The terrorists are watching

At 6:34 on Sunday morning, the app on my phone that sends an alarm when air raid sirens are sounded throughout Israel was blowing up for a solid two minutes. At that point, I realized that it was not an “ordinary” attack with a few rockets targeting communities along the northern border with Lebanon, or the southern border with Gaza where Hamas terrorists still manage to fire rockets, despite nearly a year of a devastating war. I took a screenshot of the dozens of locations throughout central Israel where air raid sirens were being sounded at that moment and sent that to my lists of friends around the world who I knew would want to know, and to pray for us, providing spiritual cover to complement the Iron Dome and other anti-missile systems that Israel uses. 

As I sent the updates and posted them to my social media, the sirens continued for another few minutes. This was far from ordinary. I assumed that Hezbollah in Lebanon had decided to open a front deeper into central Israel. As all this was happening, my mind raced concerned for friends in the towns and cities who were now running to their bomb shelters, worried that if a major escalation was taking place that we were next. My youngest son left the house 40 minutes earlier to go back to his base where he’s completing his basic training this week. I was also mindful that I have another son deployed along the Lebanese border: first for his safety and then that he is scheduled to come home for a respite today. 

The inference I made, and which was initially reported across Israeli media was that as many as 100 rockets and missiles had been fired. I assumed that it was Hezbollah, but within 20-30 minutes, the reports were refined and apparently it was “only” one ballistic missile. I was also wrong about the missile’s origin: not Hezbollah in Lebanon but the Houthis in Yemen. 

Fortunately, there were no injuries reported but one thing is clear: the terrorists are watching, in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and, of course, in Iran.

The terrorists are watching the effectiveness of our response.

The terrorists are watching the fact that the one missile was a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi terrorists from over 1000 miles away.  

The terrorists are watching the fact that for some reason the missile was not detected and destroyed before entering Israeli airspace. 

The terrorists are watching, and learning. 

I was mindful that exactly at this time, 11 and a half months ago, Hamas launched thousands of rockets as cover for the invasion of Israel and massacre of 1200 people, kidnapping more than 250, and triggering the war that we are still in the midst of. 

I was mindful that Hezbollah and Iran could see this as an opportunity to launch a wider attack on Israel and, indeed, bring us to the escalation that many think is inevitable. 

Watching the news across multiple media, one message was clear: The threat remains great, and the address for all of this is the Islamic regime in Iran which funds and arms all these terror proxies. One commentator said that nothing would change until the “head of the snake” in Iran was dealt with. 

One conversation evolved as to how obscene it is that the US and G7 only now condemned Iran, not for its aggression and all its terrorist activities and threats to Israel, but for its recent arming of Russia. It seems that Russia having more weapons to attack Ukraine is a red line that warrants condemnation, but Jews being attacked by Islamic terrorists in Israel is normal.  

This was amplified by the US recently sanctioning Hamas leaders this month as a result of the execution of six Israeli hostages, one of whom was also a US citizen. Had the US wanted to do something to bring all the hostages home long ago, sanctions against all its leaders should have come 11 months ago as just one means to target the terrorists.  

Condemnations and sanctions coming so late, so selectively, and with no teeth are not only not effective, but send a clear message to the Islamic terrorists that they can indeed get away with it. 

Fielding messages for well over an hour with countless people praying and sending my update to their wider prayer networks, many asked what they could do. I urged them to support the Israel Emergency Campaign so that no matter what happens next, there are resources to respond immediately. I listened carefully for air raid sirens in my area. On October 7 last year, I heard “booms” of the Iron Dome intercepting incoming rockets as far away as central Jerusalem before the siren sounded in our community. I listened attentively. 

The sounds I heard were of a normal Sunday morning. Cars and buses. Children arriving and playing at the school across the street. Many, maybe even most, who are not as obsessed as I am with knowing every time a rocket or missile is fired at anywhere in Israel probably didn’t even know that anything had just happened. 

By 7:34, Hezbollah terrorists had joined the action by firing 40 rockets at dozens of Israeli communities in the north. As of this writing and since then, it’s been relatively quiet. However, I anticipate a swift Israeli reprisal, targeting Houthi positions in Yemen (more than 1000 miles away) and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

I anticipate Israel’s response will be bold and unequivocal because the terrorists are watching and, unless and until an all-out war against these genocidal enemies that seek our destruction takes place, at least some sense of deterrence needs to be instilled so they will at least think twice about trying anything like this in the future. 

While things seem “normal” again, and I don’t know if my son is coming home today or not, behind the scenes, it’s anything but normal. They can’t be, because the terrorists are watching.