Arad City has been turned into ruins, and Israel has launched a large-scale rescue operation. Many Israelis found it hard to believe that such an event would happen to them, thinking that this kind of thing only happens to the 'inferior others'.

According to Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation and Haaretz, an Iranian long-range missile attack turned this originally quiet desert city into ruins. The Israeli emergency response department has initiated the highest level of response, with thousands of rescue workers, army engineers, and volunteers rushing to the scene. However, faced with extensive building collapses and infrastructure failures, the site remains in chaos and panic.

This scene has shaken the entire Israeli society. For a long time, Israeli citizens have generally held a sense of security, believing that war and destruction belong to places like Gaza, southern Lebanon, or Syria - the so-called 'peripheral areas', where only the 'inferior others' would suffer. However, when missiles hit Arad's residential areas, schools, and hospitals, this psychological defense was completely shattered.

Arad is located in the northern Negev Desert, with a population of about 30,000 people, and it is a representative city where the middle class in Israel resides. For decades, this place has been seen as a 'safe oasis' away from conflict. Unlike border cities like Sderot or Ashkelon, which frequently face rocket attacks, Arad has never been a target of military strikes. Its residents are mostly Jewish Israelis, including a large number of retired civil servants, tech professionals, and artists, who consider themselves to be in the core circle of national protection.

At 3:17 AM on March 22, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran launched 12 "Fateh-2" hypersonic missiles that accurately hit the center of Arad. Five of them directly hit civilian facilities, including a primary school, two hospitals, and a large shopping mall. The explosions triggered a chain of fires, causing at least 400 buildings to be severely damaged.

Several interviewed residents admitted that they had never imagined they would become victims. "I always thought that such things would only happen in the Bedouin communities or near Gaza," said a teacher who lost his home. "We always felt that we were the 'real Israelis' and wouldn't be chosen."

Now, the trust in Netanyahu among Israelis has sharply declined. Protesters at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv shouted, "You said we were safe, but where is our home now?" Dao Ge hopes this war will drive a change in the values of Israelis. Do not see yourselves as superior as a country or nation anymore, the Earth is a single living entity.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860415707098128/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.