IDF Attacks In Lebanon ‘Like Science Fiction’

We all know that the IDF warns Gazans en masse to flee areas, or buildings, about to be targeted. They are warned by leaflets, text messages, and phone calls to “leave Gaza City” or “leave Rafah within three days,” or “leave the apartment building on the corner of Gibran Avenue and Malik Boulevard.” But the IDF even goes to the trouble of warning individuals to move out of harm’s way, as in this story of the motorist who was driving right behind a vehicle about to be hit by an airstrike, and was warned in a phone call — how was her telephone number known? — by someone speaking “perfect Lebanese Arabic,” to pull over just before the car ahead of her was struck. More on the wonderworking IDF, determined to spare every civilian it can, may be found here: “Lebanese article: Israel’s unprecedented determination to avoid civilian casualties is ‘like science fiction,'” Elder of Ziyon, November 3, 2024:

Immediately before an Israeli airstrike on a Hezbollah commander on a highway in Lebanon on October 19, the IDF called up the person driving the care behind him and warned her to pull over.

An op-ed in Le Orient Le Jour by Gilles Khoury tells how terrified Lebanese are of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah – while at the same time it unintentionally describes Israel’s attempts to avoid civilian casualties as “science fiction.”

It was a beautiful day in Lebanon on Saturday, Oct. 19. A perfect sky, whose deep blue magically blended with that of the sea along the bay of Jounieh. Here, on either side of the highway, there were just a handful of cars. …

And in the midst of this little life that remained, in a 2000s Honda CRV, was presumably a high-ranking member of Hezbollah’s intelligence services. To his right, in the passenger seat, was his Iranian wife. The motorist driving behind the Honda had no idea. Until she received a call from an unknown number, and a voice on the other end formally urged her—in perfect Lebanese Arabic, no less—to slow down and pull over “immediately” to the side of the highway.

For reasons she didn’t understand, the woman complied with the warning. No sooner had her vehicle parked on the side of the highway than an invisible drone began raining down “little” missiles on the CRV one after the other. From his balcony, a man filmed the scene. The Honda passed through the falling missiles, which left their shrapnel on the pavement.

Like in a video game, the man filming from his window narrated the scene live. “Look, look, they hit the guy’s car from there to… Look, now they’ve suddenly stopped on the side of the road. It’s happening right there, on the Sahel Alma highway. Look, now they’re rushing out of the car towards the bushes. My God, look, the drone just targeted them, and they’re burned, there’s nothing left of them but a pile of dust. My God. Holy Virgin.”…

I don’t blame the Lebanese for being terrified at the prospect of an attack happening at any time on the person next to them. But the unsaid context here is that in each of these cases, the “science fiction” aspect was to avoid and minimize civilian casualties.  If it wasn’t science fiction – if Israel acted the way wars are traditionally fought – there would be thousands more civilians killed.

Hezbollah members are walking, driving and living amongst innocent Lebanese people and Israel goes to unimaginable lengths to kill them while not killing the innocent. That is indeed akin to science fiction.

The next time you hear someone accusing Israel of “genocide,” think of the extreme care the IDF took to warn a lone Lebanese driver to “pull over” in order not to be injured in a drone strike on the car just ahead of her.