LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As the war between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas continues, a Las Vegas police officer is responding to the call for action.
On Friday, I sat down with Ariel Sally who is also in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He tells me he will be flying overseas this weekend to help fight and protect his people.
"Imagine your world crumbling in front of you, your people suffering, crying, asking for hep, imagine seeing video of your close friend dying because he was trying to escape a festival, imagine all of that and for someone to reach out and say you can help wouldn't you? Cause that is what I am doing," Sally said.
On October 7, the day of the Hamas' surprise attack on Israel, the Metro police officer received an emergency order from the IDF instructing him to return to Israel and get ready to fight against the terrorist group.
"I ask for your prayer and your support, that's all I ask for, please understand the suffering that we are currently going through it is unlike anything that has happened in quite recent history, the October 7th has been engraved in Israel, like 9/11 in the US."
Sally says he has been preparing to go, saying goodbye to his girlfriend, his dog, and his Metro Police Department family.
The dual citizen says he joined the department two-and-a-half years ago.
While protecting our community, he has also been working on finishing school. Sally says he is set to leave our valley on October 22 along with other reservists.
"What is going to be on my mind my dog, my girlfriend, my house, the things I'm leaving behind, better yet later coming back to, that's going to be the stresser. "
Sally says he was born in Las Vegas. In 2006, he lost his brother, Yoni Sally, to drug addiction and shortly afterwards his family moved to Israel.
There, he went to high school and once he graduated, he joined the IDF, a goal his brother was never able to accomplish.
"He was the one that pushed me to join the IDF, I wanted to complete his dream— soon thereafter it became my dream."
Sally returned to Las Vegas in 2017.
"It was important to me to come back after the military after protecting my home, to return here and do the same."
Which is why Sally joined Metro. Now he is responding to a call for action once again.
Sally showed me all of his hear and special items he is taking with him.
He says he is prepared to fight against the enemy hurting his people.
"It is duty the same way that I swore to support the citizens of Las Vegas the same way I will support the citizens of Israel."
Sally tells me he does not know how long the deployment may last. But, he tells me Metro is treating this as a U.S. deployment and he will have his spot back when he returns.
