A day of chaos in Iran when the US and Israel attacked

Businessman Ali said that he was sitting in his office with his staff in Tehran early on the morning of February 28 when he heard two loud explosions, accompanied by the sound of fighter engines roaring in the sky. Employees in Ali’s company screamed and ran out of the building amid the chaos.

That was when the US military and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an attack campaign on Iran, targeting defense and intelligence facilities, as well as the private homes of a series of high-ranking officials and generals. The new attack comes eight months after last year’s 12-day conflict.

Israel is said to be “putting all its strength” into the campaign and the US “also shares the same opinion”. The first phase of the raid is expected to last 4 days, Washington and Tel Aviv are even ready for a “longer” conflict if necessary.

From Tehran’s wealthy Mirdamad neighborhood, Hamidreza Zand saw at least 10 fighter jets flying overhead, while locals fled to the streets and some panicked drivers abandoned their cars in the congested streets. With the sound of ambulance sirens in the background, other residents frantically went to school to pick up their children.

“I rushed to school to pick up my daughter. The girls hid under the stairs and cried. The principal didn’t know what happened. Everyone was very scared,” Ali Zeinalipoor recalled.

From the roof of his apartment in the Velenjak area north of Tehran, Golshan Fathi saw a second wave of warplanes streaking across the sky, as the IDF continued to launch air strikes.

“People stood on the roof looking up at the sky, then down. You could hear women screaming. Some of my neighbors were running towards their cars. It felt like something out of a movie,” she said.

Residents in Pasdaran, where a large complex of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is located, heard multiple explosions that shook windows.

“My children cried in fear, we huddled in the bathroom and didn’t know what to do. It was terrifying,” Esfandiar, an engineer living in the area, shared via text message.

Saturday is usually the start of the work week in Iran, but many shops were closed and few people dared to walk out, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

Just minutes after the attack, roads were clogged, traffic slowed and there were long lines outside bakeries and gas stations. Police and security forces were deployed in large numbers.

People flocked to supermarkets to buy bread and bottled water, but supplies were very limited. Some stores ran out of bread, eggs, bottled water and milk.

As reports of explosions in other cities across Iran began appearing in local media, telecommunications systems began to fail. Many people cannot contact their relatives to inform them of their whereabouts.

By the end of the day, Iranian security agencies advised people to consider leaving the capital Tehran to ensure safety. State news agency IRNA later said authorities had converted an important highway connecting the capital with the north to a one-way road, to accommodate the surge in vehicle traffic leaving the city.

When Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran in June 2025, it mainly targeted military and nuclear facilities, as well as conducting air strikes in Tehran and taking down top military commanders. But today’s attacks seem to be much broader, including intelligence agencies, the judiciary, and the Pasteur complex, which is the residence of the President and Supreme Leader.

The Iranian Red Crescent said more than 20 out of 31 provinces were affected by air strikes conducted by the US and Israel. Iran accused Israel of hitting a primary school in Minab district, the south of the country, killing at least 51 students.

As warplanes bombed and launched missiles across Iran, US President Donald Trump posted a video message to Iran’s security forces, calling on them to lay down their weapons, warning them they would face death if they did not do so. He asked Iranians to take shelter during the raid and said “your hour of freedom is coming”.

But amid the chaotic situation after a series of explosions, that call did not receive much response. “The only thing on our minds right now is to find a safe place. No one is thinking about taking to the streets right now,” Laleh, a lawyer and mother of two, said in a phone interview.