“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said on Monday afternoon, three days into a new war with the Islamic Republic.
The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and in Jerusalem, the sky was clear as it turned from blue to red to black. As Israelis know all too well, there is a routine when ballistic missiles are launched toward them. There is the familiar, stomach-churning wave of tension as 10 million people wait to see which areas of the country are under fire.
Like all of my countrymen, I was waiting. Most people in Israel have spent the first days of the Iran war inside. Schools are closed. Festivities for the Purim holiday on Tuesday are mostly cancelled. Very few stores are open, and Israel’s Home Front Command guidelines instruct people to remain near bomb shelters and not gather in groups.
