by Jack Leman
The guard in front of him slowed down. They were coming to a right turn.
He glanced at his watch. It was 2:06 pm. In a few minutes, when the missile found its target, he would be the hero of the Palestinians. History would remember him as the destructor of the Zionist entity. The plan was simple, but its making was complicated and it had taken a lot of hard work from many people. A new front would be open in the north between the Israeli’s and Syria, Hezbollah and Iranian troops. The Hezbollah in Lebanon would probably seize the occasion to rain their stockpile of missiles they had amassed on Israel. In the south, the Palestinians, with PIJ at their head, would rise-up and take over the kibbutzim in the south. By the time the Americans and the Russians imposed a cease-fire on Israel, a sizeable chunk of the occupied territories would be in the hands of the Arabs, which would make a bargaining chip on the negotiation table. He was a realist; he knew they would eventually have to sit down and negotiate with the Zionists, but this time, hopefully, with enough assets to avoid being crushed by the occupier.
Abu Dawan bumped into the back of the guard he was following. He had not noticed that he had jumped back when he rounded the corner. A hail of bullets hit the wall above his head, and he dropped desperately to take cover. The walls amplified the sound of the guns, confusing and deafening him in an instant. He could feel the thumps of the bullets on the walls and the vibrations of the guns, he was roughly pulled back by his jacket, and he fell. In the confusion, Abu Dawan didn’t hear or see the Israeli soldier extending his weapon from the corner of the tunnel and discharge all his ammunition in a long and bloody shot. He just felt the impacts, and everything went black.
67-Sunday 2:06 pm
Al-Kisweh
Ghassan opened his eyes. His alarm clock was ringing. He tried to dissipate the fog from his brain. He realized his nose was touching the computer’s screen. He was sideways, between the front seat of the truck and the electronic panels under the dashboard. He tried to move, but a stinging pain made him wince. It wasn’t his alarm clock, but his phone that was ringing. He looked around him without moving. There was blood everywhere. His head was resting against a pair of legs. He tried to liberate his left arm, but again the pain shot through him. His phone rang insistently, but he couldn’t remember where he had put it. He was wounded somewhere around his right shoulder; he felt blood trickle down his arm. He turned his head slowly and saw an arm protruding between the seats. Now he remembered! The ringing drove him crazy. He had shot Abu Amr, and together with Fuad, they had pulled his body inside the cabin. Then he had lowered his head to look at the computer screen to check the trajectory of the Fateh and to enter the auto-destroy code.
“Fuad… are you ok? Can you move your leg a bit…”
When there was no reaction from Fuad, he attempted to turn his head. He saw the two holes in the windshield. He twisted his head, and he saw a mass of red and white matter, which had been Fuad’s head. He was stuck between the dashboard and the seats of the cabin. He concentrated on the screen and realized seven minutes had passed since the launch. He had to enter the code, but first he had to get rid of the ringing of his phone. He tried to disengage his left arm but something blocked firmly his upper sleeve; he could only move his forearm. He folded his free arm and tried to reach his breast pocket. He pulled open the flap and fished the phone from his pocket. With trembling fingers, he answered the call.
“Ghassan!”
The voice was familiar.
“Rashida, is that you?”
“Ghassan! They are gone! They left the village! The PIJ left! We are free again!”
Too late, he thought, the missile was on its way and he had to do something. Now that his family was safe, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He hung up and dropped the phone to the floor. He had to stop the missile. He tried again the touch screen. It was covered in blood. He wiped it with his arm and attempted to enter the code with his left hand. His sight was failing. The screen became blurry. He closed his eyes and rested. Nine more digits to enter. If he could just remember correctly the sequence!
68- Sunday 2:07 pm
Knesset
Jerusalem
As the alarm sirens reverberated in the Plenary Hall, the doors opened in a crash and a group of bodyguards rushed into the room. President Berkovitz’s hand remained in the air as he marked a point, and his mouth was still open with his last words. He saw the doors of the galleries burst open too, and some people grabbed the US Ambassador and pulled him outside. His bodyguards were on top of him and in a moment, he was grabbed and lifted from the ground. There was panic in the room, everybody was rushing outside. Something was terribly wrong. He lost his glasses and tried to catch them, but his security people gripped him and carried him down the stairs. They rushed him into the shelter under the assembly room. The bodyguards put him brutally against a wall. There were four guards in front of him, isolating him from the room.
“What is happening?” he asked in anguish to a bodyguard who had a familiar face.
“We are under attack!” he responded before turning his head to gaze at the room.
He saw the US Ambassador surrounded by bodyguards and trying to make a phone call. The room was filling rapidly. The bodyguards were acting on their training and packed and pushed their employers in the shelter room. The doors were closed, and the noise decreased. The President of the State of Israel pulled the arm of a young man protecting him.
“Hey, what’s happening?” he asked again. The guard gave him a quick look and said:
“Sir, sorry if we have been rough on you, but the Knesset is under attack. A missile will hit us any minute. You are safe here.” And he added “I hope.”
Sunday 2:06 pm Knesset, Parking lot
Despite the loud music, Salim heard the sirens. He thought it came from the radio. He saw the young soldier throw his cigarette on the floor and start running towards his car. He turned off the engine and realized the sirens were not coming from the radio. He got out as the soldier came to his side.
“Quick, we have to go to the shelter inside the building.”
The soldier grabbed him by the arm and they started running towards the bridge that linked the parking lot to the Knesset building. The dog was happily running ahead of them.
Salim had left the car door open and forgot the keys on the dashboard.
69-Sunday 2:07 pm
Israel Air Intelligence Group (IAIG) HQ,
Tel Aviv
Naama turned around to see if Captain David, her commanding officer, was there, but his seat was empty. She turned to the Wing Commander on the other side of the partition:
“Sir, do we have a surveillance drone above Jerusalem?”
She realized he was focused on the red line advancing towards the Knesset. He checked his screen. “Yes, we have a small police drone circling Jerusalem.”
“Could you please patch it to my screen number three?”
The Air Force Major looked at her pleading face and clicked at his keyboard. The overhead picture of Jerusalem with the Knesset on the lower left side appeared on her screen.
The drone’s capacity was limited, but it had other advantages because it was flying lower than the large UAVs over enemy territory. She zoomed on the Knesset. A green light coming from its parking lot started blinking on her screen. It looked like the signal of a personal transponder used by Israeli troops.
“Sir, we have a signal coming from the parking lot of the Knesset!”
Major Aaron Dana looked over the division board at Naama’s screen and realized that it was probably the signal of a homing device. It was 2.06 pm on the clock on the wall. The missile was on its way. They didn’t have much time left before it reached its target.
He hesitated who to call first.
“Call the Shin Bet and see if they can reach their security people in the Knesset!” he shouted to Naama.
He searched for the cell number of the Director of the Shin Bet Avraham Levi. He should be present at the ceremo
ny, and he could alert the security people there.
The phone rang.
“The signal stopped!” shouted Naama while holding the phone.
“Yes, Aaron…” Came the voice of Avraham Levi. “I am in the shelter of the Knesset! What is it?”
“The signal is on again!” came the voice of Naama.
“Sir, we have a signal coming from the parking lot of the Knesset. It looks like a transponder or a homing device.”
“Let me see what I can do,” said the Director, and the line went dead.
Naama zoomed on the parking lot. There was a car parked at the far side of the parking lot with its door open and two people were running away from it, towards the connection bridge… they were chasing a dog!
70- Sunday 2:07 pm
Al-Kisweh
Ghassan tried to enter the numbers in the computer, but he was not sure if he could remember the right sequence. He was losing blood, and he felt the pressure of his uncomfortable position. He thought he heard voices outside. He hurried and entered another number. Four more to go. He tried again to release his upper arm and pulled on whatever was blocking it, but it refused to move. His elbow was firmly pinned down. He slowly folded his forearm and pointed a bloody finger to the screen. Each number required a special effort.. The voices outside got clearer. They were shouting orders to the PIJ lookouts to drop their weapons and lay on the floor. Three more numbers to enter. The door was yanked open, and by reflex he moved his head to see who it was.
“There is one alive here, and he is wounded! Help me get him out! He is from the Air Force.”
Two numbers left to enter. He felt hands grabbing him at the ankles. He hurried to enter another number as they hauled him out of the cabin. With his free hand he tried to grab on the dashboard, but as he started sliding from his position, something drove into his upper arm and a searing pain jolted him.
“Nooo!” he shouted. He had failed to enter the full sequence and he faded out into a restless darkness.
71- Sunday 2:07 pm
Syrian Air Defense Intelligence HQ
Mukhabarat
Damascus
Colonel Latif looked at Captain Hamza in disbelief. Some fool had launched the missile, the Israelis tried to take it out but missed, the calculated target was Jerusalem!
He had put his country in a position where it looked like they had made a preemptive attack on Israel. He realized his career was over, his family and children would be sent to exile in a dump in northern Syria. What if he called the President before anyone else reaches him? He could still give him his own version of the events, and clear himself from any wrongdoing. He still had a chance of blaming Hezbollah.
He grabbed his phone and dialed.
————
Sunday 2:07 pm
Iranian Intelligence HQ
Damascus Airport
The news he just received from Darib stunned and angered Mirza. His militiamen had fought with the Syrians, and he had not been told about it. Now the missile was launched, a counter-missile had been fired, and apparently missed. The missile was now flying towards Israel, to an unknown target. He thought about how Iran could turn the situation to its advantage. Israel would retaliate for sure, but maybe, taking advantage of this surprise on the Zionists, they could convince Hezbollah in Lebanon to enter a war and open a new front. Let the people in Tehran think about all this, and handle the mess. He reached for his telephone to call the Commander of the al-Quds force in Tehran.
72-Sunday 2:09 pm
Israel Air Intelligence Group (IAIG) HQ,
Tel Aviv
Naama was standing impatiently in front of her screens, with the telephone in her hand, trying to get in touch with someone in the Shin Bet office who could be helpful. She thought everybody must be in front of their TVs watching the swearing-in ceremony. She could feel every second passing, and she felt helpless. On her screen, all the green lines had disappeared. All the counter-measures had been in vain. All the technology and the brains they put into developing their military forces proved insufficient to prevent a missile from going through their defenses. The red line was very close to its impact point, the detonation was imminent. She watched as six thin green lines illustrating the Iron Dome rockets rose and made a last attempt to destroy the incoming missile. They disappeared one by one, and the red line continued its deadly journey. There was nothing to stop the missile now.
73- Sunday 2:11 pm
Knesset
Jerusalem
The wailing of the sirens continued. The soldiers on duty at the security booth ran through the courtyard, hoping to reach safety inside the building. They looked where they put their feet but also turned their faces to the sky, as a reflex, checking the threat. Alarm sirens were part of the life of every Israeli, but it was the first time they heard it in Jerusalem and the people had surprise and fear pasted on their faces.
Avitan crossed the bridge and was near the entrance of the building. His gun was jumping on his back and hurting his spine; he could feel its strap biting into his neck. The driver of the car was way behind, just crossing the bridge. Dolly, who thought it was a game, was enjoying it; she was running and wagging her tail. The sirens didn’t impress her.
Avitan saw in a blur something falling from the sky and then a white flash.
Sunday 2:11:27
Missile impact, Knesset
An invisible hand took him from behind and threw him in the air. He landed roughly on the ground and his gun made a big clatter, his training caught up and he rolled on the floor. He felt Dolly fly and pull on her leash. Parts of cars and pieces of dirt started raining on him as he crawled inside the building with Dolly in his arms. All the glass bays had exploded, and flying glass had caught the people in the lobby while they were still trying to reach the shelter. They were now sitting on the floor, drenched in their own blood and looking stunned.
Avitan looked around the building, expecting it to collapse. He couldn’t be sure if the sudden smoke that filled the air was from the explosion, or from the destruction of the building. He started coughing and protected his mouth and nose with his hand. His eyes watered. He took a glimpse at Dolly and was relieved to see there was no apparent blood on her.
In the basement shelter there was no panic, but fear was on everybody’s face. The whole shelter shook, the lights flickered off and then back on, people screamed, and others obstinately tried to reach their families by cell phone. They all felt the pressure of the explosion, and the roar of the blast filled the air in the shelter.
Tamir looked at the President of the State through his bodyguards who were holding their guns, and looked ready to shoot anyone who dared approach. He turned to see the US Ambassador laying on the floor and being covered by his bodyguards. He was fumbling with his cell phone.
The Chief of Staff Itzhak Klein and the Defense Minister moved towards Tamir.
“Any news?” asked Klein, pointing to his phone with his chin.
He had received a call from his office just before the explosion. It surprised him to see that he was still grabbing his phone.
“Yes. Clarit, are you still there?”
“I just wanted to tell you about the missile but…”
“What happened?”
“All our defenses failed and the missile hit just behind the Knesset. The police, firefighters, army, security people and an army of journalists are converging on the Knesset.”
While listening to Clarit, Tamir made a sign to the President, who pushed away his bodyguards and approached.
“Mr. President, the missile must have hit some place near the Knesset. Besides the security forces and the firefighters, an army of journalists are rushing to the Knesset. I think we should send a team out and see what happened. Then you might want to address the journalists…”
“Oren, take a team upstairs, quickly see what is happening and see if there is a safe place we can assemble.” said the President to his security chief.
————<
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Avitan held Dolly in his arms. She had her tail between her legs and was shaking uncontrollably. He strolled towards the parking lot. In place of the parking lot, there was now a crater and a huge fire. The cars in the parking lot had disappeared, only a few burning carcasses remained. The connection bridge had disappeared. The man driving the big Mercedes lay by the wall in a pool of blood. He did not move. On the other side of the courtyard, the security booth had disappeared. Behind the booth, the Supreme Court building had suffered some minor damage but was still in good shape. Avitan turned and looked at the Knesset. The west side of the building had suffered some damage. The blast had demolished parts of the western colonnade. The glass window bays had disappeared and broken glass shards shone all around the building.
He saw some men run out of the building, holding their guns at the ready. They checked the burning parking lot. The man who appeared to be their leader sent two men to what was left of the entrance gates of the courtyard and made a sign to Avitan to approach.
When he was near the man, Avitan saw he had a discreet ear-bud and he concluded he was from the secret services.
“What happened?”
“The parking lot got hit by a missile or a bomb. It destroyed all the cars.”
“Are you alone? Where is the rest of the guard?”
“I don’t know. I have seen no soldiers.”
“Ok, go with these two men and prevent the journalists from entering. The security team will bring out the people from the shelter.”
With that, the man turned and ran back to the Knesset.
39 minutes had passed since the missile had struck the Knesset.
74- Sunday 3:50 pm
Knesset courtyard
Jerusalem
The army and the security forces surrounded the courtyard, which was now full of people. At the north side, the firefighters poured foam on the burning, twisted carcasses which had once been luxury cars. A helicopter doused the fire from the air. Ambulances and medical staff treated the people who had been in the lobby during the explosion and wounded by the flying glass. Six bodies covered by white sheets lay by the wall, reminding everybody that they lived in a country where deadly violence could happen anytime, anywhere.
