User Reactions to Israeli Attacks on Islamic Republic Positions: 'Iran-Selling Regime' Caught in a Chain Reaction Trap

The Israeli army's attacks on Islamic Republic positions, including military bases and missile sites across various regions of Iran early Saturday morning, sparked widespread reactions among Iranian social media users, with many emphasizing that this is not Iran's war, but rather a war of Ali Khamenei's regime. Saeed Qasemi-Nejad, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote on social media platform X on Saturday, November 5: 'The Islamic Republic is so humiliated that despite 20 missile and air defense bases and missile production centers being targeted, the fact that they did not hit the leadership's residence and nuclear centers and economic infrastructure is a great victory for them.' Hamed Mohammadi, a military and defense journalist, emphasized that the area near the burial site of Ruhollah Khomeini that was targeted is 'likely a missile site that is exactly close to Tehran's air defense ring.' He stressed that 'the non-activation of Tehran's and other cities' defenses means that the claim of Israeli Defense Minister Gallant, who said, 'We will strike in a way that they won't know where they were hit from,' was correct.' Soroush Lashkari, a protest rap singer known as 'Hichkas,' published an image of smoke from the explosion in the area attacked by Israel near Khomeini's burial site and called for the targeting of the founder of the Islamic Republic's tomb. He wrote to the Israeli army: 'As far as you went, you should have hit the dome too.' Hossein Aghaei, an international relations and strategic affairs researcher, pointed out that 'the Israeli attack involved over 100 fighter jets' and occurred 'by entering Iranian airspace,' adding: 'The Islamic Republic has failed in defense; the Islamic Republic's war room is ineffective against external attacks; Iran's sky is defenseless.' He predicted that in the next phase of the Israeli attack, 'nuclear facilities are at risk,' calling the Islamic Republic a 'delusional Iran-selling regime' that is 'once again caught in the chain reaction trap,' stating: 'Whether you hit or not, the delusional Iran-selling regime loses.' Mohammad Izadi, a philosophy researcher and political activist, also noted: 'None of the Islamic Republic's leaders reacted about eight hours after the attacks ended.' Asghar Sepehri, a civil activist whose two family members, Mohammad-Hossein and Fatemeh Sepehri, are imprisoned in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, emphasized: 'In response to Israel's attack on the Islamic Republic, no civilians were killed.' He continued: 'In January (Dey 1402), when Pakistan responded to the Islamic Republic's missile firing, at least seven Iranian civilians were killed, which the Islamic Republic called 'non-Iranian' to avoid responding to Pakistan!' Mr. Sepehri added: 'Given that Israel had previously stated that it would give a 'deadly and painful response' to the Islamic Republic, I am sure many military personnel were killed, but the Islamic Republic is currently silent because it fears responding and retaliating against Israel.' One popular user on social media X, using the pseudonym 'Bamdad Etemad,' wrote: 'Regardless of last night's Israeli attacks, this morning people resumed their normal lives.' He addressed the Islamic Republic: 'This is not due to the security you have created; everyone saw your bankrupt air defense and nonexistent air force last night. Right or wrong, these people trust Israel. They believe that Israel has nothing to do with the Iranian people.' The New Iran Party also emphasized in a statement that 'the military conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel is not a national-patriotic battle, but Khamenei's war over his apocalyptic and anti-human delusions,' and 'Iranian forces must wisely utilize all opportunities to focus all efforts on overthrowing the evil Islamic Republic regime and re-establishing a national government.' Najat Bahrami, a journalist, described the Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic's military centers as 'a widespread and intensified version of the late Farvardin attack on the Isfahan air base,' stating: 'That attack was also kept hidden by the Islamic Republic because it was inside a military complex, and until two or three days ago when Aziz Jafari admitted it, it had truly been forgotten.' Mr. Bahrami referred to 'the outrageous lies of the IRGC media about interception and confrontation,' considering these claims specific to 'Hezbollah supporters present in cyberspace,' and added: 'This attack, too, will be covered up because it focused on military targets and inside barracks, and the clerics will declare victory until aerial images are gradually released, and of course, Israel has officially acknowledged this attack, and it is natural that more information will be provided to the media.' Amirhossein Mir-Asmaeili, a journalist, also predicted that 'this type of Israeli attacks will continue and expand as they are now confident of the destruction or complete ineffectiveness of the IRGC's defenses.' Bobby Afrouz, a political activist, emphasized: 'Shame on the Islamic Republic and its foolish leader, who has brought nothing but war, death, and misery to the country.' Following the retaliatory attack by the Israeli army on the Islamic Republic's positions in Iran, some state media reported that four individuals named 'Mohammad-Mehdi Shahrokhi, Hamzeh Jahandideh, Sajjad Mansouri, and Mehdi Naqvi' have been killed, but no further details have been released. Meanwhile, a video circulated on social media shows two presenters from the Islamic Republic's state television laughing and mocking the Israeli attacks and claiming their ineffectiveness. This is while according to government sources, at least four military personnel have been killed in these attacks, and an unspecified number have been injured, with some of their conditions reported as critical. Earlier, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a senior U.S. government official, that Joe Biden, the U.S. President, and his national security team have been working with the Israelis in recent weeks to encourage Israel to carry out a targeted response with the least risk of civilian casualties. The Israeli army targeted military bases and missile sites in several regions of Iran in airstrikes against Islamic Republic positions early Saturday morning. On Saturday, the United States urged the Islamic Republic of Iran to stop its attacks on Israel to halt the 'cycle of violence' following Israel's attack on Islamic Republic positions, which was in retaliation for missile attacks on Israel. John South, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, told reporters: 'We urge [the government of] Iran to stop its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of war ends without further escalation.' The National Security Council spokesman added: 'Their response was to exercise their right to self-defense and specifically avoided populated areas, focusing solely on military targets, unlike the [government of] Iran's attack on Israel, which targeted the most populated city in Israel.' He emphasized that the U.S. did not participate in this operation, stating: 'Our goal is to expedite diplomacy and de-escalation in the Middle East.'