Fearing miscalculation, Netanyahu sends message to Iran through Putin: Israel doesn’t want war

Israeli and Iranian officials have told news outlets for months that both sides fear a miscalculation about each other's intentions that could lead to a new escalation between the countries. 

With massive anti-regime protests lasting almost two weeks now, this danger is larger than ever, reportedly causing Israel to send calming messages to Iran via its ally, Russia, in an effort to prevent a conflagration.

The Iranian regime has blamed the U.S. and Israel for exploiting economic protests for regime change, while officials from both countries have expressed their support for the Iranian people. 

Recent events like the American capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro have exacerbated Iranian fears further. The Jerusalem Post even reported on Monday that the successful operation in Venezuela has caused Israel and the U.S. to weigh the possibility of intervening in Iran to help the protests topple the regime.

Kan News reported on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a message to Iran via Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he still has relatively good connections despite Russia being an ally of the Iranian regime.

Netanyahu tried to assure Iran that Israel doesn’t intend to go to war with the Islamic Republic, Kan reported, citing diplomatic sources. The report added that a similar message had been sent via Putin in October, stating that Israel was “not interested in an escalation.”

Confirming the report, Putin said in October, “We are continuing our talks with Israel and are receiving signals from the Israeli leadership with a request to convey to our Iranian friends a message that Israel is seeking a settlement and is not interested in any kind of conflict.”

Earlier Monday, Netanyahu had reiterated his support for the Iranian people, while warning the regime that if Israel were attacked, “consequences will be severe.”

“We may be standing at a decisive moment in which the Iranian people will take their fate into their own hands,” he said.

Also on Monday, The Jerusalem Post reported that it had received “multiple indications” that the Trump administration is weighing an intervention in Iran, while Israel was also reconsidering a military operation in light of the successful U.S. operation in Venezuela. Israeli leaders voiced strong support for Maduro’s capture.

Iranian officials have told Reuters that the U.S. operation in Venezuela has scared the Iranian regime. Some of the authorities feared Iran could be “the next victim of Trump's aggressive foreign policy,” one official said.

Another official added, that Tehran was worried that “Trump or Israel might take military action against Iran, like what they did in June.”

The Post reported that Israel and the U.S. had estimated that the protests alone are unlikely to tip the balance and topple the Ayatollah regime. 

“It’s not that there is no concern, but there is also no total panic among the regime’s leadership," a Western diplomat familiar with intelligence assessments told the Post.

However, Israel and the U.S. are now reportedly considering whether a targeted operation, possibly a strike against the Iranian leadership, could change the equation.

“Officials from both countries, as indicated above, now seem to be exploring new options. It is possible that the US may use some kind of threat of force and even limited force to prevent Khamenei from crushing the protest movement, in order to provide the movement more of a chance to grow,” wrote Yonah Jeremy Bob, the outlet’s senior military correspondent.

“There are no indications that a final choice has yet been made, especially with Trump still deciding how to handle the aftermath in Venezuela of having abducted Maduro. But there are indications that, for the first time, there may be a belief that an intervention to assist protesters, which is short of a major invasion to topple the regime, may be viable,” Bob added.