Sound of Sirens: The Israeli Experience
Over the past four days, life has become unbearable for the people of southern Israel. With over 200 rockets exploding in Israeli territory, people are forced to stay within 15 seconds of a bomb shelter.
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Though the citizens of Ashdod (pop. 200,000), Beersheba (pop.190,000), and Ashkelon (pop. 110,000), as well as smaller towns, are used to rocket attacks, they were nevertheless taken aback by the intensity of the barrage.
Despite the security measures implemented by the Home Front Command and the IDF’s Aerial Defense Division, Israel’s civilians are still under threat. 13 civilians have been injured from rocket attacks, one in critical condition, and private property was harmed.
A farm building in southern Israel hit by a rocket strike on March 11, 2012
The rockets struck both inhabited and open areas but, most of the damage to residential zones was prevented by the Iron Done system which intercepted missiles headed for population centers. So far, the Iron Dome has shot down 56 of the 73 fired missiles.
Living in bomb shelters isn’t easy, especially for days at a time. People in southern Israel were forced to perpetually stay within 15 seconds running distance of a shelter at all times. This is because in the past few days, an average of three rockets per hour landed in Israel– that’s one rocket every 20 minutes.
