According to the daily, a diplomatic cable sent on Friday by the US embassy in Jerusalem conveyed Israel's assessment that the Iranian regime “is not breaking” and is ready to “fight to the end”, despite the February 28 killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the ongoing missile strikes and bombings launched by the US and Israel.
“People will be murdered.” Israel and the USA on the vision of protests against the regime
According to the assessment of Israeli officials quoted by diplomats, if Iranians return en masse to the streets, it will end in a “slaughter” and “people will be murdered” because the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's main armed force, “has the advantage.”
Despite the grim forecast, Israeli officials expressed hope for a revolt and called on the United States to prepare to support protesters if it occurred, the cable said. Both Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have repeatedly called on the Iranians to overthrow the authorities. For two weeks, Israeli forces have been conducting attacks against the leadership and power structures of the regime, striking, among others, into local posts and leaders of the Revolutionary Guards. On Monday, an Israeli attack allegedly killed the commander of the Basij paramilitary forces, whose members, often in civilian clothes, carried out brutal reprisals against members of the opposition.
What predictions did Israel make regarding the protests in Iran?
Why is the United States changing its approach towards Iran?
What happened on February 28, 2026 in Iran?
What attacks is Israel conducting against the Iranian regime?
However, in recent days, President Trump has admitted several times that he is not surprised that this has not happened yet, given the regime's threats that demonstrators will be shot. At the same time, Trump said in a Friday interview with Fox News that this would eventually happen, but not in the near future.
Administration officials quoted by the daily said that they no longer seek to overthrow the current ruling system in Iran.
The Israeli Embassy in the US commented on the daily's reports, emphasizing that Iranians have repeatedly risked their lives by taking to the streets against the authorities, including in January.
“There are opposition groups that have been working independently for years to overthrow the regime,” the embassy added in a statement.
