The Iranian government celebrated its “revenge” as missiles and drones hurtled towards Israel early on Sunday, as the streets of Tehran filled with thousands of supporters celebrating the attack – and upset by those fearing possible retaliation.
State television broadcast jubilant scenes in the capital and several other cities, where pro-regime Iranians lit flares, waved flags and chanted “Death to Israel.”
Their slogans were echoed by Iranian lawmakers gathered in parliament, with footage showing lawmakers gathering, raising their fists in the air and chanting victoriously as the Iranian flag is held above them.
But for many ordinary Iranians, Sunday evening was filled with anxiety as their fears of an Israeli counterattack increased, with roads reportedly gridlocked as dozens of families tried to leave the capital.
Footage showed long lines of cars outside gas stations as people prepared for emergencies, while others packed up and drove away from Tehran and other areas feared as possible targets.
The Iranian government celebrated its ‘revenge’ as missiles and drones hurtled towards Israel early on Sunday
Iranian parliamentarians gathered in parliament, punching the air and singing victoriously as the Iranian flag was held above them
Iranian protesters wave Palestinian flags as they attend an anti-Israel rally in front of the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, April 14, 2024
An Iranian man holds a scale model of a cannon grenade during a celebration in support of Iran’s IRGC UAV and missile attack on Israel
A Tehran resident said: “People are terrified,” he added. ‘The authorities have taken a huge gamble. It’s like suicide. It may be their downfall, but the public will suffer the most.”
The man named Ali told The Telegraph in the early hours of Sunday that he and his family fled Tehran for his parents’ home 200km away.
Meanwhile, residents of the city of Qom, about two hours south of the capital, are said to have bunkered down out of fear that their area could be a target for a possible Israeli reprisal.
Fordow is based in the city, an underground uranium enrichment facility on a former Iranian military base, where residents reportedly said they feared nuclear radiation could be released.
Sima Shine, a former Mossad agent who heads the INSS Iran program, said that “if Israel retaliates, it will be within the same framework: attacking military sites, not civilian areas, and probably not economic targets ‘.
Security adviser Stephane Audrand said that to limit the risk of further escalation, “the Israelis should limit themselves to attacks on conventional sites, on sites from which missiles were launched, on drone factories.”
Speaking on Sunday, as the immediate threat seemed to recede, one Iranian proudly expressed support for his government’s actions. He said they showed Iran’s strength and that the country will retaliate where necessary.
Iranian lawmakers chant slogans during an open session of parliament in Tehran as Iran launches dozens of drones towards Israel
People gather in support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ attack on Israel on April 14, 2024
‘[Israel] realize who they are dealing with. It’s perfect!’ the resident told reporters in Tehran.
Another video appeared to show crowds at the grave of Qasem Soleimani, the top Iranian military commander who was killed by a US airstrike in Iraq in 2020.
The large group of men would sing death to America and Israel shortly after the Revolutionary Guards announced the launch of their so-called Operation Honest Promise.
As some 350 missiles, rockets and drones were launched into Israel in the early hours of Sunday, demonstrators flocked to Tehran’s Palestine Square.
Scores waved Iranian and Palestinian national flags next to banners reading “God’s victory is near.”
A mural with the text ‘the next blow is fiercer’ was unveiled in Tehran’s Palestine Square, where a large banner has been hanging for days calling on Israelis in Hebrew to ‘seek shelter’.
Telegram channels supporting Iran also celebrated what they suggested was a successful operation, with one saying: “The enemy will regret it and regard it as a historic blow.”
The same phrase was reportedly used by the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who referred to the attack as “the Iranian people’s slap in the face of the enemy,” saying it taught Israel “a lesson” and made the Iranians ‘happy’.