Iranians describe Israel’s attacks in voice memos and calls

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 neighbours 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, stuck in their home.

She also called another patient, a man with a neurological condition. He told her, “I am okay now, but the sounds were so loud and so terrifying, and I just felt that I am near to a heart attack”, Ms Shakiba said.

Describing the bombardment, she said that people like her patients – children with special needs, the elderly, frail and ill – had few resources to help them. “They are in shock,” she said.

Nor did she feel confident about her own plans. “I have two cats, and they are both heavy,” she said. “It sounds silly with everything going on, but I keep thinking about how I can evacuate with them if the need comes.”

‘Scenes of blood and flesh, and burnt feet’

Ms Jila Baniyaghoob, a journalist and women’s rights activist in Tehran, said there had been a large focus on Israel’s military targets, but that civilians had been harmed in the attacks as well.

She had a close friend at an apartment complex in the Saadat Abad district of Tehran, where residents include many faculty members from Tehran’s various universities, and which was struck during the attack early on June 13.

A major fire spread after the attack, according to Ms Baniyaghoob and photos of the scene.

She said she had heard most of the people killed in the strike were not members of the military or involved in Iran’s nuclear programme.

The exact toll of the attacks remained unclear late on June 13, although Iran’s Fars news agency, citing unofficial figures, said that dozens had been killed and more than 300 others injured.

Ms Baniyaghoob said that her friend’s family had grabbed their young children and raced down stairwells to escape the complex. They passed “really awful scenes of blood and flesh, and burnt feet”.

“Most of the people who lived near the strike sites are feeling a collective fear, especially their children.”

‘The people are paying the price’

Mr Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, an economic journalist, said he, along with many others, had been feeling optimistic before the attacks, noting that Iran was engaged in diplomatic talks with the US, and there were hopeful economic signs within Iran.

But he believes the West and Israel took advantage of the circumstances, calling Israel’s leadership extremist and far right.

“We are seeing the same policy in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria – policies that contradict with what the West says it values, like democracy and human rights.”

Mr Ahmadi Amouee has written for newspapers that call for change within Iran and spent five years in Evin prison in 2009 amid a government crackdown on journalists.

In the conflict with Israel, “the people are paying the price”, he said. “Once the stores open on (June 15), the prices will have undoubtedly gone up. There are long lines for gas everywhere, people are nervous.”

He added: “Whenever there is war, or earthquake, or famine, people start feeling unstable, and the most vulnerable people in these situations are usually women, children and impoverished people.

“As soon as the markets open after the two-day holiday, we will see the price of dollar going up, and the instability and lack of security will only multiply.”

Braced for retaliation in Tel Aviv

The morning before the strikes from Iran on June 13, the streets of Tel Aviv were calm, even as the country’s leaders warned the public to brace themselves for retaliation.

The military closed schools nationwide and banned public gatherings, cancelling the annual Tel Aviv Pride parade, which normally attracts tens of thousands of revellers to the city.

“We have already been in this scenario twice,” said 31-year-old Uri, sitting on a bench outside a supermarket, questioning whether to open his restaurant or to throw out the day’s food. “I don’t really care, honestly. I will just go to a shelter and I will be okay,” he said.

Iran fired hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in two attacks in 2024 in response to Israeli strikes, rattling the public but causing only modest damage.

This time, the Israeli public has been told to be prepared to spend long hours in bomb shelters.

“Iran? That is the first place we need to attack, if you ask me,” said Aviv, 38, adding that he hoped the strikes would lead to the release of 53 mostly Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Shoppers stocked up on food and bottled water, prompting long queues at checkouts.

“My fridge is empty,” 41-year-old Noah said as she made her way to a supermarket. The mother of two said she was due to celebrate her wedding anniversary with her husband at a hotel.

She said she was worried about the severity of any potential retaliatory strike, adding that people were asking whether the bomb shelters in their apartment buildings would be strong enough to withstand it, or if it might be safer to seek refuge underground.

“The way the government is handling things is horrible,” she said, adding that she condemned the decision to strike Iran, fearing it will put the country in further danger.

“Because I feel like we have reached the top end of the scale, like this is serious this time. It feels like okay, they have nothing to lose.”

In Jerusalem, others expressed support for the decision.

“I am very happy for this. We were waiting for this,” said 66-year-old Oral Liral.

“Am Yisrael Chai. We are strong. We will be here. It is our country,” she said, using a Hebrew expression of perseverance that means “the people of Israel live”. NYTIMES, REUTERS