Two senior Iranian officials said on Thursday that the Israeli prime minister’s attempt to spark protests in Iran fell flat over what they called popular support for the Islamic Republic, two days after Netanyahu urged Iranians to take to the streets.
“God has created our enemies foolish; these threadbare, repetitive and childish tricks no longer work,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in reaction to a video message by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the week calling on Iranians to launch antigovernment protests.
Araghchi added that the people of Iran firmly stand behind the Islamic Republic.
Netanyahu, in a video message on Tuesday urged the people of Iran "to be bold and brave, take risk for freedom, take to the streets, demand justice and protest tyranny". "Soon your country will be free. Now is the time for action," he said.
Netanyahu also promised that following a regime change in Iran, Israel would send top water experts to help with the country's ongoing water crisis.
Araghchi downplayed the remarks, saying "our own specialists know the methods of water regeneration and new ways of securing water… the problem has no miraculous solution and cannot be resolved overnight."
A day earlier, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian mocked Netanyahu over his offer to solve the ongoing crisis.
“A regime that deprives Gaza of water and food now says it will bring water to Iran? A MIRAGE, NOTHING MORE,” Pezeshkian wrote on X.
'Netanyahu misjudges Iranian public'
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani also said Netanyahu misjudged the public mood when he openly urged Iranians to protest during the two countries' 12-day war in June.
“The enemy wanted to create sedition in the Islamic Republic and drag people into the streets — just as Netanyahu openly urged — but this was Netanyahu’s foolishness because he thought the people of Iran like him,” Larijani was quoted as saying by Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen on Thursday.
Larijani added that even the Islamic Republic's domestic opponents stood alongside the state, and that Israel was the tactical loser in the 12-day conflict.
The top security chief warned that Iran was ready to respond forcefully to any fresh Israeli attack.
Israel was preparing a final wave of attacks aimed at toppling Iran’s ruling system when US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire, The Washington Post reported last month, citing Israeli and American officials involved in the operation.
“When Trump declared a ceasefire, Israel was moving into a final phase of attacks intended to topple the regime,” said David Ignatius in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post.
The final phase, which Israeli planners believed could bring down the Islamic Republic, was halted when Trump intervened.
The ceasefire announced by Trump on June 23 ended a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that was capped off by US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
At the height of the conflict, both Netanyahu and Trump hinted at favoring Iranian regime change.
"It’s not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social in late June.
