With missiles overhead, Tel Aviv residents huddle underground

New Indian Express

24-06-2025

TEL AVIV: As night falls in Israel's coastal city of Tel Aviv, hundreds make the familiar descent into the depths of the metro to escape the latest salvo of Iranian missiles.
For those with no safe shelters near their homes, the city's underground stations and car parks have become vital refuges since the war began on June 13.
Despite nightly missile barrages, Israel's casualty toll has remained relatively low, with authorities repeatedly stressing the importance of taking cover in life-saving protected spaces.
"The day after the Israeli intervention in Iran began, there was an explosion, a bomb not far from my home, and the entire shelter I was in shock," Muriel Azria, 58, who works in tourism, told AFP in a Tel Aviv metro station.
She arrives prepared every evening with her suitcase and her dog, ready for a night on her council-provided mattress set up on the platform.
"From the moment I enter the subway, which is magnificent, I calm down," she said. "It's not very comfortable, but at least I'm not afraid, we hear much less booming."
"There are people, everyone is generally very nice," she told AFP.
Israeli residents receive blaring phone alerts via SMS to warn them of incoming Iranian missiles, often in the early hours of the morning. These are often followed by the wail of overhead air raid sirens.