IDF's preemptive strike boosts faith in Israel's defense - opinion

A week ago, I traveled to northern Israel to learn how the region is preparing for a large-scale war and potential attacks by proxies of the Islamic Republic. During a press briefing, a colleague of mine asked an IDF major, “What should Israelis be doing to prepare for an attack by Hezbollah?”

The major responded, “They should have faith in the IDF.”

In the weeks following October 7, I wouldn’t have accepted that answer. Now, however, it feels undeniably true.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, the Israeli military launched a preemptive strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon, stating they had detected that the Iran-backed terror group was preparing to retaliate against Israel. According to a Western intelligence official quoted by The New York Times, thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers were programmed to fire at 5:00 a.m. in the direction of Tel Aviv. In response, Israel’s fighter jets carried out over 100 simultaneous strikes, destroying thousands of rocket launchers across dozens of sites in Lebanon. At some of the launchers, the IDF executed its preemptive strikes minutes before the planned attack.

Imagine how different our morning could have been in Israel. Imagine the bloodshed we would have witnessed if Hezbollah had succeeded in its assault. Undoubtedly, it would have set off a larger, regional-scale war.

Despite its claims, Hezbollah is clearly trying to provoke Israel into a broader conflict by using Lebanese civilians as human shields. “From right next to the homes of Lebanese civilians in southern Lebanon, we can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, endangering those civilians,” said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesperson. Like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah embeds itself in civilian areas – but unlike Gaza, there’s no “where are the civilians supposed to go?” excuse often used by pro-Hamas activists.

IDF warned civilians

“We warn the civilians located in areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm’s way immediately for their safety,” Hagari said, cautioning Israelis that we are “facing a significant week ahead.”

ON OCTOBER 7, one of the most challenging realities we had to face was that the army abandoned the Israeli people. While brave soldiers did enter the southern kibbutzim to fend off Hamas terrorists – many losing their lives in the process – the residents of the South were trapped in their bomb shelters for seven to ten hours, waiting to be rescued. In that time, Hamas terrorists and Palestinian civilians were able to cross the border multiple times to kidnap, loot, murder, or rape. The painful question, “Where was the army?” shattered our trust in the IDF’s ability to protect us when it mattered most.

Mornings like these are slowly restoring that faith. For months, the international pressure on Israel and its impact on the war in Gaza made many of us skeptical about our security. Yet, over time, the Jewish state has come through with what felt like the impossible. We reportedly were responsible for eliminating senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as well as killing Mohammed Deif and top Hezbollah figure Fuad Shukr – all responsible for countless atrocities, including the October 7 massacre and the murder of twelve children in Majdal Shams. Those actions have finally given us confidence that we can trust the IDF to defend Israel at the level we need.

There is no doubt that anti-Israel figures will spin this in a way that depicts Israel as the aggressor; even now, the UN is calling for a “ceasefire.” Some critics report that the United States was not given advance notice of Israel’s plan to carry out these preemptive strikes (though this was disputed by Israeli officials while White House officials stated that Biden was “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon”).

Israel’s relationship and security coordination with our American counterparts are crucial for keeping Israelis safe. Yet, for months, many have felt that American pressure has led Israel to make decisions that weren’t in its long-term interest – such as delaying action in Rafah, which allowed Hamas to think it could negotiate with more pressure on Jerusalem. Now, we are finally witnessing the Israeli security establishment taking decisive action against terror groups and their leaders – striking them first, asking questions later.

In summary, when it comes to defending the Jewish people against terrorists, Israel is finally acting… Israeli.

The writer is a social media activist with over 10 years of experience working for Israeli and Jewish causes and cause-based NGOs. She is the co-founder and COO of Social Lite Creative, a digital marketing firm specializing in geopolitics.