Israeli Minister of Intelligence: We Have No Involvement in Iran Protests

Israel's Minister of Intelligence, Israel Katz, stated regarding the recent protests in Iran that Israel has no involvement in these demonstrations. In an interview with a Hebrew radio station on Monday, January 1, he also wished 'success' to the protesters fighting for 'freedom and democracy.' Since Thursday, December 28, Iran has witnessed protests in several large and small cities, with demonstrators expressing various political and economic demands in their slogans, including chants against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, and Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran. In part of his remarks about the recent events in Iran, the Israeli Minister noted that the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Army had claimed that Israel would not see the next 25 years, but 'Israel will remain steadfast' and 'you and your colleagues in this government will perish.' These comments from the Israeli minister come at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had asked his cabinet members on Saturday, December 30, to make 'the least' comments regarding the events in Iran. According to the Haaretz newspaper, Netanyahu's request was communicated to his ministers after Gilad Erdan, the Minister of Public Security, and Tzachi Hanegbi, the Minister for Regional Cooperation, made comments about the events in Iran. Gilad Erdan tweeted that 'billions of dollars of Iran, instead of being invested in its own people, are spent on Hezbollah, Hamas, the Assad regime, and terrorism worldwide. It is no surprise that many brave Iranians have risen against the Iranian regime.' Tzachi Hanegbi also tweeted that 'the people of Iran are risking their lives in the pursuit of freedom and a peaceful future for themselves and their children; the civilized world must support them.' Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the recent events in Iran. Last month, he stated, 'Israel will be the first country to renew its previous friendly relations after the fall of the current Iranian regime.' Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, Iran has consistently chanted 'Death to Israel' and has supported groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine, which fight against Israel. These groups are recognized as terrorist organizations by the United States and the European Union. Tehran and Israel have always accused each other of carrying out terrorist acts against one another. On the other hand, the Israeli government has described the Iranian regime as a 'vital threat' to its existence and has called on the international community in recent years to impose sanctions and take a hard stance against Iran.