Iranians and foreigners launch online campaign against attacks on Israel

In an unexpected turn of events, the Iranian diaspora abroad appeared to condemn the country’s Islamic rulers for launching an unprecedented attack on Israel this weekend, which the United Nations said has pushed the Middle East “to the brink” of all-out conflict.

On Monday, Iranian expatriates living in Western countries such as the United States, Canada and Germany started a trend of the hashtag #IraniansStandWithIsrael on social media.

Iran’s attack on Israel

Iran and Israel have been fighting a shadow war for years, but the conflict took a dangerous turn on April 13 when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched an unprecedented missile and drone attack on the Jewish state.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite force loyal to Iran’s Islamic regime, launched the attack in response to the April 1 attack near the Iranian consulate in Damascus, the Syrian capital, which killed several commanders, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Mohammadreza Zahedi, Chief Officer of the Guards Levant Region. The attacks on Israel have been aided by missile firepower from Iran-backed Yemeni and Lebanese militias.

Movement against Khomeini’s regime

The social media campaign focused on X (formerly Twitter), denouncing the IRGC’s actions in the region.

A comprehensive assessment of social media interactions, including Iranian diaspora posts and trending hashtags on the

Many participants equated the IRGC attacks with war against the Iranian people.

“I have the opportunity to amplify the voices of the Iranian people: #IraniansStandWithIsrael. This is not a war for the Iranian people, but an attack from the Islamic Republic,” one user wrote.

Data from social media analytics sites show that many Iranians who remain in the country have also joined the campaign, posting comments with the hashtags #IraniansStandWithIsrael and #FreeTheWorldFromIRGC. According to data from Talkwalker, of the 1,000 posts tagged with the #IraniansStandWithIsrael campaign, about 40% came from Iran, 54.4% from the United States, and 3.2% from the United Kingdom.

The hashtag #FreeTheWorldFromIRGC has accumulated 3,500 posts in the past seven days, with 47.5% of participants coming from Iran, 37.3% from the United States, and 6.6% from Germany. Both hashtags critical of the Iranian regime were promoted by the same group of users.

In a video shared by Iranian activist Salman Sima, people can be seen protesting against Khomeini’s regime in Canada. Protesters held signs declaring “Iranians stand with Israel.” The activist also urged the Canadian government to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.

Salman’s Facebook profile says he is from Zanjan, Iran, and moved to Toronto after escaping imprisonment, torture and a hunger strike in Iran.

“We don’t want a war with Israel,” said another Iranian activist living in the United States.

In Hamburg, Germany, protesters held a rally displaying banners with the hashtag #IRGCterrorists, echoing support for Israel and opposing Iran’s Islamic authorities. There are also reports that a rally in support of Israel is being held in Paris.

Previously, Israel and Iran had been engaged in a shadow war for several years – attacking each other’s assets without admitting responsibility. These attacks increased significantly in the current Gaza war, which began last October when the Palestinian group Hamas attacked nearby Israeli communities.

Why are Israel and Iran at war?

The two countries maintained friendly diplomatic relations until the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, which gave birth to a regime with opposition to Israel as its core ideology. Iran does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and seeks to eliminate Israel.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has previously described Israel as a “cancer” that “will undoubtedly be uprooted and destroyed.” Israel views Iran as an existential threat, citing Tehran’s inflammatory rhetoric, support for proxy forces vowing to destroy Israel, and funding and arming of Palestinian groups such as Hamas and the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah.