AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Missile strikes between Israel and Iran continued overnight and into the morning. Residential areas in Israel were hit by Iranian rockets in the deadliest attacks on that country since the initial wave of strikes. Israeli fighter jets bombed Tehran. Roads were clogged as many were trying to seek safety outside of the capital. We've been in touch with several people in Iran, and NPR international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam joins us now to talk about what they're saying about the conflict with Israel. Hi, Jackie.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: Morning, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So what did we learn from these conversations?
NORTHAM: Well, there were four people - three woman and a man - and they spoke with an NPR translator. And all the people we talked to asked that we don't use their full name, and that's out of fear of retribution by the Iranian government. You know, it's hard to say if this is a fair representation, but the people we spoke with were happy that Israel was killing members of the Iranian leadership because they want an end to Iran's hard-line rule. And one of them was Zarha (ph), a 50-year-old woman with two children who lives in Karaj near Tehran. Here she is.
ZARHA: (Through translator) When I heard the news, I lost my control and was shouting, thanking Netanyahu for killing these criminals. We have not heard any good national news for many years. For once, war news made us slightly happy.
NORTHAM: And, of course, Netanyahu, she refers to, is the Israeli prime minister.
RASCOE: Overnight, Israel hit Iran hard again in the biggest attack since it launched the first missiles on Friday. Are the people NPR spoke with staying, or are they leaving Tehran?
NORTHAM: Well, you know, most of the people said they were caught by surprise by the Israeli attacks. There was supposed to be another round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran today, and they thought if anything happens, it'd be after that. Those talks are now canceled.
One woman named Negar (ph) - we featured her in a story last week - she's an English teacher in Tehran. And she said in the opening hours of the attack, many people left the city. Others hunkered down. And then there were those who watched the spectacle of incoming missiles.
NEGAR: (Through interpreter) We still see many videos of people watching the explosions from rooftops, estimating which military center was hit, for example. It seems that people are so sure that they themselves are not the target that they don't see much need to take shelter.
NORTHAM: And it seems the problem is there aren't many shelters, and the Iranian regime isn't telling people where to go to be safe.
RASCOE: So we're hearing from people who seem to make, you know, no secret of the fact that they want Iran's leadership gone. Was there anyone who felt otherwise?
NORTHAM: Sure. We spoke with another woman named Zahra (ph), and she's an unemployed fashion designer in her mid-30s and lives in the northwestern city of Hamedan. We also spoke with her last week, and at that time, she said she had lost heart that Iran was ever going to get rid of what she called a corrupt and ruthless regime. When we caught up with her again, after the Israeli strikes, Zahra said she and her sisters have been celebrating, but not her mother.
ZAHRA: (Through interpreter) My mother is a supporter of the regime, a fanatic one. She has shut her eyes on everything and makes these guys seem holy. She was not speaking at all today.
NORTHAM: And, you know, many Iranians on social media are celebrating the strikes on Israel.
RASCOE: There is some speculation that Israel could be looking for regime change in Iran. Did anyone you talked with think that could happen?
NORTHAM: Yes, there was one fellow, Turaj (ph). He's a 50-year-old photographer from the city of Rasht along the Caspian Sea. He thinks there's cracks in the regime now.
TURAJ: (Through interpreter) I think this is the beginning of an end. This is the start of the collapse of the body of a tiger that is empty inside. This is going to make people more brave.
NORTHAM: You know, Ayesha, of course, we'll have to see if that's what plays out in the end.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Jackie Northam. Thank you so much.
NORTHAM: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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