Again rockets and missiles fall over the civilian population of Israel. Again people are forced to endure the terrors of being at the mercy of a bunch religious fanatics that hide behind their own women and children.

Only this time the threat is worse. This time, Syrian-made rockets, developed with the help of Iran and delivered by Iran and its proxies to Gaza, can reach most of the territory of Israel. All major urban centers such as Be’er Sheva in the south, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in the center, and Haifa in the north are at range of Syrian-made M302 rockets. The terrorist group Hamas, aided by their masters in Teheran, have launched hundreds of rockets at Israel and the world does nothing.

Israel is a sovereign nation and has the right to defend itself.

A few days ago, the Prime Minister authorized the recall of several thousands of reserve forces to augment the troops already stationed in Gaza. Things are tense, everyone knows what to do and wait for the order to go in and finish this once and for all. In the meantime, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is performing a bombing campaign to destroy Hamas’ infrastructure. However, given the fact that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad (another terrorist group involved in the rocket fire) hide their rocket piles inside mosques, hospitals and civilian homes, the IAF is being forced to cancel a lot of these sorties.

Special operation forces, however, have already been hard at work. The Naval Commandoes and other parties have performed many incursions into specific Hamas targets hidden within sensitive sites. These small operations will continue probably in preparations for a ground incursion.

Like in 2012 and several times before, I volunteered to come back to my old reserve unit and serve in any way the IDF needs me. So, as I wait here to see what will happen, I have the need to tell the world what happens on the ground.

The Western Media always align themselves with the terrorist groups that attack Israel. The reason is clear: they view the Palestinians as victims, and not the Israelis. In a way this is true, but not as you would read in the media. No. The truth is more complicated.

Both sides suffer here and both sides are victims. The Israelis, because of the endless suffering at the hands of Hamas and other terrorists groups, constantly sending rockets and suicide bombers into civilian centers; and the Palestinians who are not members of these terrorist groups, because they have to suffer the things Hamas and other terrorist groups bring upon them. In part, they have brought this upon themselves.

So, let me paint a clear picture of what’s going on.

Imagine you are walking with your kids on the streets of New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Toronto, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam or any other big city in the world. All of a sudden, the sirens go off and you have less than 30 seconds to find protection to keep your kids alive. You have less than 30 seconds to find shelter.

You have less than 30 seconds to keep YOUR KIDS safe.

Imagine this again and again, every day. At night, during the day. On the street, in the schools, in a bar, on the freeway. EVERYWHERE. Again and again. That’s the reality of Israel right now.

Israel will defend itself. Israel will defend its children.

The IDF has shown an incredible amount of restraint. They have sent pamphlets and have transmitted over open channels stating that a certain area will be attacked, urging the civilians to get out. These areas are known to hold rocket stashes from Hamas, or command and control centers. Now, guess what? Those stashes and command centers are either inside civilian houses, hospitals or mosques. So the IDF has no choice but to attack these centers. However, what army in the world announces where it will attack and when? Who does that? The IDF does. Why? The fear of collateral damage and the care taken by the IDF goes beyond anything I have seen.

In the meantime, the northern border is heating up, as well. Hezbollah, another terrorist proxy of the Iranian Regime, is beginning to launch their own rockets into Israel. Hezbollah is currently occupied in Syria, by order of their masters. Yet, Iran is trying to add pressure by tasking their Lebanese minions as well. Yet, the Iron Dome endures and a lot of the rockets fired both from the south and the north are being intercepted.

This is going to be a long campaign. There is no way around it. Personally, I think the IDF should do what we did back in 2002 in the Operation Defensive Shield. Ariel Sharon, then the prime minister, called up thousands of reserve forces and a massive operation was launched on every town and terrorist camp in the West Bank.

The reason?

During 2001 and early 2002 terrorists group sent hundreds of suicide bombers into Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and many other towns, targeting kids in school, buses with people going to work, cafes, and other locations. Enough was enough. The EU and UN asked Sharon not to do anything and he ignored them. The operation was a success and it disrupted terrorists operations for many years.

We will see now how this continues. Keep an eye on SOFREP for more updates as things unfold.