WANA (Aug 13) – Fifty days after the end of the twelve-day war, Benjamin Netanyahu once again turned to the Iranian people—this time not with missiles and airstrikes, but with a video message that smelled less like an “invitation” and more like a “pre-lost gamble.” In this address, the Israeli prime minister, with a tone of sympathy, claimed that Israel is ready to solve Iran’s water problem and urged people to take to the streets.

 

Yet this attempt clearly echoed the same goal that had failed during the height of the war: stirring internal unrest to hasten regime change. That goal, as acknowledged by Menashe Amir—a media figure close to Mossad—failed because the Iranian people ignored the calls. Speaking on Iran International, he said: “The frustration of Tel Aviv officials, especially Netanyahu, is that the Iranian people slapped them in the face.”

People attend a ceremony to mark the 40th day of the deaths of military commanders who were killed in Iran’s 12-day war with Israel, in Tehran, Iran, August 7, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency

Water Aid or Publicity Stunt?

In part of his message, Netanyahu promised that “as soon as Iran is free, Israel’s top water experts” would head to Iranian cities to solve the water crisis. This promise, which he had also made in 2018, may seem at first like a humanitarian gesture. But official reports from Israel’s Water Authority and the country’s State Comptroller paint a different picture: Israel itself ranks ninth in the world for water stress and has lost a large share of its natural water resources.

 

Hebrew-language media—from Yedioth Ahronoth to Haaretz—have in recent months reported on unprecedented drought, falling water levels in the Sea of Galilee, and the risk of drinking water shortages. Even Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has declared an official “drought emergency.” These realities show that Israel is neither a “water superpower” nor technically capable of resolving the crisis of a country the size and population of Iran.

Israeli media acknowledge an unprecedented water crisis. Social media / WANA News Agency

Israeli media acknowledge an unprecedented water crisis. Social media / WANA News Agency

A Track Record That Undermines the Promise

Israel’s actual record in water management—especially in the occupied territories—stands in stark contradiction to Netanyahu’s promises. According to international organizations, the regime extracts around 85% of shared aquifer water and restricts Palestinian access. In the West Bank, Palestinians need military permits to drill or even repair wells, and their per-capita water consumption is below the World Health Organization’s minimum recommendation.

 

In Gaza, even before the recent war, Israel’s restrictions on infrastructure and imports had left millions dependent on contaminated water. During the war, Netanyahu’s government even cut or limited water and electricity to the area—measures that international reports deemed insufficient for the population’s health and drinking needs.

Israel’s water reserves are in worse condition than Iran’s. Social media / WANA News Agency

Israel’s water reserves are in worse condition than Iran’s. Social media / WANA News Agency

This history of using water as a tool against civilians makes the promise of helping Iran look all the more like a PR maneuver.

 

President Pezeshkian responded to Netanyahu’s claim on X, writing: “A regime that deprives the people of Gaza of water and food now wants to bring water to the people of Iran? What a mirage!”

Gaza Crisis. Social media/ WANA News Agency

A Call to the Streets—and the Responses

In his message to Iranians, Netanyahu said: “Come to the streets, I am with you!” A line that not only contradicts past on-the-ground realities—where his few supporters in Iran, once arrested, were left without backing—but also drew ridicule online.

 

Non-Iranian X users wrote: “Iran is free, free America instead” and pointed to the role of Israeli lobbies in U.S. domestic politics. These reactions show that even outside Iran, Netanyahu’s message was seen as a propaganda tool.

Protesters burn Israeli and U.S. flags during an anti-Israeli protest after Friday prayers, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 20, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

An Unintended Unity

Perhaps the most significant outcome of Netanyahu’s remarks is what American writer Scott Anderson called the “rally-round-the-flag effect.” He said: “When Netanyahu said during the bombings that these strikes were for regime change, it was a self-defeating statement; the Iranian people united around their government.”

 

This analysis directly connects to the failure of the recent message: the more Netanyahu prescribes solutions from outside, the tighter the circle of domestic unity in Iran becomes.

 

Netanyahu’s latest address was not the start of a protest movement, but rather a sign of the continuing strategic deadlock in Israel’s approach to Iran. The water crisis he chose as his entry point is, in fact, his own domestic Achilles’ heel. And the call to the streets, far from mobilizing Iranians, only reminded them of the same failed gamble lost on the battlefield fifty days ago.

People attend the Friday prayers, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 20, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)