Iranians Support Israeli Strike on IRGC Leadership | Eurasia Review
Iranians are jubilant following the Israeli strike targeting IRGC leadership,viewing it as a critical blow to the regime. the attack, which decimated key IRGC figures, has ignited celebrations adn offered hope for regime change, as many Iranians see the IRGC’s primary role as suppressing dissent. Activists and exiled figures are seizing this moment, with calls for military defections and labor strikes. The government’s perceived weakness after the strike is evident in social media reactions where citizens mocked the regime’s ineptitude. News Directory 3 reports a shift in the power dynamics. Discover what’s next as the focus turns to Khamenei’s response.
Iranians Celebrate Strike, Eye IRGC’s Diminished Role
Following Israel’s June 13 strike on military and nuclear sites in Iran, many Iranians and anti-Islamic Republic activists are celebrating on social media.The attack reportedly decimated the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), triggering widespread jubilation among regime opponents.
For many Iranians, the IRGC’s role represents the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei‘s primary means of repression, used for decades to stifle demands for social and political freedom.Since 2019, the IRGC has played a leading role in the deaths of more than 2,000 protesters.
An anonymous activist on X, with 157,000 followers, stated, “It appears that Israel has eliminated the entire command structure of the Revolutionary Guard. This is an extraordinary opportunity. The Islamic Republic is at its weakest. Let us seize this moment to bring an end to this absolute ruin.”
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince, urged Iranian military, police, and security forces to defect. “This regime and its corrupt, incompetent leaders value neither your lives nor our Iran. Break away from them and stand with the people,” he tweeted, reiterating his call for mass labor strikes.
Women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad reacted on X, saying, “Removing a terrorist is not a tragedy, it is a step toward justice for all the innocent lives they destroyed.” She emphasized the IRGC’s role in repression and killings.
Hossein Ronaghi, a regime critic in Tehran who has been jailed multiple times, cautiously tweeted, “We will greet the sun once again,” referencing the lion and sun emblem on Iran’s pre-1979 flag.
London-based journalist Ali Hossein Ghazizadeh posted a photo of the slain IRGC commander Hossein Salami, writing, “The entire war is one thing, but the death of this one—whose hands were stained with the blood of Iran’s children—now that’s truly something.”
Many Iranians mocked the government’s perceived ineptitude and praised Israel’s military capabilities. One individual quipped, “You don’t have air defenses, nor at least working sirens.Then try to task some mullahs to scream to warn about impending attacks.”
An outspoken female activist with 9,500 followers on X said, “#Iran is our homeland and our only refuge. The killing of several criminals and agents of the Islamic Republic—from Salami to Bagheri, Rashid, and others—is a small salve on a corner of the deep and gaping wound inflicted on our nation’s body for over four decades.”
While the streets of Tehran remain calm, the attack is widely seen as a pivotal moment, shattering the regime’s image of invincibility and potentially leaving lasting psychological scars on loyalists.
What’s next
The focus now shifts to the whereabouts of Ali Khamenei, who finds himself increasingly isolated after the deaths of trusted senior commanders. His response will likely shape the future of the regime.