Overview

The 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict refers to a military conflict between the Middle Eastern countries of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which started in mid-June 2025. The attacks began when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Mossad targeted key nuclear sites, top military leaders and military installations, including locations in Tehran, under the codename Operation Rising Lion. Iran then answered with strikes in Tel Aviv and other places. According to Israel, the goal of the operation was to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The conflict sparked widespread media coverage, internet discourse and memes, ranging from users celebrating the strikes on Tel Aviv to others praising the attacks against Iran and other specific events. Many on social media also expressed shock over the strikes in Tel Aviv due to the misconstrued perception that Israel's "Iron Dome" defense against missile attacks was supposed to be impenetrable. Similar to other events such as the Hamas-Israel Conflict and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, others expressed fear over an impending World War III if other nations like the U.S. were to get involved.

Background

On October 7th, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, sparking a deadly war in Gaza. By June 2025, over 62,000 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis had been killed in the conflict, according to Al Jazeera.^[2] Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S., and it's been reported that Iran's government backs Hamas, as well as other groups in the surrounding regions, like Hezbollah in Lebanon.^[1]

Throughout the war in Gaza, Israel levied several attacks in Iran, like the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political leader, in Tehran.^[1] The 2024 Pager and Radio Attacks also occurred in Lebanon on Iran-backed Hezbollah members.

In April 2024, Iran launched an attack on Israel, with 99 percent of the missiles and drones reportedly being intercepted.^[13]

Operation Rising Lion

On June 12th, 2025, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted to X^[3] about "Iran's Nuclear Plans" and its justification for targeting the country's nuclear facilities.

Later that night, in coordination with Mossad, the IDF struck multiple locations in Iran as Operation Rising Lion began, using over 200 fighter jets, continuing into June 13th.^[4] Iran then launched retaliatory airstrikes on the cities of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.^[5]

As of June 15th, 2025, Israeli strikes have killed at least 400 people in Iran and wounded another 650, according to Washington-based Human Rights Activists (Iran has not reported overall casualty figures). The retaliatory strikes from Iran, according to Israel, reportedly killed 14 people and wounded 390 as of the same day. Israeli figures also state that Iran has fired over 270 missiles, with 22 breaking through the country’s air defenses, including the Iron Dome.^[14]

Developments

U.S. Airstrikes On Iranian Nuclear Sites

On June 22nd, 2025, the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear sites (Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan), using Northrop B-2 Spirit bombers and Tomahawk missiles, with President Donald Trump stating that the facilities were "totally obliterated."^[24] Iran then downplayed the attacks and claimed only two tunnels were damaged by the strikes.^[25]

That same day, satellite images of the airstrikes on the Fordow site were released, with the NewsNation YouTube channel covering them in a video that received over 671,000 views, 5,300 likes and 1,200 comments in a day (seen below).

Memes about the U.S. strike and B-2 bombers appeared online shortly after, some notably calling B-2s "Freedom Doritos." For instance, on June 23rd, TikTok^[26] user @whos.sofie posted a meme showing Iran's reaction to the B-2, receiving over 18,8000 views, 1,800 likes and 670 shares in a day (shown below).

Online Reactions

Viral posts about the attacks landed on social media shortly after Operation Rising Lion began on June 12th, 2025.

For instance, on June 12th, an X^[6] account named @IRIran_Military, which many mistakenly believed was an official Iran Military account, tweeted, "Remember, we didn't initiate it," before the retaliatory airstrikes, gaining over 774,000 likes in four days.

Many X users quote-tweeted the abovementioned post, like X^[7] user @ATLienMJ on June 12th, who said, "Punk them niggas for me big 'Ran," gaining over 150,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Numerous videos of the airstrikes in Tel Aviv went viral online, such as a video shared by X^[8] user @AvivaKlompas on June 13th, 2025, which showed the aftermath of the attacks. She captioned the video, "Dear lord. This is Tel Aviv," and received over 11.6 million views and 40,000 likes in three days (shown below).

Dear lord. This is Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/27R5hEUaNS

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) June 13, 2025

On June 13th, a video from Yemen of a crowd of people watching the Tel Aviv airstrikes on a large screen was posted by the X^[9] account @clashreport, receiving over 19.7 million views and 61,000 likes in three days.

On the same day, X^[10] user @happytobebald quote-tweeted the video, writing, "Generational hate watch," gaining over 404,000 likes in three days (shown below).

Generational hate watch https://t.co/AssLsaZ6Zs

— #1yankee arsenal knickfan (Jesus Loves You) (@happytobebald) June 13, 2025

Numerous memes about the potential of the conflict sparking WW3 were shared online amid the events between Israel and Iran.

For example, on June 13th, Redditor anxietyhub posted a NASA Celebration meme to the subreddit /r/dankmemes^[17] with a caption about Germans celebrating that they're not responsible for WW3, receiving over 5,500 upvotes and 100 comments in three days (seen below).

On June 15th, 2025, Redditor pomegranate_verynice shared a GIF Caption meme to the /r/dankmemes^[11] subreddit, showing people looking back and forth, captioned, "Syrians, Iraqis and Jordanians right now," gaining over 2,200 upvotes in a day (shown below).

Reactions also surfaced on TikTok, like a video posted by TikToker^[12] @justpeers on June 15th, who was reacting to a tweet they saw in which someone said, "This is not Gaza, this is Tel Aviv," gaining over 100,400 likes in a day (shown below).

On June 14th, Redditor ItalianNATOSupporter posted a That Sign Can't Stop Me Because I Can't Read meme to the subreddit /r/NonCredibleDefense^[18] under the title "Iranians having reading issues," receiving over 2,700 upvotes and 300 comments in two days (seen below).

On June 16th, 2025, a video showing an Iranian state broadcast station being impacted by an Israeli strike as the anchor was reading a statement began going viral online. That day, X^[15] user @arash_tehran reposted the clip, receiving over 53,400 views and 430 likes in an hour (seen below).

The video was also shared on the subreddit /r/Damnthatsinteresting^[16] that day, receiving over 5,700 upvotes and 570 comments before removal.

A video that will go down in history: Iran’s state broadcaster hit by Israeli strikes just as the anchor was reading a statement by Iran’s national security council

pic.twitter.com/GuL7r0e5KH

— Arash Azizi آرش عزیزی (@arash_tehran) June 16, 2025

Fake Image Of Downed Israeli F-35 Fighter Jet

On June 15th, 2025, a doctored propaganda image from the conflict began spreading online, which claimed to depict an F-35 fighter jet belonging to the Israel Air Force that was shot down by Iran. Many users on social media reposted the image as if it were real, which was later debunked by Snopes,^[22] as no Israeli F-35s were reported to be destroyed in the first few days of the fighting.^[23]

For example, that same day, X^[19] user @HarrisonKrank posted the image, noting the F-35 was the size of a football field. The post received a Community Note from other readers, which noted it was either digitally altered or AI-generated. The tweet received over 55,000 views and 100 likes in two days (seen below).

The fake image of the aircraft was then used in memes on both X and Reddit in the following days as it spread online. For instance, a Photoshop meme posted to the subreddit /r/NonCredibleDefense^[20] on June 16th, depicting the jet overlaid on top of a map of Iran, received over 9,100 upvotes and 160 comments in a day (shown below).

Also on June 16th, 2025, Redditor Wormri posted a "The End of Evangelion" meme to the subreddit /r/NonCredibleDefense^[21] depicting the fake F-35, titled "End of Irangelion," accumulating over 3,400 upvotes and 40 comments in 22 hours (seen below).

Search Interest

External References