Angry and afraid Iranians brace for more Israeli attacks

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DUBAI - Iranians reacted to Israeli strikes with anger and fear on June 13, with some urging retaliation while others worried the conflict would spell more hardship for a nation worn down by crises.

With Tehran and other cities shaken by a night of Israeli airstrikes, some said they planned to leave for neighbouring Turkey, bracing themselves for escalation after Israel signalled its operation would continue “for as many days as it takes”.

“I woke up to deafening explosion. People on my street rushed out of their homes in panic, we were all terrified,” said 39-year-old Marziyeh, from the city of Natanz, which is home to one of Iran’s nuclear sites and where explosions were reported.

“I am deeply worried about my children’s safety if this situation escalates,” said Ms Marziyeh, one of 20 people Reuters contacted in Iran for this article.

Israel said it had attacked nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders in the operation it said aimed to prevent Tehran from building an atomic bomb. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.

In an initial wave of panic, some Iranians rushed to banks to withdraw cash on the morning of June 13.

Mr Masoud Mousavi, 51, a retired bank employee, said he waited for the exchange offices to open, “so I can buy Turkish Lira and take my family there by land since airspace is closed”.

“I am against any war. Any strike that kills innocent people. I will stay in Turkey with my family until this situation is over,” he said from Shiraz city.

Iranians have become accustomed to turmoil since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which ousted the US-backed Shah and brought the clerical establishment to power, from the 1980s war with Iraq, to heavy crack-downs on