Windsor's Iranian community urges peace as Israel-Iran conflict continues

As huge explosions continue to be heard in the Iranian capital, residual tremors are also being felt in Windsor-Essex.

"It's like you just don't know, where would be another explosion? When would that be and how that might affect your friends and families," said Elnaz Akhavan, an Iranian international PhD student at the University of Windsor.

Israel claimed to have killed a top Iranian general as it traded more strikes with its longtime foe. Israel is continuing its airstrikes on Tehran after its surprise attack on Iran's military and nuclear program, saying the assault is necessary to prevent Iran from inching any closer to building an atomic weapon. The strikes have killed at least 224 people in Iran, as of Tuesday.

Iran retaliated by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel.

Internet disruptions concerning

Amidst this escalating conflict, Akhavan is worried about her mother's safety in Tehran.

"She's scared. She has a visitor visa to Canada. So, we are just trying, me and my sister, to get her out somehow," she said, noting they are working to get her mother to Armenia or Turkey.

Akhavan said due to the ongoing conflict, there are internet connectivity issues. She has been asking her friends to check in on her mother on days she can't connect.

"You just want to hear something when you text or call them. When there is no answer, it's like just convincing yourself that 'OK, it's just a connection thing. Nothing's yet happened.'"

Akhavan said while she necessarily doesn't feel connected to Iran, she is anxious about her friends who are now in the thick of the new conflict.

"Glasses in their houses got cracked and came down due to the explosions. They're feeling like we are in the middle of the war."

Akhavan urges for a stop to this conflict.

"Every war results in innocent lives being lost as well."

Fuel shortages make evacuations tedious, says Iranian-Canadian

Iranian-Canadian Maryam Safarzadeh, who is the managing director of Windsor Persian Arts And Cultural Centre, also has the same hope. 

She said many in the Iranian community in Windsor-Essex are distressed.

"All of us, we have the same feelings, fear, sadness, anxiety and most importantly, shock because we weren't expecting it," she said.

"My family, they are still in Iran and it's so hard to contact them because there's no internet."

Safarzadeh said she is worried about her brother and his family and relatives who are bracing for Israeli strikes. She said her brother says there's no bread and other essentials in the city.

She said resource shortages are making evacuations tedious.

"They've been asked to evacuate Tehran, but there is no gas, there is gas shortage because of the situation," she said.

"There are 20 million people living in Tehran. Many are stuck in roads and it's scary. It just breaks my heart."

Growing up during the Iran-Iraq war, Safarzadeh said the children should not grow up in the fears of explosions and strikes.

"As you want, we want peace. We are not in favour of any war, any death. You are my brothers, you're my sisters. Your kids don't deserve to live with this fear," she said, noting as her message to Israel.

'Pivotal moment' for Iran: former U.S. Ambasssdor to Israel

Daniel Shapiro, the former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, told CBC News Network Tuesday morning that Israeli strikes have killed a number of military leaders and nuclear scientists and destroyed air defence assets and missile launchers.

"Iran has still some fight left in it. But there's no question that the Iranian leadership is under great stress. They did not expect Israel to be this successful this quickly. I think even the Israelis have exceeded what they had hoped to achieve by day five of this war, and it doesn't look good," he said.

"The Iranian leadership now even has to worry about the Iranian public, much of whom detest this regime because of its brutality and corruption over decades, turning against it in its moment of weakness.

"So this is a really pivotal moment."