Israeli expert expects Iran protests to impact Middle East security

The Israeli security establishment has been following with great interest political developments in Iran amid ongoing anti-government protests there, especially their impact on the Middle East, a security source said.

“In Israel, an assessment is made of the daily situation in Iran which includes careful monitoring of what is happening on the streets of Tehran and statements made by Iranian leaders who are at a major crossroads” Israel’s Channel 20 quoted an Israeli security source as saying.

According to the source, Iran’s foreign policy is based on “investing in terrorism against Israel in order to strengthen itself as a force to resist Zionism in the world”.

The source believed the Iranian popular protests could lead to chaos similar to what accompanied the Arab revolutions and thus change the Iranian role and performance at the internal and external levels.

Popular protests began in Iran’s second largest city, Mashhad, last Thursday before spreading to other cities.

One of the main demands of the demonstrators is the improvement of living conditions in the country. Some protesters expressed anger that the Iranian authorities have invested excessive resources in Syria and other regional conflicts instead of improving economic conditions inside the country.

Read:Protests in Iran over soaring cost of living