IDF Colonel

A Colonel with the Israeli Defense Forces commanded a Patriot Missile battery when work began to clear the Temple Mount of the Dome of the Rock. The Iranians formally warned the Israelis that if they did not stop the removal of the Dome and repair what they had done, the Iranians would consider it an act of war. The Israeli government refused and the colonel's battery went on high alert.

The captain commanding the radar reported the Iranians launched three missiles simultaneously, two from central Iran and one from the northwest corner. The colonel thought they should have staggered the launches so the missiles would arrive simultaneously, taking into account the shorter flight time of the one missile but the Iranians clearly thought otherwise.

When the one missile was 30 seconds from the optimum Patriot launch time, the colonel ordered the captain to start a verbal countdown. Before the captain reached zero, the radar screens flashed and the missiles were gone. The colonel asked if the Iranians were jamming the radar but the captain reported they were still getting returns from aircraft in the area.

The colonel decided to sit tight, since they did not have any targets to aim at. After what seemed like forever but would have been five to ten minutes, the colonel relaxed since clearly there would not be any missile strikes. The captain asked what had happened, and the colonel replied God knows to which the captain remarked that maybe He did.