Deadly protests
\nTehran issues warning as Trump pledges support for anti-government protesters; Israel on high alert
\n Tehran
\nIran warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any attack by the United States would trigger Tehran\u2019s retaliation against Israel and American military bases in the region, as tensions escalate over Washington\u2019s increasingly vocal support for anti-government protests sweeping the Islamic Republic.
\nParliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told lawmakers that Israel and regional US military installations would be considered \u201clegitimate targets\u201d if Washington launches strikes against Iran, marking a sharp escalation in rhetoric as the country faces its largest protest movement in years.
\nThe warning comes as Israel has placed its military on high alert for the possibility of US intervention in Iran, according to three Israeli sources with knowledge of security consultations held over the weekend. The sources did not elaborate on what the heightened alert status means in practical terms.
\nPresident Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in recent days, warning Iran\u2019s rulers against using force against demonstrators. \u201cIran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday, without providing specifics on what form American assistance might take.
\nA day earlier, Trump said Iran was in \u201cbig trouble\u201d and again warned he could order military strikes against the country.
\nThe escalating situation prompted a phone call Saturday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the possibility of American intervention, according to an Israeli source present for the conversation. A US official confirmed the call took place but declined to specify what topics were discussed. Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war in June during which the US joined Israel in launching airstrikes. Current tensions remain high over Israeli concerns about Iran\u2019s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
\nDespite the heightened alert, Israel has not signaled a desire to directly intervene as protests grip Iran. In an interview with the Economist published Friday, Netanyahu warned of \u201chorrible consequences\u201d for Iran if it were to attack Israel, but alluded to the protests by saying, \u201ceverything else, I think we should see what is happening inside Iran.\u201d
\nThe two weeks of demonstrations have posed one of the biggest challenges to the theocratic authorities who have ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, although supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed defiance and blamed the US.
\nFollowing the movement\u2019s largest protests yet on Thursday, new demonstrations took place late Friday, according to images verified by AFP and other videos published on social media.
\nThis was despite an internet shutdown imposed by the authorities, with monitor Netblocks saying Saturday evening that \u201cIran has now been offline for 48 hours\u201d.
\nAmnesty International said it was analysing \u201cdistressing reports that security forces have intensified their unlawful use of lethal force against protesters\u201d since Thursday in an escalation \u201cthat has led to further deaths and injuries\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Deadly protests Tehran issues warning as Trump pledges support for anti-government protesters; Israel on high alert Tehran Iran warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any attack by the United States would trigger Tehran\u2019s retaliation against Israel and American military bases in the region, as tensions escalate over Washington\u2019s increasingly vocal support for anti-government protests […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":525077,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-525052","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n