Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the Shah of Iran, has called on the Iranian security forces and military to overthrow the Ayatollah Khameinei following Israel’s strikes on the country.
Pahlavi accused the Islamic Republic’s “corrupt and incompetent leaders” of dragging his home nation into a war and advocated for a widespread campaign of “street protests and nationwide strikes”.
Posting on X in the wake of the surprise Israeli strikes, which have reportedly seen key nuclear sites damaged and top officials eliminated, he said: “Ali Khamenei, the foolish leader of the anti-Iranian regime of the Islamic Republic, has once again embroiled Iran in a war; a war that is not between Iran and the Iranian nation, but between the Islamic Republic and Khamenei.
“My message to the military, law enforcement, and security forces is clear: This regime and its corrupt and incompetent leaders do not value your lives or our Iran. Separate yourself from them and join the people.
“The Iranian nation's battle with the destructive regime of the Islamic Republic is to reclaim Iran and rebuild it. The solution is to overthrow the Islamic Republic through street protests and nationwide strikes.
“I am with you in these difficult times. We are all in this fight together and we will win.”
His comments came after the IDF confirmed it had “dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran” overnight.
Reports suggest that nuclear facilities in Natanz, Khorramabad, and Khondab all suffered damage, as well as missile depots and command compounds.
An unnamed security official told the Times of Israel that Mossad covertly built a drone base on Iranian soil in the run-up to the strikes and smuggled in commando units to deploy precision missiles near anti-aircraft sites in the central Iran.
Once the nation’s air defences had been neutralised, a fleet of drones was activated from within Iran itself – giving minimal warning of the attacks.
The tactic closely mirrors those recently used by the Ukrainian military, which smuggled short-range drones into Russia on lorries before launching attacks from within its opponent’s borders.
Israel’s offensive relied on “groundbreaking thinking, bold planning and surgical operation of advanced technologies, special forces and agents operating in the heart of Iran while totally evading the eyes of local intelligence,” the official added.
In retaliation, Iran launched around 100 drones at the Jewish State, but reports this morning suggest that all were intercepted by air defences.
