Welcome Post And First Impressions From Israel's War Zone

TEL AVIV, Israel — Hey everyone, thank you for subscribing to the new Substack. As I mentioned in the announcement video, I had a very different idea of what that was going to look like. The initial plan was to launch the Substack next week, but, like most of the world, I was horrified to see what was happening in the Holy Land last Saturday.

Reporting from a true conflict has always been an interest of mine (don’t ask why because I don’t really know) and I figured to truly show what this new endeavor will be, it was time to visit Israel.

I’ve never been to Israel, much less the Middle East. I have barely been to my family’s homeland, Mexico, but like the decision I made to enter journalism by dropping out of college after Trump won the 2016 election, I thought, “Fuck it, we’ll do it live.”

The past 36 hours have been a whirlwind of getting my bearings and operating in the new environment. As soon as the El Al flight landed in Tel Aviv, people started clapping, but not enthusiastically. Then the crying started. One woman in particular could not hold back her grief. There was hardly a dry eye on the plane. Israelis were glad to be back home, but now they knew they had to face this new nightmare up close. Many on my flight were IDF service members who were coming back to be mobilized.

I have spent most of my time in southern Israel. What I can tell you is the mobilization is no joke. Every other vehicle on the road once you are past Ashdod is either military, police, or emergency services. Before reaching the northern end of the Gaza Strip, large columns of tanks and armored vehicles await further orders in a field. It remains to be seen whether it is simply a show of force to prevent more incursions from Hamas or if it is staging for a future ground assault into Gaza. If Israel does enter Gaza, it can be sure Israel’s northern border will be attacked in force from Hezbollah, opening a second front.

Thank you again for the support and we’ll see what happens.

There will be more posts in the days ahead, including exclusives for paid subscribers. (You still have time to become a paid subscriber and be enrolled in the gear giveaway, details here).

From the field,

Julio