When Rising Lion Roars: A Moral Lament

When Rising Lion Roars: A Moral Lament

When Rising Lion Roars: A Moral Lament

On June 13, 2025, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, combining secret Mossad drone sabotage with overt airstrikes on over 100 Iranian nuclear and military sites. Using F‑35, F‑16, and F‑15 jets, it achieved air superiority while crippling Iran’s air defenses and missile infrastructure  . In fierce retaliation, Iran unleashed more than 370 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones—killing at least 24 Israelis and wounding around 590, even as Israel’s strike destroyed a third of Iran’s missile launchers  .

Tehran endured over 200 civilian deaths, mass displacement, and devastation to key facilities—a humanitarian crisis unfolding under the roar of warplanes  .

This hybrid war—“hybrid” in its fusion of covert sabotage and aerial bombardment—raises deep moral questions. For what purpose is such violence justified? What becomes of souls when security eclipses compassion? Even Israel’s technological triumph rings hollow if mercy is absent.

How fragile is the covenant between nations when built on missiles, not mercy? In this moment of ash and echo, let us remember the prophets: peace is not strategy—it is the sacrifice of pride.