The name “Rising Lion,” given by Israel to its military offensive against Iran, draws its meaning from a verse in the Book of Numbers (23:24): “Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eats the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.”
According to Reuters, this verse comes from the first oracle spoken by Balaam, a non-Israelite seer, in which he foretells the strength and power of Israel, comparing it to an invincible and insatiable lion.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was filmed placing a handwritten version of this verse at the Western Wall shortly before the strikes, thereby anchoring the operation in “powerful and religious” symbolism, the same source explains.
The Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, posted on his X account an illustration showing a giant lion standing in front of a rising sun, along with a fighter-bomber in mid-flight.
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