Indian Travel Influencer Soumil Agarwal Documents Daily Shelter Runs Amid Iran-Israel War

An Indian travel influencer has gone viral on social media after sharing his experience of being stranded in Israel amid escalating missile attacks during the ongoing conflict with Iran. In an Instagram video titled “Indian stuck alone in Israel during war”, travel influencer Soumil Agarwal described his experience of rushing to bomb shelters as sirens sounded across the country following Iranian missile strikes.

Agarwal said he woke up on February 28 in his hotel room to the sound of sirens blaring everywhere, including alerts on his phone. That was when he realised the war had begun. “For the next few days, the routine was simple — whenever a siren went off, you had to run out of your room and head straight to the bomb shelter,” he said in the video.

Despite the tense situation, Agarwal said conversations with locals helped calm his fears. According to him, many residents expressed confidence in the country’s defence forces, which helped reduce panic among those sheltering during the attacks. “The people here are very sweet. When I started talking to them and joking around, I felt calm too. For the past four days, I haven’t felt scared at all,” he said. He added that the atmosphere of resilience among locals made the experience feel strangely uplifting.

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“Instead of Holi, it feels like I am celebrating Diwali here." Agarwal remarked in the video, referring to the festive spirit he sensed among residents despite the ongoing conflict. The influencer’s video has attracted widespread attention online as tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate.

Since February 28, Iranian ballistic missile strikes have reportedly killed at least 11 people in Israel and injured more than 1,000 others. Israeli defence officials have also claimed that Iran recently fired ballistic missiles carrying cluster munitions toward Israeli territory, marking the first reported use of such weapons in the current conflict.

Authorities believe at least five cluster missiles have been launched since Saturday, many targeting densely populated civilian areas. Two such missiles were reportedly fired toward central Israel earlier this week, causing damage and injuries across several locations.

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