And it Begins

[Ovidio]

I was supposed to land in Tel Aviv on October 9th. Had to postpone.
Was there in February and will go back in a couple weeks the latest.
The situation looks as calm as usual, only in Be'ersheva you hear the jets flying high to give immediate support to the troops. Always there, no interruptions.
What I noticed was that the mood among the population is quite low. There is also an incredulity about the behaviour of the western world.
But that would lead to mined territory. I'll skip that.
It is quite impressing how everything still keeps going on though, and you don't see a single soldier on the street, other than the usual ones who go back home or to their units, as always is.

[Sapper740]

I was very lucky when I was deployed to Camp Zuoani in the Golan Heights as part of the Canadian contingent to UNDOF in 1998 to be there during a time of relative peace between Israel and its neighbors. With no Intifada or war I was given virtually unfettered access to most of Israel except Jericho, Gaza, and, of course Dimona. I took advantage of my time off duty to travel throughout Israel, Syria, Jordan, and a little bit of Lebanon and Egypt. One thing I found with the Israelis is that they despise the U.N. and for good reason since the U.N. Security Council had become nothing but a forum for despots and dictators to fully express their anti-Semitic feelings. I was told by the Israeli soldiers and civilians that amongst themselves they called U.N. members 'Unwanted Nobodies'. My step-mother is an expat Israeli and through my extended step family have family members still in Israel so I get a lot of my news of Israel unfiltered by the press. The country is torn between calling a ceasefire and negotiating with HAMAS to get the remaining hostages returned quickly or finishing the job of destroying HAMAS. My extended family believes that since doctors would never excise half a tumor that the IDF shouldn't either.
My Stepbrother and his family in Ontario and I were in the initial stages of planning a trip to Israel so I could meet the rest of my extended family but unfortunately that has been delayed indefinitely.

[Ovidio]

Syria is the only place I have never been in that area. No opportunities…
I love Lebanon and Israel. Like Jordan, but in the last 15 years it really deteriorated a lot, almost like Egypt.
All in all, people could live much better in that corner of the world.

[Flying10uk]

will go back in a couple weeks the latest

Don't forget to pack your flak jacket and kevlar helmet.

If you're planning a visit to Tehran as well while you're in that part of the world you probably want, for self preservation reasons, a hotel below ground level, something like a nuclear bomb-proof bunker.

[Aragorn243]

Closest I've been is Saudi Arabia. Not my favorite place.

[ssgross]

Something very fishy going on. I found it weird that drones/missles were launched from Iran as well as proxies in Yemen, but none were launched from the better armed proxies in Lebanon or Syria right next door. If they actually wanted to hit targets, giving .5-1 hour or more warning instead of seconds is not very smart. The whole thing smells off - like Iran had no intentions of actually hitting anything.

[Sapper740]

Something very fishy going on. I found it weird that drones/missles were launched from Iran as well as proxies in Yemen, but none were launched from the better armed proxies in Lebanon or Syria right next door. If they actually wanted to hit targets, giving .5-1 hour or more warning instead of seconds is not very smart. The whole thing smells off - like Iran had no intentions of actually hitting anything.

I wondered about that myself. Arabs have a propensity to let their rhetoric and bluster paint themselves into a corner where they absolutely have to do something or be seen as a coward and a traitor to the Arab world. Nasser found that out the hard way in 1967. The Iranian mullahs probably prayed that all missiles and drones be shot down lest they really pi$$ Israel off. Now they can can placate the mob by saying they struck a great blow against the Little Satan without having to worry about an Israeli Have Nap giving them a permanent dirt nap.

[Aragorn243]

It smells fishy alright. It is looking like this attack was allowed so long as it was kept minor or ineffective.

One theory about the nearby proxies is that they could be hit immediately and hard. While all the rest require crossing other airspace so they are "safe".

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Pray for Israel. Pray for America.

[ssgross]

It is looking like this attack was allowed

I really wanted to say as much, but tried to keep our rules in mind. Now that you've let the cat outta the bag...given the reports I've seen coming out of Turkey, which I'm sure is what you are referencing, "allowed" might not be the best word. "Approved" or even "condoned" might fit the circumstances better.