US-Israeli Attack Instills Panic in Iranian Cities and Prompts Mass Exodus

Widespread Fear and Displacement Amid Escalating Conflict

By Parisa Hafezi

Initial Strikes and Immediate Reactions

DUBAI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Iranians fled cities in search of safety, rushed to stock up on food, and formed long queues at fuel stations as an attack on Iran by the United States and Israel spread fear and panic throughout the country.

When the strikes began on Saturday morning, explosions rocked Tehran and columns of smoke rose into the sky, shaking the city at the start of the Iranian working week. Israel said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the operation, but Iranian authorities have not confirmed his fate.

Residents reached by phone described scenes of chaos and alarm as they rushed to collect their children from school or made preparations to leave home for now.

Personal Accounts of Panic

"We are going to our hometown in Yazd, Tehran is not safe anymore. They said roads are safe, but I am worried," said Gholamreza, a Tehran shopkeeper and father of two. 

"I am leaving everything behind in Tehran," said Gholamreza, one of more than 20 people across Iran whom Reuters spoke to for this story. Many declined to give their full names for security reasons.

Context of Ongoing Turmoil

It marks the latest upheaval for Iranians, weeks after thousands of people were killed in a government crackdown on nationwide unrest, and comes just eight months after last year's 12-day war with Israel, during which the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites.

Government Response and Warnings

Iran's top security body said it expected attacks to continue on Tehran and some other cities, and urged people to "travel to other cities where possible so that you may remain safe from the harm of these two regimes’ acts of aggression." Schools and universities would be closed until further notice.

Impact on Families

"We are scared, we are terrified. My children are shaking, we have nowhere to go, we will die here," said Minou, a 32-year-old mother of two from the northern city of Tabriz, one of many areas where explosions were reported.

"What is going to happen to my children?" she said, crying as she spoke by phone. 

International and Domestic Reactions

U.S. President Donald Trump said the operation would end a security threat to the United States and offer Iranians a chance to topple their rulers. The Pentagon said that U.S. strikes against Iran were named Operation Epic Fury.

An Iranian from the central city of Yazd said he hoped the attack would topple the clerical establishment that has run the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. "Let them bomb," the resident of Yazd said.

Samira Mohebbi, speaking from the northern city of Rasht, disagreed. 

"I am against this regime, to hell with them. But I don't want my country to be attacked by foreign forces, I don't want my Iran to turn into Iraq," she said, referring to the neighbouring country that suffered years of chaos and bloodshed following the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

'THEY FOOLED US AGAIN'

Security forces blocked roads in the area of Tehran that is home to the offices of Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament, witnesses said.    

The latest round of negotiations between the United States and Iran in Geneva on Thursday failed to secure a breakthrough over Tehran's nuclear programme, though Omani mediators reported progress.

Economic Fallout and Daily Life Disruptions

In Tabriz, two residents said people were rushing to supermarkets to buy food, fuel and generators.

"They said the nuclear talks are going well. They fooled us again," said a resident of Tehran.

Zohreh, 28, said she would leave the port city of Bushehr with her three-year-old daughter and go to her parents' home in a village in northern Iran. 

"Why are we paying this price? I want my daughter to grow up safe and in peace," she said.

Western governments have long suspected Iran aims to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran has always denied this.

Witnesses said people were rushing to buy hard currency. 

In Isfahan, another area where attacks were reported, some said they were unable to withdraw cash from ATMs.    

Mass Exodus and Uncertainty

Reza Saadati, 45, said he was taking his family to the city of Urumieh near the Turkish border. "If the border is open, we will cross and then fly to Istanbul," he said. 

Mohammad Esmaili, 63, speaking from the town of Ilam, some 500 km (300 miles) from Tehran, said he would leave the town with his family. "God knows what will happen to us. Pray for us," he said.

"People are shocked, scared. What is going to happen to us? Save us please," said a woman from Tehran.     

(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Rod Nickel)