1. Home
2. Middle East
3. Netanyahu Says Israel 'Stands in Solidarity' with Iranians

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel stood in solidarity with the people of Iran as protests rocked several cities in the Islamic republic this week.

"We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom, liberty, and justice," Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting.

"It is very possible that we are standing at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their destiny into their own hands," he said, according to a statement from his office.

The demonstrations in Iran first kicked off last Sunday when shopkeepers staged a strike over economic concerns but have since spread in size and scope, with protesters making political demands.

Arch-foes Iran and Israel fought a 12-day war last year, after Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as well as residential areas, saying it aimed to cripple the Islamic republic's atomic research and ballistic missile capabilities.

Iran responded with drone and missile attacks on Israel. Later in the conflict, the United States joined Israel in briefly targeting Iranian nuclear sites before a ceasefire was declared.

On Sunday, Netanyahu also addressed Tehran's nuclear program, saying he discussed it with US President Donald Trump during his official visit this week.

"We reiterated our shared position of zero enrichment on the one hand and the need, of course, to remove the 400 kilograms of enriched material from Iran and subject the sites to strict and genuine oversight," Netanyahu said, adding that the conversation took place at the outset of the "dramatic" demonstrations.

The protests have affected, to varying degrees, at least 40 different cities, mostly medium-sized and located in Iran's west, according to an AFP tally based on official announcements and media reports.

At least 12 people have been killed, including members of the security forces, according to a toll based on official Iranian reports.

AFP