Reactions to the Islamic Republic's Attack on Israel; Prince Reza Pahlavi: This 'Regime' is an Existential Threat to Iran and Israel

Following the Islamic Republic's missile and drone attacks on Israel, Prince Reza Pahlavi referred to 'this regime' as 'an existential threat to both Iran and Israel.' Social media users also reacted widely to these attacks. Prince Reza Pahlavi stated, 'For years I have said that the fate of the people of Iran and Israel is uniquely intertwined.' He added, 'We have a shared dream for peace that a common enemy has taken away from us: the Islamic Republic regime.' He emphasized, 'This regime is an existential threat to both Iran and Israel, and as long as it remains in power, this threat will continue.' Additionally, several observers, analysts, political activists, and social media users reacted extensively to the Islamic Republic's missile and drone attacks on Israel. Hamid Shibani Rad, a political activist and secretary of the Iran Novin Party, noted the ineffectiveness of the Islamic Republic's attacks and Israel's effective defense, writing on social media platform X: 'The regime's fiery dominance and its terrorist IRGC are so hollow that its aggression against Israeli territory with 'hundreds' of missiles and drones turns into a display of Israel's deterrent power.' He added, 'Israelis can once again trust the successful performance of their 'Iron Dome.' I doubt any government in the history of the world has been as humiliated and degraded as the Islamic Republic.' The official Israeli account in Persian on X also emphasized to the people of Iran: 'Our fight is with the Islamic Republic, not with the people of Iran.' In this context, Atefeh Ahmadi, a former member of Iran's national skiing team who has sought asylum in Germany, wrote on Instagram: 'We Iranians are currently at war with the Islamic Republic.' Referring to the 'thousands of years of civilization' and 'peace-loving' nature of Iranians, she expressed hope for the 'return of freedom' to Iran and 'peace for all,' stating, 'The people of Iran should not pay the price for the regime's madness.' Journalist and analyst Hamid Mohammadi also stated in an interview with Voice of America that the Islamic Republic's attack on Israel was 'a matter of honor, not rationality.' Hussein Aqaee, an international relations researcher, assessed the Islamic Republic's response as 'a direct military action but disproportionate and not on par with Israel's significant action of killing dozens of IRGC Quds Force commanders and leveling its consulate,' which 'will not lead to a revival of deterrence for the Islamic Republic.' According to him, 'Israel now has the option to carry out operations with greater intensity inside and outside Iran's borders against the regime.' This strategic expert also stated that Israel will likely show a 'maximum military and diplomatic combined response,' adding, 'Israel will undoubtedly respond,' and 'the Islamic Republic's reaction will not cure this regime's 'pain' and 'the Islamic Republic has lost in the deterrence equation.' In addition to tracking and destroying the Islamic Republic's drones and missiles by some countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., images shared on social media indicate that some of these drones have gone astray. The account 'Mamlakteh,' which follows news and developments in Iran, shared a video with a caption stating, 'Now, the sky over Piranshahr, the border of the Kurdistan region. It is probably ballistic because a part of the missile is visibly detached.' Journalist Saman Rasoulpour shared a video on X stating, 'Apparently, a drone got caught in wires in Iraq.' Also, some videos shared on social media show the crash of some Islamic Republic drones around Shiraz and in citizens' gardens. Meanwhile, Ehsan Karami, a presenter and actor, pointed out the enormous costs spent on weapon construction in the Islamic Republic, stating: '99 percent of their missiles and drones were either destroyed or did not reach their destination. Do you know what that means? It means they spent the people's money on building weapons that can be easily destroyed without causing trouble for the enemy! They threaten the whole world with them!' A designer and painter known as 'Ghalamfarsah' on social media, while reposting old images from other parts of the world that were used as attacks on Israel, wrote: 'In an era where news and images can be verified so easily, they lie with such audacity and broadcast videos of other conflicts as attacks on Israel.' Hadi Mehrani, a political activist, also pointed out the rise in the dollar price to 70,000 tomans, stating: 'Iran has never seen a government as foolish, incompetent, and unpolitical as the Islamic Republic.' Ali Hedayatloo, a user who had previously been arrested by the Islamic Republic, stated on social media X that the drone and missile attack by the Islamic Republic indicates the isolation of this government, saying that 'the U.S., U.K., and Jordan took down the drones' and 'the cruise missiles were all destroyed outside Israel's borders,' which means 'a regional-global consensus against the Islamic Republic.' Meanwhile, some defenders of the Islamic Republic defended the government's attack on Israel. Among them, Amir Tanha, a political activist aligned with the Islamic Republic, using the hashtag 'Sacred Defense,' wrote: 'We were not the initiators, but the end will be with us.' Additionally, members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly gathered in support of the Islamic Republic's attacks on Israel on Sunday, April 26, chanting against Israel. On the other hand, Hossein Salami, the commander of the IRGC, announced a new decision by the Islamic Republic for 'a new equation,' stating that from now on, if Israel 'attacks our interests, assets, personalities, and citizens anywhere, we will retaliate from the Islamic Republic of Iran.' Despite these threats, in addition to increasing chaos in the Iranian market and fluctuations in the prices of the dollar and gold, images shared on social media show that following the Islamic Republic's attacks on Israel, people in various cities in Iran rushed to gas stations. Following the Islamic Republic's drone and missile attack on Israel on Saturday evening, Western countries condemned the attack. Joe Biden, the President of the United States, emphasized the 'ironclad' commitment of the United States to Israel's security in a statement, condemning the 'unprecedented' attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq on 'military facilities in Israel' in 'the strongest possible terms.'