Even before the drones and missiles had reached Israeli territory, the Islamic Republic of Iran, via its paramilitary Basiji forces, had already organised state-sanctioned street parties to celebrate. A video posted half an hour before the first missiles arrived in Israel shows hundreds of people waving Iranian flags and chanting: “Supreme leader, we are ready [to go to war].” In contrast to the apparently orchestrated public events, on social media many Iranians expressed grave misgivings about the attack and the possibility of war and further economic turmoil.
State-run television announced the massive drone and missile barrage at 11:54 pm Tehran time on April 13 (11:24 pm in Israel). State media called the attack "retaliation" for Israel's April 1 air strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria, which resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals, including high-ranking officers of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
