'If they don't stop, Tehran will turn into Gaza': Iranians describe night of terror

A Tehran-based reporter described being woken by violent explosions, windows shaking and people shouting and later went offline.

“Sleeplessness, fear and exhaustion gripped residents of Tehran as successive waves of strikes hit the Iranian capital, according to messages sent by people in the city after the latest overnight onslaught, which several described as the worst bombardment in six days of war”

The Guardian

Other messages relayed panic and flight from the capital: residents said neighbourhoods were partially deserted at sunrise, only a handful of shops were open, and many families tried to leave.

The Guardian

One person said, "I hope I don't come back to ruins."

Saeed, a Tehran University student, asked the Guardian to "use your voice to ask Mr Trump if there is a plan to keep us safe while they go after military targets."

A former political prisoner said fewer people had left than during the 12-day war last June and that most shops remained open.

He claimed "they hit central Tehran with B-2s" and said ordinary people feel they are "stuck at a historical crossroads: on one side they are killed by their own government, and on the other side by the state of Israel."

A human rights activist said propaganda is leading many to believe "the more they bomb, the weaker this government will get," and contrasted anti-war sentiment in the intellectual class with apparent acceptance or even happiness at grassroots level.