For two weeks Luis had assumed that a disaster was coming. imminent attack on Iran and that this would bring with it inevitable consequences. The surprise, at most, was that it occurred in broad daylight and on Saturday, a sacred day in Judaism. “It’s sad, but let’s say that It is a bit routine and is part of the reality that is lived here“, he tells EL PERIÓDICO Luis Vegaa Spanish doctor who has been living in Tel Aviv along with his wife, originally from Israel, and their two children, aged two and four. “It was complicated. From two in the afternoon until seven we were in and out of the bunker and at nine again,” he says. “In the end we slept there, but alarms were ringing all night with which to rest little and sleep less.”
The first notice, which reported what Israel has dubbed Operation ‘Roar of the Lion’ and the attack on hundreds of military targets in Iran, surprised Luis while he was driving on his way to work. “The first scare caught me on the way to the hospital, when I heard the sirens. From there we just had to wait for what came,” he explains. Even so, he says he takes the situation without much drama, despite the stress and discomfort it entails, and is aware that it is a conflict that will probably last a long time.
He nervousness and tension coexist, in this case, with a feeling of familiarity, in a country that faces a complex security dilemma, especially in its relationship with Iran, and that justifies the need to act “preventively” -in the words of the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel cat, that is, without an imminent threat having materialized.
In that sense, it is not the first time that Israeli citizens receive alerts of attacks against the territory on their mobile phones. “The country has assumed itis part of what is considered correct. Iran wants to destroy Israel and therefore cannot be negotiated, and the population sees it as something that has to happen”says Luis.
An ‘accustomed’ population
“Although it sounds ugly, it is already customary. There are many attacks on Israel. You get used to hearing the alarms and you know what to do.. I have a backpack prepared with water, food, clothing and a radio. It’s not healthy, it’s not idyllic, but it’s almost part of the identity.“says David Yabo, who moved to Israel five years ago for religious reasons. However, the difference that breaks the routine is the number of attacks that Tehran has directed against the Jewish state, including one that has caused at least nine deaths and 28 wounded in the town of Beit Semesh, in central Israel. “If we compare it with the attack last year, this time the anti-aircraft alarms have sounded many more times.”
In addition to the sound of alarms, Israelis receive on their phones alerts through an application which informs them both of the launch of a missile and of its entry into Israeli territory. This pre-alert system It is a key component of Israel’s air defense strategy and serves the purpose of providing citizens with the time necessary to seek shelter. “We have an application that tells us when missiles are sighted leaving Iran, so tell it that it takes five minutes until they arrive and we have enough time to take refuge“says David.
Security alerts in the mobile application about attacks from Iran. / Facilitated by Dana Chocron.
From Jerusalem, David considers it unproductive get nervous faced with a situation that cannot be controlled. Furthermore, he assumes the attack against Iran is inevitable and even considers it necessary to weaken the forces of the ayatollah regime, which he claims represent an existential threat against Israel. “We have been waiting for this for 20 years. It is something that was known. Since last year, with the latest attacks, “We knew it wasn’t the end.”he states.
The relative normality with which the attacks are experienced in Israel is also reflected in homes. In the most modern ones, the constructions include “safe” rooms with concrete walls and armored doors, while others have protected basements to house all the residents of the same building. Ester Shecter lives in one of the first and tells this newspaper that the fact of not having to leave the house reduces nervousness in a situation in which she also experiences anxiety and tension. “You live a little nervously. A few days ago it was on everyone’s lips that this could happen. Although, I didn’t think it could be of these dimensions“explains the woman from Malaga who lives in Beit El, a settlement near Jerusalem considered illegal under international law.
Stuck in Madrid
Dana Chocron, who has lived in Israel since she was 18, has experienced the attacks with more nerves and stress, although she is currently in Madrid for work and no possibility of returning due to the closure of airspace and the interruptions of flights to the region. “I have very close family there: my parents, my brothers and now my grandparents, who are visiting. I experience it almost in first person because I have the application and sirens sound approximately every half hour“, he says with concern.
Dana considers action against Iran necessary, but admits that she is experiencing it with great concern. “It’s very distressing. There have already been deaths and buildings completely destroyed. Since yesterday morning and throughout the night the sirens have not stopped, and my family has had to stay for hours in a bunker,” he concludes.
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