An Israeli woman and an Iranian-American woman shared their stories about the frightening moments when Iran attacked Israel.
The Israeli woman detailed being caught in the crossfire after more than 300 Iranian drones and missiles were launched into Israel.
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“We didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t hysterical, but it is really scary. You know the missiles are on their way to your country. You don’t know where and you sit there and wait for them to fall on your head,” Orit Ben-Horash told News4JAX.
Ben-Horash said she and her family were paying close attention to television reports about the oncoming attacks hours before the Israeli surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets shot down Iranian drones and ballistic missiles.
The air attack came six months after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing more than a thousand Israelis, kidnapping more than 200, and holding them as hostages.
Hamas is considered a proxy or agent for Iran.
Ben-Horash said the waiting and preparation for what was unknown to come was frightening. She said when the sirens were activated, marking the start of the attack, she heard a loud booming outside.
Ben-Horash and her family hid under a flight of stairs, which was the safest place in their home if their roof collapsed.
“We have a small space where we squeeze together. They say once the sirens turn on, you have a minute and a half to get into a shelter,” she said.
As Ben-Horash and her family were taking cover, her cousin Shep Englander – who is the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota and Manatee County – was hoping his relatives and friends in Israel would be okay.
“We were sitting there worried and trying to understand and asking if this was real. Are they going to land in civilian areas? My wife sent a message to Orit, one of her sons, and our friends and said we heard the terrible news. We’re praying for you. Please let us know,” Englander said.
News4JAX asked if the Israeli government should retaliate against Iran or focus more on getting their hostages back.
“I’m not sure you deal with one thing and don’t deal with the other thing at the same time. I think we must deal with both things at the same time,” Ben-Horash said.
Watch Ben-Horash’s full interview below:
A different perspective
News4JAX also spoke with an Iranian-American woman about the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
Parvin Lalehparvaran has family living in the Iranian capital called Tehran. She moved to the U.S. as a kid back in the late 1970s during the Iranian Revolution also known as the Islamic Revolution.
It was a period that led to the Shah Mohammed Pahlavi being overthrown. To understand her views on the Iran-Israel conflict, you must first understand how Lalehparvaran viewed Iran before the revolution.
“Well, when the Shah was in power, Iran was just like the United States. Everything was westernized,” she said.
But after the revolution, ties between Iran and Israel were severed which led to the ongoing conflict between the two countries that still exists today. The Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel was the latest back-and-forth retaliatory conflict between the two countries.
Lalehparvaran blames the governments of both countries for keeping this conflict ongoing and wishes for peace.
“I’m very sure that’s what everybody wants. I mean, who can see children are dying? Children are dying from hunger, and they are in the middle of the conflict when it’s nothing on their part. It’s the government, so when war happens in any country, who pays for it? The public pays for it,” Lalehparvaran said.
President Biden said the United States will help Israel defend itself but will not take part in any retaliation attacks against Iran.
“He knows that if they attack Iran, what will happen? They will attack [the U.S.]. Why? Other countries will get involved then the whole Middle East will be in conflict and chaos. So, it’s not benefiting any side if they continue to do that,” Lalehparvaran said.
Lalehparvaran said once other countries militarily get involved, the U.S. military will get dragged into the fight.