JERUSALEM, Israel – After four days of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, the Israeli military claims it made historic advances against Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure. Yet, Israelis continue, for now, to live under the shadow of ballistic missiles and the threat of destruction.
The Israeli military has gained air superiority over the skies of Iran. In four days, it has carried out multiple attacks on Iran’s military leadership and nuclear program. Meanwhile, Israeli civilians, residential buildings and infrastructure are under attack as some “very large” Iranian missiles have evaded Israel’s air defenses.
The Israel Defense Forces announced that Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles. Most have been intercepted, but some managed to hit Israeli cities.
CBN News traveled to one of the locations near Tel Aviv where Tehran’s missiles hit. It sheared one apartment building in half and destroyed an adjacent building. The damage could be seen for blocks around. The missile contained nearly one thousand pounds of explosives.
Tzvika Bot, the mayor of Bat Yam, stated on Sunday, “We took a strong hit today. We lost seven of our residents, and 200 are injured, and we still have three people missing. But our spirit is strong and we will win. “We know that our enemy tried to target civilians, so this is why tomorrow, we are starting to rebuild.”
Israel’s International Police Spokesman Master Sgt. Dean Elsdunne stated, “I’ve been to scenes of rocket impacts whether it was from Hamas or from Hezbollah. I tell you these are very large missiles that are landing here to cause damage like this.”
Elsdunne added, “Iran has openly called for the annihilation of Israel, of the United States, of all of Western ideology. Israel had to do a preemptive strike to defend our civilians. What we’re targeting is strategic military targets. What they’re targeting, what you see behind me, and the various sites across Israel, is civilian infrastructure, residential communities.”
Speaking from the site at Bat Yam, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of what might happen if Iran is not stopped.
“We are here because we are in an operation for the sake of our existence that is understood by all citizens of Israel,” he said.
The prime minister posited, “Imagine what would happen if Iran had nuclear weapons that would fall on Israeli cities. Imagine what would happen if Iran had 20,000 missiles – not one, but 20,000 of them. That is an existential threat.”
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IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir claims his forces are making history.
“We are in the midst of an unprecedented achievement in the history of the IDF – we are opening the route to Tehran,” Zamir declared.
In just four days, in what some are comparing to the miraculous Six Day War of 1967, Israel has targeted the vast array of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including enrichment facilities in Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan.
The IDF says most of Iran’s military top commanders have been eliminated and Mossad agents on the ground have taken out Iranian air defenses, ballistic missiles, and nuclear scientists.
Meanwhile, social media videos from inside Iran show citizens cheering the strikes, hoping it will bring down the dictatorship that has ruled for 46 years.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett exhorted, “I call upon the Iranian people: this is your moment. This is your moment to stand up, to remove the Mullahs if you can and the world will stand behind you. And I also want to say, if we didn’t act now, the cancerous tumor of the Iranian nuclear would be much worse in a year or two years.”
Bennett added, “We are doing the dirty work for the world. We are the ones who are removing and preventing Iran from going nuclear. We are preventing Iran from being a danger to the world.”
Iranian opposition sources claim some of Tehran’s leaders have already fled the country. In Israel, the spirit remains resolute.
Elsdunne asserted, “The Israeli nation is strong. We’re a resilient nation. It’s part of our DNA, backed by our unity, and we’re going to continue to standing together through this time and we thank all of those who are supporting Israel from abroad, especially right now.”
