Michal Weits has been packing suitcases at the front door of her Tel Aviv home for over a month.
“We’ve had our bags ready for weeks,” she said. “Three weeks ago there were rumors that this was the night the US would attack Iran. At midnight we got the kids out of bed and drove north where it would be safer.”
Weits, artistic director of the international documentary film festival Docaviv, speaks from her own traumatic experience. During the Twelve Day War, an Iranian missile hit her home in Tel Aviv. She, her husband and their two young children were in the safe room when it collapsed on her.
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Eyal, husband of Michal Weits, holds their daughter in front of the rubble of their Tel Aviv home after it was hit by an Iranian missile during the 12-day war. (Michael Weits)
“After an Iranian missile hit our house and we lost everything we had, we also lost the feeling of ‘it won’t happen to me,’” she said. “We are prepared, to the extent that is really possible.”
Weits remembers the surreal contrast of that time. Four days after she was injured in the rocket attack, while still in the hospital, she was told she had won an Emmy Award for the documentary she made about the October 7 Nova massacre.
“Four days earlier, an 1,800-pound explosive rocket fell on our house and injured me, and four days later I woke up on my birthday to the news that I had won an Emmy,” she said. “It can’t be more surreal than this. That’s the experience of being Israeli, from zero to a hundred.”
Michal Weits after she was injured in an Iranian missile attack that hit her home in Tel Aviv during the Twelve Day War. (Michael Weits)
She says Israelis have learned to live within that swing. “Within all of this, life goes on,” she said. “Kids go to school, you go to the grocery store, Purim comes and you prepare, and you don’t know if it’s actually going to happen. We haven’t made any plans for this weekend because we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
That gap – between visible routine and private anxiety – defines this moment. The fear she describes is now part of the national atmosphere.
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The Weits family home in Tel Aviv after it was destroyed by a direct Iranian missile attack during the Twelve Day War. (Michael Weits)
At first glance, Israel looks normal. In warm weather the beaches are busy. Cafes are full. The Tel Aviv stock market has risen in recent days. Children go to school as Israelis prepare for the Jewish holiday of Purim and costumes are prepared.
But inside the home and on local newscasts, one question dominates: When will it happen? When will President Donald Trump decide whether to attack Iran – and what will that mean for Israel?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Home Front Command and emergency services to prepare for a possible escalation, with Israeli media reporting a state of “maximum alert” among all security agencies.
Speaking at an officers’ graduation ceremony this week, Netanyahu warned Tehran: “If the ayatollahs make a mistake and attack us, they will face a response they cannot even imagine.” He added that Israel is “prepared for any scenario.”
The military message was echoed by the IDF. “We are monitoring regional developments and are aware of the public discourse on Iran,” said IDF spokesman Brig. General Effie Defrin said. “The IDF remains vigilant on defense, our eyes are open in all directions and our preparedness in response to any change in operational reality is greater than ever.”
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Four days after he was injured in an Iranian missile attack, Michal Weits received an Emmy Award for the documentary ‘We Will Dance Again’ about the Oct. 7 Nova festival massacre. (Michael Weits)
Yet the psychological shift within Israel goes deeper than official statements.
For years, Israelis lived with Hamas rockets. The Iranian attacks felt different.
“The level of destruction by Iran was something the Israelis had never experienced before,” said Israeli Iran expert Benny Sabti. “People are used to rockets from Gaza. The damage was on a different scale. It caused real fear.”
Iron Dome, long seen as nearly impenetrable, was less effective against heavier Iranian missiles. Buildings collapsed. Entire neighborhoods were damaged.
“People are still traumatized,” Sabti said. “They’ve been living on the edge for a long time.”
At the same time, he emphasized that the country is better prepared today.
“There are feelings and there are facts,” Sabti said. “The facts are that Israel is better prepared now. The military level is making serious preparations. They have learned from the last round.”
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Destroyed residential buildings hit by a missile fired from Iran are seen in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Despite losing her home and suffering hearing damage from the blast, she says the bigger loss was psychological. “There is no more complacency,” she said. “The feeling ‘that won’t happen to me’ is gone.”
That sentiment resonates throughout Israel.
