Iran launched a large wave of retaliatory missile and drone strikes on Israel into Saturday morning, kiling at least three people and wounding dozens. The barrage of strikes came after a series of blistering Israeli attacks on the heart of Iran’s nuclear programme and its armed forces.
Explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, shaking buildings as the Israeli military urged frightened civilians to take shelter.
“Sirens started this morning. Suddenly there was a crazy explosion in the neighbourhood. All the neighbours are complaining about shattered glass,” said resident Opal Mizrachi. She noted that three villas were damaged, adding, “First time something like this has happened in the neighbourhood, in such a crazy scale. We are recovering from this.”
Another resident, Moshe Shani, recounted the moment a missile struck nearby: “There was a siren, I woke my wife up, we ran downstairs to the shelter, we locked the door, after a few minutes there was a boom that shook the entire shelter’s door. The door opened in the shelter, and we heard noises. We thought that's it, the house was gone, and half of the house was gone, fell apart.”
The Iranian attack was a direct response to an Israeli assault that used warplanes and drones to strike key nuclear facilities and kill top Iranian generals and scientists. Iran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in the Israeli attacks.
Israel's government has presented its rationale for the attack as a pre-emptive strike on Iran in order to hinder its efforts towards building nuclear weapons. This claim, however, has not thus far been shared by several experts and the US government, who have been in talks with Iran regarding its nuclear programme.
The next planned round of talks between the US and Iran, which was due to take place on Sunday, has now been cancelled.
Residents show mix of defiance and despair after attack
Residents of Tel Aviv showed a wide ranged of reactions to the Iranian retaliatory attack, with differing views on the escalating conflict and its effect on their daily lives. For some, the overnight barrage was a frightening but familiar disruption.
"It's not particulary pleasant, and unfortunately, we are pretty much used to this," said residnt Ram Ilan. "For me, it is more like annoying than a threat."
For others, however, anxiety was the dominant feeling. Howard Alansteen, an American living in Israel, described his wife's reaction: "She's very, very anxious and she wants to leave as soon as possible. She's talking about going over the bridge to Jordan. She was talking about getting on a ferry to Cyprus. She is really upset."
Amid the destruction, some voiced steadfast resolve. Standing near a damaged building, David, another Tel Aviv resident, expressed strong support for Israel’s military actions. "We see the destruction, nothing will deter us. We must continue our mission, and eliminate those we need to, and do whatever is necessary. Nothing will deter us, we will continue with all our might, advancing, advancing," he said.
Others, like Max Rashpski, see a prolonged battle ahead. "It won't end, it won't end soon. It will take a long time," he said, explaining, "This is a regional war, this is another round of escalation, a war and we've been in it for about two years now."
Meanwhile, a sense of sorrow and frustration was also present. Erez, who rode his bicycle past an attack site, said he wished both sides could live in peace. "I hoped none of this would happen. Not to us and not to them. And everyone would live in their own space," he said.
He questioned the necessity of the conflict, adding, "These ballistic missiles and the missiles that (US President) Trump is sending us, it is not worth the money that American taxpayers pay. It is not worth the danger to our soldiers, everyone wants to live in peace. I hope this reaches the right people."
