Iranians say conflict is a 'rescue operation'
BBCIranians living in the north-east of England have described the crisis in the Middle East as "not a war, it is a rescue operation".
Newcastle-based Samira Dehghanazad, 40, who fled Iran in 2022 for her safety, was hopeful the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could bring lasting change to her nation.
Following a recent crackdown on protests which saw thousands of people killed, she believed the intervention was justified and hoped it carried on "until the whole regime is gone".
Meanwhile, Yasmin, not her real name, who lives on Teesside and has family living in the North of Iran, said her relations were scared but "hopeful of a better future".
Hundreds of people have been killed in the recent conflict, which has spread across the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and its subsequent retaliation.
The regime, which came to power after overthrowing the country's unpopular monarchy in 1979, has a poor reputation for human rights.
Dehghanazad, who has lived in Newcastle for two years with her husband and son, was among members of the Iranian diaspora in the UK who celebrated Khamenei's death, despite the complex emotions the war has stirred.
'Our houses are shaking'
Dehghanazad told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "From our point of view now, this is not an attack, it is not an assault, it is not a war - it is a rescue operation from most Iranians' point of view."
She was deputy manager of a school in Iran but said she was forced to flee after being targeted for helping students who were protesting against the government in 2022.
She does not know where her parents are or whether they are safe, as she has been unable to contact them since Saturday.
Shahrad, an Iranian man also living in Newcastle, shared the sentiment and said the population had been "like a hostage" to the regime.
Of the killing of Khamenei, he told BBC Radio Newcastle, it had been "our dream for ages".
Yasmin told BBC Radio Tees that she was "very worried" for her family.
Her cousin in the country told her: "We are scared because our houses are shaking because of the waves of the bombs but we are very hopeful of a better future."
