Thousands of "you're called up" notices are being issued by the IDF as we write these lines. Known by the familiar Hebrew expression Tzav 8, the dreaded notice requires that the reservist who receives it drop everything and just turn up at his assigned place, ready for military duty.
It's a feature of life in Israel where a significant portion of the country's self-defence capability is based on compulsory military reserves duty.
It's the eve of the Sabbath, late in the afternoon of an otherwise beautiful summer day. But it's also a day on which a massive Katyusha bombardment has struck downtown Haifa in the past hour, causing extensive damage to property (mostly private residences) and serious injuries to Israeli human beings: at least 19 of them are injured.
In fact the third bombardment of the day is underway in Haifa, with the air-raid sirens shrieking, as we write this (5.10 pm, Friday).
3 comments:
I'm sure I feel the same as most people when I say how sad and frustrated I am that innocent Israelis and Lebanese are being killed and injured because of Hezbollah's actions.
What you describe appears to be an escalation of military action. From where you are, are there any indications if the call up means another long stay inside Lebanon and the setting up of a buffer zone?
Best wishes,
Monty @ http://sceptered-isle.blogspot.com/
Monty, the military talking heads on our television screens are agreed on only one thing: that there will be no long-term staying in Lebanon. It's a morass, we have a rotten history there, and no one wants to repeat it. Israel needs to elminate the crazy status quo in Southern Lebanon where the local government (Lebanon) has said for years they can do nothing, where the local warlord (Nasrallah) has operated with totally impunity in setting up a state within a state and with a world-class armorr, and where the puppeteers (Iran and Syria) can barely hide the smirk on their faces as they manage a war via their Hezbullah proxies. Israel understands the current reality well. One things clear to every last citizen in this country. That status quo can't be allowed to continue. This is truly an existential moment for our country. The missiles falling on Haifa are drumming out a logic that no one can ignore.
Thanks for that update. I am fearful about the potential for loss of life if there is a large scale ground incursion. But as you say, this may be a defining, even existential moment. Nasrallah needs to be stopped that is for certain.
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