Israel Warns Iran Against Testing Military Capabilities Amid Growing Protests

Israel has issued a stark warning to Iran, cautioning the regime against testing its military capabilities as international pressure mounts over Tehran’s handling of widespread domestic protests.

“We are in high readiness,” Israeli United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters. “We are ready with our defense capability, and we’re ready with our offensive capabilities… We would advise Iran not to test our capabilities.”

Danon revealed that Israel is aware of where Iran is keeping its ballistic missiles, which Tehran deployed against Jerusalem during a 12-day conflict in June 2025. The ambassador suggested that what occurred last summer was merely a “partial” demonstration of Israel’s military might, though he did not elaborate further on this point.

The summer of 2025 saw Israel launch “Operation Rising Lion,” aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The United States subsequently joined the effort with “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which resulted in the destruction of Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities.

According to Danon, any future military action against Iran would ultimately be a decision for the United States. “Our position is very clear, it is a decision of the United States. We are ready,” he stated. “We will not tell the U.S. if they should do it or not do it and when to do it.” The diplomat also implied that Washington would come to Israel’s aid if Iran were to attack, noting that “the U.S. or somebody else will attack them” in such a scenario.

Tensions between Iran and the United States have escalated following President Donald Trump’s recent call for “new leadership in Iran.” In an interview with Politico, Trump described Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.”

Iran responded to Trump’s remarks with its own warning. “Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand, but also we will set fire to their world,” said Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, according to The Associated Press.

Since late December, anti-regime protests have spread across Iran, drawing support from both the U.S. and Israel. President Trump threatened intervention if the regime responded with violence against protesters. However, he has so far held off on military action, claiming that Iran’s cancellation of scheduled executions influenced his decision.

“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced this message, telling reporters that all options remained on the table and that Trump had warned Iran that “if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly expressed support for the Iranian protesters. “The people of Israel, and the entire world, stand in awe of the immense bravery of Iran’s citizens,” Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting on January 11. “Israel supports their struggle for freedom and firmly condemns the mass killings of innocent civilians.”

He added that once Iran was “liberated from the yoke of tyranny,” Israel would be prepared to partner with the country in building “a future of prosperity and peace for both nations.”

Iranian officials have accused the U.S. and Israel of instigating the unrest. An Iranian ambassador claimed on January 16 that both countries were responsible for “political destabilization, internal unrest and chaos” and blamed them for “the innocent blood that has been shed in my country.” The Iranian mission to the UN further alleged on social media that “the satanic plot hatched by the United States and the Zionist regime to fragment Iran and to engineer an internal civil war” would be neutralized through national solidarity.

According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which monitors unrest in Iran, at least 4,029 people have been killed since the protests began, with 5,811 severely injured and 26,015 arrested.

The escalating rhetoric comes amid a complicated regional landscape where both Israel and the United States have long sought to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional influence, while Tehran continues to face significant internal pressure from a population increasingly dissatisfied with the current regime.