Except for flight operations, nothing as such is affected here,” Sayad Mustafa Husain, a Mumbai student of religious studies in Iran’s Qom city, told mid-day amid escalating tensions between the Shia-majority nation and Israel. Iran on Saturday launched a second wave of missiles at Israel as part of Operation True Promise III, while Israeli forces reportedly continued their strikes on Tehran.
 
The attack came a day after Israel carried out an attack codenamed Operation Rising Lion on Iranian soil, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, missile factories and top military commanders. Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated on social media that Tehran was “burning”. Both Israel’s military and Iranian state TV confirmed the latest strikes, which took place around midnight. Husain, however, said, “The daily lives of people are as they were. Educational institutions and markets are operating normally.”

A plume of heavy smoke and fire rises from an oil refinery in southern Tehran, after it was hit in an overnight Israeli strike, on June 15. Pics/AFP

He added, “There was buzz that a strike had taken place around 3.5 to 4 km from my home in Haftad-o-Do Tan in Qom, about 148 km from Tehran, but the strike was diluted mid-air. My family back in India was worried when the tensions grew and called me to know about my safety. When I told them about the situation was normal, they were relieved.” Husain, who has been living in Iran for around 11 years, said, “Things here have always been peaceful. People are helpful and kind. They consider their lives to be peaceful.”