«Every day is like a month»: Iranians describe life amid US and Israeli airstrikes
Five days after the start of the Israel-US war against Iran, Iranians are trying to cope with ongoing airstrikes, threats from security forces, and internet outages—all while attempting to stay connected with loved ones.
The ability to contact people inside the country is limited, but several Iranians, whose names have been changed, told the BBC Persian Service about how they are experiencing what is happening in Iran.
«What we are experiencing now surpasses what we went through during the 12‑day war,» Salar said, referring to the conflict between Israel and Iran last year. «The number of explosions, the destruction, what is happening — it's incredible,» he adds.
He lives in Tehran. The Iranian capital has been subjected to waves of attacks since February 28, when the US and Israel launched their first strikes.
«The blast waves shook the windows and curtains,» Salar said, describing one of the recent airstrikes. «I left the windows open so the glass wouldn't shatter. The whole house was shaking… Every day felt like a month,» he added. «The intensity of the attacks is very high.»
Babak, who also lives in Tehran, said he saw people going out for food supplies when the raids began.
He also believes that the attacks are now much more intense than during the 12‑day war, and warnings about them are now less frequent.
«Last time, when we heard anti-aircraft sounds, we knew an attack was coming. Now it's different — suddenly you realize an explosion and destruction have happened somewhere,» says Babak.
Kaveh lives in Zanjan, which is about 275 km northwest of Tehran.
«In the first three days, our city was heavily bombed,» he says. «We live in an area over which fighter jets constantly fly.»
Kaveh added that after the first day of the war, the sky was constantly covered with clouds due to the columns of black and white smoke rising from the airstrike sites.
«It's both a beautiful and terrifying sight,» he says.
Safety fears
Salar is increasingly worried about the safety of his friends and loved ones, especially his mother and father.
«I managed to send my parents north,» he said, though he's not sure how safe it is there.
«But it's safer than their home in Tehran,» he adds.
His parents' house is in an area with many military installations that have been targets of airstrikes.
«My mother was in a very bad state. She was very scared,» he said, adding that the current attacks are worse than anything she experienced during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
Every day, Salar sees more people leaving Tehran, although not everyone has this option.
«My friend's grandmother is sick, and they can't move her,» Salar explains.
Kaveh said he and his friends traveled back and forth between their two homes.
«Their home, because it doesn't overlook the street, creates a feeling of suffocation and being cut off from information. Besides trying to survive, our biggest concern was maintaining at least minimal contact with family and friends and accessing accurate information,» he added.
This was difficult. On the first day of the war, his internet went out at noon and only reappeared two days later.
«Every time I struggled to get online, I tried to help friends outside Iran, who hadn't heard from their families, get updates or relay messages,» he said.
Both Kaveh and Salar use VPNs — services that allow them to access internet sites blocked by the Iranian government. However, it hasn't been easy.
«The internet is constantly disconnecting. I can barely connect with a VPN, usually around noon,» Salar explains.
Warnings via text messages
Salar says that Iranian security forces send SMS messages every day warning that «if we go out on the street, they will deal with us harshly.»
«There was a message that said if any of you go out on the street and protest, you will be considered 'Israeli collaborators',» Salar recounts.
He believed the tone of the message implied that those who disobeyed would be dealt with harshly or even killed.
People also face financial difficulties. The attacks have led to a halt in parts of the economy and administrative services.
«January was already a difficult month,» said Babak.
Mass protests against the government, workers' strikes, and the authorities' internet shutdowns meant that many people could not earn money in winter, with the exception of salaried workers like civil servants. This affected many families.
Death of the Supreme Leader
Beyond the daily dangers and challenges they face, people in Iran are pondering what the war means for the future of their country — especially after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on Saturday.
«At first, we didn't believe it,» said Kaveh.
«I always imagined this moment would be accompanied by a feeling of happiness, but it's not,» he added.
«The thought that because of the mistakes and madness of one person, almost all the years of my life and the lives of millions like me were ruined, and thousands of people died — and yet he himself was eliminated in an instant — caused me genuine rage,» Salar recounts and adds:
«When his death was announced around 10:30-11:00 PM, cries of joy and enthusiastic shouts could be heard from people.»
Due to the ongoing war and tense situation in Iran, it is impossible to fully assess the public reaction to the death of the Supreme Leader.
Some people took to the streets to celebrate, while others joined public displays of mourning organized by the authorities.
Looking to the future
No one knows what the war will mean for them, their families, and their country.
«I doubt any of us will be the same as before,» Salar said. «Many people are under severe stress.»
«Those abroad, especially monarchists,» he added, referring to supporters of the son of Iran's former royal family who backed US and Israeli military actions, «truly don't know what we're going through. I hope they never have to find out.»
«Trump says they haven't even started the real attacks yet. I don't know what else they can hit and how,» he adds.
Babak remains optimistic but worries about how long the conflict will last.
«I often go out. I talk to neighbors and shopkeepers,» he said. «Everyone hopes the situation will be resolved quickly. They don't imagine that the war could drag on or become even more dangerous.»
Babak says he feels that «this war won't end as quickly as we thought.» «But even so, my hope does not weaken — rather, it grows stronger every day,» he immediately adds.
«I feel like an adult who, fully aware of the risks and pain of a very complex operation, decided to undergo it,» Babak recounts. «I don't know what will happen after this 'operation,' but I'm sure that if they hadn't done it, something much worse would have happened.»
«Yes, at least there's still a chance for life and for tomorrow,» he concludes hopefully.
Comments