A rally in Los Angeles supporting pro-democracy protests in Iran in January 2018. Photo: Reuters/Monica Almeida.

Iranians on social media have continued to express support for Israel and denounce Hamas’ terrorist onslaught after the hashtag “IraniansStandWithIsrael” was trending on X/Twitter on Monday night.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday celebrated the Hamas assault on Israel, praising the Palestinian terror group — which receives funding and weapons from Iran — while describing the Jewish state as a “hideous monster.”

The Iranian people’s defiance against the regime in Tehran by supporting Israel became a social media sensation over the weekend, when hundreds of Iranian soccer fans chanted against the appearance of the Palestinian flag at a match in Tehran. During Sunday’s game between the soccer teams Persepolis and Gol Gohar in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, Iranian regime agents tried to garner support from the crowd for Hamas’ invasion of Israel and killing of Israeli civilians by waving Palestinian flags on the pitch.

In response, upset fans in the crowd chanted, “The Palestinian flag — shove it up your ass!”

Reaction to the #Israel terror attack from #Iran:

Islamic Republic supporters tried to support Hamas by bringing Palestinian flags to a soccer match.

Iranian fans across the stadium chanted: “Take that Palestinian flag and shove it up your a**!”#IraniansStandWithIsrael pic.twitter.com/bHFkpJ4jUi

— Cameron Khansarinia (@khansarinia) October 8, 2023

The Telegram channel Abu Ali Express reported that the Iranian regime distributed Palestinian flags to Persepolis fans in the stadium, hoping they would express support for Hamas and the Palestinians. The clip of the crowd chanting against the Palestinian flag has gone viral on social media. One user commented, “I’m grateful to know the people of Iran are such a contrast to their evil heads of state.”

Many social media users who shared the video added in the caption “#IraniansStandWithIsrael,” and one commentator wrote, “True Iranians will always support Israel! The Islamic Republic is an occupying force.”

The hashtag “IraniansStandWithIsrael” has also been used in thousands of posts on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Many of the posts featured images of Iranians around the world holding flags of Israel, where over 900 Israelis have been killed, thousands wounded, and over 100 taken hostage to Gaza since Saturday.

A video posted on TikTok on Monday showed Iranians marching in the streets of Iran while chanting that Palestinians and Syrians are “the source of our misery.” The Iranian regime has been a staunch ally of Syria.

TikTok users commented on the clip, saying it is “100 percent correct” and applauding that “the nation finally woke up.” Another TikTok user said, “If I could, I would like this post millions of times.”

A separate clip being widely shared on social media showed a scene in Iran where an Israeli flag was draped in front of a billboard that hung on a street overpass, reportedly in Tehran.

We Iranians inside Iran showing solidarity with #Israel!

The Islamic occupiers regime occupying our country IS NOT IRAN/IRANIANS.#IraniansStandWithIsrael pic.twitter.com/IUtdtXmGsv

— کاساندان (@CassandaneIran) October 8, 2023

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah of Iran before the current Islamist regime took power, has also spoken out in support of Israel since Hamas’ initial attack against Israel over the weekend. He explained that the regime does not represent the feelings of Iranian civilians.

“Make no mistake, Israel is being attacked by the same forces of extremism and poisonous ideology that have been taking our once prosperous and progressive region back to the dark ages,” he said in a post on X/Twitter. “The Islamic Republic’s support of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups is undeniable. That regime officials in Tehran celebrated today’s sad news is further proof that they have no compunction about supporting terror and violence against civilians.”

He added, “Safety, security, and stability will only come for Israel, the Iranian nation, and the region as whole with the end of the Islamist regime in Tehran, which continues to squander the wealth of the Iranian nation in support of a murderous ideology and those who would fight for it.”