Israel bombs Tehran. Media: Panic reigns in the city, residents have nowhere to hide

There is panic in Tehran, with residents trying to flee the city; there are no shelters in the Iranian capital, and the air raid sirens are not working, the Iran International portal, published in exile, reported on Monday. The website added that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is hiding in a bunker.

On Monday, Israel attacked, among others, the buildings of the ministries of justice, intelligence and oil located in densely populated residential areas, the service calculated. It added that during the airstrikes that continued throughout the day on Monday, many residential buildings were also destroyed. Israel also bombed the building of the Iranian state television IRIB on Monday evening.

In Tehran, unlike Israel, there are no bomb shelters and before the latest attacks, residents were not alerted by sirens, Iran International added.

The government announced Sunday that residents could take shelter in metro stations , mosques and schools. There were comments on social media that the metro was not equipped to serve as a shelter and that mosques and schools could still be attacked.

On Sunday, some residents of Tehran began to flee in panic, the service wrote. Social media has seen photos and videos of huge traffic jams on the streets leading out of the city. Queues are forming in front of gas stations, and the authorities are rationing petrol to 15 litres per private car per day.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that about 120 people, including diplomats and their families, had been evacuated from the country through Turkmenistan. It added that many of those people were citizens of Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Iran International reported on the night from Sunday to Monday, citing sources, that Supreme Spiritual and Political Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was moved to an underground bunker in the Lawizan district in northern Tehran shortly after the start of Israeli attacks on Iran on Friday.

Israeli attacks on Iran have killed 224 people since Friday, and 1,277 wounded have been hospitalized , Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said Sunday evening. He added that civilians accounted for more than 90 percent of the casualties.

Israel launched a series of attacks on Iran early Friday, saying they were targeting its nuclear and military facilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that day that Iran had enough enriched uranium to build nine atomic bombs. Iran called the attack a "declaration of war" and responded with ballistic missile strikes on Israel that killed 24 people.

Both sides are threatening more strikes. World leaders are calling for de-escalation and Iran's return to negotiations over its nuclear program.

Jerzy Adamiak (PAP)

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