The questions were sent to them by Gio Esfandeyari, a British-Iranian anti-regime activist and board member of NGO Lotus Advocacy, who then forwarded their Farsi-language replies to The Times of Israel. Their accounts and identities \u2014 referred to here with pseudonyms \u2014 could not be independently verified.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, they potentially offer a rare glimpse into how some Iranian civilians have experienced the ongoing operation.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26061637944627.jpg\")
\n\t\tWorkers install a billboard on an overpass containing a portrait of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP\/Vahid Salemi)<\/p>\n
While verifying events and broader public opinion in Iran remains difficult due to internet blackouts and limited engagement with outside media, respondents described jubilation at Khamenei\u2019s death, widely documented elsewhere, alongside anxiety over the continuing bombardment, and hope that the strikes could ultimately bring down the regime for good.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we found out that this bastard had gone to hell, we poured into the streets,\u201d Hassan said of open celebrations that broke out in some areas of Iran when the regime announced that Khamenei had been killed. \u201cFrom Shahrbani Street to Azadi Square in Shahrud \u2014 people were celebrating and dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahmad, a Tehran resident in his 30s, described similar scenes in the capital: \u201cThat same night, when this filthy animal went to hell, that\u2019s when people poured into the streets\u2026 everyone had come out. It was dancing, celebration and cheering. Thanks to Mr. Trump and Netanyahu. Bless them. Good for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, a Tehran resident told The Times of Israel<\/a> that Iranians who participated in January\u2019s widespread anti-regime protests were hoping the US and Israel would come to their aid by launching military action to assist in overthrowing the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n The resident\u2019s remarks came as the demonstrations halted under a brutal crackdown that saw thousands massacred by regime forces \u2014 a development which Israel\u2019s defense minister said accelerated<\/a> US-Israeli attack plans.<\/p>\n While it would appear that those who hoped for foreign military intervention had their wish granted, this week\u2019s respondents noted that the exciting prospect of regime change coincided with the frightening reality of being under constant bombardment.<\/p>\n While Israel and the US say they are targeting military sites and regime infrastructure, the powerful blasts have been known to harm civilians as well. On Thursday, US officials told Reuters that American bombs had likely accidentally bombed a school in southern Iran, an incident that left 175 people dead, according to Iranian authorities.<\/p>\n Hassan described hearing multiple strikes near where he lives in Shahrud, including on an ammunition depot. \u201cIt was quite far away,\u201d he added, claiming that \u201cNo civilian people were hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n Zahra, a resident of northern Tehran, said she \u201cregularly\u201d hears explosions, and that \u201calmost everything is shut down\u201d in the city. Many residents \u201care worried\u201d about the situation and are trying to remain safe, \u201cbut they support it,\u201d she added, referring to the operation.<\/p>\n \t \u201cWe hope for victory,\u201d she said, while asking the world to \u201cKeep an eye on us. Take care of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Saeed, a 23-year-old from Tehran, recalled overhearing strikes in Iran\u2019s Evin neighborhood \u2014 home to the notorious Evin Prison, where the regime is known to house political prisoners and which was struck by Israel in its June aerial campaign against Iran.<\/p>\n Saeed said that \u201cThe worry about war is much less than in the previous one,\u201d referring to the June campaign, which the US eventually joined.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are mentally much more prepared,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Casualty figures from the ongoing campaign remain difficult to verify. Iranian authorities have reported several hundred deaths, without distinguishing between civilians, soldiers, and regime personnel.<\/p>\n Some human rights groups have said over 1,100 civilians have been killed since the war began. An Israeli Air Force officer has said<\/a> Israeli strikes in Iran have killed thousands of Iranian soldiers.<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AFP__20260304__99VK6Y7__v5__HighRes__TopshotIranUsIsraelWar.jpg\")
\n\t\tA man and a woman walk past destroyed buildings following airstrikes in central Tehran, on March 4, 2026. (AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26063414201318.jpg\")
\n\t\tA cleric leads a group of volunteers in prayer next to a police facility struck during the US\u2013Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2026. (AP\/Vahid Salemi)<\/p>\n
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