"The missile was intercepted," "There are only fragments of the intercept missile," "There is no change in the Home Front Command guidelines," "Schools are open as usual", and "Ben-Gurion Airport will resume its flight schedule" are exactly the messages we wish for on mornings like this. After all, who wants to deal with another front, only this time in Yemen, and especially in the morning? The last time, the Houthis sent a drone that killed Yevgeni Perder. This time nobody was hurt so we can move on, right?
Not really. This is precisely the moment when such rare terrorizing events could turn into an acceptable trickle, like Hamas rocket fire in the South and Hezbollah fire in the North have become, further eroding Israel's deterrence.
The last time we experienced a Houthi attack, less than two months ago, Israel reacted forcefully. Israeli jets struck the port of Hodeidah, destroying infrastructure, and showing the Middle East that Israel knows how to hurt its enemies, with force and creativity. This retaliation also expressed resilience and faith in our ability to act anywhere and at any time. The IDF mantras were put to the test and emerged victorious.
However, it seems our enemies did not get the message because the missile attack on Sunday showed that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels were not as deterred as we like to think. The logical conclusion that one killed Israeli leads to the loss of an entire port does not register in the twisted minds of the Middle East.
Israel may have fallen into the illusion that there was calm in the wake of the Hodeida attack after a period without Houthi strikes. that illusion of silence could be addictive. In Sunday's attack, it was shattered. Now the boundaries are being tested. The rules of engagement in this new eastern front, are forming before our eyes.
Not responding to the missile attack would mean that Israel accepts a reality in which millions of Israelis' day-to-day lives can be disrupted, without cost. This as been proven a mistake in the face of Hamas rockets from Gaza and Hezbollah rockets from Lebanon and will be a mistake in the face of Houthi attacks from the eaדt.
This does not mean we should send troops to Yemen. Our operational capabilities are limited. There are priorities. The campaign in the north is intensifying. There are still 101 hostages in Gaza who are going through hell. Somehow, Hamas is still able to launch rockets and there is still a lot of work to be done there.
The incendiary West Bank has already started to turn and Iran continues its activities in the region. Israel does not have the resources to engage in a multi-front war but we simply cannot accept a lack of a response to a Yemeni threat.
Gadi EzraPhoto: XIt was not just an ordinary morning when people woke up with rocket fire and then went to work. These mornings will shape our reality. If the government fails to respond, we might get used to mornings such as these.
Gadi Ezra is the former director of the National Public Diplomacy Unit and the author of the book "11 Days in Gaza."