‘Like a lion he rises up’ - Bible verse in Netanyahu’s Western Wall note inspired operation name

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Western Wall on Thursday afternoon, leaving a note with a quotation of a Bible verse taken from Numbers 23:24, “Look, a nation like a lioness will rise up, and like a lion he raises himself.” 

The contents of the note were only revealed to the public Friday morning, after the public address by Netanyahu, but indicate that the planning for the ongoing Operation Rising Lion, including the choice of the name, had already been determined some time before the launch of strikes on Iran early Friday morning. 

The Western Wall, called HaKotel HaMaaravi in Hebrew, is one of the holiest sites in modern Judaism, as it is the closest point to where the Temple stood that Jews can approach to pray. The placing of prayers and notes in the wall is an old tradition, as Jews believe that some of the divine presence remains near the site, and thus prayers and petitions left in the Wall are believed to have a special status. 

The Western Wall is the only remaining part of the greater Second Temple Period structure built by Herod the Great. It is part of a retaining wall that Herod built in order to create a larger courtyard for the Temple, enabling greater amounts of pilgrims to come to the Temple, as required by Jewish law, during the High Holy Days [Passover, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Booths]. 

While Israel has listed the Bible verse from the prophecy of Balaam about the nation of Israel as the inspiration for the name of the operation, some users on social media wondered if the name had a double meaning, pointing to the fact that the Persian flag during the reign of the Shah also features a lion. 

My suspicion is that Israel know that Iran is ripe for a return of the Peacock Throne, and all it requires is a nudge.

It's doubtful they're that desperate to fight on two fronts. I would suggest that the name 'Operation Rising Lion' tells us much. pic.twitter.com/ib98avpgFv

— Russell Bott (@AliPatClanrye) June 13, 2025

One user wondered if Israel is hoping for a popular uprising in the country due to the high levels of public unrest and dissatisfaction with the Iranian government in the past few years. 

The attack on Iran, which is still ongoing at time of publication, is one of the most significant military operations of the Middle East since Operation Iraqi Freedom, the second Iraq war, in 2003. 

The initial round of strikes resulted in the deaths of several high-level military leaders along with many of the top scientists in Iran’s nuclear program. 

As with Operation New Order, the operation to eliminate Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah in September 2024, the days leading up to Operation Rising Lion involved several elements of misdirection by the Israeli government. 

According to a report in Israel Hayom, preparations for the operation began in October 2024, following Iran’s ballistic missile strike on Israel. Military Intelligence began an unprecedented effort to create a strike which would function as a preparatory step for a larger operation at a later date. 

Israel’s retaliatory strikes in late October, which damaged much of Iran’s air defense infrastructure, functioned as that preparatory step. 

However, Military Intelligence worked together with the Mossad to establish key sites and infrastructure to be targeted in a follow-up operation. 

By repeatedly leaking reports of Israeli preparations for the attack, including misleading information, Israel reportedly allowed Iran to believe that it was engaged in a political posturing aimed at supporting the U.S. position in the nuclear talks. 

On Thursday, reports of a planned vacation for Netanyahu also functioned as misdirection, preventing Iran from knowing exactly when such an attack would take place.