Terrorists continued to launch attacks against Israel throughout Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, including rioting and setting synagogues on fire in the city of Lod, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency.
“Intense Arab rioting broke out in the central Israeli city of Lod late Tuesday, with three synagogues and numerous shops reportedly set on fire, and dozens of cars set alight,” The Times of Israel reported. “Some residents reported power was cut in their homes and petrol bombs were thrown through their windows, Channel 12 news said, and police acknowledged having to escort some residents from a community center to their homes as Arab mobs marauded in the streets.”
Below is footage of some of the disturbing acts of violence unfolding against Israel:
A synagouge is burning in #Lod pic.twitter.com/VGBPR5azbg
— Guy Elster (@guyelster) May 11, 2021
פרעות בערים המעורבות: בתי כנסת הוצתו בלוד, מג"ב בדרך אל העיר > מהומות ברמלה, לוד, רהט pic.twitter.com/WrpMWbdTSx
— ידיעות אחרונות (@YediotAhronot) May 11, 2021
לוד מאבדת שליטה pic.twitter.com/DznEpQJN9W
— רועי שמחי 🇮🇱 Roie Simhi (@RoieSimhi) May 11, 2021
מסעדת אורי בורי בעיר העתיקה בעכו הוצתה@CBeyar pic.twitter.com/mB9y8GI9ol
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 11, 2021
Situation getting out of hand in Lod. An Arab citizen shoots at Israeli police with an automatic weapon. #Israel pic.twitter.com/nxPfcAh14V
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) May 11, 2021
Lod Mayor Yair Revivo compared the acts of terrorism to Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, in 1938 where Nazis in Germany killed nearly 100 Jews and torched synagogues, vandalized Jewish homes, schools, and businesses.
“This is Kristallnacht in Lod,” Revivo said on Channel 12. “I have called on the prime minister to declare a state of emergency in Lod. To call in the IDF. To impose a curfew. To restore quiet… There is a failure of governance… This is a giant incident — an Intifada of Arab Israelis. All the work we have done here for years [on coexistence] has gone down the drain.”
“All of Israel should know, this is a complete loss of control,” Revivo added, sounding desperate. “This is unthinkable. Synagogues are being burned. Hundreds of cars set alight. Hundreds of Arab thugs are roaming the streets… Civil war has erupted in Lod… The Orthodox-nationalist community here has guns. I’m imploring them to go back home but they understandably want to protect their homes. Petrol bombs are being thrown into [Jewish] homes. The situation is incendiary.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised late on Tuesday that Israel would give a “full force” response to the latest round of Palestinian terrorist attacks.
“We are in the midst of a major campaign — Operation Guardian of the Walls,” Netanyahu said. “Yesterday and today, the IDF attacked hundreds of Hamas & Islamic Jihad terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip. We have eliminated dozens of terrorists, including senior commanders. We have bombed Hamas command centers and toppled buildings that serve the terrorist organizations.”
“We will continue to attack with full force,” he continued. “We have just finished a consultation and assessment of the situation with heads of the security establishment and we made decisions. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have paid — I tell you here — will pay a very heavy price for their aggression. I say here this evening — their blood in on their heads. Citizens of Israel, we stand united against a reprehensible enemy.”
This is a developing news story, refresh the page for updates.