In a phone call on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the possibility of US intervention in Iran, according to an Israeli source who was present for the conversation. A US official confirmed the two men spoke but did not say what topics they discussed.
Axios reporter Barak Ravid, citing a US source, said that it was a routine check-in call between the two countries.
Israel is on high alert for the possibility of any US intervention in Iran as authorities there confront the biggest anti-government protests in years, according to three Israeli sources with knowledge of the matter.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in recent days and warned Iran’s rulers against using force against demonstrators. On Saturday, Trump said the US stands “ready to help.”
The sources, who were present for Israeli security consultations over the weekend, did not elaborate on what Israel’s high-alert footing meant in practice. Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war in June.
Protests have spread across Iran since December 28 in response to soaring inflation and quickly turning political, with protesters demanding an end to clerical rule. Authorities accuse the US and Israel of fomenting unrest.
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