Israel has been placed on a heightened state of alert as Iran faces its largest anti-government protests in years and amid the possibility of US intervention, Reuters reported, citing three Israeli sources.
According to the report published on Sunday, January 11, the sources, who attended Israeli security meetings in recent days, did not specify the reason for the increased level of readiness.
Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of US intervention in Iran in recent days and warned Islamic Republic officials against violently suppressing protesters.
On January 10, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!”
Protests erupted across Iran following a call by Reza Pahlavi on the evening of January 8. Shortly after demonstrations began, Iranian authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown.
Netanyahu, Rubio Discuss Iran
Reuters also reported, citing an Israeli official, that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on January 10.
According to the report, the possibility of US intervention in Iran was the main focus of the conversation. A US official confirmed the call but declined to provide further details.
Despite the expanding protests, Israel has so far shown no indication that it intends to intervene directly in Iran.
Tensions between the two countries remain high, driven largely by Israel’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes, which Israeli officials have long described as a major security threat.
