Iranians queue for petrol amid fears of Israeli attack

Tehran residents are ‘preparing for the worst’ as Benjamin Netanyahu vows severe punishment for the strikes on his country

Iranian citizens have formed big queues outside petrol stations as they make preparations to flee large cities in case of Israeli strikes.
Tehran fired 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, targeting air bases around Tel Aviv and the Mossad headquarters.
The barrage marked the second time Iran has directly attacked Israel since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which brought the clerical regime to power.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has vowed severe punishment for the attack, which the Israel Defense Forces said caused no casualties.
In the aftermath of the strikes, fear gripped many Iranian citizens. Arman, a Tehran resident, said: “No one in the family slept last night.
“We were all on our phones checking the news to see if Israel would respond,” he added. “We were worried that they [Iran’s authorities] might have just dragged us to a war which would mean destruction for us.”
He recalled that some of his neighbours were on their rooftops on Tuesday night chanting “Allahu Akbar” and “Death to Israel”.
“But they didn’t seem to understand the consequences,” he said. “The Israelis wouldn’t just stand by as missiles hit them and then carry on with their lives.”
“They have already impoverished us by funnelling our money into their so-called axis [of resistance] and now they want to bring war to our streets,” another Tehran resident said. “We don’t want this situation, and no Iranian voted for it.”
The fear of retaliation has led some to consider leaving large cities.
Footage seen by The Telegraph shows long queues extending hundreds of metres outside petrol stations as residents prepare for potential emergencies.
“We are shocked and terrified,” Mohasen, another Tehran resident, said. “We may leave the city, it’s too unstable to stay here, especially since some missiles were launched from nearby.”
Iranians believe that Israel’s response could be more severe than Iran’s initial attack.
“People are scared, preparing for the worst, this won’t be like last time, Israel will respond,” Mohasen added.
Hardline supporters of the regime in Iran had accused their leaders of being too passive after Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, was assassinated in Tehran in July.
Some blame Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who won a snap election after adopting comparatively moderate positions. There have been calls for him to be impeached over failing to “secure” Iran’s allies and deter Israel.
“What deterrence? They fooled their supporters, they only hit airport tarmacs,” Abozar, a resident of central Isfahan, said.
“Many people know this and are worried because the Israelis are different, they have more advanced weapons and will strike harder, and we’ll pay the price,” he added. “They just wanted to see if their missiles would work.
“The authorities don’t care about Iranians. They’re only trying to intimidate foreigners, without considering what their own citizens are going through.”
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Some Iranians even expressed hope that Israeli potential retaliation might lead to regime change in Iran.
“Israel should retaliate so we can get rid of the mullahs,” a citizen of northern Rasht said, reflecting a sentiment of frustration with the current leadership. “One Israeli missile would do more damage than our 200.”
“They claim this was in retaliation for the blood of Haniyeh and Nasrallah [the leader of Hezbollah], but now Israel will kill more of their own and more blood to avenge,” he explained.
He hopes Israel strikes “harder because then the people might rise against the Islamic Republic”.
“We’re tired of the regime and its brutality. Many are waiting for any chance to revolt and overthrow the mullahs,” he added.
The impact on families and children is a particular concern for many. A parent spoke of worries about his conscripted son and school-age daughters.
“I’m worried about my children. If any war breaks out, the officials and their sons would just go to their bunkers and send people like my son to war,” a resident of southern Shiraz said. “He has never seen war and been just at a police station.
“I also have two daughters going to school. We have done as much as possible to keep them away from the news, but it’s impossible. They are worried and the situation has hurt their performance at school,” he said.
Iranian state television channels, however, continue to broadcast revolutionary songs and footage of regime supporters who were on the streets on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
“I’m here to say I hate Israel and celebrate the destruction of the Zionist enemy,” one regime supporter said on state television.
“I thank and congratulate the Islamic Republic for demonstrating our power to the world,” said another.
Some locals who spoke to The Telegraph said that state television was “exaggerating” the number of people celebrating the strikes.
“Throughout the morning there were only the same five or six cars driving up and down the streets,” a resident of the Tajrish neighbourhood in Tehran noted.
“They were waving Hezbollah flags,” he added. “But ordinary people are worried.”