A Manila Bulletin (MB) official recounted how he and about 20 Filipinos belonging to a pilgrimage tour of the Holy Land witnessed the wave of drone and missile attacks launched by Iran on Israel early Sunday, April 14, 2024, and how the Israeli air defense system Iron Dome was able to effectively repel the assault.
“Earlier, at 1:30 a.m., here in Bethlehem, we were awakened by the sound of some explosions. And looking out the window, we saw some missiles going down in the area of Jerusalem. But they were exploding mid-air. So, I suppose the Iron Dome was, in effect, working very well,” said MB Head of External Affairs and Human Resources Barbi Atienza in a Facebook post.
We were told, or we were advised to immediately leave. Fortunately, most of us had already packed (our things), and we immediately boarded this bus that’s taking us to the border with Egypt,” he said.
Atienza was recording the video post as he and his fellow pilgrims were travelling, by bus, to Cairo, Egypt, hoping that they five-hour trip to the neighboring country would steer them clear of the conflict in Israel.
“Coming from Bethlehem, it’s like the Holy Family taking the escape route to Egypt when Herod ordered the killing of all infants here in Bethlehem,” he noted.
“Panalangin nating lahat ay maging ligtas anuman ang kanilang lahi at relihiyon. Sana’y magkaroon ng kapayapaan (We pray that everyone remains safe, whatever their race or religion. We hope that there would be peace),” Atienza added.