Word: sirens
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...jolted out of bed by a deafening air raid siren. I flip on army radio to get a report and then run to the living room to peek out the window, which overlooks the western suburb of Ramot. I suddenly feel the "swoosh" of supersonic jet-wash that has become familiar to all Israelis...
...mask and place my anti-nerve gas injector and my mustard gas powder next to me on the bed. The civil defense announcements are now coming over in English, Russian, French, Spanish and Amharics (Ethiopian language). It has been less than two minutes since the siren first sounded...
...clear siren just sounded. We take off our masks as army radio announces that multiple conventional Scuds had indeed struck at the "center" and the "north" of the country, a euphamism that every Isreali knew to mean Tel Aviv and Haifa repectively. No report on casualties yet. I am in a state of shock. It doesn't seem real that I could be abruptly awakened in the middle of the night and forced to hide in a sealed room wearing a suffocating gas mask. The Gulf War has come to Israel...
...siren sounds and we all dash to the sixth floor of the hotel, which has been designated the shelter for the duration of the attack. The hallways are jammed with guests from the other 20 floors. The air is thick with perspiration, and children cry as parents try to force masks onto the petrified youngsters. Many people are shaking. Some pray. Most just wait and stare at the ceiling. I have my Walkman tuned to army radio and wait impatuently for an update. The all clear siren sounds 45 minutes later. It was a false alarm...
...raid siren sounds even louder, it seems, than it had yesterday morning. People are shouting "Tilim, tilim (missiles, missiles)!!" in the hallways. Army radio is on instantly. The routine is the same. Masks and down to the sealed room. I am about out the door headed down to 6, when Ze'ev and Mike (the two cameramen) rush into our room. 1424. They head straight for the balcony. I can't believe it. These guys want to take pictures of a missile attack from the open-air balcony! "You guys are fucking crazy," I said...