Iron Dome, like any defensive system, has its limits.

Those limits are constantly being tested by ‘Israel’s’ enemies, and because both Hamas and Hezbollah act as proxies for Iran, every time the system is employed ‘Israel’s’ enemies are paying close attention and seeking to identify vulnerabilities.

When Israelis hear air-raid sirens, there is no sense of safety.

It’s like someone from the Great Plains hearing a tornado siren—maybe the threat will pass by, maybe it will destroy the town.

The fear of being in the path of the missile that penetrates the shield is constant and real.

What makes the current situation different is not, however, the unavoidable reality that no defensive shield is impenetrable; it’s where the missiles are coming from.

Unlike past flareups between Israel and Hamas—the resistance group that controls the Gaza Strip and uses it as a launch-pad for attacks against ‘Israel’—the most recent attacks have come from ‘Israel’s’ northern borders with Lebanon and Syria.

This indicates a very different threat.

‘Israel’s’ enemies

Unlike Gaza, these areas are controlled by Hezbollah, a much more capable and battle-hardened enemy.

As explained in this report published by the Jewish Institute for National Security in America—authored by a group of retired U.S. senior combat commanders—the sheer volume of missiles facing Israel from Hezbollah-controlled areas represents a fundamentally different security challenge than that posed by Hamas in the south.

It is impossible to know, for sure, what the density of that missile threat is, but credible estimates put the number in the range of 150,000.

This capacity enables Hezbollah to threaten Israel with a missile campaign that would rapidly overwhelm Iron Dome and necessitate prioritizing the protection of vital infrastructure at the expense of civilian exposure.

And, while no one can know for certain how ‘Israel’ would respond to that threat, it is highly likely that it would find itself having little choice but to conduct a major ground incursion into southern Lebanon to neutralize missile sites before they are used.

 Hezbollah’s most vital military assets are deeply hidden.

And unlike the last time ‘Israel’ conducted such an operation, in 2006, Hezbollah forces would bring their extensive combat experience from the Syrian civil war into the fight.

And then there is the true wildcard: Iran, which continues to use its proxy forces to wage a low-level war against its enemies.

As they see it LOL

It’s hard to calculate what might push this into becoming something more direct.

‘Israel’ is trying hard to manage its response to these latest acts of unlawful aggression emanating from both north and south, working to prevent escalation, despite the increased challenges. (they are scared)

One thing is clear: U.S. support for Israel’s military readiness is, and will remain, critically important by both ensuring the protection of ‘Israel’ from unlawful missile attacks and enabling highly precise and decisive action in ‘self-defense’.

There may be aspects of ‘Israeli’ policies that justify criticism, but its supporting its ability to defend itself from the threats from all sides should be a source of unity for Americans, regardless of their politics.