
Despite destruction and death, Israelis widely support war against Iran
Shoshi Arbuz received the alert on her phone just minutes before the explosion. Along with her four children, her husband and their dog, they had just enough time to get down to the shelter beneath their small four-story building – a room just a few square meters in the basement, furnished with plastic chairs and a reinforced door. When the Iranian missile struck less than 100 meters away just after 7 am on Thursday morning in Holon, a southern suburb of Tel Aviv, the ground shook in the basement-turned-shelter. "Everything went black, the shelter filled with dust," said the 40-year-old municipal employee. The building across the street, which took a direct hit, was partially destroyed. About 30 people were rescued from it, including two who were critically injured, according to the city's chief fire officer.
The blast destroyed the inside of the family apartment, as well as dozens of others around the impact site. In her partially-destroyed living room, Arbuz repeated that she didn't "want war," but nevertheless firmly supported the Netanyahu government's decision to launch a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, because of the nuclear threat. "Iran wants to destroy us. I understand that if we hadn't attacked, they would have," she explained, echoing the public's deep-seated fears about the dangers posed by the Iranian regime.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies regarding the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack have caused months of anger and incomprehension, the bombing of targets in Iran has, at least for now, been met with wide approval: More than 80% of Jewish Israelis support the strikes, according to a recent poll conducted for the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI).

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Euronews
28 minutes ago
- Euronews
Why Iranians aren't rising up - at least not yet
Iran's internal and external opposition groups are facing a pivotal moment amid regional military escalation, but remain divided and unwilling to launch mass action at this time, despite their distaste for the ruling regime. Israel is launching strikes targeting Iran's security apparatus, while Kurdish and Baluchi separatist groups in the border areas are preparing to escalate the situation internally. The Islamic Republic is more fragile today than it has been since the 1979 revolution, but any real challenge to its rule would require a broad popular uprising, something that is still being debated among opposition forces. Calls for change from within In media interviews this week, Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of the late Shah, declared his desire to lead a political transition, describing the current situation as a "historic opportunity" for regime change. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised that ending the Iranian regime is one of the goals of the war, noting that Israel is "paving the way for your freedom", in a message to the Iranian people. Civilians fearful of escalation Inside Iran, where the regime is accustomed to suppressing dissent, the Basij forces announced they had put their units on alert. Mohammad Amin, a Basij member in the city of Qom, said his unit was put on the highest readiness to "eradicate Israeli spies and protect the regime". Activists noted that the Israeli strikes, while targeting security structures that had crushed previous protests, led to fear and confusion among ordinary citizens, who expressed anger at both sides, Iranian and Israeli. Activist Atena Damimi, who spent six years in Iranian prisons before leaving the country, said: "How can people be expected to take to the streets? In such terrifying circumstances, people only focus on saving themselves, their families, their friends and even their pets." Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Narges Mohammadi echoed Damimi's remarks, writing in a social media post in response to Israel's call for civilians to evacuate parts of Tehran: "Don't destroy my city." 2022 protests are faint echoes today Two Iranian activists - who were among the hundreds of thousands of people who took part in mass protests two years ago following the death of Mahsa Amini in detention -have expressed their unwillingness to take part in new protests now. A university student in Shiraz (who is withholding her identity for fear of reprisals) said: "After the strikes are over, we will raise our voices, because this regime is responsible for the war." Another, who lost her university place and was jailed for five months after the 2022 protests, added that she believes in regime change, but it is not yet time to take to the streets. She stressed that she and her friends are not planning to organise or join marches, and rejected calls from abroad to demonstrate, noting that "Israel and the so-called opposition leaders abroad are only thinking about their own interests." External opposition and a complicated history Among the main opposition forces outside Iran is the MEK, a revolutionary faction that played a role in the 1970s and was widely criticised for siding with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). The MEK was also accused of abuse inside its camps, which the organisation denies. Maryam Rajavi heads the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) - a body that has ties with some Western politicians - reiterated her rejection of any return to the monarchy during a forum in Paris this week. "Neither the Shah nor the regime," she said. Milestones of national protests The level of domestic support for these opposition groups remains unclear. While some are nostalgic for the pre-revolutionary era, most young Iranians do not remember it today. Iranhas seen multiple waves of national protests over various issues: In 2009, citizens protested against what they described as the 'theft of the presidential election'. In 2017, protests focused on difficult living conditions, while in 2022, women's protests erupted over the death of Mahsa Amini. Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former presidential candidate who was accused of fraud in the 2009 elections, has been under house arrest for years and is now 83 years old. He is calling for the system to be reformed rather than overthrowing it, a goal expressed by many protesters in subsequent movements.


France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march in London
Protesters waved Palestinian flags, donned keffiyeh scarves and carried signs including "Stop arming Israel" and "No war on Iran" as they marched in the sweltering heat in central London. "It's important to remember that people are suffering in Gaza. I fear all the focus will be on Iran now," said 34-year-old Harry Baker, attending his third pro-Palestinian protest. "I don't have great love for the Iranian regime, but we are now in a dangerous situation," he added. There have been monthly protests in the British capital since the start of the 20-month-long war between Israel and Hamas, which has ravaged Gaza. Saturday's march comes amid heightened global tensions as the United States mulls joining Israel's strikes against Iran. Cries of "Palestine will be free" rang out as protesters carried signs saying "Hands off Gaza" or "Stop starving Gaza". Gaza is suffering from famine-like conditions according to UN agencies in the region following an Israeli aid blockade. Gaza's civil defence agency has reported that hundreds have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to reach the US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution sites. "People need to keep their eyes on Gaza. That's where the genocide is happening," said 60-year-old protester Nicky Marcus. "I feel frustrated, angry because of what's happening in Gaza," said 31-year-old data analyst Jose Diaz. "It's in everyone's eyes. It's still on after so many months," Diaz added. 'Scared' The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached at least 55,637 people, according to the health ministry. Israel has denied it is carrying out a genocide and says it aims to wipe out Hamas after 1,219 people were killed in Israel by the Islamist group's October 7, 2023, attack. A 31-year-old Iranian student who did not want to share her name, told AFP she had family in Iran and was "scared". "I'm worried about my country. I know the regime is not good but it's still my country. I'm scared," she said. Tehran said over 400 people have been killed in Iran since Israel launched strikes last week claiming its arch-foe was close to acquiring a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies. Some 25 people have been killed in Israel, according to official figures. Meanwhile, British media reported that the UK government was planning to ban a pro-Palestinian campaign group, which on Friday broke into the UK's largest air force base and vandalised two planes. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was planning to begin the process on Monday to proscribe Palestine Action -- effectively designating it a terrorist organisation and making it illegal to join, according to UK media. Britain has announced sanctions against two Israeli cabinet ministers, suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel and summoned its ambassador over the conduct of the war in Gaza. It has also urged de-escalation in the Iran-Israel war, while expressing concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme.

LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Israel says three Iranian commanders killed in new strikes
Israel said Saturday, June 21, it had killed three more Iranian commanders in its unprecedented bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic, which Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed had delayed Tehran's alleged progress towards a nuclear weapon by two years. Israel's military said a strike in Qom south of Tehran successfully targeted top Iranian official Saeed Izadi, in charge of coordination with Palestinian militant group Hamas, adding two other commanders from Iran's Revolutionary Guards were also killed overnight. As Israel continued to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and military targets, Saar said in an interview that by his country's own assessment, it had "already delayed for at least two or three years the possibility for them to have a nuclear bomb." Israel "will do everything that we can do there in order to remove this threat," Saar told German newspaper Bild, asserting the onslaught would continue. Israel and Iran have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since Israel launched its aerial campaign on June 13, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon – an accusation the Islamic Republic has denied. Israel said it had attacked Iran's Isfahan nuclear site for a second time after its air force announced it had also launched salvos against missile storage and launch sites in the center of the country. The army later said it was striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran. Iran's health ministry on Saturday gave a toll of more than 400 people killed and 3,056 in the Israeli strikes. A US-based NGO, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, said on Friday that based on its sources and media reports at least 657 people have been killed in Iran, including 263 civilians. 'Not prepared to negotiate' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Istanbul on Saturday for a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the conflict. Top diplomats from Britain, France and Germany met Araghchi in Geneva on Friday, and urged him to resume talks with the United States that had been derailed by Israel's attacks. But Araghchi told NBC News after the meeting that "we're not prepared to negotiate with them [the United States] anymore, as long as the aggression continues." US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that Tehran had a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid possible American air strikes, as Washington weighs whether to join Israel's campaign. Trump, dismissive of European diplomatic efforts, also said he was unlikely to ask Israel to stop its attacks to get Iran back to the table. "If somebody's winning, it's a little bit harder to do," he said. Any US involvement would likely feature powerful bunker-busting bombs that no other country possesses to destroy an underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordo. Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 25 people in Israel, according to official figures. Overnight, Iran said it targeted central Israel with drones and missiles. Israeli rescuers said there were no casualties after an Iranian drone struck a residential building in Beit She'an. Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate said more than 450 missiles have been fired at the country so far, along with about 400 drones. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted military sites and air force bases.