A Voice from Inside an Israeli Bomb Shelter

Longtime national security reporter Yossi Melman hears missiles exploding overhead while watching Israeli TV pundits cheer on Netanyahu and the Iran war.

From inside a bomb shelter in downtown Tel Aviv this weekend, I was hearing the warning sirens and the explosions of the Iron Dome’s missile and drone interceptors overhead, all the while listening to Israeli TV pundits describing what sounded like an entirely different universe.

This is not one of the Israeli media’s finest hours. As during most of my country’s battles since the surprise Hamas slaughter of civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, the far majority of our news media and commentators, especially on TV, have struck a jingoistic pose as uniformly as a Roman legion. Hardly any voices have been heard questioning the righteousness of this latest decision to go to war.

Was this truly a war of no choice, of unavoidable necessity? Was Israel facing an imminent existential threat? My answer is no.