Friday, October 11, 2024

A dissident in Iran awaits Israeli reprisal: ‘There’s a very real fear of all-out war’

Ever since Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles on October 1, and Israel vowed to retaliate, Iranians have been waiting with bated breath. The timing and location of the Israeli strike remain unknown, adding to the anxiety across the country. The waiting has been excruciating for many.

“There are some sadistic journalists in Iran who keep sounding the alarm, claiming that an Israeli attack is imminent, maybe within hours. For the past few nights, I’ve made the terrible mistake of opening Twitter before bed, only to see posts from these ridiculous reporters claiming the attack is about to happen. After that, I can’t sleep – I just lie there, wide awake until 6 a.m., waiting for something to happen,” said Leila (not her real name).

An Iranian woman in her late 30s, Leila lives in Isfahan, a city in central Iran, approximately 320 kilometers (200 miles) south of Tehran.

Six days after the Islamic Republic’s first large-scale missile and drone assault on Israel on April 13, the IDF struck a radar for an air defense battery in Isfahan that provided cover for the nearby underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. The strike was intended to demonstrate Israel’s ability to penetrate Iran’s air defense systems.

But this time around, the Israeli response is expected to be far more devastating. READ MORE