A cloud of smoke rises as an Iranian missile hits the sea off the coast of Haifa, Israel, on February 28, 2026.Image: keystone
Israel and the USA have begun long-awaited air strikes against the Iranian regime. Tehran responds with rocket attacks on Bahrain and Israel.
February 28, 2026, 7:19 p.mFebruary 28, 2026, 7:19 p.m
Kurt Pelda, Tel Aviv / ch media
The air raid sirens wake me up. I go out onto the porch of my small apartment and scan the sky. My neighbors on the opposite side of the street have a better view. They stand on the balcony with cell phones in their hands. One of the young men points his finger towards the sky. Somewhere over the greater Tel Aviv area with its almost four million inhabitants, explosives explode – probably the result of anti-aircraft defense. The boys opposite laugh.
Early in the morning, the US and Israel carried out joint airstrikes, including on high-ranking regime officials. American cruise missiles were also used. The home of the Iranian revolutionary leader Khamenei was allegedly also bombed, although his actual whereabouts are unclear.
Attacks in broad daylight
Unlike the short war in June 2025, this time the USA has two large aircraft carriers in operation, one in the Mediterranean off the Israeli coast and one in the Arabian Sea. Because the Iranians could try to attack the carrier group in the Arabian Sea with anti-ship missiles, the Chabahar naval base in the Iranian part of Balochistan near the border with Pakistan was apparently also attacked.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, departed the Souda Naval Base near Chania on the Greek island of Crete on Thursday, February 26, 2026.Image: keystone
From this port, among others, around 400 kilometers east of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, the Iranians are also able to disrupt or even paralyze shipping traffic in and out of the Persian Gulf. This would most likely drive up oil prices worldwide.
Also in contrast to last summer’s war, this time the Iranians fired their rocket salvos not at night, but during the day – not only at Israel, but also at the American naval base in the Arab kingdom of Bahrain. However, the US has at least partially evacuated many bases in the Middle East in anticipation of the attacks.
I hear a garbage collection truck outside. So I leave the house, but the small supermarket around the corner and my favorite café are closed. But luckily there is a lot of competition in the lively district. While the barista is preparing my coffee in another restaurant, he points out the shelter in the same building: “Just around the corner and then down the passage to the inner courtyard into the cellar.”
The trail of an anti-aircraft missile defense over Tel Aviv on Saturday, February 28, 2026.Image: keystone
I’m not a fan of cellars and sit in a small spot in the sun with coffee in hand. There are far fewer people and cars on the road than usual, but there are plenty of people with dogs because the animals can’t stay at home all day.
In memory of the impending extermination of the Jews
On the way there are also some more sleepy and tipsy party guests from last night. A few of them are currently getting supplies at a wine bar next door, which is open despite the air alert. A woman wears a colored hooded jacket over her bare legs and a pink wig on her head. She makes her way to the shelter.
Next week the festival of Purim will be celebrated, in memory of the impending annihilation of the Jews in Persia. On Purim, people laugh, dress up, and drink a lot of alcohol. However, many, especially young, residents of Tel Aviv started partying and drinking on Friday evening, at the beginning of the Jewish weekend, with lavish parties in full Purim regalia.
Suddenly all the cell phones in the area beeped shrilly. A warning appears on the screen in Hebrew, English, Arabic, and Russian: “Find the best shelter nearby. Go to a shelter until further notice.” The people in the square stand up and heed the warning. Just a little later, the white streak of smoke from an Israeli anti-aircraft missile can be seen in the sky. However, it is not clear whether the bullet hit anything.
The white streak of smoke from an Israeli anti-aircraft missile.Image: keystone
The scene seems surreal with all the young people with Purim wigs or red devil horns on their heads moving calmly and disciplinedly towards the air raid shelter. A man with a dog, a mix of German Shepherd and Malinois, stays sitting next to me and suddenly asks me: “Is the end of the world coming now?” We look into each other’s eyes for a moment and start to laugh.
People of all skin colors
The spectacle in the sky continues. This time it’s not a rocket that shows up, but an old tanker plane that’s returning to its base. It has previously refueled attacking fighter jets in the air, possibly over Syria. The four jet engines trail dark smoke trails behind them.
Out of curiosity, I’m now going to look at the air raid shelter. A few stairs lead into a labyrinth of shelters. There are people who took mattresses with them and lots of dogs. A man dressed in black took a gray cat with yellow-orange eyes in a transport box. The people seem experienced; they have been used to air raids for many years.
They represent a cross-section of Israeli society. All skin colors are represented, there are people from Europe, Africa and Asia. The cliché of the white Jew who comes from Poland, which left and right anti-Semites or the American pseudo-journalist Tucker Carlson like to spread, is belied here: In Israel, dark-skinned Jews who originally come from North Africa or the Middle East make up the clear majority.
As things start to get tight in the basement, several muffled detonations can be heard in the distance. Again, it’s not clear to me whether they are shots or impacts. I don’t feel comfortable with so many people deep underground and climb the stairs again. Dozens of people seeking protection are still coming downstairs, including a young man carrying a large cage with an African gray parrot.
As I sit on the veranda at home again, my neighbor appears on the balcony opposite. He now wears a tall clown hat with large colored dots. The Israelis won’t let rockets ruin their Purim celebrations. (aargauerzeitung.ch)