We Were Not Ready

Iranians describe scenes of fear, confusion and anger over strikes

- Parin Behrooz

TEHRAN/TEL AVIV - Iranians have not experienced anything like this in almost 40 years.

More than 200 Israeli warplanes dropped hundreds of bombs across Iran early on June 13, rocking cities with explosions and jolting people out of their beds. They looked out windows onto columns of smoke, ran onto rooftops for a better view, and made phone calls to their loved ones.

In the aftermath of the attacks, some also spoke to The New York Times, sending voice notes amid flickering internet service and offering a glimpse of people's experiences in a country where many do not feel comfortable speaking to international news outlets.

They described confusion, fear and anger against Israel, whose widespread attacks drew comparisons to the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

'WE WERE NOT READY'

Ms. Shakiba, a 37-year-old occupational therapist based in Tehran, was comfortable using only her first name because of the heightened security situation in the country. She had been getting ready for bed at home with her two cats when the bombing began.

She looked outside and saw neighbors gathering on balconies and roofs, everyone trying to see what was happening.

She added: "The first sound was really shocking, because we were not ready; we were not expecting it. And it wasn't just one sound—we heard a couple of sounds at the first. And I know all the people around the country and around the city were following the news, but we were not expecting it to happen."

She later called two of her patients, an elderly couple who live alone, their children out of the country like many other Iranian families. They were near an area that came under attack, but their health conditions prevented them from leaving their home.

"The woman just cried by the phone, and she said that 'I was really afraid because we can't move,'" Ms. Shakiba recalled. She tried to reassure them.