Commentators within Israel have described a sense of business as usual following the country's joint attack with the United States against Iran.
"It's Saturday, so the streets are naturally quiet," said political analyst Ori Goldberg from outside Tel Aviv, after returning from his shelter for the second time.
He noted a political sense of triumphalism over attacking an enemy regime, but not due to investment in Iran's people's future, rather from devaluing human life through the Gaza genocide.
Israel has been on high alert since launching attacks on Iran, a country its leaders have long portrayed as its nemesis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed the attack in apocalyptic terms in an X video, stating Israel and the US launched strikes to "remove the existential threat posed by Iran's terror regime" and calling on Iranians to rise against their leaders.
Iran retaliated with missiles and drones against Israel and US assets in the region, with at least one person reported wounded in northern Israel.
However, the latest strikes were warmly received by Israel's political elite. Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on social media: "The people of Israel are strong. The IDF and Air Force are strong. The strongest power in the world (the US) stands with us."
Accounts of relative calm in Israel contrast sharply with previous escalations, when sources described panic and bulk buying ahead of an expected Iranian response.
Palestinian Israeli parliament member Aida Touma-Suleiman (among the few opposing the strikes) said from her Haifa apartment: "People here are well-trained. This is what they constantly say in the media: how well-trained and ready we are. It's crazy."
She referenced wars with Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza that Israel has waged since October 2023.
King's College London war studies senior teaching fellow Ahron Bregman texted that many in Israel feel relative calm and relief that uncertainty over war with Iran has ended.
"Both Israel and the US are after the Iranian leadership. They hope to weaken it substantially, though I doubt they could topple it from the air," he said, raising the possibility of a prolonged conflict.
Touma-Suleiman added that Israel's readiness for a lengthy war and to what degree that is Israel's choice remains uncertain: "The US will determine how long the war lasts. They'll continue until they achieve whatever they want."
Source: www.aljazeera.com