Israel holds its breath and awaits Iran's drones - comment

• Published date: 14 April 2024
• Author: MICHAEL STARR
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Yet Israelis have had to hold their breaths many times, waiting for their enemies to attack. The knot in our stomachs as we inhale is not new. The churning and twisting in my gut is the same as the one I felt on October 7, as the air raid sirens rang and reports of mass infiltrations began to trickle out in the early hours

This is not the first time Israel has faced long-distance projectile attacks. Iran's neighbor, Iraq, fired Scud missiles at the Jewish state over the course of weeks in 1991. Factions in the country have reportedly joined in the current attack by launching missiles.

Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, it had launched thousands of rockets into Israel. Before this, it had been regularly launching mortar bombs into Jewish towns.

Israelis were forced to endure these constant rocket barrages, pressured by the international community into managing the issue. Our allies and many of our leaders thought that we could contain Hamas, every year or two resolving ourselves to the task of reducing their military and rocket launching capabilities for a little bit of quiet, enough time to exhale and draw another breath.

Before Hamas carried out its pogrom, Israelis living in the north were holding their breath, waiting for Hezbollah to try to launch their own October 7. They had threatened to do so for years. Since the 2006 second Lebanon War, they have waited for the unresolved issues with the terrorist organization to rear their head again. No doubt Hezbollah rockets will take to the skies in service of their Iranian masters.

As with Hamas and Hezbollah, Israelis have been expected to live with an Iranian scimitar hanging above their heads. The Iranian regime has been rattling a nuclear sabre for years, threatening to destroy...