Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to issue a coordinated public call with President Trump urging Iranians to flood the streets in protest against their government last week, but Trump rejected the proposal as too dangerous. According to a U.S. official briefed on the conversation, Trump told Netanyahu: "Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they'll just get mowed down."
The disagreement highlights differing U.S. and Israeli approaches to regime change in Iran. While Netanyahu lists creating conditions for a popular uprising among Israel's core war objectives, U.S. officials say Trump views regime change as more of a "bonus" rather than a primary goal. Trump has rarely repeated his early war statement that Iranians would have a chance to take over their government after combat operations end.
The discussion came hours after Israeli strikes killed key Iranian officials, including Ali Larijani, Iran's national security chief and de facto acting leader, and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij militia. Israeli officials said Soleimani's assassination specifically targeted someone tasked with crushing protests to enable a potential uprising.
Netanyahu argued during the call that the Iranian regime was in disarray and presented a window of opportunity for further destabilization. However, Trump expressed concern that such a public call would lead to a massacre, referencing the thousands of Iranian protesters killed before the current war. The leaders ultimately agreed to wait and observe whether Iranians would spontaneously take to the streets.