Israelis, like Iranians, spent the night from Saturday to Sunday with their eyes glued to the sky or to their screens. And, for many, in the deafening noise of drones launched from their lands or intercepted in their skies, to console their children not yet accustomed to this life of insecurity where everything is played out well above their heads.
Contacted in Israel, author Yossi Alpher, a former Mossad agent who ultimately advised former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak during the peace process with the Palestinian Authority in 2000, says he was well aware that “the missiles could fall anywhere” at the end of the week.
But he was confident, he said, that they would be intercepted. “Israel has been experiencing war for 75 years, we are used to it. My granddaughter needed to be calmed down.
“Sunday morning, I don’t know if people were tired from their sleepless night or if they were afraid, but the streets were deserted [même si c’est un jour de travail dans ce pays]. Since then, life has returned to normal. »
According to Mr. Alpher, many Israelis “are tired of counting their dead,” are “enough of this war with Hamas,” are fed up with too many Palestinian victims. Many people experience it with difficulty and almost everywhere, underlines Mr. Alpher, posters clearly visible in the cities indicate numbers to call for psychological support.
PHOTO SERGEY PONOMAREV, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Parts of an Iranian missile have been found in Arad, Israel.
This time, “the new dimension is this direct clash with Iran, without anyone knowing whether it will be an isolated episode or the start of an open war.”
Tamar Hermann, who directs the Guttman Center for Public Opinion in Israel, says that for a few hours at the end of the week, time stood still.
The drones and missiles had left Iran and we were there, waiting for them to land on us, who were helpless. The anxiety was palpable.
Tamar Hermann, director of the Guttman Center on Public Opinion
“There are those who went to bed, there are those who did not sleep all night. But in the early morning, she said, for everyone, it was a relief to see that almost nothing had been affected. »
October 7 strongly shook the Israelis, who had long been convinced by their government of their invincibility under their iron dome. At the end of the week, the sky held up and above all, note Mme Hermann, the Israelis were assured that their security was still important to their allies, despite their criticism in recent months.
“At the end of the week, we won a round, but not the victory. What will follow? Many Israelis think that Israel must respond, but perhaps at the cost of alienating our allies. »
So, a small response, because we have to show that we are not giving in, but not too big, because there is a risk of conflagration… Aren’t the Israelis exhausted from living like this? Don’t they want to run away? “We don’t have the most peaceful neighborhood,” replies M.me Hermann. When there is a lull, some people actually go to make their lives elsewhere. But not when there is real danger. It’s very bad form to do so. And with the rise of anti-Semitism in Canada, the United States, France, Great Britain, with the pro-Palestinian protests, Jews don’t believe there is really anywhere they are safe anyway . »
“The Iranian regime doesn’t care about its people”
From Quebec where she immigrated, Sara* has remained in close contact in recent days with her loved ones who remained there. “The drones taking off made a hell of a noise. My nieces and nephews started crying, they thought it was bombs falling on the city. They started crying, saying they don’t want to die. »
My childhood was eight years of war between Iran and Iraq. I can’t accept that their childhood was hellish too.
Sarah
“On Saturday night,” she continues, “people rushed in Iran to the gas stations and to the grocery stores that were open. Because everyone knows: the next day, prices will soar,” in a country already strangled by economic sanctions.
Despite calls for calm from Canada and the United States, Israel promised on Monday “a response to the massive attack this weekend.”
ISRAELI ARMY PHOTO, PROVIDED BY REUTERS
Road damaged in Israel after Iranian attack
The Iranians must deal with this threat, and “the Iranian regime does not care about the consequences for the people,” denounces Sara. “The lives of his people are worth nothing in his eyes. No one hates the Iranian regime more than a large portion of the population of Iran. »
As if the maximum tension between Iran and Israel was not enough, the morality police have resumed their mass arrests. In a report broadcast on TV5 a few days ago, we once again see young girls dancing, hair blowing in the wind, being quickly arrested. In the streets, everywhere, cameras capture the faces of those who are not covered. They are quickly identified and traced with artificial intelligence.
Screams frequently tear through the night. “Death to the Islamist regime,” scream Iranians holed up in their homes.
At one point, Iranians believed that the deaths of women would overcome the world’s apathy. “It’s not going to happen,” Sara fears. Iranians always end up finding themselves alone, facing this Islamist regime. »
* Fictitious name to avoid any trouble for his family still in Iran