Israeli soldier of Iranian heritage shares insight after Iran’s attack

As hundreds of missiles rained across Israel's skies, 40-year-old Itai Reuveni, an Israeli of Iranian descent, sought refuge in a bomb shelter with his family as his nation was attacked by the very country which was once his parents’ homeland.

A strange concept but a reality for the IDF reservist combat soldier belonging to the elite Paratroopers Brigade, who jumped into action on October 7, along with his unit stationed up north against the threat of Hezbollah.

He heard ‘endless booms’ as Tehran reportedly fired more than 200 missiles in a wave of launches in retaliation for the killing of Hamas and Hezbollah’s leaders.

The IRGC announced it had struck "the heart of Israel" in retaliation for the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and IRGC's top regional commander Abbas Nilforoushan. "If Israel responds to the Islamic Republic's operation, it will face devastating attacks," the statement said. 

While Iran launched missiles, a terrorist attack unfolded in Tel Aviv, with at least eight people killed by gunfire. It is not known at this time if those attacks were coordinated, though the timing does appear to be suspicious.

One person, a Palestinian, has been killed in Iran’s strike against Israel, according to local reports.

Israeli Military Spokesperson said Tuesday this attack was serious and will have consequences. According to CNN, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also described the attack as “ineffective”, referring to it as a “significant escalation” by Iran.

Despite the ongoing animosity between Iran and Israel, Itai feels deeply connected to his Iranian roots and culture while he sees himself as a proud Israeli ready to defend his nation -- even against his parent’s country of birth.

In an interview with Iran International, Itai said it’s important to make a clear distinction between the people of Iran and its government.

His father left Iran as a young child in the 1950s, a few short years after the establishment of the State of Israel. His mother, Diana, on the other hand, had a much different journey to Israel. Having fled Iran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, she had to rebuild her life from scratch as a 27-year-old chemist with no command of Hebrew.

The establishment of the Islamic Republic had changed her life in a flash.

Diana’s parents stayed in Iran where her father, Itai’s grandfather, was arrested and jailed because his daughter and eventually other children escaped to Israel. It wasn’t until Itai was a teenager that he met his maternal grandparents in Israel.

Itai, who studied Iranian studies and Political Science, specializes in civil society, terrorism and the Middle East – working at nonprofit ‘NGO Monitor’ when the country is not in a time of war.

Having served in the North, fighting Hezbollah, and being of Iranian origin, he offers an inside look and unique perspective into what it’s like for Israelis and what could unfold next after the Islamic Republic's strike

How everything changed after Nasrallah

Since Oct 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying to maneuver a multi-front war, the Iran threat and pressures from the United States and Europe demanding a ceasefire – to put an end to the war against Hamas, said Itai over a zoom interview with Iran International.

But he said everything changed last week when Israel launched a targeted strike, killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Itai viewed this as a turning point, marking the collapse of Iran’s proxy deterrence. What Iran had reportedly invested billions in over decades was largely dismantled from top to bottom.

“I think that's a historic point. It's exactly like October 7th was a very negative historic point. But what happened in the past week is going to change the interactions in the Middle East.”

The destruction of one of Iran’s biggest proxies, he believes, changes the balance of power in the region, destroys Iran’s deterrence strategy and leaves the Iranian government vulnerable.

Prior to that, Israel’s use of pagers and walk-talkie loaded with explosives left Hezbollah operatives reeling. That’s when Itai knew the Israeli government’s policy and war tactic was changing.

“I think they're in shock. They don't understand how we destroyed their greatest asset in their international politics.”

Itai said Israel finally reached a breaking point, declaring, “enough is enough.” He sensed that Israelis felt trapped in a cycle of violence where diplomacy had no impact, and border skirmishes and missile strikes offered no resolution, leaving people on both sides stuck in a constant state of conflict.

The attacks are an effort to prevent Hezbollah from continuing to fire rockets at northern Israel, which it has been doing since the war against Hamas. Israel's airstrikes are continuing to widen, and their military started a ground invasion on Monday.

“We are removing the gloves, and we don't care what others will say. And I think it showed. We eliminated one of the biggest command structures of the biggest terror organizations in the world. We celebrated it, the Lebanese celebrated, the Syrians, the Iranians. All the people that are affected by this, by the behavior and the activities of Hezbollah,” he said.

Taking out the leader of Hezbollah, Itai said, showed a dramatic shift in Isarel’s policy to take matters into their own hands and send a clear message to its boss: the Ayatollahs in Iran.

It also sent a clear message to the United States that Israel was no longer yielding to pressure for a ceasefire and was prepared to chart its own course.

Going after someone high-level like Nasrallah also means the fear surrounding him diminished in the eyes of the public.

Itai said Nasrallah was often seen as the “big bad wolf,” and that eliminating him helped to dispel the myth around him being untouchable and in turn injected positive energy into Israeli society. Something he said Israel hasn’t felt since Oct 7.

“With all the sadness of the hostages, with all the sadness that we are still at war. And we have 200,000 people that left their homes in the north and in the south. Still, it was a boost of energy. And I think not only for us, for many other people in the region,” he added.

The Middle East, Itai said, looks to Israel for support to help dismantle the Islamic Republic, which many Arab countries also see as an extensional threat.

“Other countries look on us and understand that if we will not stop this momentum of murderous terror organizations that is raping and mutilating people, they will be next. Everyone looks upon us.”