DAY 6 IRAN - ISRAEL WAR, DAY 621 GAZA WAR
“But you, Israel, my servant,
11
Isaiah 41:8-16
On Friday morning (13 June) we were awakened at 3AM by our Home Front alerts to discover that Israel's air force was attacking military targets in Iran. I admit I felt a frission of fear but my main reaction was one of relief. After more than 40 years of having the Iranian threat hanging over our heads, and suffering constant attacks from Iranian proxies (Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis etc), we were finally striking 'the head of the octopus'.
The time was right. We really had no choice. For years the Ayatollah Regime in Iran has been open about its intention to destroy Israel completely, and on Friday they were on the cusp of producing several nuclear bombs to do just that. They also had already produced around 3,000 ballistic and cruise missiles with factories working overtime to bring that stockpile to at least 6,000. We also had the opportunity, after having destroyed most of Iran's air defense system back in October of last year. US President Donald Trump had done his best to convince the Iranian Regime to make a deal to dismantle or destroy their nuclear project and avoid war, but they were adamant they would never agree. On Thursday it was clear that the negotiations had failed.
Iran's reaction to Israel's pre-emptive attack was immediate. They fired around 100 ballistic missiles and many armed UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles or drones) at Israel that same morning. Thanks to our missile defense systems and the help of other nations, none of these reached Israel.
Since that time the Israeli Air Force has continually bombarded Iranian nuclear installations, hundreds of missile caches and launchers and other military targets. In the first few days, the IAF destroyed all the remaining Iranian air defense systems, opening the skies for unopposed aerial attacks. Israel has also assassinated the 20 top military leaders and 9-10 of the most senior nuclear scientists of Iran.
Since Friday Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and UAVs at Israel, targeting mainly the built up areas in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheva and their surrounding towns. Israel tries to avoid civilian casualties by warning of attacks in advance and targeting only military installations and the homes and offices of the military leadership, but Iran on the contrary directly targets Israel's civilian population.
Israel has been very careful to avoid civilian casualties because that is how we wage war. However we also have no quarrel with the Iranian people and we are hoping that they will rise up and get rid of the current regime, that most of them hate intensely.
Historically Iran (Persia) and Israel have had friendly relations since King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple in 539 BCE and until the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
According to today's IDF statistics the Iranians have fired over 400 ballistic missiles, and 1000 armed drones at Israel since last Friday. Around 90% of the missiles fired at Israel by Iran have been intercepted or have not reached Israeli airspace. A few have slipped through and as of this time some 24 Israeli civilians have been killed and 500-800 (depending who you include) people injured. 18,766 damage claims have been lodged for destroyed or damaged buildings and vehicles. 3,800 people have been evacuated from damaged buildings. No Israeli military personnel have been killed or injured in the Iranian arena. Only one Israeli aircraft, an unmanned drone, has been brought down in the hundreds or thousands of sorties the IAF has flown. The IDF is saying that "Operation Rising Lion" (see Numbers 23:24) is ahead of schedule and having greater success than expected. We have also to date suffered fewer casualties than expected.
In the last day or so we have seen fewer and fewer incoming missiles from Iran, indicating that they have lost a significant portion of their fire power and they are under stress. A few hours ago, Iran fired for the first time three of its Sejjil missiles at Israel, one which travels at 12-14 times the speed of sound and carries a very large explosive warhead weighing around 700kg. Fortunately these missile were successfully intercepted and caused no damage or casualties.
Since the beginning of Operation Rising Lion Israel has been largely shut down. All schools have been closed and only essential businesses (supermarkets, pharmacies etc) allowed to operate. Gatherings have been forbidden. Public transport has been stopped, except for some routes to hospitals and other essential places. The airport was closed down on Friday, all passengers and personnel were evacuated and all the planes flown to another country.
Around 100,000 Israelis are trapped abroad since the airport was shut down. Today however the Ministry of Transport and the Israel Aviation Authority have begun to repatriate, on special rescue flights, Israeli citizens who want to return home, but it will take a long time clear this vast number of stranded people. Many tourists and visitors are also stuck here in Israel but soon they will be able to board outgoing flights as part of this operation.
Life for the civilian population of Israel has been largely circumscribed by these events. With workplaces, schools and shops closed and Home Front instructions to stay close to shelters, the streets were more or less empty the first few days. As time has gone on more and more people have been venturing out to restock supplies, walk the dog, take exercise or just 'get out of the house'. Unnecessary movement in the open is however discouraged since being distant from a shelter is risky as at any moment the 'incoming missile' alerts can sound.
I have been very impressed by the courage, restraint and resilience of the Israeli population. I have seen no panic or overt expressions of fear. Everyone seems calm, determined and positive. I am constantly amazed by the willingness of so many to sacrifice so much, putting their own lives on the line again and again, in order to protect our nation.
Of course we are tired of war. It is now 621 days since Hamas invaded Israel and massacred 1200 Israeli men women and children, including foreign nationals, and took 251 captive into the horror tunnels of Gaza, sparking the war against Hamas. This is still ongoing, and just this week 4 Israeli soldiers were killed there.
I appreciate that our suffering is perhaps not as great as that of the people of Gaza, but whereas the media is much concerned for the Gazans, the suffering of Israelis is overlooked. We have lost around 800 soldiers in Gaza and 53 of the hostages still remain in the hands of Hamas. Only around 20 of the hostages are still alive.
Israel is a small country with a very strong national identity and sense of community. Its really just one big family. When one soldier is killed or one hostage is confirmed dead we all mourn. When one hostage is released we all celebrate. Everyone knows someone who has died or suffered life-changing injuries. We are a nation in mourning but also standing strongly together, in spite of sometimes vitriolic political differences. Deep down all Israelis, even the most secular, have a strong hope and faith that we will survive and flourish. This gives us tremendous strength as a nation.
Since Friday the synagogues and churches have been closed because of the ban on gatherings. Our congregation held its 'meeting' on Shabbat via Zoom.
About half of our congregation have been camping out at our congregational premises since many do not have adequate mamads (specially reinforced shelters) at home. Municipalities have opened public shelters and in Jerusalem the underground train station has also been opened for those who have no protected space at home.
As of a few minutes ago our Home Front Command has begun to ease the regulations in most areas of the country, not because the danger is significantly less, but because we cannot indefinitely shut down the economy and our lives.
Tonight we are all holding our collective breathe waiting to see if and when the U.S., and perhaps other allied nations, will join us in eliminating Iran's nuclear and missile threat. Only the US has the large bunker-busting bombs that can penetrate the depths of the massive underground nuclear facility at Fordow in Iran.
There is much more I could say about the situation but I recommend you read reliable news outlet sources online for more information. I recommend All Israel News for factual and honest reporting without commentary. Here is the link: https://allisraelnews.com/. I also recommend you avoid the mainline news outlets, especially the BBC and CNN because of their anti-Israel bias. For an accurate and up-to-the-minute update I recommend IsraelRealtime. You can join for free using one of the links below:
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