The Lions' Den group said on Tuesday that Israel "will stand in shock and awe before the splendor of the Lions' Den's fighters, the severity of their strikes and their surprises."The statement added, "As the resistance surprised you when you assassinated martyr (Raed) Al-Karmi, with hundreds of deaths, you will be surprised by Jenin, Al-Khalil, Nablus and Ramallah."It concluded saying that "those who think that our fire has subsided, [let them be aware that] we are a boiling volcano."
This message did not exactly strike fear in Israelis. I could not find a single Hebrew or English language media outlet with this story, with the exception of Lebanese Hezbollah mouthpiece Al Mayadeen.
The intended audience for the message wasn't the Israelis, but the Palestinians. And the reason for the message was because the major leaders of the Lion's Den have been turning themselves in to the Palestinian Authority rather than expose themselves to being killed, as Israel took out their founder and leader Wadee al-Houh and killed or arrested a number of other senior leaders.
While the leaders are cowering under PA protection, they want to give Palestinians a message that they are still strong - because if they are perceived as weak, that would be the end of them. In an honor.shame society, the worst thing possible is to be shamed, so the message they want to give is of unrelenting strength and "surprises."
Ironically, calling themselves a "volcano" is the biggest proof that they have been severely damaged by the IDF raids. While some criticized the IDF and the government for going after the Lion's Den in Nablus, some saying that it will encourage a cycle of violence, this statement shows that it was exactly the right thing to do.
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