"It is hard to believe that we are at war," said eyewitnesses. "We don't know when — and worse, where — the next missile might land."
Israeli army on June 13 began attacks on Iran with the aim of disrupting Iran's nuclear program. The targets were nuclear facilities, production facilities for rockets, as well as oil and gas fields, DW reports.
Also, nuclear scientists and Revolutionary Guard officers were targeted in their homes.
Iran retaliated with rocket attacks on Israeli cities.
By Monday morning, at least 24 people had been killed and nearly 600 wounded in Israel.
Tehran, compared to Israeli cities, with more than 15 million inhabitants, there are no shelters or early warning systems. Many targets are located in densely populated areas of the city.
According to information from the Iranian Ministry of Health, by Sunday afternoon, 224 people had died in Israeli attacks, and more than 1.200 had been wounded, mostly civilians.
The powerlessness of civilians in the crossfire of conflict
"Iranian civilians found themselves in the crossfire," noted Iranian-American analyst Holly Daggers, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute.
She stressed to DW how important it is to understand the plight of "powerless, ordinary Iranians," people "who don't have air raid sirens to warn them."
Degres explained how Iranians are deeply shocked and scared, and at the same time angry, because they are in the middle of a conflict.
"For 46 years they have been living under the Islamic Republic, which is waging a war against its own people. This situation is a consequence of the regime's decisions that the people no longer want. Although the number of civilian casualties is increasing, Iranians do not want war or bloodshed. At this moment, they are completely powerless," she said.
Many do not know how to protect themselves or where to run.
Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani advised the population to seek shelter in metro stations, mosques and schools.
"We will ensure that it is available to them 24 hours a day," Mohajerani promised.
But the statement drew criticism on social media, with many Iranians asking: "Which schools or mosques have ever been built as missile shelters?"
Sociologist Mehrdad Darvishpour, a professor at Mällardalen University in Sweden, wrote for DW: "This is not a war between the Iranian and Israeli people - and it must end as soon as possible. The only way to prevent further uncontrolled destruction is for all those who support peace and democracy to exert global pressure to stop Israeli attacks and force Iran to negotiate."
Tehran under pressure
Fear and helplessness among the Iranian population is growing.
On Monday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened direct retaliation against Tehran after overnight Iranian attacks that killed several people in Israel. "The people of Tehran will soon suffer the consequences," Katz wrote.
"I want to make it clear - there is no intention to harm civilians in Tehran, unlike the murderous regime that is affecting the people of Israel," Katz said just hours after the threatening statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also warned the citizens of Tehran, saying "Evacuate! We are taking action."
However, there is still no clear information about where residents should go and where they might actually be safe.
