By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
I have had the adventure of floating in the Dead Sea on the shores of two countries, Jordan and Israel. The first time was in 2006, and the second in 2014. The first time, in Jordan, I was by myself. The second time, in Israel, I was with a group of pilgrims who were making what is known as Aliyah, the Hebrew name for “going up to Jerusalem.” Being in the Dead Sea was indeed an odd experience, and when I say it is impossible to do anything but float, I am completely serious.
My reason for introducing this Point with a description of a most memorable experience is to set up a simple expression of praise to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for the Dead Sea, because its level of salinity and a long range missile defense system ended up saving countless Israeli lives. You see, what happened just a few days ago is that Iran launched a series of offensives against Israel in retaliation for the killing of two Iranian officers in Damascus.
Largely the Iron Dome, Israel’s defense system against all manner of airborne attacks held. In addition, a coalition of nations that don’t want to destroy Israel assisted in its defense. It is estimated that Iran’s promised retaliation was comprised of approximately 120 missiles. However, there was one in particular that would be downright funny if it didn’t represent such determined, irrational hatred against the people of the Book and the intention to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.
I am describing an Emad missile that is 3.5 stories tall with a 1,000 lb. warhead that landed in the Dead Sea after it had been intercepted and, yes, all it could do was float. The reactions have been interesting. Even an IDF officer thought at first that it was a fake.
“When I first saw images on Sunday circulating on social media, I thought they were fake. There is nothing fake about this, or the threat it posed,” said IDF Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, who serves as an IDF spokesman in the reserves.
On Tuesday, April 16, the Israel Defense Forces showed members of the media the remains of the missile that was intercepted over Israel in the Iranian attack on the country early Sunday. The only thing that had been recovered was the fuel tank, as the warhead and engine were destroyed by the Arrow system used for the interception. The missile’s remains comprise only 70 percent of the entire bomb.
It had been launched from Iran, flew around 1500 kilometers, and was able to get to Israel in about 12 minutes. In a word, it failed to accomplish its mission because it was destroyed, and just like everything that makes contact with the Dead Sea, all it could do was float.
Here’s what we know. The damage that would have been caused would have been brutal, and the damage to the Iranian military ego has been commensurately brutal. And so, we return to praying for the peace of Jerusalem and all that live there, Jews and Arabs, and we thank God for the Dead Sea.
May 3, 2024
