Terrified and sheltered at home, Tehran residents urged to leave the city

Empty streets, shuttered shops, explosions: Tehran residents, holed up in their homes after new U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, have been urged to leave the city. "Given the joint operations conducted by the United States and the Zionist regime [Israel] against Tehran and some major cities, if possible, and while remaining calm, head for other cities," authorities wrote in a message sent to Iranian cellphones.

Less than nine months after a previous attack, the more than 10 million inhabitants of the capital are living through a new nightmare. Police and security forces are patrolling in large numbers and few pedestrians dare to go out, with most shops shuttered. The only visible lines are forming at gas stations. "I hear explosions and fighter jets overhead," a frightened resident of central Tehran said in the morning, where the sky suddenly filled with thick clouds of smoke.

For weeks, Iranians had feared an offensive by the U.S. and Israel after threats made by Donald Trump following a massive protest movement in January. Negotiations between Tehran and Washington aimed at avoiding a confrontation had been launched, but few still believed in them.

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Piercing screams

"Everything was very loud," said a resident of the north of the capital. When Tehran was hit, Iranians were going about their business. The shops had just opened, taxis and buses were slowly making their way through mid-morning traffic, and long queues were forming outside bakeries.

In the minutes following the attack, residents stood still to watch the smoke rising above damaged buildings. Against a backdrop of piercing screams, Iranian media carried images of a girls' school in southern Iran damaged by strikes that killed at least 85 students. The death toll could not be independently verified.

According to the Isna news agency, the Pasteur district — home to the Supreme Leader's residence and the presidency — in central Tehran was hit. Israel said it struck "hundreds of Iranian military targets," a senior official reporting the "elimination" of several officials. Iran, for its part, has not confirmed the death of any officials.

Schools and universities closed

A pro-government demonstration, covered by official media, brought together several hundred people converging on Palestine Square in Tehran. Explosions were reported Saturday in many Iranian cities, with the Revolutionary Guards announcing they had retaliated by targeting Israel and a U.S. naval base in Bahrain.

In Iran, the Supreme National Security Council — the country's highest security body — said that pre-prepared emergency plans were being put into effect. Schools and universities were ordered to close until further notice, while banks were to remain open and government offices to operate at half capacity. According to officials cited by the media, food and fuel supplies are currently assured, and the subway and buses are expected to continue running as normal.