War scene Middle East: Berliner in Tel Aviv under rocket fire!

War scene Middle East: Berliner in Tel Aviv under rocket fire!

In the past few days, the situation in the Middle East has dramatically pointed. Israel has been running a comprehensive air raid on Iran since Friday, June 16, 2025, which operates under the use name "Rising Lion". The aim of this offensive is to stop the Iranian nuclear weapons ambitions. Apparently Iran's important military and nuclear scientists were also killed. The attacks result in both civilian victims and humanitarian crises, which also radiate to Berlin, where a large Irano-Israeli community lives. [ZDF] reports of a massive use of drones and rockets by Iran, which were all intercepted.

Susanne Hanshold, a 71-year-old Berliner, is currently in Tel Aviv and experienced the sirens, who announced the beginning of the attacks. In the middle of the uncertainty, she looked for protection in a crowded hotel bunker, while a rocket was near her whereabouts. Your return flight to Berlin is impossible due to the closed airspace, which also contains your situation. Many people are stranded in the region, while airspace over Israel and Iran has been closed to commercial flights. [RBBB24] indicates that the situation for many carriers of Irano-Israeli identities is also emotional and challenging.

The reaction of Iran

Iran has rated the Israeli air raids as a declaration of war and announced a tough reaction. Leading members of the Iranian military were killed in the attacks, including Hussein Salami and Mohammed Bagheri. While Israel pursues its military strategies with the aim of restricting the Iranian nuclear potential, the spiritual head of Iran, Ajatollah Ali Chamenei, threatens with retaliation. His statements testify to a dangerous escalation of the situation, which has already caused high human costs on both Israeli and Iranian side. [ZDF] emphasizes that there were also several nuclear scientists among the victims.

Mina Khani, an exile Iranian from Berlin, reports on the difficulties to get in touch with her family in Tehran. Her relatives have not managed to leave the city because there are no public bunkers. Communication is unstable and the Internet and electricity are repeatedly out, which makes the connection more difficult. Here, too, it shows how the conflict not only has regional, but global effects.

a conflict with historical roots

The current conflict is not the first time that the Middle East War is focused on the world public. The roots get into the historical context, which goes back to the 19th century. It is a territorial and ethnic-national conflict that is characterized by competing claims on the same country. The events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas committed an attack in Israel, in which around 1,200 people died, led to deep trauma within Israeli society. [BPB] describes the resulting war as a reaction to the collective trauma, which shapes the Jewish identity. At the same time, it shows how the Palestinian society is reminiscent of Nakba, the flight and displacement of Palestinians in 1948.

The international community is faced with the challenge of finding ways to defuse the conflict and to provide humanitarian aid. It turns out that the effects of the current war have both geopolitical and local dimensions that extend far beyond the borders of the immediate conflict.