Speaking to state television while marching among demonstrators supporting the Palestinian cause, Larijani said the attacks reflected fear rather than strength.

“These attacks are out of fear, out of desperation. One who is strong wouldn’t bomb demonstrations at all. It’s clear that it has failed,” Larijani said.

Larijani’s presence at the rally marked one of the highest-profile appearances by an Iranian official since a Feb. 28 strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with other senior officials, according to Iranian authorities.

Footage broadcast by Iranian state television showed large crowds gathering in Tehran for the annual Quds Day event, which is held each year to express support for Palestinians.

Also present at the rally was Ahmad-Reza Radan, Iran’s national police chief, according to images aired by state media.

Iranian media reported that a woman was killed after a U.S.-Israeli airstrike struck the vicinity of the demonstration on Friday.

The strike occurred near the location of the rally in the Iranian capital, although further details about the circumstances were not immediately available.

The demonstration took place amid ongoing hostilities involving Iran, Israel and the United States, with repeated air strikes and missile attacks reported across the region.

Public events such as the Quds Day march have historically been used by Iranian officials to express political positions on regional conflicts, particularly the Palestinian issue.

Mohammad Mohaddesin, head of foreign policy at the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said during a news conference in Paris that sustained airstrikes had weakened elements of Iran’s military and security apparatus but would not be sufficient to remove the ruling system.

“The 12-day war in June, and the current war, now in its 12th day, proved that bombings cannot overthrow the regime,” Mohaddesin said, adding that political change would require widespread public mobilization inside Iran.

Mohaddesin said that even a substantial deployment of foreign troops would be unlikely to achieve regime change without support from the Iranian population.

“You need a popular uprising,” he said, arguing that internal resistance combined with popular protest would be necessary to challenge the country’s leadership.

He added that he did not consider a deployment of U.S. ground troops a realistic scenario in the current conflict.

Nearly two weeks of fighting have killed around 2,000 people in Iran, including the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, according to figures cited in the conflict, while military strikes have damaged parts of Iran’s defence and security infrastructure.

Iran has responded with retaliatory actions that have widened tensions across the Middle East and disrupted global energy markets and transport routes. The country’s powerful security force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has tightened its control and warned it would suppress any unrest.

The NCRI, also known by its Farsi name Mujahideen-e-Khalq, was designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States until 2012 and remains banned in Iran. Analysts say its level of support inside the country is difficult to assess.

Along with monarchist groups supporting Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former shah, it is among the few opposition movements outside the country capable of organizing political gatherings and advocacy efforts.

Mohaddesin acknowledged that his organisation alone could not bring down Iran’s political system but said large-scale protests similar to demonstrations earlier this year could re-emerge once airstrikes cease and eventually shift the balance of power.

Israeli officials have said weakening Iran’s security structures is among the objectives of the campaign, arguing it could enable Iranians to determine their own political future.

The statement did not specify where the incident occurred or what operations the officers were involved in at the time. Officials also did not disclose their identities or whether other personnel were injured.The announcement comes as Kuwait and other Gulf states remain on heightened alert following a series of drone and missile launches from Iran after recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic. Several countries in the region have reported intercepting aerial threats amid escalating security concerns.

The Kuwait Fire Force said only that the two officers were killed “while performing duties,” offering no further explanation. Authorities have not indicated whether the deaths were connected to fire response operations, civil defense activities, or emergency support related to the ongoing regional security situation.The fire service in Kuwait functions as the primary authority responsible for firefighting, rescue operations, and emergency response across the country.

Gulf countries, including Kuwait, have taken precautionary measures in response to the deteriorating security environment following the recent attacks on Iran. Governments across the region have stepped up air defense monitoring and emergency preparedness in case of spillover from the broader confrontation.While Kuwait has not publicly reported damage from incoming projectiles, officials have acknowledged the interception of drones and missiles launched from Iran in recent days.The deaths of the two officers were announced as authorities continued monitoring developments across the Gulf, where heightened tensions have prompted increased vigilance among civil defense and emergency services.

Iranian authorities cut internet access on Saturday after the start of the conflict involving the United States and Israel, triggering a nationwide disruption that has severely limited communication inside and outside the country.In a message posted on the social media platform X, NetBlocks said the blackout had exceeded 120 hours, with connectivity “still flatlining around 1 percent of ordinary levels.”connectivity nearly haltedThe prolonged shutdown has left many Iranians unable to make international calls or reliably connect online. Calls from overseas to Iranian mobile phones or landlines have become nearly impossible, according to residents contacted through intermittent messaging.Some users report brief windows during the day when limited connectivity allows them to send text messages, though voice messages and calls frequently fail to transmit.“The internet speed is very slow,” a resident in Tehran said in a message, requesting anonymity for security reasons. “You can’t call and voice messages don’t get delivered. We can just text.”NetBlocks said telecommunications companies in Iran had begun sending warnings to users attempting to connect to the global internet, threatening possible legal action.residents seek alternative accessWith regular connections largely unavailable, some Iranians have turned to alternative technologies to maintain limited communication.

According to residents, some users have attempted to access the internet through unauthorised subscriptions to satellite-based services such as Starlink, though availability and connectivity remain inconsistent.A resident in Bukan in western Iran described the connection as unreliable and extremely slow.“The internet situation here is abysmal,” the resident said in a message. “It connects and disconnects. The connection is slow, so the VPNs don’t work.”restrictions compound existing controlsEven before the current shutdown, many Iranians relied on virtual private networks to bypass restrictions on foreign social media platforms.Services such as Instagram are typically restricted in Iran, prompting widespread use of VPNs under normal conditions.With internet access severely curtailed, some residents who are able to connect briefly have been sharing updates with friends and family who remain cut off.Shima, a 33-year-old resident of Tehran, said she had been sending messages to friends describing conditions in the capital as waves of missile and bombing strikes hit the city during the ongoing conflict.

The warning from Hezbollah came early on Friday and appeared aimed at residents of Israeli communities close to the frontier. The group said Israel’s military actions against Lebanon, including what it described as attacks on civilian infrastructure and the displacement of residents, would not go unanswered.The exchange of warnings reflects a sharp escalation in rhetoric and military posture between the two sides as hostilities expand across the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

Hezbollah issues evacuation warningIn its Telegram statement, Hezbollah accused Israel of violating Lebanese sovereignty and targeting civilian areas, saying Israeli military operations and the displacement of residents had crossed a threshold.“Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged,” the group said in the message directed at Israeli residents near the border.

The warning was issued in Hebrew, a move often used by Hezbollah to communicate directly with Israeli audiences during periods of heightened confrontation.Israel rejects evacuation demandIsraeli authorities said they would not comply with Hezbollah’s demand and indicated that residents of border towns would remain in place despite the warning.Israel has also deployed additional troops into Lebanon, describing the move as a defensive measure aimed at protecting Israeli communities near the frontier.Israeli officials have repeatedly said the military steps are intended to safeguard citizens living close to the border as tensions with Hezbollah intensify.Beirut suburbs already under warningHezbollah’s evacuation notice followed a separate warning from Israel issued less than a day earlier, when Israeli authorities urged civilians to leave the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The advisory prompted residents to flee parts of the capital known as Dahiyeh, an area widely regarded as a stronghold of Hezbollah.Witnesses and local reports described an exodus from sections of the neighbourhood following the Israeli warning, as civilians sought safer areas away from potential military targets.The back-to-back warnings from both sides illustrate the rapidly deteriorating security situation along the Lebanon-Israel border, where rhetoric and military positioning have sharpened in recent days.Israel and Hezbollah have a long history of confrontation along the frontier, and exchanges of threats and military movements often raise fears of broader escalation. The latest warnings to civilians on both sides underscore the growing strain on border communities as tensions continue to mount.