West warns of retaliation – DW – October 26, 2024

DW reporter Amir Soltanazadeh, a native Persian speaker, gave his perspective on the Iranian media's reaction to Israeli attacks on Iranian territory.

Immediately after the Israeli attacks, there was initially an eerie silence in the Iranian state media.

This was in sharp contrast to the dynamic social media activity in Iran, where users on platforms such as Telegram and X (formerly Twitter) shared videos of bright lights in the sky and loud noises.

Accounts linked to Iran's intelligence and security apparatus warned on social media that sharing images with foreign media could be considered espionage. This was part of a broader strategy to discourage the public from spreading information about the attacks. Telegram channels affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards shared images of urban areas and insisted that nothing significant had happened.

At the time, air traffic monitoring websites indicated significantly empty airspace over Iran and Iraq.

Finally, following the widespread distribution of numerous videos by citizens on social media, the state broadcaster of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIB) briefly admitted hearing loud noises, but continued to deny that strikes had occurred.

Finally, some official Iranian news sources admitted that an attack had taken place, but claimed that Iran's defense forces successfully intercepted the attacks. State-affiliated media subsequently downplayed the severity of the attack.

This morning, several pro-government journalists tried to minimize the impact of the strikes by appearing in busy public areas in the capital Tehran and offering assurances that normal life was continuing.

In response, some social media users remarked: “This is not our war with Israel; it’s your war!”