Middle East Civilians Describe Experiences During Iran Conflict

By Matthew Petti

*Published: 2026-05-03*

Amena learned of the escalating conflict when air raid alarms sounded. Hossein first heard reports while listening to a radio station that was struck by a fighter jet. Jad saw it on the news two hours before strikes hit his neighborhood. Parents of volleyball players arrived after a gym in Lamerd was damaged, pulling survivors from the wreckage. Most Americans have not experienced war in their hometowns, unlike many in the Middle East during this period.

The conflict intensified on February 28, 2026, when U.S. and Israeli forces launched preemptive strikes on Iranian targets, including coastal towns like Minab and Lamerd. These strikes followed years of tensions over Iran's nuclear program, including an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declaration of breach on June 12, 2025; Iran's suspension of participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in October 2025; and the Twelve-Day War in June 2025, when Israel and the U.S. targeted Iranian nuclear sites after the IAEA report, prompting Iranian missile retaliation.

Missiles struck an elementary school in Minab and a gym in Lamerd that day. Mir Dehdasht, father of high school volleyball player Robab Dehdasht, arrived after a neighbor reported the incident. "The injured were bleeding heavily, some had lost consciousness on the ground, others were screaming without stopping. Their voices were deafening," he told Drop Site News. Robab died from her injuries, according to the report.

Iran responded with missile and drone barrages, including strikes that killed four civilians in a Jerusalem-area bunker on March 1, as reported by Israeli authorities. Iranian attacks also caused 28 civilian deaths in Gulf states, according to an Al Jazeera tracker, and dozens more regionally, per TIME magazine reporting. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) documented approximately 1,701 civilian deaths in Iran during the conflict, while Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 2,496 civilian deaths there, mostly from Israeli strikes after Hezbollah's entry on Iran's side.

*Reason* spoke with civilians across the region in March and April about daily life amid the strikes. Most names have been changed for safety.

Hossein, a young man living with his parents in Isfahan, Iran, awoke on February 28 to family discussions of foreign strikes. They attempted to leave the city but turned back after a warplane hit a radio tower near the highway, according to his account shared with *Reason*.

Sepideh, a woman in Tehran, texted a U.S. relative: "They are bombing really hard. Today at noon they hit a mosque at the end of our street, but thank God we are okay. Love and kisses," followed by, "Now they are hitting everything. Nowhere is safe. But don't worry, we are okay." The relative provided screenshots to *Reason*.

Amena, a Palestinian-American in Jerusalem, was awakened by alerts for incoming Iranian missiles on the conflict's first day. "How do I explain to my sister sitting in California what it sounds like when bombs go off and your windows shake? There's a fear that settles in your heart and never leaves. We live in a constant state of stress, it just doesn't go away," she told *Reason*. "You can't really go anywhere because you don't know when you'll get an alert to find a protective area to go to, you don't know if there is one at the location you're going to."

Security checkpoints limited Amena's visits to her adult son elsewhere in Jerusalem. Her husband remained in the U.S. due to canceled flights until the mid-April ceasefire.

Fuad, a Lebanese-American, planned to visit his aunt in Yaroun, near the Israeli border, on February 27 but delayed a day in Beirut. On February 28, news reported open conflict between Israel and Iran. Yaroun was later evacuated amid cross-border strikes. "I'm not sure there's anything left now," Fuad said. "I miss my village."

Jad, from Beirut's Dahiyeh suburb, hoped Lebanon would avoid involvement. At 1 a.m. on March 2, reports indicated Hezbollah, based in Dahiyeh, had joined on Iran's side. Two hours later, Israeli strikes began. "After that, it was around two to three hours of chaos in Dahiyeh, people trying to evacuate while strikes were ongoing," Jad told *Reason*. He reached a relative's home, but many faced homelessness or high shelter costs. "The government's not doing much," Fuad added. "Mostly it's independent organizations helping the refugees."

In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, strikes targeted military bases and industrial sites more than cities. Salman, a Saudi man, called it "a background noise you couldn't shut off," citing new restrictions and rumors. Jasim, a Kuwaiti man, described empty shelves, intermittent sirens, and distant booms: "You mostly forget that you're at war, but then you remember in moments."

Anas, another Kuwaiti, slept through initial strikes, waking to his mother noting the sirens. Iranian drones later hit Kuwaiti infrastructure around Eid al-Fitr, worsening shortages, he said.

Even under bombardment, some adapted. Yahya, an Iranian-Canadian in Tehran, heard an explosion en route to the subway. "The crowd at the entrance of the underground station looked up nonchalantly and continued walking," he messaged a friend, who shared it with *Reason*.

In Iraqi Kurdistan, researcher Meghan Bodette noted a local saying: "In Kurdistan we say, 'If you heard it, thank God, that means it wasn't for you.'" Iraq faced strikes from both sides, killing dozens. A viral video showed Baghdad residents filming an Iranian drone from a rooftop bar near the U.S. Embassy. Some Lebanese, like Jad, watched Israeli strikes from rooftops.

David, an Israeli near Tel Aviv, anticipated escalation. "Psychologically speaking it's intense, but nothing compared to the early Gaza War, especially immediately following October 7," he said. He likened it to COVID-19 lockdowns. The March 1 Jerusalem bunker strike killed four, which Israelis initially found "unsettling" but attributed to construction issues, per David.

Holidays overlapped unusually: Eid al-Fitr with Nowruz (Iranian and Kurdish New Year), followed by Passover and Easter. Hossein's family Nowruz dinner was interrupted by strikes. Isfahan's Nowruz-end memorial service drew crowds mourning recent and past war dead, he said.

Passover involved frequent alarms: "A pain... quite scary especially when you're with your family or on the road," David said. "A lot of Israelis have big families too so wrangling the kids to the shelter or safe room is pretty complicated." Northern Israelis held Seders in bunkers due to Hezbollah rockets. Israeli police closed Jerusalem holy sites for safety, limiting Western Wall prayers to dozens, holding an empty Easter Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and restricting Al-Aqsa Eid prayers.

"This is no comparison, but imagine Christmas without a tree, presents, or Santa," Amena said.

In Kuwait, Eid saw Iranian strikes shift to infrastructure. "People are distressed because it's not whether you get hit by a drone or fragments, but whether electricity shuts down," Anas said.

Economic effects spread globally. India's cooking gas shortages led to firewood use. Slovenia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh rationed fuel. The Hormuz Strait blockade raised U.S. gas prices from about $3 to over $4 per gallon after a month, per reports. CNN and USA Today noted Americans skipping meals for fuel.

About 40,000 U.S. troops were in the region pre-conflict, with 10,000 more deployed. Families expressed worry. Charles Simmons, father of fallen U.S. airman Tyler Simmons, told NBC: "Who wants war? Sometimes it's a necessity, and I just don't know what's going on."

Military families reported "a good amount of stress and anxiety…just around the unknowns right now," Shannon Razsadin of the Military Family Advisory Network told the Associated Press.

Civilians across sides shared uncertainty about risks, duration, and causes. "It has mildly disrupted work life for many, travel plans, et cetera, but a sense of foreboding has definitely set in," Salman said before the ceasefire. "Fear and expectation that the situation will only escalate."

*(Word count: 1,712. This article originally appeared in print under the headline "'A Fear That Settles in Your Heart.'")*