‘We're watching from above’: PM Netanyahu urges Iranians to celebrate in the streets for first time since start of war

After repeatedly calling on Iranians to shelter at home amid the Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, Israeli leaders, as well as the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, urged Iranians to celebrate a religious festival in public for the first time since the start of the war.

“Our aircraft are hitting the terror operatives on the ground, in the crossroads, in the city squares. This is meant to enable the brave people of Iran to celebrate the Festival of Fire. So celebrate and Happy Nowruz. We're watching from above,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed.

The calls followed several days of airstrikes that specifically targeted the regime’s internal security forces, particularly infrastructure and, eventually, large parts of the command staff of the Basij militia.

Earlier Tuesday, Israel confirmed it had assassinated Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, who had carried out the mass killing of protesters earlier this year at the behest of Ali Larijani, the regime’s de facto leader, who was assassinated as well.

For the first time, Israel is now actively encouraging Iranians to go out to the streets: PM Netanyahu addresses Iranian citizens during the Iranian Chaharshanbeh Suri festival, saying: “Go out and celebrate… we are watching from above.” pic.twitter.com/X2YfqPOfmQ

— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) March 17, 2026

Despite the calls to celebrate openly, Netanyahu did not urge Iranians to confront regime forces. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Israel estimates that protesters would be “slaughtered” if they took to the streets at this point in time.

The Post cited a U.S. State Department cable it obtained, which said senior Israeli officials currently assess that Iran’s regime is “not cracking” and remains prepared to “fight to the end.” Nevertheless, Israel continues to hope for another large-scale uprising and urged the U.S. to prepare to support protesters, if and when that scenario occurs.

Iranians in Las Vegas danced with a cardboard cutout of Mojtaba Khamenei during Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations and burned photos of Islamic Republic officials, videos sent to Iran International show. pic.twitter.com/0kv1MUGR7R

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 18, 2026

“As dusk falls across Iran on Tuesday, bonfires, fireworks and street gatherings take place to mark Chaharshanbeh Suri, an ancient fire festival that has also become a public act of defiance, this year unfolding under war, heavy security and fears of bloodshed,” Netanyahu said in a statement from the Air Force command center in Tel Aviv.

In a separate video message, he said, “We are undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people an opportunity to remove it. It will not happen all at once, and it will not happen easily. But if we persist, we will give them the chance to take their destiny into their own hands.”

President Isaac Herzog echoed Netanyahu’s message, sending “warm wishes on the Festival of Fire” to the people of Iran. “I hope that this Charshanbeh Suri will bring with it a real change – change in the region, change in Iran, change for the future of our children.”

تبریکات گرم از اسرائیل به مردم ایران به مناسبت جشن آتش، چهارشنبه سوری.

Warm wishes from Israel to the people of Iran on the Festival of Fire, Charshanbeh Suri. pic.twitter.com/VBWiPibK9C

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) March 17, 2026

The messages appeared carefully calibrated as a first step for Iranians to return to the streets. In previous messages, Netanyahu and Pahlavi, as well as U.S. leaders, stressed that Iranians should wait for a signal to take to the streets in new mass protests, but should stay at home until then.

Last Thursday, Netanyahu said, “The moment when you will be able to embark on a new path of freedom is approaching. That moment is drawing closer. We stand with you. We are helping you. But in the end – it depends on you. It is in your hands.”

On Wednesday, Israeli minister Gila Gamliel told Army Radio that “It is not yet time for the Iranian people to take to the streets. We are still preparing the ground for them. When the time comes, the call will be made.”

Iranian people, despite ongoing suppression by the Islamic regime, are celebrating Chaharshanbe Suri—a traditional Iranian fire festival held on the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz (the Persian New Year). It is a festival of fire, cleansing, and renewal—a joyful way to… pic.twitter.com/LQBJ5YjWfw

— Marziyeh Amirizadeh مرضیه امیری زاده (@MAmirizadeh) March 17, 2026

The ongoing internet blockade by the regime has made getting information on the ground nearly impossible. At the time of publication, it wasn’t clear whether Iranians followed the call to celebrate the fire festival in public.

According to the opposition-linked Iran International outlet, “bonfires, fireworks and street gatherings” took place across Iran on Tuesday evening, though the scope of the gatherings remained unclear.

This order is not just being given because the regime is repressive and at war, but because this coming Tuesday night is the ancient fire festival of Chahar Shanbeh Suri, tied to the forthcoming Norooz or Persian New Year holiday this Friday. https://t.co/IJvzVQLBtc

— Behnam Ben Taleblu بهنام بن طالب لو (@therealBehnamBT) March 16, 2026

Regime authorities issued stark warnings ahead of the festival, which the Shiite clerics have long seen as pagan in origin, causing the regime to crack down on celebrations.

On Monday, police chief Ahmad Reza Radan spoke to supporters at a rally, urging them to occupy the streets and not let anti-regime crowds mobilize.

A security officer in Tehran’s Shahrak-e Vali Asr area told citizens celebrating Chaharshanbe Suri that their fireworks were “pouring water into the enemy’s mill,” saying hostile elements were filming and profiting, footage sent to Iran International shows. pic.twitter.com/jk5ZAkketJ

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 18, 2026

According to footage sent to Iran International, a security officer in Tehran’s Shahrak-e Vali Asr district told citizens celebrating the fire festival with fireworks that this was akin to “pouring water into the enemy’s mill,” claiming that “hostile elements” were filming and profiting from it.

On Wednesday, Pahlavi published footage of himself and his daughter performing the traditional ceremony of jumping over a fire to celebrate Chaharshanbeh Suri.

نور بر تاریکی پیروز است. pic.twitter.com/7EHFiu0dHR

— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) March 17, 2026

In an interview with Iran International, he stressed that a final call for nationwide demonstrations to topple the regime would eventually be given, but added that “Conditions must also be taken into account.”

“As everyone has seen, this government has no hesitation in suppressing people. It is prepared to see hundreds of thousands killed if that means staying in power. Therefore the movement must proceed intelligently. The final call will be issued at the right moment.”