
A month after ceasefire with Israel, Iranians fear another war
The ceasefire that ended Iran's 12-day war with Israel has held for nearly a month without incident, but many Iranians remain uneasy, struggling with uncertainty as fears of another confrontation linger.
"I don't think this ceasefire will last," said Peyman, a 57-year-old resident of Shiraz in Iran's south, one of numerous cities hit last month as Israel unleashed an unprecedented bombing campaign against its staunch rival.
The Israeli offensive targeted key nuclear facilities and military sites, killing top commanders and nuclear scientists and hundreds of other people, while also wreaking havoc in some residential areas.
The attacks triggered the fiercest fighting in history between the longtime foes, ending with a ceasefire announced on June 24.
But Israel has signaled it could return to fighting if Iran attempts to rebuild nuclear facilities or carry out any actions deemed a threat, such as moving to develop an atomic bomb -- an ambition Tehran has consistently denied it was pursuing.
Iran, in turn, has vowed to deliver a harsh response if attacked again.
Nuclear diplomacy with the United States -- which briefly joined the war with strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites -- has stalled, deepening a sense of uncertainty about what lies ahead.
"I am scared the war would start again," said Hamid, a 54-year-old government employee who gave only his first name.
"It will lead to the death of more innocent people and the destruction of the country's infrastructure."
During the war, Israel struck major Iranian cities including the capital Tehran, hitting military sites, government buildings and the state television headquarters.
More than 1,000 people were killed in Iran, according to authorities. Retaliatory missile and drone attacks killed 29 people in Israel.
- 'Don't want to flee again' -
Many residents fled Tehran, seeking refuge in other parts of the country, even though few regions were untouched by the blasts and smoke-covered skies.
Nearly a month later, a series of fires that broke out across Iran in recent days -- including one at a major oil facility -- have triggered speculations which officials were quick to dismiss, denying any acts of sabotage.
"This war really frightened me," said 78-year-old housewife Golandam Babaei, from the western Kermanshah province.
She lived through the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, a painful memory for many of her generation.
"I kept telling myself, please God, do not let the past repeat itself," Babaei told AFP.
The war with Israel, although much shorter and fought mostly with air strikes and missiles rather than by ground forces, revived grim memories of the conflict with Iraq.
That war, triggered by an Iraqi invasion in 1980, killed an estimated 500,000 people on both sides.
It featured chemical warfare and prolonged front-line bombardments, scarring Iranians in the then-nascent Islamic republic born out of the 1979 revolution.
Since then, for decades, Iran had managed to keep conflicts away from its territory. But now after the 12-day war with Israel, some Iranians feel a profound sense of vulnerability.
"I kept thinking I don't want to flee again, we have nowhere to go. I cannot run to the mountains like the past," said Babaei.
- Uncertain future -
For Ali Khanzadi, a 62-year-old war veteran, the conflict with Israel highlighted a change compared to the 1980s when "we didn't have any advanced military equipment" to fight the Iraqis.
Khanzadi, who was wounded in battle in 1983, said that the war with Israel, while much shorter, had a more sinister dimension.
Unlike in the past, modern military technology means "they can kill a child in his sleep remotely using a drone," he said.
In the face of the Israeli threats and attacks, Iranian authorities have repeatedly invoked national unity.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the offensive was aimed at toppling the Islamic republic's clerical system, and urged Iranian diplomats and military officials to proceed with "care and precision" as the country cautiously moves on.
Tehran has said it remained open to nuclear diplomacy with the United States which the war had derailed, but officials have expressed concerns over renewed attacks and demanded unspecified U.S. guarantees to resume negotiations.
Ordinary Iranians appear to share fears that the conflict could erupt again.
"I hope that this will not happen," said Hamid.
Babaei said she was praying "for peace, for us to remain safe in our homes."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


L'Orient-Le Jour
9 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Katz threatens Khamenei, says he could be directly targeted if new threats against Israel occur
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during a tour of the Israeli army's Ramon air base. 'If you continue to threaten Israel, our long arm will reach Tehran again, with even more force. And this time, it will be you personally,' he said, according to Haaretz. The minister added: 'Don't make threats, or you will face the consequences.' On July 16, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had said that Tehran was ready to respond to any new military attack and capable of dealing 'a harder blow' to its adversaries than during last June's 12-day war. 'The fact that our nation is ready to confront the power of the United States and their lapdog, the Zionist regime [Israel,] is highly commendable,' the Iranian supreme leader said, in remarks reported by state television.


Ya Libnan
9 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
Barrack piles on pressure on Lebanon over Hezbollah disarmament
The special envoy has led US discussions with Lebanese leaders over Hezbollah's disarmament over the months [Getty/file photo] US envoy Tom Barrack has continued to apply pressure on the Lebanese government to speed up the disarming of Hezbollah . The ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria warned on Sunday that the Lebanese government's credibility 'rests on its ability to match principle with practice,' in reference to pledges that Beirut has made to gain state monopoly on arms. 'The government and Hezbollah need to fully commit and act now in order to not consign the Lebanese people to the stumbling status quo,' he said. 'As long as Hezbollah retains arms, words will not suffice.' On Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed that negotiations with Hezbollah remain ongoing but acknowledged that they were progressing very slowly. 'There is some responsiveness to the ideas we're discussing, even things are moving at a slow pace,' he said. Hezbollah had rejected Barrack's roadmap that would see the group disarm within four months, in exchange for a halt to Israeli withdrawal from the country, as well as a cessation of strikes. The group's current leader, Naim Qassem, said: 'We are a people who do not surrender', and rejected US pressure to act on the matter. Qassem , while maintaining being open to dialogue, has continuously stressed that the group giving up its arms would be 'suicidal' amid Israel's frequent strikes on the country's south. Disarmament has been the centre of national and international negotiations with Lebanon following the November ceasefire, with Barrack making several diplomatic visits to Beirut on the matter since his appointment. One of Lebanon's most high-profile politicians, Walid Jumblatt , spoke in favour of Hezbollah's disarmament in an interview with Saudi channel Al-Arabiya . The Druze leader said that Hezbollah must 'realise that keeping its weapons and missiles serves no purpose,' stressing that it would cause problems for the country and Lebanon would 'not stabilise' as a result, in Saturday's interview. Founded in the 1980s in response to Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon, the Iran-backed group grew into a Shia Islamist party and militant group. The group has fought several conflicts against Israel, but was significantly weakened late last year after Tel Aviv launched a full-scale war in Lebanon, in parallel with the military onslaught in Gaza. Several high-profile members were killed, including its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, as well as his successor, Hashem Safieddine. More than 4,000 Lebanese were killed by Israel, who struck the country's south, Beirut and the eastern Beqaa Valley, among other locations. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was then reached in November last year, which Israel routinely continues to violate, cling that Hezbollah has not complied with UN Resolutions 1559 and 1701 which call for disarming all militias in Lebanon New Arab


LBCI
11 hours ago
- LBCI
Attack on DR Congo church kills over 30 people: AFP
An attack on a church blamed on Islamist rebels left more than 30 people dead Sunday in northeastern DR Congo, local officials told AFP. The sources said at least 34 people were killed in the assault, which they blamed on Allied Democratic Forces, comprising former Ugandan rebels. The attack targeted a Catholic church in the town of Komanda, where worshippers had gathered for prayer, local sources told AFP by telephone from Bunia, capital of Ituri province. AFP