Thousands Rally Across Middle East to Condemn Israeli Strikes
Thousands took to the streets in Tehran, Baghdad, and Beirut on Friday after weekly prayers to protest Israel’s recent attacks on Iran, as well as its close alliance with the United States. Demonstrators chanted anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans, showing solidarity with Iranian leadership and regional resistance movements.
Iranian state television broadcast scenes of mass rallies in Tehran, where protesters carried photos of fallen commanders and waved flags of Iran and Hezbollah. “This is the Friday of the Iranian nation’s solidarity and resistance across the country,” announced the state broadcaster.
One protester held a banner that read, “I will sacrifice my life for my leader,” in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Demonstrations were also held in cities such as Tabriz and Shiraz, underlining the nationwide response to the escalating conflict.
These protests come after Israel launched a large-scale air offensive against Iranian targets, prompting a forceful retaliatory missile barrage by Tehran. During Friday prayers, Tehran’s lead cleric, Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, accused Israel of striking Iran out of “despair,” and dismissed the attacks as part of a failed psychological campaign aimed at undermining the Iranian government.
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“Their plans were precise, but their calculations were laughable,” said Akbari, echoing widespread national defiance.
Amid fears of an expanding regional war, Iran-aligned Iraqi factions have warned of repercussions if the U.S. joins Israel in military action. In Baghdad and across Iraq, thousands of followers of influential cleric Moqtada Sadr gathered after Friday prayers to condemn the Israeli strikes.
“No to Israel! No to America!” chanted demonstrators in Sadr City, Baghdad. Protester Abu Hussein declared, “It is an unjust war… Israel has no right to hit Iran. What Israel and the Americans want is to dominate the Middle East.”
In the Shiite holy city of Kufa, protesters escalated their anger by burning American and Israeli flags.
Iraq finds itself in a unique position as both a regional ally of Iran and a strategic partner of the United States, placing it at the center of geopolitical tensions.
Meanwhile in Lebanon, hundreds of Hezbollah supporters rallied in Beirut’s southern suburbs, echoing support for Iran and the resistance movement. As tensions continue to rise, the Middle East remains on edge over the possibility of a broader confrontation.
