Early this (Thursday) morning, we awakened to news that there had been yet another terrorist attack in Israel—this one near Eilat in the south.

Click here for the CNN story from Aug. 18, 2011

Click here for coverage from HaAretz, an Israeli newspaper

The terrorists struck first—at around noon Israel time—when shots were fired into an Egged bus from a private vehicle. At around 12:30, mortar shells were fired into Israel from Gaza. At 1:10 p.m., anti-tank missiles were launched into Israel and there were numerous casualties, including an estimated six Israelis killed. At 6 p.m., the IDF carried out a retaliatory strike in Gaza that reportedly killed a senior Hamas terrorist leader. Shortly after 7 p.m. (roughly an hour ago as I write this), gunfire erupted in southern Israel and several Israelis were seriously injured.

Click here for the timeline from HaAretz

So the violence continues to escalate. Hopefully, the IDF will quickly neutralize the Hamas positions in the south and the carnage will stop.

We understand that the Israelis were able to intercept an inbound missile earlier today before it reached Ashkelon on the Mediterranean coast. So it appears that the controversial Iron Dome (כיפת ברזל) missile defense system has proven itself effective once again. This system has been criticized because it's so expensive—each Tamir defensive missile costs an estimated $50,000 USD, which is up to ten times the cost of the Palestinian missiles it's designed to bring down—but it works and it saves lives.

The criticism is that the Israelis spend $10 million for every $1 million Hamas spends on missiles. Over time, they say Hamas could bankrupt israel simply by keeping the missiles coming. That's almost certainly an oversimplification of the realities on the ground; but it's interesting nonetheless.

The military and political complexion of the Middle East continues to change in ways that are sometimes head-spinning. For example, while Mubarak was in power in Egypt, he was a relatively reliable partner in the war on terror. But now, with the old man gone, who is Israel's Egyptian "partner in peace"? Nobody seems to know.

It's all well and good that so many autocratic rulers and dictators have been (or are being) toppled in the Middle East.

But we'd better not jump up and down with glee until we know who or what will replace them. If democracy really means that it's the peoples' choice, that means that (especially in the Middle East) the masses might choose a path that could lead to a militant Islamic regime similar to the one in Iran. I continue to be skeptical of people who portray the Muslim Brotherhood (a key player in Egypt) as renouncing terrorism and morphing into something like a Boy Scout troop.

Let's continue praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6)!