Israel at War: Day 10. October 16

Your update from State of Tel Aviv

It is clear now that this is a war on the west. Israel and Jews are simply the front-line targets.

I write this in what has become a permanent state of shock and numbness. I continue to be involved with humanitarian relief but I am deeply worried. This is an existential battle for Israel’s survival. Make no mistake.

It is 5:30 pm EST and Hamas is pounding all of central and southern Israel. There are reports of the north being under heavy fire. And Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has just issued a statement saying:

“An opportunity has been obtained for us to stop the Zionists inside their own home. In the coming hours, any preemptive action against the Zionist regime is conceivable.” He added that he had met recently with Hizballah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. This was stated during an interview with Iranian television.

Read the full report here.

This message could mean many things. But Iran – which is financing and organizing this mass attack may be trying to scare Israel into launching a first nuclear strike so that they can then respond unrestrainedly and truly annihilate the country.

I don’t know about you but when Iran makes threats I take it seriously. President Biden does too. He was very clear in his speech last week that Iran must not create conditions in which Israel has no choice but to resort to the nuclear option. This is directly from President Biden’s speech. An extraordinarily powerful, principled speech, made on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.