U.S. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, walks with Rav Aluf Herzi Halevi, Israeli chief of the General Staff, at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 18, 2023. (Credit: Benjamin Applebaum/Wikimedia Commons)
“As we demonstrated, Israel has the capability to defend itself,” an Israeli army spokesperson was saying last Friday before being interrupted by a voice over the intercom. It announced on repeat that the building he was in, part of what is known as the Kirya, was going into “defensive standby.” Outside, alarms rang out across Tel Aviv, and moments later, as interceptors shot up into the sky, an Iranian missile bypassed all three defense systems and hit Israel where it arguably hurts most.It appears as though this was the first time in the country’s history that its most sensitive military site was struck: the ‘Israeli Pentagon,’ hosting several military command centers, nestled right in the heart of Tel Aviv.Israel has long accused its adversaries of hiding its military infrastructure within civilian areas, but, as one Israeli tour...
“As we demonstrated, Israel has the capability to defend itself,” an Israeli army spokesperson was saying last Friday before being interrupted by a voice over the intercom. It announced on repeat that the building he was in, part of what is known as the Kirya, was going into “defensive standby.” Outside, alarms rang out across Tel Aviv, and moments later, as interceptors shot up into the sky, an Iranian missile bypassed all three defense systems and hit Israel where it arguably hurts most.It appears as though this was the first time in the country’s history that its most sensitive military site was struck: the ‘Israeli Pentagon,’ hosting several military command centers, nestled right in the heart of Tel Aviv.Israel has long accused its adversaries of hiding its military infrastructure within civilian areas, but, as one...