A future uprising in Iran could lead to peace with Israel and would be thanks to Israel's attacks on the country in a 12-day war in June, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview on Thursday.
“If the liberation of Iran happens, it will happen because we delivered a very strong blow to Iran’s seeming invincibility, and the people will rise from within,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said he was pleased with the responses he said he received from Iranians following his direct video messages addressed to the Iranian people advocating for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.
“I’m amazed. Millions and millions of responses from Iran, sometimes with their names, even their faces. You can't believe they’re doing that, but it shows the thirst for liberation there,” he said.
Israel prime minister’s remarks on regime change in Iran came on the same day Tasnim News, an outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), called the goal of regime change in Iran a futile scheme by Israel.
“In the recent war, Israel bet heavily on political and social collapse in Iran, expecting the public to turn against the Islamic Republic. But what actually happened was the complete opposite of their expectations,” Tasnim said.
Asked about the prospect of more countries in the region normalizing ties with Israel in the so-called Abraham Accords, Netanyahu said he remains hopeful that even Iran might eventually do so.
“Iran could be too, if the people of Iran rise,” he said. “I think many of them want that, they want to relieve themselves of that tyranny.”
Israel launched a series of strikes on June 13 targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites, assassinating senior commanders and killing hundreds of civilians. In retaliation, Iranian missiles killed 29 Israeli civilians.
Asked whether Iran was discussed during a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Netanyahu suggested Iran's superpower ally did not approve of its uranium enrichment.
“I took note of the fact that (Putin) said Iran should not have nuclear enrichment, which is the American position and our position. I thought that was very good,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu had previously said during a visit to Washington in July that Israel had rolled back parts of Iran’s nuclear program, but suggested that the confrontation with the Islamic Republic is far from over.
