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Fear, jubilation, jokes: Iranians react after attack on Israel | Israel attacks Lebanon

Posted on by angelo
Fear, jubilation, jokes: Iranians react after attack on Israel | Israel attacks Lebanon

Tehran, Iran – On Tuesday evening, as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched an unprecedented ballistic missile attack on Israel, thousands of Iranians took to the streets to celebrate.

While some missiles were still in the air, in major Iranian cities, the government sent text messages encouraging people to attend state-organized rallies in support of the attack. Broadcast live on state television, the rallies saw the sky light up with fireworks and jovial chants praising Iran’s armed forces and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, broadcast through loudspeakers.

“Look at the moments of impact, where is Picasso to come and get these moments! Where are you looking for a Hollywood story, watch this and enjoy,” presenter Amirhossein Tahmasebi ecstatically told millions of viewers tuned into the state TV channel’s popular Channel 3, watching footage of dozens of missiles flying crushing on Israel.

Days earlier, the same anchor warned that Tehran could be next on attack if it does not avenge Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan in a major attack on Beirut. He had argued that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “only understands the language of missiles, and those of the ballistic type.”

It appeared at first that Iran was showing more of its “strategic patience” in the face of fears of an all-out regional war, with the government of moderate President Masoud Pezeshkian reluctant to strike during a highly unstable period.

The message from the state largely focused on the fact that “Hezbollah is alive” and relayed the message that the Iranian-backed “axis of resistance” in the region will continue to act against Israel’s objectives. There was no promise of imminent “harsh revenge” as in previous Israeli assassinations.

But once Tuesday’s attack on Israel began, Iranian authorities displayed a united front, emphasizing that all branches of state, including the government’s military and defense ministry, supported the ‘offensive.

In videos released to media outlets, Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri and IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami were seen smiling at a command center as they watched missiles strike Israel. Another video showed Salami calling the president to report that missiles had broken through and that air defense batteries were fully prepared to repel any Israeli response.

Worries about returning home from war

After the attack, Iran asked the United States and other allies of Israel not to intervene, warning that their bases would be directly targeted by more Iranian missiles if they participated in a possible Israeli attack on Israel. Iran.

But while the Israeli army has already killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon and hundreds more in the Gaza Strip – many of them civilians – in recent days, with little or no resistance from its European allies and some in Iran are worried about this situation. the devastating war reaching their doorstep.

“I was so scared last night that we considered packing our bags and leaving town with our family,” a 55-year-old woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday morning. “I was half expecting somewhere to have been hit when I woke up today, especially with news that Israeli planes were refueling to attack, but all seems to be quiet for the ‘moment. »

Perhaps in anticipation of extending its attacks to Iran, Israel has attempted to directly influence Iranian minds in recent days.

Netanyahu released a video Monday to address the Iranian people, saying “you deserve better” than the current Iranian establishment, but also warning that “there is nowhere in the Middle East that Israel cannot reach “.

After the missile attack, an Israeli military spokesperson released a video in Farsi, telling Iranians that Israel would retaliate against Iran at a time, place and manner of its choosing.

Translation: Nights of missile bombing in Tehran (during the eight years of the Iran-Iraq War), 1987

Ali, a 31-year-old from Tehran, said he was not yet panicking about a potentially imminent attack.

“But there is a real risk of war and bombs falling on our heads, I hope it will not come to that. How many people in the world have to worry about something like this? he asked.

Faced with threats of Israeli retaliation, many Iranians have turned to laughter to ease the burden.

Iranian social media was filled with jokes, many of which reflected fears and uncertainty about the future.

“The best thing about fall is when you wear a hoodie and zigzag around a shelter to avoid missiles,” one user wrote.

“Middle East, 270 days out of 365 in a year,” wrote another, citing an article that said: “We are in a historic night.”

Another Iranian noted lightly how the frequency of conflict could affect people’s ability to plan for their future.

“I put my five-year projects little by little in the drawer and I take out my five-year projects! “.

But some Iranians inside and outside the country, opposed to the current establishment, also expressed support for Israel online following the missile attack. In response, the IRGC’s intelligence department issued a short statement on Wednesday, calling on people to report “any support for the fake Israeli government in cyberspace.”