Israelis wake to new uncertainty after overnight attack on Iran’s nuclear program
As military strikes targets a thousand miles away, citizens on the homefront are roused by emergency alerts and return to sleep in shelters ahead of Iran’s expected response
The streets of Tel Aviv were calm on Friday morning, even as the country’s leaders warned the public to brace for Iranian retaliation after Israel launched a wide-scale attack on Iran.
The military closed schools nationwide and banned public gatherings, canceling the annual Tel Aviv Pride parade, which normally attracts tens of thousands of revelers to the city.
“We’ve 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 have to throw out the day’s food.
“I don’t really care, honestly. I’ll just go to a shelter and I’ll be okay,” he said, when asked whether he had any concerns about his own safety.
Iran fired hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel in two attacks last year amid the ongoing war in the region sparked by the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack. The barrages rattled the Israeli public but caused only modest damage.
Vered Saar, another local, was more shaken, saying what frightened her most was the potential for “uncertainty and chaos.”
The 54-year-old pastry chef said she immediately rang her children when her phone began beeping with an extreme emergency alert overnight.
Sirens blared across the country around 3 a.m., amid anticipation of an Iranian response, and shortly afterward Israelis were told to stay near shelters until further notice.
“It was very scary… I couldn’t go back to sleep,” Saar told AFP as shops remained shut and streets deserted. “I’m more worried about the uncertainty — the possibility of many injured people, of chaos,” she added.
“I’m worried for my children, and also about my livelihood, because this affects the market. You can’t work, you can’t do anything.”
In its largest military action against Iran to date, Israel’s wave of strikes hit about 100 targets, including nuclear facilities and military command centers, and killed senior figures, among them the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists.
Later, the military confirmed that Iran had launched approximately 100 drones in retaliation. But by the afternoon, the Home Front Command lifted the shelter advisory, stating that citizens no longer needed to remain near protected areas. The military said that the threat from the Iranian drones was “under control.”
Across Israel, supermarkets and some cafes remained open, although some businesses chose to keep their doors shuttered. Shoppers stocked up on food and bottled water, prompting long queues at checkouts.
“My fridge is empty,” said 41-year-old Noha as she made her way to a supermarket. The mother of two said she was due to celebrate their wedding anniversary with her husband at a hotel.
Noha 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.
Many Israelis expressed exhaustion and a deep sense of unease. University lecturer Or Hasson said he felt helpless.
“The feeling is that we don’t really have anyone to rely on,” said Hasson, 45.
“The feeling is that we have a government that is playing with our lives and with the lives of others. We’re worried, of course, tired, and a bit helpless. That’s how I feel, at least,” he said.
“The only thing that’s certain is uncertainty. And we adjust how we live from moment to moment according to the changes, and that’s something that is both exhausting and demoralizing,” he said.
Jerusalemite Reuven Peleg said he, his wife and young daughter spent the night in their building’s bomb shelter, a communal room located in the basement of the building.
Even after the Home Front Command dropped the instructions to stay near shelters, he told The Times of Israel that he doesn’t “feel over it.”
The situation had moved to an “in the meantime,” he said, though he admitted feeling more concerned about matters before the all clear came, worrying about how long the family might be required to spend in the shelter should an Iranian attack come.
As a precaution, he canceled plans to spend the weekend with his parents out of town and said he was still unclear whether he was supposed to show up for his job at a high-tech company on Sunday.
At the same time, some Israelis hailed the strikes.
“In principle, I think that’s a good idea,” said Alex, who gave only his first name. “Iran is not being a very good world citizen, so to say, and the nuclear program is obviously a problem,” he said.
“In general, yeah, I think it had to be done at some point.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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