Operation Roaring Lion finally here – A personal account

At 8:15 this morning, every resident of Israel heard the siren go off, accompanied by the loud telephone buzzer, warning that an attack was underway. As it turned out, it was an official notification that Israel had begun a pre-emptive strike on Iran.

Since that time, there have been non-stop barrages of rockets throughout every area of the country, nearly leaving no time for bathroom breaks, but that’s a small price to pay if we can finally put an end to the 47-year tyrannical regime which has not only threatened to eliminate the Jewish homeland, but also the U.S., as well as all those who are viewed as the enemy (non-Muslims).

And while it took time getting here, bets were already being waged as to whether it would even happen at all. The joke was… “It’s now official. The attack will happen tonight or tomorrow or next week…or not at all.” 

Apparently having been planned for months, General Jack Keane appeared on Fox News, stating that some recent negotiation reporting was part of a calculated staging, while others were authentic. Although we were originally told that this operation would continue for a period of around four days, Keane says it will probably last for weeks. So, what will that mean for the Israeli people?

The launching of rockets, every few minutes, makes it impossible to go out or even leave one’s safe room, so most everything will likely be closed, short of essential services.  It’s not even certain if supermarkets will open their doors tomorrow. Israeli airspace is also shut down.

For now, we are locked in, hopefully with enough food, water and basic necessities. The streets resemble Yom Kippur, when a car is not seen for 24 hours, except, in this case, the familiar sight of kids skateboarding and riding bikes is non-existent. No one is walking on the shoreline, viewable from our balcony, and there is an eerie silence everywhere, except for the intermittent sirens.

When a friend asked me if I was scared, it seemed to be an absurd question, since we have lived through times like these over the past few years. Since the last round, which occurred in the summer, we were fortunate to enjoy a respite of relative quiet. But knowing that it was just a momentary brief period, the ability to fully savor it was tempered by the reality that we’d be back here sooner than later.

And here we are again, facing a night of incoming launches, resigned to the fact that most of us will have to sleep on mattresses in our bomb shelters, woken up by the constant phone buzzing which is state-operated regardless of whether or not you’ve shut off your phone.

It’s all too reminiscent of the summer months, where many of us were sleep-deprived, walking around like zombies. But this is what it means to live in Israel, the despised country, to which Jews returned after 2,000 years of exile, for the purpose of building a homeland, specifically for times such as these.

The fact that this attack coincides with the biblical holiday of Purim, which falls in another two days, commemorating the historical event which was planned as the final solution of the Jews 2380 years ago. Knowing how it ended, with Haman hanging on his own gallows, the question now is, “Has the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khameini, met a similar fate?”

It’s a lesson that apparently is never learned. The fatal mistake, made by these would-be Jewish annihilators, is their refusal to believe that our Supreme Being, God, Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth has made it impossible to finish off what He intended to be His showpiece. Israel has been set aside, amongst all other peoples, chosen to usher in redemption and fulfill their calling of being a light to the nations.

Those who dare to interfere with those plans are the ones whose lives are cut short while the Jewish people continue to live. It’s the ultimate thumbing of one’s finger at their Maker, never ending well for them.

So here we are, playing out the same scenario thousands of years later, watching another pitiful attempt to overplay God’s hand. Because none of this is new for us, as a people and as a nation, there is so much comfort in knowing that even the most sophisticated weapons will not yield the win which they seek.

That is the hope which sustains us, throughout the trying circumstances, which many can’t even imagine. It’s what makes it a blessing to live here, despite the difficulties of times like these.  Knowing that many of our readers are praying for us and supporting our efforts to defeat our common enemy also sustains us through it all.

While we are just in the early phases of what could end up being somewhat of a protracted war, there is no despair, for we are not alone – not in heaven and not on earth – something that the mullahs cannot say with confidence and assurance. 

So, as the alarms continue to blare, as they are doing right now, it’s just another reminder that no matter how hard they try, the mighty hand of God is on our side, ready to save!

We remain grateful for your prayers and concerns as we, together, watch the great victory which will, undoubtedly, be ours, as well as the people of Iran who have suffered their long oppression - now, hopefully, coming to an end.

As the book of Esther ends, “When the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it was turned to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained the mastery over those who hated them.” Esther 9:1…making it a day of feasting and rejoicing.” vs. 17

May it be, likewise, in our day as God, Himself takes on the enemies of His beloved Israel!