As Iran protests grow, Israel watches closely but prefers to remain on sidelines |
AP — Israel is “closely monitoring” the fallout from widespread Iranian protests, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, as US President Donald Trump’s threats to attack Iran could escalate the protests within the borders of the Islamic Republic into a regional war.
“The people of Israel, the entire world, are in awe of the tremendous heroism of the citizens of Iran,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. He condemned the killing of civilians and said he hoped to rebuild relations between Israel and Iran once the country was “freed from the yoke of tyranny.”
Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke overnight Saturday about a number of issues, including Iran, according to an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Israel has been on alert for the possibility that Tehran will launch an attack, either to focus the public on an external enemy or in response to a US strike.
But the military said there were no new guidelines for civilians to stay close to bomb shelters over concerns of a potential Iranian missile attack. Such watnings have been in the past when there were concrete threats.
The IDF said the protests in Iran are an “internal Iranian matter,” but that the military “will be equipped to respond with power if need be.”
A former Israeli intelligence official said Israel is unlikely to instigate an attack against Iran, even though it could have an easy target, as Iran’s leadership is weakened and distracted by the protests........