Iran’s attack worries Israelis as larger war looms
Though Israel’s population are used to sirens of warning attacks from Iranian-backed Hamas, hundreds of Iranian Drones and missiles lit up Israel’s night sky on April 13th, marking a deeper element in the over-lapping Middle East conflicts.
The direct attack has shaken Israelis, leaving them scared that a larger war is looming, reports The Arab Weekly plus agencies.
“I think it was quite scary when in the middle of the night we started hearing booming and we didn’t know what it was, I mean we knew what it was, we didn’t know to what extent it would be,” said Jerusalem resident Cecile Smulowitz.
“But thank God the Israeli army came through, and so far, it’s quiet and we hope it would continue that way.”
The Israeli military said it had shot down almost all of the more than 300 drones and massive missiles on April 14th.
The Iranian attack is fuelled by revenge over a suspected Israeli air strike on Tehran’s embassy compound in Damascus on April 1st, which had killed 13 people including two Iranian generals. Iran’s senior leader Ali Khamenei promised to hit back, which put Israelis on high alert.
READ: Iran’s FM worried Israel wants to expand war
Though Israel has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out the attack, it is widely believed to have done so.
Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would achieve victory, after repeatedly telling the world that Iran is an existential threat to the Jewish State.
On the 14th of April, Iran warned Israel and the United States that there would be a “much larger response” if there was any retaliation in response to their mass drone and missile attack.
READ: US Pentagon avoids war with Iran after drone attack
Despite having the most powerful and technologically advanced military in the region, Israeli civilians grow nervous, with many saying they do not want an escalation.
Jeremy Smith, 60, a resident of Tzur Hadassah stated, “I really hope there won’t be a big war, none of us in Israel wants a big war so I hope that’s it, and I hope Iran would stop now.”
He continued saying “I imagine Israel will respond because I mean, our whole country was covered in missiles and drones. So, what can you do? But we have to stop it somehow.”
“We don’t want a war with Iran, they, somehow, they can’t accept Jewish people living here. This is our homeland, it’s written in the Bible,” said Jerusalem resident Amy Friedlang Morgans, 71.
“We didn’t want the war with Hamas, they attacked us. We don’t want a war with Iran, they attack us,”
Iran’s attack occurred against the backdrop of the Israel–Hamas war in Gaza, which is by far the bloodiest and most destructive of many such assaults over the years. Israeli forces have killed more than 33,000 Palestinians so far in the war, according to Gaza health ministry figures.
The Arab Weekly/ Agencies.
