JERUSALEM, April 15 (Xinhua) -- In the early morning of April 14 local time, Iran used missiles and drones to launch retaliatory military strikes on Israeli territory. Although Iran has repeatedly claimed to have retaliated after the Israeli attack on the consular office building of the Iranian embassy in Syria on the 1st of this month, it is still shocking when the counterattack does come.
In the more than two years since I was stationed in Jerusalem, I have witnessed many large-scale Palestinian-Israeli firefights. The new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that broke out on 7 October last year has lasted longer than all other wars in the Middle East except for the first Middle East war in 1948, and the death toll has also reached a new high.
As if I had a premonition, at about 1:40 a.m. on the 14th, as soon as I sat up after taking a nap, I heard a violent bang. In an instant, a piercing air raid siren sounded throughout the city, breaking the silence of the night sky.
In the midst of the explosion, there was a commotion in the corridor, mixed with the cries of babies, and it turned out that the neighbors had taken refuge in their homes at the moment when the air raid sirens sounded. Everyone frowned and looked nervous.
As the fighting continues, many Israelis have developed a habit of war readiness, and most buildings and apartments have emergency "shelters". The building I live in is over 60 years old and has no similar facilities. As a result, the staircase is the safest place that people can reach in a short period of time, at least reducing the risk of being injured by shrenching or shattered window panes.
Although it was late at night, most of the neighbors were fully dressed. In the two weeks since the bombing, Israeli officials have repeatedly warned the public of the possibility of a retaliatory strike by Iran, and issued very specific security warnings hours before the strike. Therefore, many people have already prepared.
Shouldering my duties as a journalist, I put on body armor and a helmet and ran out to the balcony to photograph the scene that led to the attack on Jerusalem. At that moment, the call of professional honor dissipated some of the tension in my heart.
In the night sky, wisps of fire swept by, dazzling and terrifying. These missiles or drones, after being intercepted by Israeli air defense systems, quickly scattered like a "meteor shower", accompanied by bursts of explosions.
Since the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I have witnessed and recorded similar scenes many times. Compared with the previous rockets fired from the Gaza Strip 100 kilometers away, the explosions from the Iranian strike from 1,500 kilometers away were significantly louder, but for ordinary people here there is not much difference - as long as the fighting is not extinguished, they are always on the lookout and the heart is always uneasy.
As soon as I finished recording the video, I organized, edited, and distributed the relevant reports, and it was only then that the morning light appeared outside the window, and I realized that I had not had a sleepless night.
The Iranian strike has so far caused no serious casualties or damage. The Israeli military said Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel, but most of them were intercepted. However, if one of the parties to the conflict miscalculates, the situation in the Middle East could deteriorate dramatically.
Working and living in this land, you can always feel the alarm of the coming war.
It is not difficult to judge that the tense nerves stem largely from Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip. According to data released by the health department of the Palestinian Gaza Strip on the 14th, since the outbreak of the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Israeli army's military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 33,700 people and injured more than 76,000.
Whether Israel will take counter-retaliatory action next has become the focus of global attention. The international community expects Israel to stop and avoid the expansion of regional conflicts. Israeli Defense Minister Gallant said: "This battle is not over. ”
"Sleepless Nights" will definitely come back, and I have to be ready to do so.