President Donald Trump recently rejected a proposal from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly call for an uprising among the Iranian people. Trump’s concern was that such a move would lead to a massacre. This disagreement points to a clear difference in how the two leaders view the goals of the ongoing conflict with Iran.
“Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they’ll just get mowed down,” Trump reportedly told Netanyahu. While both the U.S. and Israel agree on most military objectives, they differ on the question of regime change in Iran. Netanyahu sees creating the conditions for a popular uprising as a core Israeli goal, but U.S. officials say Trump views regime change more as a “bonus” rather than a primary aim.
