Netanyahu Speaks About Football and Protests in Iran in New Video

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a new video, spoke about Iran's games in the World Cup in Russia, stating that the people of Iran displayed their 'courage' both on the football field and in the streets of Iran. This latest video message from Netanyahu was published on July 5 in English with Persian subtitles, including on his YouTube channel. Netanyahu begins by discussing Iran's matches in the World Cup, mentioning that he used to play football himself. He asks, 'Can you imagine how difficult it is to stop Ronaldo from scoring?' which seems to refer to Ronaldo's penalty during the Iran vs. Portugal match, saved by Alireza Beiranvand. The Israeli Prime Minister then notes that 'the Iranian team achieved the impossible' and adds, 'I want to tell the people of Iran that you proved your courage on the football field. And today, you also displayed your courage in the streets of Iran.' Netanyahu states, 'Iran has many problems.' He refers to issues such as water shortages, air pollution, and billions that, according to him, are 'spent on terrorism,' adding, 'Can you imagine what would happen if the Iranian government, instead of wasting your money in Syria and Yemen... invested this money to solve problems in Iran?' In another part of his video message, Netanyahu discusses the reasons for establishing direct relations with Iranian citizens and mentions initiatives like launching a website to preserve water resources. In June, Netanyahu announced the launch of a Persian-language website to 'help the people and farmers of Iran recycle water.' In the July 5 video, he expressed hope that one day he would witness a football match between Iran and Israel in 'free Tehran,' concluding his remarks with the statement, 'On that day, we will all be victorious.' This is not the first time Netanyahu has released a video message directed at Iranian citizens; on June 21, in a video message referring to the problems caused by drought in Iran, he stated that Israel has the knowledge and experience to confront these crises and would share it through a Persian-language website with Iranian citizens and farmers. This message was met with a strong reaction from Iranian officials. The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the Israeli Prime Minister should 'first stop the killings and crimes' and 'there is no need to worry about drought in Iran from across the region.' However, just a week later, Netanyahu published another message thanking Iranians for their interest in the water crisis website. In this message, he stated, 'One day, you will be freed from the grip of tyranny; on that day, I will come to Tehran to meet the brave and talented people of Iran.' The Islamic Republic does not recognize Israel as a country, and several of its senior officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei, have spoken of its 'destruction' or 'elimination.' They usually do not refer to Israel by name in their speeches, instead using terms like 'Zionist regime.'