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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday voiced support for Iran’s protest movement, saying Israel was “closely monitoring” protests for freedom that have spread across the country as unrest deepens and challenges Tehran’s theocratic rule.
Netanyahu said Sunday that he hoped Iran would soon be freed from what he described as the “yoke of tyranny”. “Israel is closely monitoring the events unfolding in Iran,” he said.
Iran has been gripped by days of deadly protests, initially ignited by anger over the rising cost of living but soon evolving into a broader movement challenging the theocratic government that has ruled the country since the 1979 revolution.
“We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be freed from the yoke of tyranny, and when that day comes, Israel and Iran will once again be loyal partners in building a future of prosperity and peace for both peoples,” Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting, according to a video released by his office.
“Israel is closely monitoring events in Iran,” he added.
“The people of Israel and the entire world are in awe of the tremendous courage of Iran’s citizens.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had made similar comments earlier in the day.
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View All“We support the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom and wish them success,” Saar said in an interview posted on X.
“We think they deserve freedom… We don’t have any hostility with the people of Iran,” he continued, adding Israel instead had “a huge problem” with Iran’s government, accusing it of exporting extremism.
Netanyahu’s remarks came after an Iranian official had warned his country would strike US military and shipping targets if Iran was attacked by the United States.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had told lawmakers on Sunday that if the US attacked, “both the occupied territory and centres of the US military and shipping will be our legitimate targets”.
The comment was an apparent reference to Israel, which the Islamic republic does not recognise and considers occupied Palestinian territory.
In a statement, an Israeli military official said the army was following developments in Iran and “preparing defensively”.
“We will be equipped to respond with power if need be,” the official said
Iran has repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of inciting the ongoing unrest and trying to undermine the Islamic republic’s national unity.
Iran and Israel engaged in a war in June that saw unprecedented Israeli attacks on Iranian military and nuclear facilities.
The United States briefly joined in the strikes, hitting three major Iranian nuclear sites.
With inputs from agencies