In one of those policy statements that was probably not supposed to be made publicly, Israeli General Gadi Eisenkot, the commander of the nation’s northern front, warned a crowd at University of Haifa that the massive missile defense systems which Israel is putting so much effort into isn’t for them.

“The systems are designed to protect military bases,” insisted Gen. Eisenkot, adding that they assumed “that civilians suffer discomfort during the days of battle.” The billions spent on the missile defense systems have been couched as protecting Israelis from the impending attack their politicians are forever insisting is coming.

Indeed, officials have been making much of the inevitability of rockets falling on the densely populated city of Tel Aviv, with predictions that the next war will bring “many more casualties.”

These comments were seen at the time as being an effort to sell the public on the expensive and ineffective missile defense programs, but it seems Israeli officials are not only comfortable with massive numbers of Israeli civilian deaths, but see no reason to make any effort to prevent them.