Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon played the red alert siren Israelis hear to warn of approaching missiles during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.
After the alert sounded over his phone, which he held to his microphone, Danon told the U.N. representatives who had gathered to discuss the situation in the Middle East: “When Hezbollah launches one of their rockets, and it happens almost every day, this is what Israelis hear. When you hear this siren, you have 15 seconds; 15 seconds to seek shelter. Think about that for one moment. What it means: 15 seconds.
“Imagine you are at home. You have three children. Which one do you take with you first? Do you go back for the others? Do you carry your elderly parents? What if you are outside now? 15 seconds. That’s it.”
Sometimes it’s not enough time, he said, noting that an elderly couple in their 70s were killed while attempting to reach their reinforced room in their apartment in Ramat Gan on March 17. A walker was found beside them.
In general, citizens living in areas in the central part of Israel, such as the city of Ramat Gan, which borders Tel Aviv, have more time to reach shelter, as much as 12-15 minutes, as missiles from Iran need to travel 800-900 miles to reach their targets. Iran targets the most heavily populated parts of Israel using cluster munitions to inflict maximum damage.
Neighbors of the dead couple reported a shorter lead time in this instance.
“There was a siren, my wife and I went into the safe room, and after a minute we heard a serious explosion,” Chen Amir, a neighbor of the couple, told Ynet.
Areas in Israel’s north near the border with Lebanon have dramatically less time on average than those in central Israel. According to Israel’s National Emergency Portal website, “Areas close to the borders have a designated defense time, which varies: immediate, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, and a minute.”
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Israel is advised by some to halt its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon and give diplomacy another chance, Danon said. But every effort at diplomacy has failed because the terror group uses periods of calm only to rebuild its forces. “We cannot return to temporary solutions that guarantee future wars,” he said.
By taking on Hezbollah, Israel is hoping to stop the cycle of “endless conflict” and “constant threat,” he continued.
“We want a different future, a stable Middle East, a peaceful Middle East, one where countries build partnerships, not proxies, where people live without fear. Where alliances replace terror. That is what we are working toward,” Danon said. “Israel reaches forward with both hands, one extended to moderate, peace-seeking partners in our region, the other hammering the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies.”
