Minutes after an Israeli missile struck Tajrish Square in northern Tehran, Iranians were left questioning why a densely populated civilian area was being targeted.
“What do they [the Israelis] want with a water pipeline?” a local resident told Middle East Eye.
“I just don’t get it.”
On Sunday, at around 2pm BST (4pm local time), an Israeli missile hit the square, destroying part of the area’s water supply. Videos filmed in the aftermath showed large quantities of water in the streets around the square.
Hours earlier, Israel’s Persian X account issued what many considered to be a vague warning: “All those who are currently or will be in the near future in or around the military weapons factories and their support institutions, leave these areas immediately and do not return until further notice.”
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The ominous message was then followed by a wave of Israeli attacks on civilian areas, buildings, and civic centres.
Sources told MEE that the ministries of oil and justice were targeted, as well as the residential areas of Tajrish, Narmak, Nirou Havaei, and Vali Asr Square.
Since Israel began attacking Iran on Friday, several residential buildings and civilian centres are known to have been hit, particularly in the neighbourhoods of Kamranieh, Lavizan, Tehran-Pars, and Chitgar.
Ordinary Iranians now fear Israel will pursue widespread destruction, just like it has done in Gaza. Israel has destroyed vast swathes of the Palestinian territory and displaced almost all of the enclave’s population multiple times in its 20-month war.
“It [Israel’s message] doesn’t say where people should go,” the resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told MEE.
“According to this statement, people should stay away from everything – and go to the middle of the desert.”
Residents of Tehran ‘will pay’
A nursing student who lives in the Nirou Havaei neighbourhood in eastern Tehran told MEE that she was concerned for her safety as the Iranian Air Force and the Navy administrative buildings were located nearby.
“Today’s explosion was very loud and close to us, and the smoke filled our entire house,” she said.
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“I don’t know how long we can stay here, especially because of my mother’s heart condition. The shock from these explosions is very dangerous for her.”
Due to Iran’s expanding population and the desire of many Iranians to live in the capital, areas such as Afsariyeh, Qasr-e Firuzeh, Lavizan, Qaleh Morghi, Sepah Square, and Abbas Abad now constitute greater Tehran and host buildings linked to military institutions.
The Atomic Energy Organisation and the Tehran Research Reactor are located in the heart of the capital, just north of Amirabad district, and sit opposite the dormitories of Tehran University and are surrounded by residential buildings.
On Monday, hours after missiles struck Tel Aviv for a fourth day, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz threatened to target ordinary Iranian citizens.
“The boastful dictator from Tehran has become a cowardly murderer who fires deliberately at the civilian home front in Israel in order to deter the IDF from continuing the attack that is crumpling its capabilities,” Katz wrote on X.
“The residents of Tehran will pay the price, and soon.”
‘To hell with both sides’
Sources told MEE that amid Israel’s threats, many Iranians were trying to leave Tehran for more rural areas but were finding roads gridlocked with traffic, with journey times being reported up to five times longer than usual.
Unlike Israel, Iran’s capital Tehran doesn’t have modern bomb shelters, so residents have been forced to make use of tunnels, basements or older shelters used in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s – the last time the country was immersed in large-scale conflict.
Hossein Kermanpour, the spokesperson for the health ministry, announced late on Sunday that since the start of the Israeli offensive, 224 people had been killed and 1,277 wounded, more than 90 percent of whom were civilians.
‘To hell with both sides, they’ve dragged us into their war, and now we’re the ones paying the price’
– Tehran resident
The nursing student said whilst many Iranians had fled big cities, including Tehran, in search of safer areas, this wasn’t an option for everyone.
An engineer from Tehran’s Kamranieh neighbourhood, who’s residential building was hit in Friday’s attacks, told MEE he left his apartment and headed for a city near the Caspian Sea on Sunday.
“We couldn’t sleep at night because of the sound of anti-aircraft fire and explosions,” the engineer, who described himself as an opponent of the Iranian government, said.
“To hell with both sides, they’ve dragged us into their war, and now we’re the ones paying the price,” he said, explaining that the lack of safety for his family was the reason they fled Tehran.
“At least Israel has shelters for its people and gives them warnings before attacks. What has the Islamic Republic done? They gave the country’s budget to the IRGC, and still they don’t even know we’ve been hit until an explosion goes off somewhere in the city.”
Signs of a protracted conflict ahead
Not all Iranians, especially those who support the government, share the same view of recent events.
Rouhollah Amiri, a Tehran resident, believes that Israel’s statement came in response to Iran’s missile attacks on Tel Aviv, which he described as a severe blow to Israel’s military.
Videos shared on social media sites appeared to show an Iranian missile targeting HaKirya, or The Kirya compound, in central Tel Aviv, an area which houses the Ministry of Defense, the Israeli army’s general staff and key military command and intelligence facilities.
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Israel’s Channel 13 reported that a fire had broken out near the Ministry of Defense but didn’t provide further information.
“This was an attack that Iran should have carried out from the very first moment of the war,” Amiri said, adding that he saw Israel’s threat as a psychological tactic, similar to ones used before in Lebanon and Gaza.
“Israel is acting like it hasn’t targeted civilians before. This is part of its psychological warfare to scare people and disrupt their lives.”
While supporters of the government continue to downplay the Israeli attacks, the actions of the authorities suggest that Iran is preparing for a prolonged conflict.
On Sunday, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said in a televised interview that Tehran’s metro stations would remain open all night, allowing people to use them as shelters.
Meanwhile, domestic media began publishing advice on how to respond during air strikes.
Unicef also released a guide in Persian titled How to Talk to Children About War and Conflict, reflecting growing concerns over the rising number of civilian casualties in Iran.
