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Where is the Air Force?
This was the tragic question that did not have to be repeated yesterday. Those like this reporter who remember Oct. 7 minute by minute cannot forget how, from the moment of the opening missile barrage, everyone's eyes fixed desperately on the sky, looking for the Israeli fighter planes.
We expected them to finally flush out the terrorists, destroy the missile launchers, bomb the hundreds of invaders in the south and then those in Gaza, and cover the army's retaliation.
It didn't happen. The desolation of the silent sky amidst the rumble of Hamas missiles was the backdrop to the carnage of that day.
But this time, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) sent out its fighters in massive numbers —possibly more than a hundred —before the disaster, making a preemptive strike on Hezbollah's missile launchers poised to attack central Israel. At 5 am, we all awoke to that continuous roar in the sky as the IAF smashed the terror group's planned assault.
This is not the first IAF preventative strike. It follows the Iranian missile and drone attack on April 14, in which the murderous assault was blocked not only by Iron Dome but also by F-35s. Then, on July 19, a Houthi attack on Israel was met with the IAF's bombing of the Hodeida port 1,800 miles from Israel. Things have changed.
This time, Israel did even better with the help of plentiful information from Mossad on where the missiles were (3,000 of them, never to be launched), when they would be fired and what they intended to hit. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah must now believe that the information came from within his own walls. And there went his "revenge" operation for Israel's assassination of his "brother in arms," terror mastermind Fuad Shukr.
Perhaps Nasrallah has realized how badly he needed his Shukr, an expert in terrorism and architect of the campaign of attacks directed at Israel's north beginning on Oct. 8 of last year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended Nasrallah's dreams of revenge. He also foiled Hezbollah's desire to strike Tel Aviv, including IDF and Mossad headquarters. Instead of simply waiting to be attacked and then responding, as it used to do, Israel took the initiative and attacked.
The message is clear: There will be no more Oct. 7s. Israel's enemies can stop fantasizing about another surprise attack on an Israel that will only respond, never preempt. Those days are over. Today, preemption is the policy.
However, as Netanyahu said, "This is not the end of the story." He knows the calm is only temporary. It is certainly not peace and security for the north, with cities like Kiryat Shmonah emptied of their citizens and families scattered in hotels throughout the country.
Certainly, Iran's monstrous terror network will continue its desperate campaign driven by hate, antisemitism and religious fanaticism, whose ultimate goal is to annihilate the West itself. Iran continues its nuclear bomb project. It is taking advantage of Russian and Chinese protection. The Houthis are no doubt making their preparations since Nasrallah has called on them to act as soon as possible.
But now they all know: Israel's planes are taking flight and Netanyahu is not afraid to give the order. Because he knows that the war cannot be concluded until the citizens of the north go back home and the kidnapped are reunited with their families.