Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Thursday that Iran’s leadership has been significantly weakened by the recent nationwide anti-government protests, describing the Islamic Republic as being in “quite a fragile situation.”
“The people are suffering tremendously. There’s shortage of food and water and so many other basics. The economy is in shambles,” Herzog said during a discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
“It’s clear to me that the ayatollah regime is in quite a
fragile situation.”
He said there could be no future for the Iranian people without a change of leadership, adding that any such shift must ultimately come from “within” Iran, with backing from the international community.
“The horizon, the future for the Iranian people can only be in
a regime change.”
He criticized what he described as a lack of a vocal international opposition to Iran’s leadership, contrasting it with global demonstrations of solidarity with Palestinians seen during the war in Gaza.
Last June, Israel and Iran fought a 12-day conflict marked by intense mutual attacks. Amid recent speculation over a possible new US strike on Iran, the two countries have since exchanged threats again.
Iran on Wednesday published official death toll figures for the protests that started at the end of December, saying that a total of 3,117 people were killed.
Rights group, however, say the actual number of victims is likely to be significantly higher.
