From the Liveblog of
Saturday, February 28, 2026
In Persian message, IDF says war with regime, not Iranian people
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
In a message in Persian, the IDF says Israel’s war is not with the Iranian people, but only with the regime.
“The Islamic Republic dragged the region into this campaign, but this is not our war with the Iranian people. The regime is responsible for squandering the people’s resources on terror organizations, missiles, and a murderous nuclear program against Israel and the region,” says Persian-language spokesman Lt. Col. Kamal Penhasi in a video.
“The regime will continue to threaten and tell you lies through its various channels, but we urge you to listen only to our official Persian-language channels,” he says.
“Israel is acting in coordination with the United States solely against the regime as part of our right to defend ourselves. We are not enemies of the Iranian people, but enemies of the dictatorship that oppresses them,” Penhasi adds.
پیام ما به مردم ایران. نبرد ما با این رژیم ترویستی است و نه با شما. pic.twitter.com/snBOIqcazh
— ارتش دفاعی اسرائیل | IDF Farsi (@IDFFarsi) February 28, 2026
The Times of Israel Community.