Israeli intelligence has provided Washington with what US officials described as a “smoking gun” showing that Iran’s regime carried out executions of detained protesters after assuring President Trump that such actions had stopped, Israel HaYom reports
The material presented to the United States includes documentation of live fire used against demonstrators and evidence that detainees were later executed after arrest by various means.
The findings contradict messages President Trump said he had received from Iranian leadership, including a communication conveyed through Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, indicating there were no plans to execute more than 800 protesters.
Tehran denied sending such a message and rejected claims that executions were planned. However, intelligence now held by the US administration reportedly shows that executions did take place. Israel played a role in obtaining the information, which also detailed protesters being shot in the streets and others killed after capture.
The revelations intensified debate within the US administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth are said to favor a tougher response, while Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner have argued for diplomatic restraint to prevent a wider regional conflict. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are described as supporting efforts to avoid escalation.
The issue was raised during meetings between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s team and Witkoff and Kushner, who are seeking a diplomatic path as Washington weighs its next steps.
At the same time, military coordination between Israel and the United States has deepened. Recent discussions included a visit by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper to Israel for operational planning. According to an Israeli security source, intelligence sharing, logistics coordination, and joint air defense preparations have reached an unprecedented level.
Under Cooper’s command, US forces in the region include aircraft carriers, missile ships and destroyers equipped with Tomahawk missiles. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is expected to move into closer operational range this week as Washington evaluates its response.
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