Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly suggested last week that he and US President Donald Trump issue a general call for Iranians to take to the streets against their government, but Trump rejected the idea, citing high risks to civilians, according to US officials and an Israeli source cited by Axios.
“Why the hell should we ask people to take to the streets when they will just be crushed,” said a US official familiar with the conversation. This exchange reflects the difference in orientations between the two allies. While the United States and Israel share most of the military objectives in the ongoing conflict, they differ on the extent of the push for regime change and the level of acceptable chaos.Netanyahu has included strengthening the popular uprising among the Iranian people as a primary goal.
However, US officials told Axios that Trump views regime change as a “reward” rather than a primary goal. Although he suggested at the beginning of the war that the Iranians might have an opportunity to overthrow their government after US combat operations, he has rarely repeated that position since.The dispute came shortly after Israel carried out strikes that killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s national security chief, and Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Basij militia, along with several MPs.
Israeli officials say Soleimani’s elimination was intended to create conditions for a popular uprising, as he was tasked with crushing the protests.During the call, Netanyahu said that the Iranian regime is in a state of chaos and that there is an opportunity to further destabilize it. He suggested coordinating with Trump to encourage public protests. But Trump warned that such a call would likely lead to large numbers of casualties, recalling that thousands of demonstrators were killed before the conflict escalated.Despite Trump’s warning, Netanyahu later addressed the Iranian people publicly, urging them to “celebrate the Festival of Fire” while Israeli airstrikes targeted key sites. Very few Iranians reportedly took to the streets, which US and Israeli officials attributed to fear of regime retaliation. Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, told Axios that the strategy remains focused on weakening the regime’s ability to suppress dissent, allowing the Iranians to “take charge of their lives,” while at the same time Trump seeks to pursue diplomatic options to leave parts of the regime intact.Israeli officials say that Netanyahu remains skeptical about the possibility of reaching an acceptable agreement soon.
