Everything begins with Hamas launching the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It did so against the backdrop of a deep crisis within the country: protests against the government, religious tensions, reservists threatening to refuse service.

But the shock proved salutary: instantly, the country pulled together, reservists rushed in even before being called up, and total solidarity manifested itself across all sectors of society.

Those who do not believe in Heaven will say: a classic survival reflex. A society under attack closes ranks. Those who believe in Heaven will see in it the providential reawakening of the people’s deep unity.

From that moment on, events unfolded in a striking crescendo.

The unity and fighting spirit of the people convinced Hezbollah not to join the attack. The time thus gained allowed Israel to finalize the beeper operation. In a single instant, Hezbollah’s entire leadership and chain of command—a major strategic threat—was thrown into disarray. Without a communication system, thousands of missiles and rockets became exposed, as did the commanders forced to gather with Nasrallah…

Abandoned by a disorganized Hezbollah, deserted by Russia preoccupied with Ukraine, Assad collapsed, and Israel, within a matter of days, dismantled the entire Syrian army.

With the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Iran lost its strategic depth in Syria, its logistical networks, and part of its forward bases. With Hezbollah weakened, Iran lost its main armed proxy and its deterrent force.

Houthi attacks have also provided Israeli aviation with a real training ground for long-range strikes corresponding to the distance to Iran.

At the same time, the return of Donald Trump—defeated in 2020 and, in a unique phenomenon, re-elected in November 2024—marks a shift in the strategic climate. In the months that follow, the diplomatic effort undertaken with Iran fails.

All these developments enabled Israel’s strategic disinhibition, leading it to dare a direct war against a country ten times more populous, seventy times larger, armed with thousands of long-range missiles, and which no power had dared to confront despite the threat of its nuclear program.

The operation “Awakening of the Lion,” aptly named, marks this turning point: from June 13 to June 24, 2025, in twelve days, Israel demonstrated operational superiority that enabled the degradation of air defense systems, the neutralization of a significant portion of strike capabilities (missiles, drones), the targeting of sites linked to the nuclear program, and the military engagement of the United States toward that end.

On Saturday, February 28, “Shabbat Zachor”(1)—when the obligation to remember Amalek’s plan to destroy Israel is recalled—Israel struck instantly at the leadership of the mollarchy’s religious and military apparatus. This Amalek of modern times did not conceal its intention to destroy Israel.

The full support of the United States gave this operation, “Roar of the Lion,” unmatched power.

This war is not over, but the strategic shifts that have transformed the Middle East can already be measured: the ring of fire that the Iranian mollah regime had patiently built to destroy Israel has unraveled. Hamas is no longer in a position to threaten the south; Hezbollah has lost its deterrent power in the north; in Syria, Assad has disappeared; Iran is considerably weakened.

Each event can be explained on its own, but their sequence is reminiscent of the story of Purim. There too, every element of the puzzle could be explained rationally, yet the Jewish people saw in it the hidden hand of Providence.

Since October 7, the chain of events raises questions: an attack meant to break a society instead unites it; an organization designed to strike from the north hesitates; a regime thought to be solid collapses; a war deemed impossible is won in twelve days; a president thought to be out of history is re-elected and becomes the powerful partner in an unfinished war.

Each event can be understood on its own, but their sequence—their synchronization—continues to raise questions.

Those who do not believe in Heaven will see all these events in their own logic; those who believe in Heaven will see a providential coherence.

Perhaps it is not useless, in this regard, to recall David Ben-Gurion’s words that in Israel, one who does not believe in miracles is not realistic.

(1) Shabbat Zachor is the Sabbath preceding the festival of Purim; on that day, the plan of Amalek—ancestor of Haman—who, like him, sought to destroy the Jewish people, as recounted in the Book of Esther, is recalled.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)