Iran protests instigated by Israel to distract from Gaza 'genocide,' Columbia professor claims

An Iranian studies prof astatine an Ivy League assemblage slammed Israel's alleged information successful protests successful Iran, which person turned convulsive arsenic the country's dictatorial authorities fights back.

"What you are seeing contiguous is Israel instigated revolt, due to the fact that determination are Mossad agents successful the streets of Tehran hiding among Iranian demonstrators," said Columbia University prof Hamid Dabashi successful an interrogation with Al Jazeera.

Dabashi pointed to a caller X station by erstwhile CIA manager Mike Pompeo, successful which Pompeo referenced Mossad agents among the protesters.

Columbia University prof Hamid Dabashi delivers a lecture astatine the University of California, Davis connected Oct. 28, 2014. (University of California, Davis)

"The Iranian authorities is successful trouble. Bringing successful mercenaries is its past champion hope," Pompeo said successful a Jan. 2 post. "Riots successful dozens of cities and the Basij nether siege — Mashed, Tehran, Zahedan. Next stop: Baluchistan. 47 years of this regime; POTUS 47. Coincidence? Happy New Year to each Iranian successful the streets. Also to each Mossad cause walking beside them..."

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"In addition, implicit the past fewer days we person seen Israeli flags successful Tehran among the protesters," said Dabashi. "What is the Israeli emblem doing successful Iran?"

"So, erstwhile we survey — erstwhile we look astatine the events unfolding successful Iran, we person to beryllium precise cautious making a favoritism betwixt a morganatic protestation of Iranians against their authorities due to the fact that of the economical crisis, and the imbalance betwixt [the] Rial and dollar, and illegitimate Israel-instigated protests for their ain nefarious reasons."

Dabashi finished by claiming that Israel is influencing the protests to "distract attraction from the ongoing genocide of Palestinians successful Gaza, and the continued theft of Palestinian territories successful the West Bank.

People stitchery during a protestation connected January 8, 2026, successful Tehran, Iran. Demonstrations person been ongoing since December, triggered by soaring ostentation and the illness of the rial, and person expanded into broader demands for governmental change.  (Anonymous/Getty Images)

"Professor Dabashi, similar each members of the Columbia community, is entitled to explicit idiosyncratic views, including those with which others whitethorn powerfully disagree," a assemblage spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The opinions helium has expressed are his ain and bash not correspond Columbia."

Dabashi did not instrumentality a petition for comment. 

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Columbia has been dogged by accusations of antisemitism, and was location to immoderate of the astir virulent anti-Israel protests and encampments during the two-year warfare stemming from Hamas' 2023 violent onslaught connected Israeli concertgoers.

In July, President Donald Trump secured a $21 cardinal colony with the New York schoolhouse specifically to settee claims of antisemitic employment favoritism against Jewish module aft the Oct. 7, 2023. Overall, the schoolhouse forked implicit a full of $221 cardinal amid a flurry of different national investigations.

People be a vigil and protestation for Palestine extracurricular of Columbia University connected October 7, 2025 successful New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

The schoolhouse established an antisemitism task unit to tackle the allegations, culminating successful a December report. 

"In the people of its work, the Task Force has heard of the isolation and symptom galore Jewish and Israeli Columbia affiliates person experienced successful caller months," the study said. "While mourning Hamas’s unspeakable atrocities connected October 7, immoderate Jewish and Israeli Columbia affiliates person been the entity of racist epithets and graffiti, antisemitic tropes, and confrontational and unwelcome questions, portion others person recovered their information successful immoderate pupil groups that person thing to bash with authorities to beryllium progressively uncomfortable."

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In a connection announcing the merchandise of the report, Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, said the schoolhouse is balancing world state of look and preventing discrimination. 

Fox News' Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.