Israel–U.S. Relations

Axios, citing two U.S. officials and an Israeli source, reports that during a call last week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged President Donald Trump to join him in a coordinated public appeal for Iranians to flood the streets against their government, arguing that recent Israeli assassinations had thrown the regime into disarray. Trump refused, reportedly saying, "Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they'll just get mowed down," reflecting concern that an explicit U.S. call could trigger mass killings and suggesting he views regime change as a 'bonus' rather than a primary war objective. Netanyahu went ahead with his own Festival of Fire message telling Iranians that Israeli aircraft were striking 'terrorist operatives' to let them celebrate and that 'we are watching from above,' but very few Iranians turned out, which U.S. and Israeli officials attribute to deep fear of repression after thousands were killed in pre‑war protests. Israel’s ambassador in Washington, Yechiel Leiter, later told CNN that Israel still aims to degrade the regime until it can no longer crush opposition, hoping this will spark a domestic 'combustion point' where 'the boots on the ground have to be Iranian boots.' The account underscores a growing strategic rift: Netanyahu is pushing hard for conditions that might topple Tehran, while Trump is simultaneously weighing a diplomatic endgame that leaves a weakened regime in place, a gap that is drawing sharp debate among analysts and on social media over whether Washington is backing into another open‑ended confrontation without a clear political finish line.