“stuck”. That's the term most people who talk to the BBC are currently using to describe life in Iran.
After three days of Israeli attacks, “everyone tried to escape “Tehran” in one way or another,” a resident told BBC News Persian.
On Sunday, a long line was set up at gas stations throughout the city. Many people have tried to leave remote areas and stay away from any possible Israeli targets, but they are unable to even leave the province due to heavy traffic.
“Obviously, Tehran is not safe,” one resident said. “We have no warning or warning to officials about the Israeli attack. We just heard explosions and hope our location won't be hit. But where can we go? Nowhere feel safe.”
One who managed to move from Tehran to another province said: “I don't think I'm fully dealing with living in an active war zone and I'm not sure when it will be accepted.”
“This is not my war. I'm not rooted on both sides, I just want to survive with my family.”
Israel has hit Iran in years with its biggest wave of air strikes since Friday.
Israel's strike led to retaliation from Iran, which launched missile strikes on Israel.
Authorities say at least 10 people were killed in Israel. Iranian media quoted the Ministry of Health as saying that as of noon Saturday, 128 people were killed in the Israeli attack.
An Iranian told the BBC that she couldn't sleep for two nights: “I've had a very difficult situation.”
She said the current situation reminded her of the bombings and went to the shelter during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
“The difference is that at least when the attack occurred, we heard the sound of air strike sirens or at least the warning before it happened. But now, during this bombing or any air strike, there are no alerts or warnings.”
BBC News Persian Ghoncheh Habibiazad said the young people born after the war had no idea what it was like.
A Tehran woman said she had considered leaving the city to escape attacks.
“We all want to go to smaller cities or villages, but each of us has loved ones that we can't leave and we are thinking about them,” she said. “What we've experienced is not fair to any of us, the Iranian people.”
“We are all trying to get through fear, exhaustion and stress, which is extremely hard and painful.”
A resident of the capital said: “I can't just leave Tehran. I can't leave my elderly parents, who can't travel long and I leave the city by myself. Also, I need to show up to work. What should I do now?”
People line up in Tehran cars to buy petrol on Sunday [EPA-EFE]
The internet has been unstable, so it is difficult to keep in touch with people in the country.
Many people living abroad send messages to their loved ones in hopes of getting a reply.
Some have also received warnings from the Israeli military to ask all Iranians to leave areas near the military ruins. People in Tehran seem to be most worried about this.
“How should we know where the military ruins are and where they are not?” said one person.
Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a message to the Iranians on the second day of the attack, saying that “the time has come” and that the Iranians “unite by standing up for your freedom.”
However, the country has so far chosen people to be safe, with little evidence that Netanyahu's call resonates on the ground.
There have been many attacks in Tehran since Friday [Getty Images]
BBC News Persian Persian Pouyan Kalani said that inside Iran, the most shocking thing was the destruction of residential buildings, even more than attacks on nuclear facilities and air bases.
Many Iranians have not witnessed such a scene since the end of the Iran-Iraq War – especially on the streets of the capital.
Many in Tehran and elsewhere recall Friday’s confusion: what the hell happened; how common it is. How do they protect themselves and their families?
Edited by Alexandra Fouché
