Iranian Telegram channels are reporting widespread US and Israeli missile and airstrikes across Tehran, Karaj, Kermanshah, and Urmia, sparking heavily polarized reactions among the public ranging from patriotic defiance to anti-regime celebrations.
Multiple Iranian Telegram channels are reporting severe and ongoing military strikes by the United States and Israel against the Iranian capital and several western provinces. According to the breaking news channel اخبارفوری خبرفوری جنگ امریکا فوری, frantic US and Israeli attacks hit eastern Tehran, alongside heavy strikes in the Shahran neighborhood. The channel later reported a renewed missile attack targeting central, southern, and eastern areas of the city. Additional confirmations came from تهران آنلاین ࡆ TehranOnline, which posted alerts of airstrikes on the capital, while خبرفوری جنگ🚨اخبارفوری امریکا فوری confirmed strikes in northern Tehran.
The bombardment has resulted in reported civilian casualties in the heart of the capital. The کانال رسمی جمعیت هلال احمر (Official Red Crescent Society Channel), a state-aligned relief organization, posted about injured citizens in Tehran's Ferdowsi Square. The strikes have also extended far beyond the capital. News channels shared alerts and footage of coordinated airstrikes in western Iran, specifically targeting Kermanshah and Urmia, as well as the neighboring city of Karaj.
Public chat groups reveal a deeply polarized civilian reaction to the bombardment, reflecting both staunch regime loyalty and intense anti-government sentiment. In the گروه خبر فوری chat group, pro-establishment users rallied with patriotic defiance, with one user stating "Iran is standing with authority and won't back down" and another declaring "Iran is our home, we will protect it."
Conversely, deeply anti-regime users actively cheered for the foreign bombardment. One user gleefully celebrated the strikes, telling the US and Israel to "hit and turn the Arzeshi rats into cutlets"—employing a derogatory slur for regime loyalists alongside a morbid cultural reference to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani. Another warned regime supporters directly: "Cyber Arzeshis don't run away, we are coming for you." Meanwhile, users in the گروه خبرفوری group expressed a mix of panic and resignation, with one lamenting "We don't have the strength unfortunately" amidst the ongoing chaos.
The source material features heavy use of polarized, emotionally charged language. Translating idioms like turning Arzeshi rats into cutlets reflects specific anti-regime cultural references tied to the 2020 assassination of Qasem Soleimani. The state-aligned and breaking news channels maintain an alarmist but authoritative tone regarding the incoming strikes, emphasizing the severity and breadth of the attacks.