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| 'I don't want Tehran to turn into Gaza': Iranians on Israeli strikes | 'I don't want Tehran to turn into Gaza': Iranians on Israeli strikes |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Israel continued to strike Iran's capital Tehran on Sunday night | Israel continued to strike Iran's capital Tehran on Sunday night |
| Long queues at petrol stations and bakeries. Long lines of cars trying to escape the capital. And long, frightening nights. | Long queues at petrol stations and bakeries. Long lines of cars trying to escape the capital. And long, frightening nights. |
| Residents of Tehran - still shocked by Israel's sudden attack on Iran in the early hours of Friday morning - speak of fear and confusion, a feeling of helplessness and conflicting emotions. | Residents of Tehran - still shocked by Israel's sudden attack on Iran in the early hours of Friday morning - speak of fear and confusion, a feeling of helplessness and conflicting emotions. |
| "We haven't slept for nights," a 21-year-old music student told me over an encrypted social media app. | "We haven't slept for nights," a 21-year-old music student told me over an encrypted social media app. |
| "Everyone is leaving but I'm not. My dad says it's more honourable to die in your own house than to run away." | "Everyone is leaving but I'm not. My dad says it's more honourable to die in your own house than to run away." |
| 'Donya' - she doesn't want to reveal her real name - is one of many Iranians now caught in a war between a regime she loathes and Israel, whose destructive power in Gaza she has witnessed on screen from afar. | 'Donya' - she doesn't want to reveal her real name - is one of many Iranians now caught in a war between a regime she loathes and Israel, whose destructive power in Gaza she has witnessed on screen from afar. |
| "I really don't want my beautiful Tehran to turn into Gaza," she said. | "I really don't want my beautiful Tehran to turn into Gaza," she said. |
| Follow live updates on this story | Follow live updates on this story |
| What we know as conflict intensifies | What we know as conflict intensifies |
| 'It's heavy on the heart': Israelis survey damage in city hit by Iranian missile | 'It's heavy on the heart': Israelis survey damage in city hit by Iranian missile |
| What are the worst-case scenarios? | What are the worst-case scenarios? |
| Israel's endgame may be regime change in Iran - but it's a gamble | Israel's endgame may be regime change in Iran - but it's a gamble |
| As for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call on Iranians to rise up against their clerical leadership, she has a firm response. | As for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call on Iranians to rise up against their clerical leadership, she has a firm response. |
| "We don't want Israel to save us. No foreign country ever cared for Iran," she said. "We also don't want the Islamic Republic." | "We don't want Israel to save us. No foreign country ever cared for Iran," she said. "We also don't want the Islamic Republic." |
| Another woman said that at first she had felt a "strange excitement" to see Israel kill Iranian military officials so powerful that she thought they would live for ever. | Another woman said that at first she had felt a "strange excitement" to see Israel kill Iranian military officials so powerful that she thought they would live for ever. |
| "Suddenly that image of power was shattered," she told BBC Persian. | "Suddenly that image of power was shattered," she told BBC Persian. |
| "But from the second day, when I heard that regular people - people I didn't know, people like me - had also been killed, I started to feel sorrow, fear and sadness." | "But from the second day, when I heard that regular people - people I didn't know, people like me - had also been killed, I started to feel sorrow, fear and sadness." |
| And she said her sadness turned to anger when she heard that the South Pars gas field had been hit, fearing that Israel was trying to turn Iran "into ruins". | And she said her sadness turned to anger when she heard that the South Pars gas field had been hit, fearing that Israel was trying to turn Iran "into ruins". |
| For the first time in her life, she said, she has started to prepare for the idea of dying. | For the first time in her life, she said, she has started to prepare for the idea of dying. |
| More than 220 people - many of them women and children - have been killed since Friday, according to the Iranian authorities. | More than 220 people - many of them women and children - have been killed since Friday, according to the Iranian authorities. |
| Israeli authorities say Iranian missiles have killed at least 24 people in Israel over the same period. | Israeli authorities say Iranian missiles have killed at least 24 people in Israel over the same period. |
| Long queues of traffic stretched along Tehran's roads as people tried to leave the city | Long queues of traffic stretched along Tehran's roads as people tried to leave the city |
| Unlike in Israel, there are no warnings of imminent attacks in Iran, and no shelters to run to. | Unlike in Israel, there are no warnings of imminent attacks in Iran, and no shelters to run to. |
| Missiles fall from the sky but a campaign of car bombs in Tehran - as reported by both Israeli and Iranian media - has sewn further panic and confusion. | |
| Even some supporters of the regime are reported to be upset that its much-vaunted defences have been so thoroughly exposed. | Even some supporters of the regime are reported to be upset that its much-vaunted defences have been so thoroughly exposed. |
| And, among many Iranians, distrust in the authorities runs deep. | And, among many Iranians, distrust in the authorities runs deep. |
| Donya used to defy the regime and its strict dress code by going out with her hair uncovered. | Donya used to defy the regime and its strict dress code by going out with her hair uncovered. |
| Now, with her university exams postponed until next week, she's staying at home. | Now, with her university exams postponed until next week, she's staying at home. |
| "I get so terrified at night," she said. "I take some pills to help me relax and try to sleep." | "I get so terrified at night," she said. "I take some pills to help me relax and try to sleep." |
| The Iranian government has suggested that people shelter in mosques and metro stations. | The Iranian government has suggested that people shelter in mosques and metro stations. |
| But that is hard, when the explosions seem to come out of nowhere. | But that is hard, when the explosions seem to come out of nowhere. |
| "Tehran is a big city and yet every neighbourhood has been somehow affected by the damage," another young woman told BBC Persian. | "Tehran is a big city and yet every neighbourhood has been somehow affected by the damage," another young woman told BBC Persian. |
| "For now, all we do is check the news every hour and call the friends and relatives whose neighbourhood has been hit to make sure they are still alive." | "For now, all we do is check the news every hour and call the friends and relatives whose neighbourhood has been hit to make sure they are still alive." |
| She and her family have now left their home to stay in an area where there are no known government buildings. | She and her family have now left their home to stay in an area where there are no known government buildings. |
| But you never know, in a country like Iran, who may be living next to you. | But you never know, in a country like Iran, who may be living next to you. |
| The Israeli assault has divided Iranians, she said, with some celebrating the regime's losses, while others are angry at those cheering Israel on. | The Israeli assault has divided Iranians, she said, with some celebrating the regime's losses, while others are angry at those cheering Israel on. |
| Many Iranians keep changing their minds about what they think. Divisions are bitter, even among some families. | Many Iranians keep changing their minds about what they think. Divisions are bitter, even among some families. |
| "The situation feels like the first hours after the Titanic hit the iceberg," the woman said. | "The situation feels like the first hours after the Titanic hit the iceberg," the woman said. |
| "Some people were trying to escape, some were saying it wasn't a big deal, and others kept dancing." | "Some people were trying to escape, some were saying it wasn't a big deal, and others kept dancing." |
| She has always protested against Iran's clerical rulers, she told the BBC, but sees what Netanyahu is doing to her country as "inexcusable". | She has always protested against Iran's clerical rulers, she told the BBC, but sees what Netanyahu is doing to her country as "inexcusable". |
| "Everyone's life, whether they supported the attacks or not, has been changed forever. | "Everyone's life, whether they supported the attacks or not, has been changed forever. |
| "Most Iranians, even those who oppose the government, have now realised that freedom and human rights don't come from Israeli bombs falling on cities where defenceless civilians live." | "Most Iranians, even those who oppose the government, have now realised that freedom and human rights don't come from Israeli bombs falling on cities where defenceless civilians live." |
| She added: "Most of us are scared and worried about what's coming next. We've packed bags with first aid supplies, food, and water, just in case things get worse." | She added: "Most of us are scared and worried about what's coming next. We've packed bags with first aid supplies, food, and water, just in case things get worse." |
| Israel says the Iranian armed forces have deliberately placed their command centres and weapons inside civilian buildings and areas. | Israel says the Iranian armed forces have deliberately placed their command centres and weapons inside civilian buildings and areas. |
| Members of Iran's large diaspora are also worried. | Members of Iran's large diaspora are also worried. |
| "It's hard to convey what it's like to be an Iranian right now," says Dorreh Khatibi-Hill, a Leeds-based women's rights activist and researcher who is in touch with family, friends and other anti-regime activists. | "It's hard to convey what it's like to be an Iranian right now," says Dorreh Khatibi-Hill, a Leeds-based women's rights activist and researcher who is in touch with family, friends and other anti-regime activists. |
| "You're happy that members of the regime - who have been torturing and murdering people - are being taken out. | "You're happy that members of the regime - who have been torturing and murdering people - are being taken out. |
| "But we know that civilians are dying. This is a devastating humanitarian disaster." | "But we know that civilians are dying. This is a devastating humanitarian disaster." |
| And Iranians are not being given accurate information on what is happening, she says. | And Iranians are not being given accurate information on what is happening, she says. |
| "The main person in Iran - the supreme leader - is still alive while Iranians are fleeing for their lives," she adds. | "The main person in Iran - the supreme leader - is still alive while Iranians are fleeing for their lives," she adds. |
| "No one wants Iran to turn into another Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan. None of us wants this war. We don't want the regime either." | "No one wants Iran to turn into another Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan. None of us wants this war. We don't want the regime either." |