As the threat of missiles fly overhead, Australians in Israel are vowing to continue living their lives as normally as possible in an act of defiance.
For Australian mother-of-three Emily Gian, life in the days since Israel launched strikes on Iran and triggered waves of missile fire in retaliation has been spent in and out of underground bunkers.
With only minutes to shelter as sirens signal the arrival of projectiles, sleep has come in dribs and drabs for her family.
“We could hear it so loud that my kids thought that it was near our house,” Ms Gian told AAP on Wednesday.
“It’s a really loud boom. You feel the house shake.”
But unlike earlier conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, Ms Gian said the fire from Iran came with the added fear that the nation was believed to be working on nuclear weapons.
“There’s always been a fear in Israel that an escalation with Iran is the ultimate and scariest escalation that could be,” she said.
Nevertheless, Israelis remained resilient, hardened from many years of wars and conflict, Ms Gian said.
“We’ve been told to stay close to home, and people follow the protocols, but you see people out and about trying to go about their daily life,” she said.
And she won’t flee.
Amid suggestions the US is preparing to enter the conflict, more than 1000 Australians in Israel have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs for help to leave, while 870 Australians and family members seek help to leave Iran.
“Our plans are to stay here for now because we live here, our house is here, our life is here, our work,” Ms Gian said.
The conflict began on Friday after Israel moved to wipe out Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program, claiming the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump has since met his national security council and demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, adding he knew where Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding.
Iran has warned if “all-out war” if the US joins the fray.
Melbourne lawyer Leon Zweir, who is in Jerusalem attending a conference, had registered with DFAT to be repatriated but will not leave until the event ends on Thursday.
“I want to make sure I finish the conference before I leave,” he said.
He said the mood of Israelis was “resolute”, despite the missiles flying overhead.
At least 585 Iranians had been killed, mostly civilians, Washington-based organisation High Rights Activists said, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed.
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