Netanyahu: The protests are widely used to weaken Iran
Prior to his meeting with Pompeo in Lisbon, the prime minister said he considered weakening Tehran a major target, and that "its economic resources are beginning to be strained, creating political and control problems." He said he spoke to Trump on the issue. "There is no reason to help them but to click"
Netanyahu: The protests are widely used to weaken Iran
Photo: Yaniv Zohar, Edit: Amit SimchaPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that protests are taking place in Iran, Lebanon and Iraq "an extensive cushion" for weakening the Iranian regime. Netanyahu, who spoke to reporters in Lisbon before his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said it was an opportunity to exert additional economic pressure on the Iranian regime, saying "I see it as our key target."
According to Netanyahu, Trump's retirement from the nuclear deal with Iran and the resumption of sanctions on it signal their great pressure on Iran. "Her economic resources are getting tighter as she tries to empower and increase her spheres of influence and it is shrinking, creating economic problems, creating political problems, creating a problem of control in both Iraq and Lebanon," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu added that he was contacting Trump on the issue, and that in his last conversation, he told him his views on the protests. He also said that "there is no reason to help them but to increase this pressure, and to my delight he said it yesterday in a poignant way."
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PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his Wife Sing at Ben-Gurion Airport before Visiting Lisbon, Portugal, December 4, 2019 (Photo: Kobi Gideon / GPO, official website)
Prior to his departure, Netanyahu said he spoke with Trump earlier this week about the Iranian threat, the defense alliance, and the application of Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. This is the first time Netanyahu has flown overseas since the September elections, and he will spend less than 48 hours in Lisbon. In addition to meeting Pompeo, Netanyahu is also expected to meet with the Portuguese Prime Minister during his visit.
A visit to Lisbon will allow Netanyahu to breathe air from the political plunder, which at this stage seems to be leading to a third election in exactly a week, and from the legal troubles that have been plaguing him since he was indicted last month. Prior to boarding, Netanyahu said he was interested in forming a unity government and that this was still possible, despite the battle between the Likud and the blue-and-white allegations, and the failure of Netanyahu's meeting with Benny Gantz. He added that Israeli House Speaker Avigdor Lieberman "can still make a government with us, it's his decision."
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To the full articleMore than 200 were killed. Police confront protesters in Iran (Photo: Reuters)
Police and demonstrators in clashes in Iran. November 27, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)
A protest in Iran broke out on November 15, after the government suddenly raised fuel prices by 300%, and has spread to more than 100 cities and towns. It soon became political as young people and workers demanded religious leaders to resign amnesty, so far the protests have taken the lives of more than 200 people. The regime's leaders have blamed "thugs" associated with the regime's opponents in exile and its enemies - the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.