After weeks of tension and mounting unrest, strikes on Iran have triggered unexpected scenes inside the country.

Protesters — who say they have watched loved ones killed during violent crackdowns — reacted with open celebration, expressing hope that Israel and the United States would “go all the way.”

Former President Trump had previously pledged that “help is on the way.” Now, as the operation unfolds, reactions inside Iran suggest that for some, the strikes represent more than military action — they symbolize the possibility of change.