After the ‘mother of all wars', I found regret and celebration on the streets of Beersheba
Beersheba: When trouble strikes, Rafael Aronov runs towards it.
During the October 7 attacks of 2023, the Israeli special forces police officer travelled to Ofakim, near the Gaza border, to fight off Hamas militants who had stormed into Israel and murdered civilians. When an Iranian missile struck a hospital in his home town of Beersheba last week, he served as a first responder, helping to evacuate injured patients.
On Tuesday morning, the war between Israel and Iran came into Aronov's own home when the walls of his apartment building started shaking as he and his wife, Lior, sheltered in their bedroom. An Iranian missile had directly struck an apartment building just a few hundred metres away, killing four of his neighbours and shattering the windows of his apartment.
The hit on Beersheba was one of the most damaging since Israel and Iran began trading fire 12 days earlier and the last to pierce Israel's air defences before a ceasefire deal took effect.
As he cleans up the broken glass from his apartment building, Aronov expresses mixed emotions about the truce. Part of him wishes that Israel had tried to overthrow Iran's theocratic regime and redraw the political map in the Middle East, not just weaken Tehran's military capabilities. 'The job is not done,' says the professional mixed martial arts fighter, who is nicknamed 'The Cop' because of his police work. 'Yet on the other hand, 28 people have died and that's a high price.' Among the Israelis who died on Tuesday: Eitan Zacks, an 18-year-old off-duty soldier; his mother, Michal; and his girlfriend, Noa, as they sheltered in their safe room.
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Like the vast majority of Israelis, Aronov has been an enthusiastic supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to target Iranian nuclear enrichment and weapons manufacturing facilities. Polls show about eight in 10 Jewish Israelis backed the decision to attack Iran, which is loathed for supporting proxy groups targeting Israel including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
'This is the most justified war somebody can have,' Aronov says. 'If Iran had a nuclear weapon it would be a threat to the entire world.'
He continues: 'The problem with the ceasefire is that in a few years we know this will all happen again. I hope the regime in Iran falls; that would be for the good of both people.'
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