In a rare direct address to the people of Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday urged its citizens to “stand up and let your voices be heard,” after Israel unleashed deadly strikes on its regional foe.
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“The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from an evil and oppressive regime,” Netanyahu said in a statement. For locals in Iran, the Israeli leader’s call fell on deaf ears.
Many of those CNN spoke to did not want to be quoted, even anonymously, but none expressed any support for Netanyahu’s calls for a revolt.
“Israel is underestimating our love for our country, the idea that bombing us, our homes, killing our children would send us to the streets is shocking. We want to live peacefully whether we like the regime or not,” a 36-year-old man who wished to remain anonymous told CNN.
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Iranians who spoke to CNN expressed palpable anger and asserted they would never cede to Netanyahu’s demands.
“Do I wish the regime wasn’t in power? Absolutely. Do I want my city bombed by another dictator? Absolutely not,” Neda, a 28-year-old, said.
“Don’t let the fake news fool you, the reality of what is happening in Iran as an Iranian who has actually lived in Iran, who has their family in Iran, Israel is in no way helping our people. I don’t need fake news and propaganda speeches,” she added.
The Iranian regime remains unpopular at home, where security forces continue to brutally crackdown on dissidents.
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Alongside anger, the presiding emotion among Tehran locals was one of intense fear, with rumors spreading that Israeli strikes may intensify in the capital on Saturday night.
“We’re hearing that tonight Israel will be hitting more densely populated parts of Tehran in retaliation for the strike that hit Tel Aviv, which is really terrifying,” said a 24-year-old woman, who CNN is also not naming for safety reasons.
“Last night was worse than what had happened before. The entire house was shaking, and they kept dropping bombs that sounded super close,” she added.
