Israel mourns its fallen soldiers and terror victims
For a night and a day, Israelis commemorated and mourned the 23,320 fallen in battle and victims of hostile operations. A two-minute pause and silence were observed at 11 a.m., as bereaved families visited cemeteries and attended memorial ceremonies across the country, led by the IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gady Eisenkott. Roads leading to the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery in Tel Aviv and Mt Herzl in Jerusalem were blocked to traffic, excepting special bus services. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon again referred to the Russian S-300 missiles promised Iran, when he said: “Any system devised by man, man can overcome. I rejoice in out great security industry and its place at the forefront of world technology. Iron Dome is one example; others are our unmanned aerial vehicles and many other systems, which have never been disclosed. We are developing capabilities to withstand the challenges of the future.”