Jewish symbolism surrounds timing of US-Israel attack on Iran
The strikes come ahead of the Jewish holiday of Purim.
The timing of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran carries symbolic significance in Judaism, CNN reports.
The United States and Israel launched attacks on targets in several Iranian cities on Saturday (28 February), with explosions and plumes of smoke seen rising over the capital, Tehran.
The strikes come ahead of the Jewish holiday of Purim, when worshippers traditionally read a passage from the Old Testament known as Zachor.
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The reading, drawn from the Book of Deuteronomy, recounts an unprovoked attack by the ancient nation of Amalek against the Israelites and commands that Amalek's memory be erased once the Israelites are settled in their land.
In Jewish tradition, the passage is recited publicly before Purim to observe the mitzvah of remembering Amalek as Israel's archetypal enemy.
