Fear, shock as Israelis question motives behind attack on Iran

Iran’s missile attacks are unlike anything Israelis have experienced before, says one Tel Aviv resident

When a missile landed close to his home in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, on Thursday, Omri was miles away, sheltering at his partner’s family house in northern Israel.

“Our building is old and has no shelter so we drove to her parents’ house, where there’s a safe room, but it’s frightening every time we leave the house,” Omri told Middle East Eye.

The city of Ramat Gan and other areas near Tel Aviv have been the site of multiple Iranian retaliatory attacks since Israel started its military campaign on Iran a week ago.

On Thursday, Iran launched a barrage of 30 ballistic missiles at Israel, causing extensive damage in the country’s centre and south, where a missile struck the Soroka hospital in Beersheba. In Ramat Gan, damage was reported at the Israeli stock exchange building and several nearby offices and residential buildings. More than 200 people were wounded that day, according to local media.

“I’m in a condition that a lot of people can envy. I have a safe room, but I wouldn’t want to be in this situation for much longer,” Omri said

“I don’t think we can stand the current situation much longer.”

Another resident of Ramat Gan, whose home was struck by a missile, described the scene as similar to “an apocalypse.”

“I hadn’t slept at all for several days, so I didn’t wake up when the siren went off,” the resident said, speaking to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

“Just before I reached the safe room, the missile struck, and I was hit in the shoulder by the force of the blast.”

Preserving Netanyahu’s rule

For many in Israel, the conflict with Iran feels unlike anything they’ve experienced before. Some are even questioning the motives behind the government’s decision to strike Iran.

Since last Friday, Israel has hit a long list of targets in Iran, including nuclear facilities, senior military commanders and scientists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the offensive was aimed at “rolling back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

Speaking of Netanyahu, Elisha, a resident of Tel Aviv, told MEE: “I think we have a supreme leader who’s only interested in staying in power. The entire purpose of the attack is to preserve his rule.”

“The ministers will keep sitting safely in their bunkers while we’re just pawns in their game. We’re like sitting ducks,” he added.

Elisha described the daily Iranian missile strikes as “something different” from what Israelis are used to facing.

“I’m not afraid for my own life, but for the people close to me,” he told MEE. “A few days ago, a missile hit near my parents’ house. The whole area was covered in shattered glass, their window was blown out. It’s scary.”

“Life here is a nightmare,” he continued. “I guess I’ll move abroad. This isn’t a place to raise children.”

When asked whether he feared the continuation of the war, Elisha replied: “I’m afraid of my government. I’m mostly afraid of what they’ll do next.”

‘Very much in shock’

In southern Israel, shock and fear gripped Soroka Hospital in Beersheba following the strike, which wounded 60 people.

“There’s no functioning ward now,” a nurse told Israeli media outlet Ynet, referring to the extent of the damage.

“When we arrived, there was chaos – people running, shouting. We went straight to the emergency room to see where help was needed. Now the entire hospital is being evacuated to protected areas. The building isn’t safe,” the nurse said.

“We’re all very much in shock.”

‘We have a supreme leader [Netanyahu] who’s only interested in staying in power. The entire purpose of the attack is to preserve his rule’

– Elisha, Tel Aviv

In Holon, part of the Tel Aviv district, a resident said a powerful explosion shook their entire apartment building.

“We went outside and saw that an entire four-storey house had been destroyed,” the resident told Ynet.

At the scene, a 13-year-old girl recalled the moment when the missile struck their home: “We jumped out of bed when the siren went off and ran to the shelter.

“When we came out, we saw the house was destroyed. My room was hit the hardest. I just burst into tears.”

Echoing Elisha’s concerns, Omri also shed doubts on the Israeli government’s motives and the timing of the offensive on Iran.

“There’s something big going on here, but at the same time – why now?” he told MEE.

“The government, the opposition, and the Knesset are steering us toward an uncertain future – and all this while captives remain in Gaza and soldiers continue to be killed.”