Understanding Bibi Netanyahu

It is difficult to understand Netanyahu. When I read the news about his decisions, I wonder: Is part of the Israeli population right that he is stupid, a psychopath, a liar, or a criminal who refuses to step down from power while leading Israel to its destruction?
 
What did Israel gain from killing the political leader of Hamas? A more extreme leader took his place. What did Israel gain from killing Hezbollah's Chief of Staff? It only led to more rockets raining on Israel. If Netanyahu makes a deal with Hamas to free the hostages and the war in Gaza stops, Hezbollah has declared they will cease their attacks. Then, why is Netanyahu changing his demands, which prohibit making a deal with Hamas, and prolonging the war, even if it means hostages die in the tunnels and thousands of residents from the north cannot return to their homes? How much more destruction of Hamas is needed? The Israeli defense establishment is calling on him to accept a deal and stop the war. He refuses. The USA is calling on him to stop the war. He ignores the request. (I wonder if the US means it. See below.) How can one understand Netanyahu’s decisions? They seem so counterintuitive to the interests of Israel. Is there an explanation for his behavior that makes sense?
 
A potential explanation came to me when I woke up in the middle of the night. Maybe, just maybe, he’s playing the long game: short-term suffering for long-term peace and progress. Consider the following:
 
Iran is on the brink of becoming a regional power with nuclear weapons. If it reaches that point—a nuclear Iran in alliance with Russia and China (both have nuclear weapons)—it will threaten the hegemony of both the U.S. and NATO, and Israel's existence will be seriously at risk.

In the wee hours of the morning, I realized that if Israel and the USA conclude that it is impossible to peacefully stop Iran from developing a nuclear capability, both Israel and the USA will use force, start a war, and the sooner the better, to cause the downfall of the Iranian regime and stop their nuclear weapons development. (It is estimated by those in the know, as reported by the Israeli media, that Iran will accomplish its goal of having nuclear capability within two years.)
 
The U.S. cannot attack Iran unprovoked because Iran is allied with Russia and China; it is much too dangerous. It runs the risk of inciting a world war. And Israel alone cannot win a war against Iran. Maybe, just maybe (this whole blog is speculation), the plan is for Israel to provoke Iran (and its proxy Hezbollah) with attacks. When Hezbollah and Iran respond to Israel’s provocations with a sufficiently serious counterattack on Israel, because the U.S. has committed to defend Israel, it will have the reason to join the war, remove the Iranian regime from power, and stop the nuclear armament development.
 
Maybe Iran suspects this scheme, which is why Iran is not reacting to the Israeli provocations like the assassination of the political leader of Hamas on its territory and why Hezbollah, driven by Iran, is not escalating its attacks on Israel. Iran is motivated to keep calm to complete the development of the nuclear bomb(s). It’s continuing to support Hamas and Hezbollah because it wants to be considered a leader in the Muslim world.
 
If my speculation is right, that explains Netanyahu’s puzzling decisions. He is continuing the war and continuing the provocations because he has a more important goal than simply returning hostages: enabling Americans to help Israel remove the Iranian threat. Netanyahu may not be as irrational as it appears.