Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told lawmakers that Israel and regional US military installations would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington launches strikes against Iran, marking a sharp escalation in rhetoric as the country faces its largest protest movement in years.
Read: Crackdown fears grow as Iran protests persist
The warning comes as Israel has placed its military on high alert for the possibility of US intervention in Iran, according to three Israeli sources with knowledge of security consultations held over the weekend. The sources did not elaborate on what the heightened alert status means in practical terms.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in recent days, warning Iran’s rulers against using force against demonstrators. “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday, without providing specifics on what form American assistance might take.
A day earlier, Trump said Iran was in “big trouble” and again warned he could order military strikes against the country.
The escalating situation prompted a phone call Saturday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the possibility of American intervention, according to an Israeli source present for the conversation. A US official confirmed the call took place but declined to specify what topics were discussed.
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Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war in June during which the US joined Israel in launching airstrikes. Current tensions remain high over Israeli concerns about Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Despite the heightened alert, Israel has not signaled a desire to directly intervene as protests grip Iran. In an interview with the Economist published Friday, Netanyahu warned of “horrible consequences” for Iran if it were to attack Israel, but alluded to the protests by saying, “everything else, I think we should see what is happening inside Iran.”
The two weeks of demonstrations have posed one of the biggest challenges to the theocratic authorities who have ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, although supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed defiance and blamed the US.
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Following the movement’s largest protests yet on Thursday, new demonstrations took place late Friday, according to images verified by AFP and other videos published on social media.
This was despite an internet shutdown imposed by the authorities, with monitor Netblocks saying Saturday evening that “Iran has now been offline for 48 hours”.
Amnesty International said it was analysing “distressing reports that security forces have intensified their unlawful use of lethal force against protesters” since Thursday in an escalation “that has led to further deaths and injuries”.