Food lies forgotten on the table as a room of young people gather near the windows looking out across the city.

They dance and pump their hands in the air as they look out at the sight of Israeli bombs falling on their city in Iran.

“They keep hitting us and we keep dancing!,” a woman shouts over the thumping music in a video being widely shared among Iranians across the world and verified by The i Paper.

The joy of these young men and women watching their country being attacked has been seen two million times, despite the regime’s efforts to shut down the internet in Iran.

Data from internet watchdog NetBlocks shows that Iranians’ online access is being throttled, with a stark drop off on Tuesday night as Israel launched their latest round of strikes.

Fatemeh Mohajerani, a spokesperson for the Iranian Government, said the restricted internet access had been a response to Israeli cyber attacks.

However, critics say it is an attempt to stifle dissent and that the Iranian regime has previously shut down or reduced their internet connectivity at times of civil unrest, notably in 2019 when there was a six-day blackout amid anti-government protests.

Arrests over social media posts

The cheering group dancing inside the apartment belong to yet another generation who have lived through the draconian rule of the Iranian regime, which first came to power in 1979.

In recent years, hundreds of protesters have been killed and thousands arrested and injured during the Women Life Freedom demonstrations, which have criticised Iran’s leaders following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, after she was arrested for not wearing a hijab.

“Don’t blame these people for why they are happy,” Masih Alinejad, a leading anti-regime activist who is forced to live in exile, wrote when she shared the clip. “People whose lives and freedom of security have been destroyed for 40 years have been wounded.

“It is obvious that on nights when they should be worried about war, they are happy for their killers being killed.”

People react with positive emojis to news that an official connected to the death of Mahsa Amini was killed by Israeli strikes (left) and that Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, is reportedly hiding from the attacks

On Friday, Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, targeting their nuclear sites and military commanders. The attacks have led to days of bombing between the two countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for Iranians to reject their leaders, saying: “This is your opportunity to stand up and raise your voices against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses you and keeps you in poverty.”

Despite more than 500 lives having been lost in Iran as a result of the strikes, some of the country’s disaffected are supportive of anything they perceive as delivering a blow to their rulers.

It is dangerous to post dissenting videos or messages from within the country. State media has boasted of 16 people being arrested from one province alone for pro-Israel social media messages over the weekend.

Other recent high profile arrests include Motahareh Goune – a dental student, who has previously been locked up for her activism – after she posted criticism of Iran’s leaders on X in the wake of Israeli strikes.

Retired teacher Masoumeh Shahnavaz was also arrested after reacting online to Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites in Iran.

Kurdish human rights group Hengaw issued a warning that Iranians posting critically of their Government or in support of Israel are being “arrested with force”.

Hengaw also reported that local governments of some Iranian regions have sent text messages warning residents against “celebrating and inciting unrest” connected to the bombings, with threats of legal consequences.

One method of speaking out against the regime is via encrypted Telegram groups.

Thousands follow these pages and post celebratory emojis reacting to clips of bombs falling on Iran.

‘Regime change does not justify war’

However, not everyone in Iran welcomes the bombs, even if they want regime change.

One Iranian who lives in Tehran, who The i Paper is not identifying for safety reasons, said: “People are lamenting both Khamenei and Netanyahu for bringing this upon them. This is undeniable.

Iranian student activist Motahareh Gounei was arrested after posting criticism of Iran’s leadership on X – where her account has also been suspended

“But, Israel didn’t attack the Islamic Republic; it attacked Iran’s territorial integrity. People are outraged. Israel hit dormitories that hosted university students. They are now certain that Netanyahu wants to repeat what happened in Gaza in Tehran. In that sense, people are united against Israel.”

Decades of violence and dictatorship means many Iranians have fled the country, and are watching from afar, many with loved ones still in their home towns.

Elika Ashoori and her family live in exile in the UK, after her British-Iranian father, Anoosheh Ashoori, was held on false charges for five years in the notorious Evin prison. His imprisonment was widely seen as a negotiating tool for Iran with the UK.

After campaigning for her father’s release, she now uses her voice from the comparative safety of London to bring attention to the abuses carried out by the Iranian regime.

She says that while views from Iranians living abroad might be different to those on the ground, she does not want war, despite being desperate for regime change.

Elika, centre bottom, with her family – including her father Anoosheh after his release from Evin prison (Photo: Elika Ashoori)

“As the daughter of a former hostage, I find this gut-wrenching. I want this regime to go away more than I can put into words… [but] there is a line that no one should ever cross and that’s justifying war.

“I understand the desperation and people of Iran have been brutalised for decades under this awful authoritarian regime. But war is not liberation and the belief that Israel is Iran’s saviour is naive [and] short-sighted,” she said.

As well as concerns about a power vacuum and no clear path to a stable democracy for her country at this time, Elika is once again finding her family in danger.

“There are places being bombed that I know people who live there.

“My grandmother lives within hearing distance of one of the bombs that fell, and my aunt lives right next door to where they’ve bombed an entire area. It’s getting harder and harder to get in touch with them.”