Rallies for and against military action in Iran draw demonstrators across Southern California
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- There is mixed reaction across Southern California after the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran. President Donald Trump says Iran's Supreme Leader is dead and promises more attacks are still to come. On Saturday, one group celebrated the assassination of the Supreme Leader after months of protests, while another protested the U.S. military intervention.
The operation began on Friday night with joint aerial attacks. The U.S. and Israel struck targets throughout Iran.
On Saturday, Trump said Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the attacks. Iranian state TV later confirmed his death.
Israel says they also took out the leader of the Revolutionary Guard, Iran's defense minister and several other high-level leaders.
President Trump, who has called for regime change in Iran, is now calling on the Iranian people to take control of their country, and says bombings will continue throughout the week.
Across the country and in Southern California, home to the largest Iranian population outside of Iran, several protests and celebrations are taking place.
Celebrations in Westwood
There was undeniable joy in Westwood on Saturday.
Much like the positive reaction that was seen from many Venezuelans when the U.S. military captured President Nicolás Maduro -- many Iranians in SoCal are celebrating.
Hours after President Trump announced that U.S. and Israeli strikes had killed Iran's Supreme Leader, people flooded the streets to celebrate. They waved Iranian flags while dancing and singing.
They were apparently cheering after news broke that Iran's supreme leader was killed in strikes.
Videos showed them hugging each other, jumping in the air and chanting "Thank you, Bibi," referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For many, it was a moment they've been waiting for.
"We are very optimistic, because this time, it's the Iranian masses that want a regime change. It's the Iranian youth that are standing up against the tyrannical regime," said Iranian community advocate Zohreh Mizrahr. "Our hope and our faith is in our Iranian youth with the support of our administration."
"Finally, finally, our administration took notice of the plight of the Iranians, and they did something that should've been done 47 years ago," Mizahr continued.
Others said they believe force -- not diplomacy -- was the only option for liberation, thanking President Trump for ordering the strikes.
"He stood up to this tyrant regime and carried out what needed to be done. You cannot negotiate with people who have this ideology," said David Davidi.
Supporters are calling this the end of one of the most repressive and deadly regimes in history.
Anti-war protest in downtown L.A.
Not all of the demonstrations across SoCal are celebratory. Across town, the tone couldn't have been more different.
Outside Los Angeles City Hall, protesters gathered to oppose the strikes, saying they fear American service members could soon be caught in a wider war.
There were also protests in New York, Washington and San Francisco -- put on by a coalition of grassroots organizations to oppose the Trump administration's attack against Iran.
Protesters say they are concerned that the strikes will cost American lives and innocent civilian lives in Iran. They also say they are frustrated with Trump after he campaigned on the promise of "no new wars" and calls himself the "president of peace."
"Like most Americans, we were shocked, horrified that the Trump administration would break international law, carry out a war of aggression. There's no threat from Iran. Many people have been killed, including many schoolgirls. An elementary school was hit," said Brian Becker, the national director of the Answer Coalition. "Importantly, this risks the danger of a broader regional war. Thousands of Iranians, tens of thousands, and thousands of American soldiers, who are clearly vulnerable, easily within striking distance of Iran, are now in harm's way. And why? Trump said that the American people were threatened by Iran. There is absolutely no evidence and no proof that Iran was threatening the United States. Iran does not have a nuclear weapon. Iran allowed international inspectors to come into its civilian nuclear energy program to verify that they do not have a nuclear weapon. This was a war of choice, meaning a war of aggression."
"I mean, what people actually support the bombing of civilian areas in their own country? That's not right, and I don't think most Iranians agree with that," Becker continued.
Speakers also raised concerns that the strikes were launched without congressional approval and questioned whether the attack was about nuclear security at all, like President Trump has claimed.
"The president bragged that he obliterated Iran's nuclear capacity just months ago, so clearly that was a lie. This was an unprovoked and one-sided attack, and we understand it as something very illegal that all Americans should stand against," said Kameron Hunt.
Activist and Actress Jane Fonda spoke, saying this moment feels all too familiar, reminding her of the Vietnam War, when U.S. troops were sent into combat and into harm's way for what she called "all the wrong reasons."
Fonda has been an anti-war activist for decades, telling the crowd this is not just about politics, but people's lives. Fonda also criticized what she calls "profit over people," arguing that war often benefits defense interests, money and oil while ordinary families pay the price.
"Right now we are witnessing the horror of an unnecessary, unprovoked war of choice, raged by the Trump administration, that has already taken the lives of dozens of schoolchildren because they bombed a girls' school in Iraq, among other civilian targets... Iran," Fonda said. "Right now, parents are pulling their children out of the rubble, their bodies out of the rubble. This dangerous and insane war against Iran not only violates international law and our constitution and War Powers Act, but risks exploding into a vast war of mass proportion, taking the lives of many, including U.S. servicepeople."
Many additional demonstrations are planned throughout the weekend.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is among the many Democrats slamming Trump over his decision to launch an attack on Iran.
The governor released the following statement:
"The corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapons. The leadership of Iran must go. But that does not justify the President of the United States engaging in an illegal, dangerous war that will risk the lives of our American service members and our friends without justification to the American people. President Trump is putting Americans at risk abroad because he is unpopular at home."
