ISRAEL: Residents of Tel Aviv voice concern, but not hysteria as Hamas rockets target city

Record ID: 397590

  • Title: ISRAEL: Residents of Tel Aviv voice concern, but not hysteria as Hamas rockets target city
  • Date: 19th November 2012
  • Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 19, 2012) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING DOWN THE STREET PEOPLE SITTING AT A CAFE ON STREET MAN READING NEWSPAPER (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) RAMI ZELNIGER, TEL AVIV RESIDENT, SAYING: "The feeling is very good, there's a lot of security, and it's good that there is this system (the Iron Dome), and this makes it easy for everyone."
  • Embargoed: 4th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVADVD1IB6V333FKV23GQVKD7EO8
  • Story Text: Residents of Tel Aviv appeared calm on Monday (November 19) despite becoming a target of Hamas rockets during the current round of violence between Israel and militants in Gaza.
    The people in the area continued with their daily routines, many feeling secure because of Israel's Iron Dome rocket defence system.

    "The feeling is very good, there's a lot of security, and it's good that there is this system (the Iron Dome), and this makes it easy for everyone," Rami Zelniger, a Tel Aviv resident said.
    The Iron Dome defence system brought a sense of security to many of the residents despite the sirens and rocket attacks that targeted the area.

    "Well I was feeling pretty safe, the second attack was pretty hard for me, I was outside and it was pretty close the explosion, but I feel really confident now that the Iron Dome is going to be protecting us," Adam Jeffery, a Tel Aviv resident, said.
    Despite the system of protecting the people living in the area, some residents had doubts whether such a system could bring ultimate security from the rocket raids hit by Gaza.

    "I don't know, I am someone who only trusts her self, so although every time I hear warning, I breath to calm down, but still, I say ok, what if the next time it isn't (is not safe), it is hard for me, I want to trust on it (the Iron Dome), but I am having trouble, I'm neither here nor there," Elinor Levi, a Tel Aviv resident, said.
    The Iron Dome rocket shield was the game-changer in this operation, a civil defence expert and a former police commander, Dan Ronen, told Reuters near one of the system's batteries.

    "Actually, the main player of the home front in this war, is the Iron Dome, it is actually a huge success, first of its kind in the world, not to mention the Iron Dome near here in the Tel Aviv district that one must say, that if it wasn't for this Iron Dome, the other side would have had some large success, for Hamas, meaning - a hit in the Tel Aviv district, in one of the cities there, even maybe Tel Aviv."
    He added that in the second Lebanon war, 25% or the rockets fired at Israel landed amid buildings, with casualties. Now, he said, only 3-4% of rockets fired from Gaza land amid buildings, thanks to the Iron Dome system.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register