The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) released audio Thursday of a civilian in Tehran describing what it’s like on the ground as Operation Epic Fury rocks Iran.
“To us here, the war did not start four days ago. It started when we heard the initial news of a piling up of the forces in the region and preparations for war. Now, with the war going on, we hear constant explosions, and there is no respite from this,” the unidentified civilian said.
The civilian said the frequency of explosions has made people so nervous that even everyday noises can cause panic attacks.
“Any moment you can expect a loud noise. This has made us so nervous that any loud noise, including the noise of a car passing by, gives us a panic attack,” the civilian said.
Even with the noise of the explosions, the civilian, who said he was born and raised in Tehran, noticed the city had become a ghost town as people had either fled the war or limited movements to stay safe from aerial attacks.
“As a person who was born and lived his whole life in this city, I have never seen the city so quiet,” the civilian said. “Some of the people of my city have left. Many others stayed in, trying to limit movements to avoid getting caught in the aerial attacks on the city that never seem to come to an end. You don’t see people around. My city was a very big city and busy. I’m not used to seeing my city so calm and quiet.”
The U.S. and Israel have carried out air and sea attacks on Iran since the operation began Saturday. The operation has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, according to The Associated Press. Additionally, six U.S. service members in Kuwait were killed in the hostilities.
“The ICRC is alarmed by growing threats to the safety and dignity of civilians in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf region as major military operations continue to escalate. Civilians are already paying a very heavy price. They are being injured and killed, and civilian infrastructure including houses, schools, hospitals and airports is being affected. Collective political will is needed to stop the catastrophic chain reaction that is endangering countless lives,” an ICRC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
“Across the region, civilians are confined to shelters or scrambling in search of safety. Many have spent sleepless nights shaken by the sound of explosions and lost contact with family members. They are living in fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. With airspace restrictions, people are trapped within an expanding battlefield that is already affecting populated urban areas,” the ICRC spokesperson added.
The ICRC has previously expressed concerns about the situation in Iran, and the organization’s president said on day one of Operation Epic Fury that it could have “devastating consequences for civilians.”
“The military escalation in the Middle East is igniting a dangerous chain reaction across the region, with potentially devastating consequences for civilians,” ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said.
In a statement issued a few days later, Spoljaric warned that “the scale of major military operations flaring across the Middle East risks embroiling the region — and beyond — into another large-scale armed conflict that will overwhelm any humanitarian response.”
“Without urgent steps to de-escalate the situation and respect the rules of war, further civilian lives will be lost,” Spoljaric added. “Civilians are already suffering the consequences of war.”
According to the civilian, Iranians on the ground are worried about the future and wonder how the war will play out. Another fear among the people is the possibility of supplies running out.
“The supplies are available in the shops that are open and work. But what if the situation gets worse or continues as it is now? Will the supplies being stocked be of any help, or will they be meaningless in the face of what can happen?” the civilian wondered.
“It is especially more worrying for people like me, who have to take care of people with medical complications that require special care. We are now under a lot of stress, worried to see what can come next.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the ICRC for comment.
