Hurry up and wait

Next week, Jews around the world will celebrate Purim. We’re all familiar with the timeless story of Mordechai and Esther, and how they saved the lives of Persian Jews from the evil Haman who wanted to exterminate them. For Jews, the resurgence in every generation of those sworn to our destruction isn’t just folklore or accounts from biblical history. It’s stark reality. 

For Mordechai and Esther, it was the evil Haman. For us today, it’s the nefarious Khameini and his nihilistic regime that’s dedicated to the elimination of the Jewish state. History doesn’t just repeat, it almost rhymes! 

Now we wait with bated breath to see if another historical event will repeat. Will Israel and Iran trade blows like we did in June 2025, when Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, aimed at neutralising the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile threat? A United States-led military offensive targeting assets that belong to the tyrannical Iranian regime seems almost guaranteed. It is believed that the US will attack targets in partnership with Israel. 

Since 28 December 2025, hundreds of thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets in mass protests, first against rising inflation and then, with the strength of momentum, against the regime itself. Thuggish security forces responded by slaughtering an estimated 32 000 people, but there is growing speculation that the number of dead could be much, much higher. 

Despite an internet blackout, the accounts of atrocities committed against Iranians have made their way onto social media, and the scenes are horrific. For the Jewish state, it’s not just a reminder of the horrors inflicted on us on 7 October 2023, it is deeply personal. Iran has sponsored the demonisation of and terror attacks on our country. Iranians and Israelis hope that the US will act by striking regime targets. Israelis know that we will feel the wrath of the regime, which will target us with ballistic missile barrages like it did last June, but we are prepared to deal with it if it means an end to the heinous regime that holds us all hostage to terror. 

As the US increases its military build-up in the region and Israel remains on high alert, the question all Israelis have is not if, but when. 

We feel an ominous sense of déjà vu, except this time, we know what to expect and how to prepare. It cannot be stressed enough that ballistic missiles fired from Iran are not the same as the rockets and missiles fired by Hamas or Hezbollah. The former are deadly. During last year’s Operation Rising Lion which lasted 12 days, 32 people were killed and 45 730 compensation claims were filed for damage caused. 

Israelis are preparing. In our stoic and resilient manner, we have prepared our shelters, our hospitals are on alert, and some have established underground wards. We know how to mobilise into a war footing at a moment’s notice. We have our Home Front Command apps downloaded, and check them every now and then for changing guidelines. We have made sure that we have food in the shelters – we are a Jewish country after all! Every day, I cast a cursory eye at the Iron Dome battery standing sentinel on a hill, protecting my city and surroundings. Its presence is reassuring. Our multilayer air defence array, of which the Iron Dome forms one layer, is tested and ready. 

Speculation about when we think US President Donald Trump will give the green light for attack dominates conversation. First responders are on high alert. The tension is palpable. Despite all of this, life carries on. We are a nation of lions. 

Some believe that a military operation could happen in a matter of days. Will we spend Purim in shelters instead of in costumes? Quite the Purim shpiel! 

Israelis are prepared to bear the brunt of this attack. Something has hardened in our DNA since 7 October. We are a nation that stares the threat of annihilation in the face every single day. It has made us tough, and determined to win and survive. We also have a tremendous sense of love, solidarity, and empathy for the people of Iran. They have stood with us during our darkest days, now it is our turn to stand with them. We, the descendants of Abraham and King Cyrus, hold the dream of a resurgence of our sacred and ancient bonds through the Cyrus Accords, which will result in our two nations flourishing and renewing relations. We are prepared to fight for that. 

But for now, all we can do is hurry up and wait. 

• Rolene Marks is a Middle East commentator often heard on radio and TV and is the co-founder of Lay of the Land and the SA-Israel Policy Forum.