Why Did Israel Call Its Attack on Iran ‘Operation Rising Lion’?

Israel’s recent military operation against Iran, dubbed “Operation Rising Lion,” wasn’t just a name, it carried deep symbolic meaning.

The title is rooted in a biblical verse from the Book of Numbers. This verse, uttered by the non-Israelite prophet Balaam, foretells the rise of a strong and unrelenting nation. By adopting this phrase, Israel is signaling a fusion of military power with religious and national identity. The symbolism implies a force that strikes not just strategically, but with a sense of historical and divine mission.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reinforced this message by placing a note with the verse into Jerusalem’s Western Wall just before the operation.

Israeli officials have historically drawn from religious texts to name operations, embedding ideology into military action.