State of Tel Aviv, Israel Podcast S2 E53. Israel Thwarts a Massive Hezballah Rocket Attack With Hours to Spare
In short, no one is winning. After almost a year of carnage the stakes seem to only get higher, death tolls climb and rhetoric intensifies. But today was, in this miserable context, a relatively good day, when Israel pre-empted a massive rocket and drone assault by Hezballah which likely targeted civilian infrastructure and military sites. Of 3,000 projectiles that were set up to be launched from underground facilities in Lebanon, only 300 were airborne and they did limited damage. But so much damage has already been done and the beleaguered population of Israel is taut. Former IDF Spokesperson and Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus and I expose the very raw condition of Israelis, many of whom feel utterly abandoned by the government and the army. We seem to be like spinning tops… spin, fall, re-spin, fall again. But there is no discernible plan or strategy as to if there is a plan and what that might entail. Even PM Netanyahu’s nerves are frayed. Meeting several days ago with hostage family members, the Prime Minister was sharp with them when they persisted in asking him whether he gave a toss about the hostages. Yes, it was that tense. And Netanyahu chided them, saying that he was fighting to save the state of Israel. As in: I am focused on much bigger issues than your son, or daughter, or husband. Widely reported in the Israeli media, the comment has confirmed the perception many Israelis have of Netanyahu; that he is cold, detached and megalomaniacally focused on his political survival. Power. The moral compass that Israelis felt they had is not being reflected back to them in top leadership. As Conricus so brilliantly distills the crisis: “It’s as if the entire Zionist endeavor relies on 42 days of Israeli control over the Philadelphi corridor.” We unpack it all. Have a listen.