"They'll get mowed down": Trump rebuffed Netanyahu idea to call for Iran uprising
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Trump and Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in December. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to call on Iranians to flood the streets to protest their government last week, but President Trump told him it was just too risky, two U.S. officials and an Israeli source said.
- "Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they'll just get mowed down," Trump said to Netanyahu during their call, according to a U.S. official briefed on the conversation.
Why it matters: The U.S. and Israel agree on most of the military objectives of the war, but the outlooks differ on the question of regime change in Iran and the amount of chaos and bloodshed that's acceptable to try to bring it about.
- While Netanyahu lists creating the conditions for a popular uprising among Israel's core objectives, U.S. officials say Trump sees regime change as more of a "bonus."
- While he said at the onset of the war that the Iranian people will have a chance to take over the government when U.S. combat operations are over, he has rarely repeated that since.
Zoom in: In separate strikes last Tuesday, Israeli assassinated Ali Larijani, Iran's national security chief and the country's de facto acting leader, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij militia, along with several of his deputies.
- Israeli officials say the the killing of Soleimani was aimed at enabling a popular uprising because he was tasked with crushing protests.
Behind the scenes: Several hours later, Netanyahu claimed in a call with Trump that the Iranian regime was in disarray and there was a window of opportunity to further destabilize it, a U.S. official and an Israeli source said.
- Netanyahu proposed that he and Trump issue a coordinated public call to the Iranian people to take to the streets.
- That's when Trump expressed concern that such a call would just result in a massacre. Thousands of Iranian protesters were killed before the war.
The intrigue: Netanyahu and Trump agreed to wait and see whether Iranians would come out to into the streets during the annual festival of fire the following day, according to a source with knowledge.
- In the meantime, Netanyahu came out publicly on his own.
- "Our aircraft are striking terrorist operatives on the ground, on roads and in public squares. This is meant to allow the brave Iranian people to celebrate the Festival of Fire. So go out and celebrate...we are watching from above," Netanyahu said, speaking from air force headquarters.
- Very few Iranians went into the streets the next day, which U.S. and Israeli officials attributed to an enduring fear of how the regime would respond.
What they're saying: Several days later, Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, told CNN the goal was still to degrade the regime to the point where it had no ability to crack down on the opposition.
- "Hopefully that would trigger that combustion point where the people are able to take charge of their own lives... I think we can degrade this regime to the point the it collapses from the air. The boots on the ground have to be Iranian boots," he said.
What to watch: While the military campaign is ongoing, and the U.S. is considering options for major escalation, Trump is also interested in pursuing a diplomatic path that would leave what's left of the regime in place.
- Netanyahu is very skeptical that an acceptable deal can be reached any time soon, Israeli officials say.
Go deeper: Iran suspects Trump's peace talk push is another trick
