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Thousands of residents of the Iranian capital Thran are fleeing their homes. Others are stockpiling essential supplies for fear that Israel's air strikes will escalate in the coming days.
Zores Shelazad went shopping at a Thran market on Sunday. "I don't know about the stress, but it was very crowded," he said. "It's clear that, for example, because of these events, people are worried, like what if certain goods suddenly become unavailable." In my view, Saturday and Friday were very busy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranian civilians to flee in a video released on Monday, claiming his country's air force had free reign in the skies over Thran.
"For now, we just want to leave Thran for more safety," said one resident. "That's all. Because they said to evacuate Thran, and that in itself has created a kind of fear in everyone. People feel like something really bad might happen in the city. That's why we want to go somewhere else for the time being, until things settle down."
Iranian authorities have rejected Israel's messages as "psychological warfare" and urged the population not to panic. Although state television has aired footage of traffic jams on roads leading out of the capital. The attacks have spread a sense of dread across the sprawling Islamic Republic, exposing critical gaps in safety measures, particularly the lack of adequate bomb shelters.
Say Holiday, a shopkeeper, said, "They're truly afraid. When they hear the sound of bombings, they get scared. Just now, we had a customer who was really frightened. She cried and quickly left the store in a hurry."
Despite having built several underground missile cities, Iran lacks public bomb shelters. However, the government said on Sunday that mosques, schools, and subways would be open around the clock to serve as shelters during Israeli attacks.
The death toll in Iran has reached at least 224, and an Iranian official said civilians account for 90% of the casualties. Three shopkeepers in Thran told Reuters people were stocking up on food and gas for cooking and water. The government has assured people that there are sufficient stocks of food and medicine.