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“Nothing’s sure in this country. There’s tension, then there’s relief, then tension again."
RAMAT GAN, Israel, Sep 12 2013 (IPS) - Unmindful of news of the U.S. delaying its military action on Syria to
pursue the Russian plan for international monitors to take control and destroy Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons, Israelis continue to collect their gas mask kits at Home Front Command distribution centres.
“Nothing’s sure in this country. There’s tension, then there’s relief, then tension again,” explains a
woman as her daughter puts on a mask. “We must always be prepared for any emergency alert.”
On top of a hill near Jerusalem, an Iron Dome anti-missile battery inspects the sky for incoming rockets. Yet all is quiet on the Israel-Syria ceasefire line on the occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained a discreet silence over his U.S. ally’s threats of military strikes against Syria in retribution for the poison gas attacks allegedly perpetrated by forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar Assad, which killed hundreds on Aug. 21.
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Israelis are equipping themselves with gas masks in anticipation of attack from Syria. Credit: Pierre Klochendler/IPS