Israelis keep suitcases packed and ready as Trump weighs potential Iran strike decision

For much than a month, Michal Weits has kept suitcases packed by the beforehand doorway of her location successful Tel Aviv.

"We person our bags acceptable for weeks," she said. "Three weeks ago, determination were rumors that it was the nighttime the U.S. would onslaught Iran. At midnight, we pulled the kids retired of their beds and drove to the north, wherever it is expected to beryllium safer."

Weits, the creator manager of the planetary documentary movie festival Docaviv, is speaking from her ain traumatic experience. During the 12-day war, an Iranian rocket struck her Tel Aviv home. She, her husband, and their 2 young children were wrong the harmless country erstwhile it collapsed connected her.

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Eyal, hubby of Michal Weits, holds their girl successful beforehand of the rubble of their Tel Aviv location aft it was struck by an Iranian rocket during the 12-day war. (Michal Weits)

"After an Iranian rocket deed our location and we mislaid everything we had, we besides mislaid the feeling of ‘it won’t hap to me,’" she said. "We are prepared, arsenic overmuch arsenic it’s truly possible."

Weits remembers the surreal opposition of those days. Four days aft being injured successful the rocket strike, portion inactive successful the hospital, she was told she had won an Emmy Award for the documentary she produced astir the Nova massacre connected Oct. 7.

"Four days earlier an 800-kilogram explosive rocket fell connected our location and I was injured, and 4 days aboriginal I woke up connected my day to quality that I had won an Emmy," she said. "It can’t beryllium much surreal than this. That is the acquisition of being Israeli, from zero to 1 hundred."

Michal Weits aft being injured successful an Iranian rocket onslaught that deed her Tel Aviv location during the 12-day war. (Michal Weits)

She says Israelis person learned to unrecorded wrong that swing. "Inside each of this, beingness continues," she said. "Kids spell to school, you spell to the supermarket, Purim arrives and you prepare, and you don’t cognize if immoderate of it volition really happen. We didn’t marque plans for this play due to the fact that we don’t cognize what volition happen."

That spread — betwixt disposable regular and backstage fearfulness — defines this moment. The fearfulness she describes is present portion of the nationalist atmosphere.

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The Weits household location successful Tel Aviv aft it was destroyed by a nonstop Iranian rocket onslaught during the 12-day war. (Michal Weits)

On the surface, Israel looks normal. The beaches are crowded successful the lukewarm weather. Cafés are full. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has risen successful caller days. Children spell to schoolhouse arsenic Israelis hole for the Jewish vacation of Purim and costumes are being prepared.

But wrong homes and crossed section quality broadcasts, 1 question dominates: erstwhile volition it happen? When volition President Donald Trump determine whether to onslaught Iran — and what volition that mean for Israel?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the Home Front Command and exigency services to hole for imaginable escalation, with Israeli media reporting a authorities of "maximum alert" crossed information bodies.

Speaking astatine an serviceman graduation ceremonial this week, Netanyahu warned Tehran: "If the ayatollahs marque a mistake and onslaught us, they volition look a effect they cannot adjacent imagine." He added that Israel is "prepared for immoderate scenario."

The subject connection was echoed by the IDF. "We are monitoring determination developments and are alert of the nationalist sermon regarding Iran," IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said. "The IDF remains vigilant successful defense, our eyes are unfastened successful each absorption and our readiness successful effect to immoderate alteration successful the operational world is greater than ever."

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Four days aft being injured successful an Iranian rocket strike, Michal Weits received an Emmy Award for the documentary "We Will Dance Again" astir the Nova festival massacre connected Oct. 7. (Michal Weits)

Yet the intelligence displacement wrong Israel goes deeper than authoritative statements.

For years, Israelis lived with rockets from Hamas. The Iranian strikes felt different.

"The level of demolition from Iran was thing Israelis had not experienced before," said Israeli Iran adept Benny Sabti. "People are utilized to rockets from Gaza. This was a antithetic standard of damage. It created existent anxiety."

Iron Dome, agelong seen arsenic astir impenetrable, was little effectual against heavier Iranian missiles. Buildings collapsed. Entire neighborhoods were damaged.

"People are inactive traumatized," Sabti said. "They are surviving connected the borderline for a agelong clip now."

At the aforesaid time, helium stressed that the state is amended prepared today.

"There are feelings, and determination are facts," Sabti said. "The facts are that Israel is amended prepared now. The subject level is doing superior preparation. They learned from the past round."

The earlier question of protests wrong Iran had sparked anticipation successful Israel that interior unit mightiness weaken oregon topple the regime. Weits told Fox News Digital, "I americium aggravated astatine the Iranian government, not the Iranian people. I volition beryllium the archetypal to question determination erstwhile it’s possible. I anticipation they volition beryllium capable to beryllium escaped — that each of america volition beryllium capable to beryllium free."

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Destroyed residential buildings that were deed by a rocket fired from Iran is seen successful Ramat Gan, adjacent Tel Aviv, Israel connected Saturday, June 14, 2025.  (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Despite losing her location and suffering proceeding harm from the blast, she says the greater nonaccomplishment was psychological. "There is nary much complacency," she said. "The ‘it won’t hap to me’ feeling is gone."

Across Israel, that sentiment resonates.