Streets in downtown Jerusalem became notably calm on the third day of the U.S.-Israel joint strikes against Iran, with few pedestrians navigating the usually bustling streets.
Footage captured by a China Media Group (CMG) correspondent on the ground showed that most shops were closed, a stark contrast to normal days on Jaffa Street, a vital commercial thoroughfare in Jerusalem.
The street was teeming with shoppers, trams and vendors, but now it is quiet, with only sporadic foot traffic and a noticeable increase in police patrols and emergency personnel.
The heightened security presence, including numerous police vehicles and rescue teams from Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service, reflects ongoing tensions. Recent reports of missile intercepts, believed to be launched by Iran, have prompted increased alertness and precautionary measures.
Despite the tense atmosphere, supermarkets maintained stock levels similar to usual while shoppers were making additional purchases amid uncertainty.
Public transportation continues to operate normally, while traffic on the usually congested major roads has decreased sharply.
Early Tuesday morning, air raid sirens were sounded across northern, central, and southern Israel.
The Israeli military confirmed it detected missile launches from Iran and was actively intercepting the projectiles.
The Magen David Adom said no casualties or injuries from the attacks were reported on Tuesday.
Jerusalem streets quiet amid Middle East tensions
Tensions between Israel and Iran spilled over into diplomatic channels at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday, as representatives from both nations held separate press conferences on the sidelines of a Security Council meeting focused on protecting children in armed conflict.
The juxtaposition of high-level discussions on humanitarian protection and ongoing military hostilities underscored the challenges facing the international body as it seeks to uphold international law in conflict zones.
Israeli Permanent Representative to the UN Danny Danon addressed reporters that joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran will continue as long as it is necessary.
"We are hitting decisively, surgically without apology," said Danon.
Responding to reports of attacks on Iranian schools and civilian infrastructure, Danon asserted that Israeli forces target only military assets. He expressed regret for any civilian casualties.
In a sharply worded press conference, Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani condemned U.S.-Israeli military actions, asserting that Iran's major cities and densely populated areas have been targeted, resulting in civilian casualties, including students, which violate the UN Charter.
"These acts constitute aggression, they constitute war crimes, they constitute crimes against humanity. The United States cannot remain silent. The United Nations cannot remain silent. Accountability is not optional. It is deeply shameful and hypocritical that only the very first day of its presidency of the Security Council, the United States convenes a high-level meeting on protecting children and technology and education in armed conflict under the agenda item of maintaining international peace and security, while at the same time, launching missile strikes against Iranian cities and bombing schools and killing children. Words about peace and protection cannot cover act of aggression," said Iravani.
The U.S.-Israeli airstrike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, has left at least 165 people dead, according to Iranian authorities on Sunday.
Israel, Iran trade accusations as UN debates protection of children in conflict zones
