The deafening wail of the ‘Tzeva Adom’ (Colour Red) siren cuts through the air, a chilling signal that renders Israelis in every nook and cranny to shudder. It echoes from loudspeakers, streaming through texts and radio broadcasts, warning of incoming rocket attacks.

In a 90 second window, they scramble to find the nearest fortified bomb shelter known locally as a Mamad (Residential Protected Space), or Miklat (Public Shelter).

These shelters, mostly underground and of reinforced concrete, are built into the very fabric of Israeli life to withstand the barrage of missiles and rockets Israel’s enemies rain down on them every now and again.

To an extent unparalleled by any other political entity, Israel has prioritized the protection of its Jewish population by ensuring that the construction of every building, from apartments and schools to hospitals and skyscrapers, come with bomb shelters.

But this feature is not merely about having fortified sanctuaries to make society more resilient in the face of attacks.

It also gives Israel’s war machine a crude but lethal advantage: the ability to pre-emptively strike enemy states and their civilians as 

© Middle East Monitor