In the early hours of Friday, Mehrdad, an engineer in Isfahan, Iran, woke to the sound of explosions rattling the windows and shaking the ground.
In Tehran, passengers about to board flights were abruptly told the airspace was closed.
As booms and gunfire went off in the distance, Mehrdad, 43, came to realize that the Israelis’ target was a military base on the outskirts of the city.
He and his pregnant wife remained fearful that war would break out, he said in an interview by phone.
Facing deep economic troubles and a restive population, the government seems to have adopted a two-track policy, analysts say, declaring victory over Israel and cracking down at home.
Persons:
Israel, ”, Mehrdad
Locations:
Isfahan, Iran, Tehran, Israel