Tensions escalate, ready to run

Early in the morning, while sleeping, Ms. Kim Golbari (in Tel Aviv, Israel) suddenly heard the alarm siren. Reflexively, she and her husband jumped up, picked up their sleeping child and rushed out of the house. They both dragged their older son down the stairs to the lobby and quickly moved to the shelter of the building next door. Every second was precious, so Ms. Kim did not have time to put on more clothes for her youngest son besides the diaper he had put on the night before. The 3-year-old boy was suddenly awakened and suddenly burst into tears. The mother hugged her child and ran while comforting him. At the shelter, people around also rushed over, their faces still sleepy, their clothes disheveled, some did not have time to put on shoes and had to go barefoot. "When my family of four had just run down to the basement for more than 10 seconds, we heard a very loud explosion in the air. Everyone was shocked and wondered, not thinking that Hezbollah would attack so deeply," Ms. Kim shared with Dan Tri reporter. The shelter where Kim and her family took shelter when the siren sounded (Photo: Provided by the character). On the morning of September 25, people in Tel Aviv were awakened by the sound of sirens. The Lebanese Hezbollah force launched a ballistic missile at the headquarters of the Mossad intelligence agency in the suburbs of Tel Aviv, Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later announced that it had intercepted the missile launched from Lebanon, when the sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv and Netanya areas. Israel also confirmed that this was the first time a Hezbollah missile had flown to the Tel Aviv area, marking a new escalation in the conflict. Tel Aviv is located in central Israel, the economic and technological center of this country. The retaliatory attacks with increasing intensity and scale have complicated the conflict between Israel and Lebanon. The lives of the people here in general and the Vietnamese in Israel in particular have been more or less disrupted. Ms. Kim (from Dong Nai, living in Israel for 15 years) shared that in recent days, she has been regularly updating news about the fighting and is always ready to run away. To guard against surprise attacks at night or early morning, she and her husband wear formal clothes instead of comfortable pajamas. The phone is placed next to them to receive notifications and brought to the shelter. "When a missile or drone is detected, the phone or TV (if on) will immediately display a notification, the alarm will also sound about 90 seconds in advance. However, there are times when the system detects it late, only a few dozen seconds before the attack weapons explode. If the air defense system can intercept it, there will be an explosion in the air, but if it cannot intercept it and hits the target on the ground, it will cause damage to people and houses...", Ms. Kim said.

According to Ms. Kim, a few days ago, the government warned people across the country to be vigilant and prepare for challenging days. Northern cities 40-50km from the border were asked to take safety measures such as not allowing children to go to school, not gathering in large crowds, etc. The place where Ms. Kim lives, about 200km from the northern border, has not yet been affected much, except for the attack on the morning of September 25. However, Ms. Kim and her family are still vigilant, arranging their lives and work to suit the situation. The streets of Tel Aviv are quieter these days, there are no longer rush hour traffic jams like before. The beaches and markets that are usually crowded are also less crowded. Ms. Kim carefully instructed her eldest son about sheltering skills in case of an attack at school or while traveling on the road.

Living in a country that is a "hot spot" for conflict, Kim has had to get used to stressful situations. However, she is still haunted by Hamas attacks or other military conflicts in Tel Aviv. She said: "Once, a rocket fell near my house, damaging 80 apartments. A few months ago, a drone crashed into a building near my workplace, killing one person and destroying apartments. The room I work in felt the vibrations clearly, dust flying everywhere. After each attack, people return to their normal lives. My family and I are still safe, going to school and work every day."

The country is not for the faint of heart.

According to Kim, Israel is probably not a country for the "faint-hearted" because every time tensions escalate, people will continuously receive notifications and warnings about attacks. They can also be affected by attacks, often hearing sirens or explosions from air strikes... In many "hot spots", people even have to move away from their place of residence for a whole year, staying in refugee camps or hotels. Every person, every family must regularly update the news, master safety skills, and quickly evacuate when there is a warning. Every house, school, apartment building, and hospital has a shelter for people to take shelter when there is a missile attack. "The State of Israel always clearly informs about the war situation, equips a state-of-the-art defense system, and applies technology to give warnings so that people can proactively evacuate and flee. Attacks are predicted about 90 seconds in advance, and some are predicted 9-10 hours in advance. If the instructions are followed correctly, people will be safe and casualties will be limited. Thanks to that, I am also less worried," the Vietnamese woman shared. Ms. Kim said that in addition to the automatic alarm system that sounds, there are also notifications on phones and TVs. Every year, people are trained in safety skills. When she first lived in Israel, Ms. Kim felt a lot of pressure. However, when she equipped herself with a lifestyle in the middle of a "hot spot" and was protected by the state and cared for by the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel, Ms. Kim felt more secure and proactive. "Many people wonder why I don't choose to return to Vietnam or move to another safer country. But I am determined to live here and adapt to all circumstances because my husband is Jewish, he will live in his community," said Ms. Kim. From Monday (September 23) to today, Ms. Kim has been working normally, and her children are still going to school. However, she has had contingency plans. She shared that not until now, but since the fighting broke out in 2023, she has always stocked up on drinking water, rice, candy, dried foods, and canned foods at home. These days, Ms. Kim has continuously received messages and calls from relatives in Vietnam asking about her and telling her to take care. Ms. Kim plans to visit home in October this year. However, because most airlines have canceled flights to Israel since October last year, Ms. Kim and her husband and children do not know when they will be able to make the trip back to Vietnam. According to Ms. Kim, the Vietnamese community in Israel has about 500 people, living in many cities. People regularly keep in touch with each other and with the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel. In the past days, Vietnamese people have always complied with the regulations of the host country, updated the situation, encouraged each other and supported each other. "We hope for peace to return soon so that our lives can stabilize," Ms. Kim said.

Working on a farm in the northern end of Israel, about 200km from the Israel-Lebanon border, Nguyen MA heard the sound of rockets exploding in the air for the first time. The young man worried: "Before, the area where I live was quite peaceful. However, on September 25, there were signs of more seriousness." Following the news, A. also noticed that the attacks occurred mainly in localities about 40-50km from the border. Like many other workers, A. maintained contact with Vietnamese friends and the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel to ask for help in emergency situations. "Some people think that Israel and Hezbollah are on the brink of a full-scale conflict after 11 months of border fighting, so I'm quite worried," said A.