"They Will be Butchered": The Chilling Message Shared with American Diplomats
Israeli officials have warned American diplomats that any Iranians attempting to protest the regime right now will be "butchered" or "slaughtered" by state forces.
A leaked diplomatic cable from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has revealed a grim assessment from Israeli officials regarding the possibility of an internal uprising in Iran. According to reports from the Washington Post, Israeli experts have told their American counterparts that while the regime is under immense military pressure, its internal security apparatus remains intact and ready to use extreme violence. The cable suggests that any Iranians who take to the streets to protest the regime during this war will face a "slaughter," as the leadership in Tehran is prepared to fight "until the end" to maintain its grip on power.
An Unbreakable Regime?
Despite the elimination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the ongoing destruction of Iranian military assets, the Israeli assessment warns that the regime "is not cracking." The intelligence suggests that the core of the security state remains loyal to the revolutionary ideology and is fully prepared to use lethal force against its own citizens. Israeli officials conveyed to American diplomats that protesters would be "butchered" if they attempted a revolution at this stage. This blunt warning reflects the reality that the regime’s internal repression units, such as the Basij, remain operational and are being used as a final line of defense against both external and internal threats.
The Bravery of the People
The cable highlights a difficult moral and strategic dilemma for the coalition. While both Israel and the U.S. would benefit from a popular uprising against the Ayatollahs, they are wary of encouraging a movement that would lead to a civilian bloodbath. President Trump echoed this sentiment in his press conference, noting that while the protesters are "brave," they are facing a regime that is armed and ready to fire immediately. The Israeli assessment concludes that the regime is not yet at the point of collapse where a civilian protest could succeed without being met with overwhelming and fatal state violence.