Columbia Professor: Israel Stoking Iran Unrest to Divert Gaza Focus

A Columbia University professor has accused Israel of secretly organizing the recent protests in Iran. Professor Hamid Dabashi claims Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad, is behind the unrest. He says this is a tactic to distract global attention from Israel's military actions in Gaza, which he calls a "genocide." Dabashi cited a social media post by former CIA director David Petraeus as evidence. Petraeus had suggested that internal protests were a major vulnerability for Iran. The professor made these claims in a recent interview. Israeli officials have not responded to the allegation. The protests in Iran began after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 and have continued sporadically. Iran has previously blamed outside forces for instigating domestic dissent.