Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi calls for Israel-Iran ceasefire - Time

The speaker of Israel's Knesset, Amir Ohana, on Thursday expressed a desire to renew friendship with the Iranian people, stating that Israel's target is "the vicious Ayatollah regime."

Speaking at the site of an Iranian attack, he said, "We had friendship with the Iranian people for many years, and we look forward to renew that friendship. Our target is the vicious Ayatollah regime."

Iran has entered the second day of a near-total nationwide internet shutdown, according to NetBlocks, marking the most severe connectivity disruption since the 2019 protests.

The United States will never see the Islamic Republic surrender, Iran’s Guardian Council said Thursday in a statement amid rising military tensions.

“America will take the regret of waiting for the Islamic Republic’s surrender to the grave,” the top decision-making body said in the statement.

An Iranian expatriate told Iran International on Thursday that there had been a communications blackout with Iran.

“There’s no way to reach anyone. They’ve taken the people hostage,” the citizen abroad said, expressing fear over the inability to contact family members inside the country.

The disruption comes amid escalating conflict and a wave of arrests tied to online expression.

Authorities in Iran arrested eight people in Yazd province for allegedly supporting Israel, the provincial police chief said Thursday, marking the latest in a wave of detentions tied to online activity.

Earlier the same day, Kerman’s police commander announced the arrest of four more citizens—one woman and three men—on similar charges.

At least 160 Iranians have been detained over the past six days for social media posts related to Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic, according to the human rights group HRANA.