Thousands of people across Iran and several countries in the Middle East staged mass protests on Friday in a show of solidarity with Tehran following a dramatic escalation in hostilities with Israel.
In Tehran, demonstrators filled the streets waving Iranian and Hezbollah flags, and holding up photographs of military commanders killed since the start of the conflict. Iranian state television described the nationwide mobilization as “the Friday of the Iranian nation’s solidarity and resistance.” Protesters carried banners pledging loyalty to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with slogans such as “I will sacrifice my life for my leader.”
State media reported similar demonstrations in other Iranian cities, including Tabriz in the northwest and Shiraz in the south. The protests follow a blistering Israeli airstrike on Iran last week, which triggered Tehran’s retaliatory missile barrage aimed at Israeli targets.
In his Friday sermon, Tehran prayer leader Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari denounced Israel’s actions as a sign of “despair” and accused it of waging a “psychological war” designed to turn Iranians against their government. “Their plans were precise, but their calculations were laughable,” he said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
The escalating tension has raised fears of a broader regional conflict, with Iran-backed militias in Iraq warning of consequences should the United States align with Israel in a direct confrontation. In Baghdad and other Iraqi cities, supporters of influential cleric Moqtada Sadr held large rallies after Friday prayers, chanting “No to Israel! No to America!” and accusing Israel of seeking to dominate the Middle East under the guise of targeting Iran’s nuclear program.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah supporters gathered in Beirut’s southern suburbs, waving flags and displaying photos of Khamenei. While Hezbollah has not signaled any intention to join the conflict, supporters expressed readiness to defend themselves if attacked.
Similar anti-Israel and anti-U.S. protests erupted in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, with tens of thousands taking to the streets in Sanaa and beyond.
As tensions rise, the region watches anxiously, with fears growing that another full-scale war could erupt in the already volatile Middle East.
