Two weeks before Israel launched its dramatic offensive against Iran, Ayala Ben Gvir, wife of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, suspected something big was coming. On Thursday night, Ben Gvir revealed the exchange in an interview with Ayala Hasson on Kan 11.
Hasson pressed the minister on how so many people were apparently in on the secret of the operation. Ben Gvir shared: “I would go to meetings with Netanyahu that lasted seven to eight hours each, three times a week. Week after week like that.”
“At a certain point, my wife came to me and said, ‘Tell me, you’re always going to Bibi. Is something going on? Is he going to attack Iran?’ That was two weeks before it happened.”
“I told her, ‘Do you really think Bibi would attack Iran?’ She laughed, I laughed. And when the strike began, she said to me, ‘Good thing you didn’t tell me. Kol hakavod.’”
Israel’s Opening Strike and a Pilot’s Testimony
As reported, the war’s opening salvo took place during the night between Thursday and Friday exactly two weeks ago, at 3:00 a.m. Israel carried out a sweeping series of attacks throughout Iran, eliminating top nuclear scientists and senior military officials, accompanied by Israeli Air Force squadrons.
Today, a striking account was made public by Lt. Col. (Res.) A., one of the pilots who led the first wave of fighter jets into Iranian territory. Former Knesset member Matan Kahana, a close friend of the pilot, shared the testimony.
“Lt. Col. (Res.) A., a kibbutznik from the north and a dear friend, led the first jets into the heart of Iran,” Kahana wrote. The pilot recounted: “In my squadron were kibbutzniks, settlers, moshavniks, and city dwellers. It was Eretz Yisrael in all its beauty. Even in the face of fear and uncertainty, we looked left and right, and charged together toward the enemy. These were historic moments—truly extraordinary.”
The pilot also shared the note he had written to his family:
“There will be plenty of time to tell stories, to laugh, and to cry… But I waited two weeks to share this. In the opening formation, I was chosen to lead a fleet of dozens of aircraft. We were the first to enter deep into Iran. I was in the lead jet of the lead formation and was therefore given the most dangerous task.
“In the days leading up to it, I didn’t have the courage to write a goodbye letter. I don’t know why—something inside me wouldn’t allow it. I just knew I had to give everything I had to complete the mission and return home safely. My greatest challenge was to inspire calm and confidence in those flying with me. At the end of our final briefing, I read the team a few lines from a song I love. I kept that note in my pocket throughout the war and promised myself that, instead of a farewell letter, I would send you that note and song once I came home safe. Thank G-d we made it back.”
{Matzav.com Israel}