Anti-regime demonstrations have spread to more than 20 cities in the last four days.By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel NewsIsrael is on high alert in case Iran launches a surprise missile attack as internal protests against the regime intensify and spread to more than 20 cities, The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday.Although Iran was significantly weakened by Israel’s 12-day Operation Rising Lion in June and has little desire to initiate another round of hostilities, Israeli officials said the ayatollahs may feel “cornered,” the report said, as the economic crisis that sparked the protests continues to deepen.Totalitarian regimes that feel threatened have historically sought to redirect public anger toward an external enemy, potentially creating a “rally around the flag” effect.On Wednesday, the fourth consecutive day of protests against the ayatollahs, the first fatality was reported: a member of the Basij militia, a feared volunteer force that often uses violence to suppress dissent.Iranian media said the man was killed when demonstrators threw stones in the city of Kuhdasht in southwestern Lorestan province.The district’s deputy governor said 13 members of the security forces were also injured in the clashes.Video circulating online showed a police vehicle being pelted with stones before fleeing protesters.Basij forces were also targeted in western Hamedan province, where protesters in one city overran the militia’s headquarters and set it ablaze while reportedly chanting, “Death to [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei.”Also in Hamedan, protesters located an Iranian intelligence hideout Wednesday night, “set it on fire, and, according to some claims, released civilians who were being held captive by Iranian intelligence,” Abu Ali Express reported Thursday.Numerous videos posted on social media have showed dozens or hundreds of defiant demonstrators in important cities such as Tehran, Shiraz, Kermanshah and Yazd marching toward riot police and chanting that they are “without honor,” presumably for supporting the regime.Another slogan, heard in Dorud, was “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran,” reflecting anger over the regime’s spending billions of dollars on military and economic aid abroad rather than prioritizing its own citizens.Authorities have so far refrained from firing on crowds, instead using nonlethal methods such as tear gas and water trucks to disperse demonstrators.Four University of Tehran students arrested during protests Tuesday were even released later that night, according to the school.Students — a key force in previous anti-regime protests — have joined the demonstrations in many cities, especially in the capital.The unrest began when merchants in Tehran’s bazaars went on strike over runaway inflation that has caused the Iranian rial to lose nearly half its already diminished value in 2025.The currency is being unofficially traded at about 1.4 million rials to the dollar, making it extremely difficult for ordinary Iranians to make a living.A severe water crisis, caused by decades of mismanagement, had already left the public on edge during the long summer.Iran’s leadership has publicly acknowledged the economic crisis and has so far struck a conciliatory tone, saying it is willing to meet protest leaders to hear their complaints.Officials warned, however, that any attempt to “exploit the demonstrations to implement plans of foreign elements will be answered accordingly.” The post Israel on high alert for Iranian attack amid widening protests appeared first on World Israel News.