In a Feb. 28 PBS News article written by Joe Gambrell, Konstantin Toropin, Aamer Madhani, and Josh Boak titled, “U.S. and Israel launch a major attack on Iran, Trump says Supreme Leader Khamenei killed,” tensions have escalated severely in the conflict between Israeli-American forces and Iran.
The PBS Associated Press writes that the “attack was coordinated between Israel and [the] U.S.,” and follows a statement made by Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir confirming that the United States had Air Force pilots striking “hundreds of targets across Iran.”
On Mar. 1, Deepa Parent published “Celebration or grief? Khamenei’s death brings contrasting emotions in Iran” for The Guardian. According to Parent, some Iranians are mourning the death of Khamenei, while others celebrate an Iran free of the former regime. Parent writes, “for those who experienced the violence of the regime’s recent crackdown on nationwide protests, the news was sweet.” In Tehran, mourners also gathered, paying their respects to their fallen leader and chanting, “Death to America and Israel.”
Miles away from the conflict, murmurs and conflicting opinions can be heard at Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Minutes before classes start, Salem students hope for a free Iran while feeling apprehensive of Israel and President Trump’s involvement. Therefore, I asked a couple of people for their opinions. The majority were reluctant, rightfully so. Until Emma De Noble, a health and environmental studies student, agreed to an interview. When asked their opinion on the conflict, they expressed being “not optimistic for this war […] in the long run.” While going on to say that they feel a sense of “dread” when referring back to how “imbalanced and flippant” the American government seems during this conflict. As new updates on the war continue, The Salemite will keep reporting.
