups, too, and quite a few rabbits up our sleeve,” he added.

In a separate video update released by his office, Netanyahu addressed the public, saying that “Tehran is burning” as Israel continues its mission to eliminate “the dual threat” of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. 

Netanyahu said he has long warned that “the greatest danger to Israel’s existence would be the Islamist regime of the ayatollahs… obtaining nuclear weapons,” a threat he said he recognized over four decades ago. Those concerns, he added, were often dismissed as “political spin,” and he faced pushback, even from Washington, while Tehran continued to pursue its nuclear program.

Netanyahu linked Iran’s regional influence to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, describing the group as part of Tehran’s “axis of evil.” He vowed not to abandon efforts to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza.

“I will not rest until we bring them all home. Two days ago, I instructed that negotiations be advanced, because I’ve identified an opening,” he said, offering no further specifics.