TEHRAN: For a moment Tehran resembled a city at peace, with birdsong, joggers and tranquil views of the snow-capped Alborz mountains in the distance. Then the sound of another explosion ripped through the air. A week ago, opening strikes by the US and Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, upended residents’ lives and transformed the city streets into a battleground. In Tehran’s west, a block that belonged to the security forces had been blasted apart, and the entire surrounding area was choked with rubble.

Iranians are coping with daily strikes, internet blackouts, and security crackdowns - all while trying to stay in touch with loved ones.

Officials say some water, electricity facilities damaged amid US-Israel bombing, but no widespread outages reported yet.