Not to burst your bubble…

If Hamas et al want a full-out war, firing missiles on Tel Aviv is a good way to ensure that they get it.

Tonight, as many have already observed, the Tel Aviv “bubble” burst but good, as we were treated to a mild taste of the reality that residents of Israel’s South have had to face for years. The Color Red alert sounded, and those of us who happened to be outside went looking for cover.

I happened to be running by the ocean, where there’s always a lot of foot traffic. Surprisingly, people weren’t panicked, although it took a few seconds to realize that we were indeed hearing the siren and it might behoove us to find a less exposed location. Several other people and I turned toward the nearest covered structure. One woman kept asking if anyone had a radio. A father covered his baby’s stroller with his body. His wife kept repeating, “We have to go! We have to get out of here!”

“A Color Red alert in Tel Aviv – can you believe it?” a fellow runner asked.

“I’m from Ashkelon,” a cyclist told us. “They have rockets there every day. My parents are staying home, not going to work. My little sister’s in the shelter.”

“They’re shooting at Tel Aviv? We’re going to go in and bomb the sh*t out of them. But don’t stop your lives – it’s what they want us to do,” he said.