Netanyahu: ‘This Is The Beginning Of The Day After Hamas In Gaza’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on Thursday (17th) following the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, saying:

“Citizens of Israel, a year ago, we celebrated Sukkot.  At the same exact time, Yahya Sinwar dealt with planning the October 7th massacre.  I stand before you today to notify you that Yahya Sinwar was eliminated.  The one that committed the worst massacre in our nation’s history since the Holocaust, the mass murderer who murdered thousands of Israelis and abducted hundreds of our citizens, was killed today by our heroic soldiers,” Netanyahu began. 

Today, as we promised we would do, we settled the score with him.  Today evil was dealt a blow, but the mission before us has not been completed.  To the dear families of the hostages, I say: This is an important moment in the war.  We will continue with full force to bring your loved ones, who are our loved ones, home.  This is our top obligation.  This is my top obligation.  To the residents of Gaza, I say: Sinwar ruined your lives.  He told you that he was a lion, but in fact, he hid in a dark tunnel – and he was eliminated as he fled in fear from our soldiers.  His elimination is an important milestone in the fall of Hamas’ evil rule.  I want to say again as clearly as possible: Hamas won’t rule Gaza anymore.  This is the beginning of the day after Hamas, this is an opportunity for you, residents of Gaza, to finally break free of its tyranny.

“To the terrorists of Hamas, I say: Your leaders are fleeing and are being eliminated.  I call on all those who hold our hostages: To those who put down their weapons and return  the hostages, we will allow them to leave and live.  And in the same sense, I say: whoever hurts the hostages will get what they deserve.  The return of the hostages is an opportunity to reach all of our goals and it brings the end of the war closer.  To the nations of the region, I say:  In Gaza, Beirut, and across the entire region – darkness is retreating and light is rising.  Deif, Haniyeh, Sinwar, Nasrallah, Mohsen, Aqil, and many of their partners are no longer.  I call on you, the nations of the region:  We face a great opportunity to stop the axis of evil and to create a different future.  A future of peace, a future of prosperity for the entire region.  Together, we can push away the curse and promote a blessing.”

Netnayhau added: “Now it is clear to all in Israel and the world, why we insisted not to end the war.  Why did we insist, against all the pressure, to go into Rafah – Hamas’ fortified stronghold where Sinwar and many mass murderers hid?  I wish to express my great appreciation to the soldiers of the IDF and ISA and their commander for their determined and brave work.  There’s no one better than them.”

“Today we again made clear what happens to those who harm us.  Today we again showed the world the victory of the good over the bad.  But the war, my friends, is not over yet.  It is difficult and it takes a heavy toll.  I wish to express my condolences to the families who lost loved ones.  I wish to embrace the families of our fallen heroes.  Their supreme sacrifice, including in recent days, brings us closer to victory.  As King David said: ‘I pursued my enemies and wiped them out, I did not turn back till I destroyed them.’  Citizens of Israel, we are in the war of revival.  Difficult challenges lay before us.  We must be patient, united, brave, and stand strong.  Together we will fight, and with God’s help, together we will win.” he concluded.

(israelnationalnews.com)

 

Chief Of Staff In Gaza: ‘One Year Later, We Have Settled The Score

IDF Chief Of Staff LTG Herzi Halevi and the Head of the ISA, Ronen Bar arrived at the location Where Yahya Sinwar was eliminated with the Commanding Officer of the Southern Command, MG Yaron Finkelman , the Head of the Operations Directorate (J3), MG Oded Nasiuk and the Commanding Officer of the Gaza Division, BG Barak Hiram.

“This man planned, initiated, gave orders, and executed, and I assume that if we had left him alive he would have continued to do so in the future,” Halevi stated.

“Everywhere, IDF soldiers and commanders are acting with true determination and are initiating contact.  I think what’s particularly special here is the operational approach and the determination of the Southern Command and the Gaza Division to effectively take hold of the area, and the right actions of the Bislach Brigade and the battalions to be very proactive and push forward.  And look, we conducted many special operations in this war where we had excellent information and we deployed forces prepared with pinpoint accuracy on where to go.  Here, we didn’t have that and the response was very, very strong.  This is your professionalism, your determination, your sharp identification followed by alertness,” the Chief of Staff noted.

“We’re just after Oct. 7th and a bit before Simchat Torah, and in these eleven days between the Hebrew calendar year and the Gregorian calendar year, we are settling the score with Sinwar, who is responsible for that very difficult day a year ago,” he concluded.”

(israelnationalnews.com)

 

Iran: Sinwar ‘Will Become A Role Model For Youth, Children’ In Fight For Palestinian Liberation

The Iranian Mission to the United Nations has warned that Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar will serve to “strengthen “the spirit of resistance” of the Palestinian population against Israel.

The mission highlighted that Sinwar “will become a role model for the youth and the children who will follow his path.”

It further stated that “as long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration,” emphasizing Yahya Sinwar’s role as a model for future generations.

The Iranian Mission emphasized that when Muslims see Yahya Sinwar “standing on the battlefield, in combat attire and outdoors, not hidden, confronting the enemy,” their “spirit of resistance” will be strengthened.”

The IDF announced that it had killed Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip.  The Israeli military stated that after a year-long hunt, troops had on Thursday (17th) “eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terror organization, in an operation  in southern Gaza.

Israel called Sinwar’s death a “heavy blow” to Hamas, the Palestinian group it has been fighting for more than a year.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed to crush Hamas at the start of the war, hailed Sinwar’s killing: stating “It is not the end of the war in Gaza; it is the beginning of the end,” while calling the killing of Sinwar an “important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas.”  He also declared, “Today, evil has suffered a heavy blow.”

Yahya Sinwar was the chief of Hamas in Gaza at the time of the October 7th attack and is considered by Israel to be the mastermind of those attacks, in which over 1,200 people were killed and another 251 were taken hostage.  The October 7 attacks made Yahya Sinwar the most wanted man in Israel.

(jpost.com)

    

IDF Names 5 Golani Commandos Killed In Fierce Battle In Southern Lebanon Village

Five Elite Golani Brigade soldiers were killed on Wednesday (16th) during an intense firefight in a southern Lebanese village near the Israeli border, the IDF reported on Thursday (17th).

Among the fallen in the Golani Brigade reconnaissance Unit were : Maj. Ofek Bachar, 24, a company commander from Nes Ziona; Capt. Elad Siman Tov, 23, a platoon commander from Tzofim; Staff Sgt. Elyashiv Eitan Wieder, 22, a squad commander from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Yaakov Hillel, 21, from Jerusalem; and Staff Sgt. Yehudah Dror Yahalom, 21, from Hebron.

According to an initial IDF probe, the Golani Reconnaissance Unit entered a multi-story building in a Lebanese village near the western sector of the border at around 5 p.m.  The mission was based on intelligence reports indicating the presence of terrorist infrastructure.  As the unit approached, the building came under aerial fire.

Roughly 30 minutes into the search, during which the soldiers discovered several weapons caches and underground positions, gunfire erupted from a stairwell.  Four Hezbollah terrorists, who had concealed themselves in the building, opened fire at close range,  The ensuing firefight resulted in the deaths of the five soldiers, including the company commander.  The Golani troops returned fire, killing the terrorists.

Three soldiers were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others later succumbed from their injuries at the hospital.  Five additional soldiers were wounded, including the company’s deputy commander, with three sustaining serious injuries.

Air support provided cover fire, allowing medevac helicopters to extract the casualties to a hospital in Israel.  The IDF is now investigating how the Hezbollah terrorists evaded detection during the building sweep, despite the soldiers’ professional conduct.

Golani Brigade forces have been operating in southern Lebanon for two weeks, initially in the village of Maroun al-Ras before expanding to other areas to neutralize Hezbollah’s Radwan forces, which pose an invasion threat to northern Israel.  The troops have uncovered and destroyed advanced Hezbollah weaponry near the border and killed more than 10 Hezbollah militants in recent days.

In separate incidents, a soldier from the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion and a reservist officer from the 6th Brigade’s 8173rd Battalion were seriously wounded in fighting in southern Lebanon.  Two additional reservists from the 8173rd Battalion were also wounded.

(ynetnews.com)

 

Report: Israel Eyes Somaliland Base Bid To Counter Threats From Yemen’s Houthis, Bolster Security

Israel is interested in establishing a military base in northern Somalia in order to keep tabs on Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Middle East Monitor, the Qatari state-funded news site reported on Tuesday (15th).

According to the report, in exchange, Israel would establish relations with Somaliland, which controls northern Somalia but is not currently recognized by Israel.

The Middle East Monitor  noted that Somaliland is geographically strategic.  It is a former British colony that borders Ethiopia.  Somalia, and Djibouti.  Somaliland was considered an autonomous region of Somalia that declared independence in 1991.

Somaliland is positioned in the Gulf of Aden and near the entrance to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which nearly a third of the world’s maritime cargo passes.

Somaliland has 740 kilometers of coastline along the Gulf of Aden and could play a key role in safeguarding the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea from piracy, terrorism, and smuggling, the Middle East Monitor wrote.

Various international shipping companies have grown hesitant to charter merchant vessels through the Bab al-Mandab Strait due to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, disrupting global trade and triggering international naval action.

Traders are scrambling to find alternative shipping routes to get consumer goods to retailers, with journeys around Africa adding roughly 10 days to voyage times.

According to the report, Israel seeks to enhance its national security from afar and challenge the Houthis presence in Yemen, along with other potential economic opportunities that could be spurred from diplomatic relations.

Potential economic opportunities include growing investments in agriculture, energy, and infrastructure.  Israel’s historic success in agriculture and knowledge of this field, such as its kibbutz model, could be used to leverage and secure a military base in Somaliland, the Middle East Monitor stated.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ties with both Israel and Somaliland and has maintained a base in Somaliland since 2017.  The UAE was one of the first countries in the region to recognize the Republic of Somaliland and has invested in the area, the Middle East Monitor  wrote.

The UAE is mediating on behalf of Israel to establish a military base in Somaliland, the Monitor reported, citing diplomatic sources that were not verified.

(jpost.com)

Israeli Strike Said To Target Weapons Depot In Syria’s Latakia

Syrian State media said Thursday (17th) that an Israeli airstrike hit the coastal city of Latakia, targeting a weapons depot according to a war monitor.

Two people were injured and buildings were damaged, state media reported citing a military statement.

SANA claimed that Syrian anti-aircraft defense intercepted “hostile targets” in the skies above Latakia.

The news agency reported “fires were triggered by the Israeli strikes” at the entrance to Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad.

Video circulated on social media appeared to show large secondary explosions, suggesting the presence of weapons at the targeted site.

Since Hamas’ brutal October 7 massacre last year, which saw some 1,200 people killed in Israel and 251 kidnapped, Israel has escalated its strikes on Iranian-backed terror targets in Syria and has also struck Syrian army air defenses and some Syrian forces.

The Syrian government is allied to the Hezbollah terror group, which began attacking Israel a day after Hamas’ devastating October 7 onslaught with what it said was a show of support for the war in Gaza.

The Israeli military, which has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria in recent years, did not comment on the alleged Latakia strike.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the Israeli raid targeted a weapons depot in Latakia city.

Strikes have been rare on the port city, which is near the Russian air base in Hmeimim.

The Observatory on October 3 reported drones hit a weapons depot near Jableh, located in Latakia province next to Hmeimim.  “Huge explosions were heard from far away,” the monitor said without detailing the source of the drones.

The Israeli military has intensified its raids on Syria parallel with its escalation in Lebanon, where for more than three weeks it has targeted Hezbollah bastions.

Israel has long accused Hezbollah of transferring weapons through Syria.

Last month, it was reported that Israeli special forces carried out a massive raid on an Iranian weapons facility in the Masyaf area in Syria, killing at least 14 people, wounding 43 and sparking fires.

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel, which rarely comments on individual strikes, is believed to have carried out hundreds of strikes, mainly targeting army positions and Iranian-backed fighters, including Hezbollah.

(timesofisrael.com)

 

Northern Israel Including Haifa, Acre, Under Rocket Fire

Rocket fire targeted northern Israel early on Thursday (17th) with sirens activated in and around the cities of Haifa and Acre, in the Carmel Mountain Range and parts of the Jezreel Valley.

The IDF said two projectiles were fired into Israel from Lebanon.  One was intercepted and another landed in an open area.  No injuries or damages were reported.

Rocket fire targeted the north overnight with multiple sirens heard in the lower Galilee region around the city of Karmiel after one rocket made a direct hit on a home in the neighboring village of Majd al-Krum on Wednesday (16th), wounding at least four people.

Also, overnight, the military said it intercepted a hostile drone heading to the southern Arava Desert, over the Mediterranean Sea, before it entered Israeli airspace.

(ynetnews.com)

   

Israel Turns To Defense Industry For Help In Bolstering Capabilities Against Drones

The government has turned to the defense industry to bolster the military’s ability to intercept aerial drones launched by Iran or by its proxy terror groups, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The Defense Ministry said Tuesday (15th) that it had launched a competition among eight large and small companies.

“After analyzing the trial results, the Defense Ministry will select several technologies to enter an accelerated development and production process.  This aims to deploy new operational capabilities within months,” it said.

In addition to missiles, rockets and an array of other arms, Iran, Hezbollah and others have used drones in attacks on Israel, a weapon that has proven tough to counter.

On Sunday (13th), a Hezbollah drone struck the Israel Defense Forces’ Golani Brigade training base near Binyamina, killing four soldiers and injuring dozens, after it eluded Israeli air defense radars.

The unmanned aerial vehicle, laden with explosives, evaded Israel’s multi-layered air-defense system and slammed into a mess hall at a military training camp deep inside Israel.  

Over the past year of drone and rocket attacks from Iran-supported terrorist organizations in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq, several drones have succeeded in hitting targets before they could be detected.

Last week, two soldiers were killed when a drone from Iraq hit a base in the Golan Heights, and another drone hit a retirement home with no injuries.

Drones were also used to kick off Hamas’ mass invasion and onslaught of October 7, 2023, successfully disabling electronic monitoring systems along the Gaza border.

“The UAV threat is a multi-arena threat originating from Iran, which supplies UAVs to Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq, and even launches them itself,” said Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

“We must concentrate the national effort… to produce operational solutions quickly.”

Those participating in developing solutions include Israel’s top defense firms – Elbit Systems, Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries.

Defense Ministry Director-General spoke at the 2023 Herzliya Conference on May 22, 2023  saying, “Over the years, Israel has built up its aerial defense array to provide broad protection against short-range rocket fire and medium-and long-range missiles, although experts caution that it is not airtight.  While the system has taken down drones repeatedly, many have penetrated Israel’s airspace and sidestepped its defenses, in some cases with deadly results.”

Drones are harder to detect than rockets or missiles because they fly slowly and often include plastic components, having a weaker thermal footprint with radar systems than powerful rockets and missiles.  The trajectory is also harder to track.  Drones can have roundabout flight paths, can come from any direction, fly lower to the ground and  – because they are much smaller than rockets – can be mistaken for birds.

(timesofisrael.com)

 

 France Bans Israel From Defense Show, Gallant: ‘A Disgrace’

This week, France announced that Israeli delegations will be banned from exhibiting at the Euronaval defense show in November.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday (16th) blasted French President Emmanuel Macron after Israeli delegations were banned from exhibiting at the Euronaval defense show.

”French President Macron’s actions are a disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world, which he claims to uphold.  The decision to discriminate against Israeli defense industries in France a second time – aids Israel’s enemies during war.  This builds on the decision to place an arms embargo on the Jewish state,” said Gallant.

“France has adopted, and is consistently implementing a hostile policy towards the Jewish people.  We will continue defending our nation against enemies on seven different fronts, and fight for our future with or without France,” he added.

Gallant’s comments came hours after organizers of the major Euronaval defense show, which is set to take place in France in November, announced that Israeli delegations taking part in the show will not be permitted to set up any stand or exhibit hardware.

“The French government informed Euronaval of its decision to approve the participation of Israeli delegations at Euronaval 2024, without any stand or exhibition of equipment,” said the organizers of the show which is due to start November 4 in Paris, as quoted by the AFP news agency.

Euronaval, a biennial event that attracts naval defense exhibitors from around the world, said seven Israeli companies are affected by the decision.

The decision comes amid tense relations between France and Israel.  Macron has grown increasingly critical of Israel’s counterterrorism operations in Gaza and Lebanon. 

Just last week, the French President said that “stopping the export of weapons” used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon was the only way to end fighting there.

“We all know it.  It’s the unique lever that would end it,” Macron said at a summit of European and Mediterranean leaders in Cyprus.

Macron also claimed that Israel was “deliberately targeting” UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon and said this was “unacceptable.”

Those comments were the second time in a week that Macron has called for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel.  Netanyahu responded to Macron’s first call and said, “As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side.  Yet President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel.”

“Shame on them.  Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies?  Of course not.  The axis of terror stands together.  But countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel.  What a disgrace!” he added.

He promised, “Israel will win with or without their support.  But their shame will continue long after the war is won.”

On Tuesday (15th), Macron said that Netanyahu should not fail to forget that a UN resolution created Israel and, as such, “he should not liberate himself from the decisions of the UN.”

Later, Netanyahu spoke to Macron and told him that he opposes a unilateral ceasefire, while also clarifying that Israel would not agree to any arrangement that does not provide this and which does not stop Hezbollah from rearming and regrouping.

The Prime Minister’s Office stated following the conversation, “A reminder to the French President: It was not a UN decision that established the State of Israel but the victory that was achieved in the War of Independence with the blood of our heroic fighters, many of whom were Holocaust survivors, including from the Vichy regime in France.”  

 “It would also be worthwhile to recall that in recent decades, the UN has approved hundreds of anti-Semitic decisions against the State of Israel, the purpose of which is to deny the one and only Jewish State’s right to exist and its ability to defend itself.”

(israelnationalnews.com)

 

Kippah-Wearing Jewish Teen Attacked In Paris Hate-Crime

A 15-year-old Jewish boy who was wearing a kippah was attacked in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, French media reported.  The attackers are reported to be of North African origin.

The incident joins a long line of cases in which Jews have been attacked in the French capital.  Earlier this month, a Jewish woman was attacked at the entrance to her residential building.  The attackers carved swastikas on her body and assaulted her.

According to reports, on Sunday (13th) around 7 p.m., the boy left the metro station in Levallois- Perret, a residential area in the Haute-de-Seine district of Paris.  At this point, the two attackers approached him.

“They quickly removed his kippah.  The two men turned to him and told him: ‘You, Jew, wait for us, wait for us,’ and then attacked him,” the boy’s mother told French media.  “My son stopped and turned around to see who these people were, who were calling him.”  After that, he continued to move forward, but one of them managed to catch him.”

The mother continued the description of the attack: “They pushed him in a corner near another subway exit and told him: ‘Jew , come here, give us your cell phone!”  They ripped off the earpieces he had in his ears, and then they hit him in the face and mouth.”

According to the mother, the boy ran away and left the metro station.  But the attackers caught up with him in the street.  “My son was able to defend himself, but they succeeded in throwing him to the ground and kicking him in the mouth.  My son screamed and they eventually ran away,” she said.

The mother told Le Parisien: “I think if he didn’t have his kippah, they wouldn’t have attacked him.”  According to the report in the Jewish Chronicle, the mother asked her son to stop wearing a kippah.  The victim’s parents filed a complaint at the police station for “intentional violence of an anti-Semitic nature.”

About 20,000 Jews live in Levallois and this is one of the Jewish communities in the country where the number of anti-Semitic incidents has jumped in the past year.

French politician Isabelle Balkany published on her X account a sharp condemnation along with a horrifying picture of the mouth of the boy who was attacked.  She wrote: A young man from Levallois, wearing a kippah, was violently attacked by two people of North African origin who called him a dirty Jew.”

(ynetnews.com) 

 

 Cuba’s Dictator Leads Anti-Israel March

Havana’s streets erupted in a sea of Palestinian flags on Monday (14th) as Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel led hundreds in a charged march in support of Hamas.

The demonstration featuring some 250 Palestinian medical students studying in Cuba, saw Diaz-Canel and his cronies donning Keffiyeh scarves while parading behind a banner reading “Long live free Palestine.”

Originally scheduled for the anniversary of the Hamas October 7 massacre, the march was postponed due to Hurricane Milton.  A delay that did nothing to temper the event’s anti-Israel fervor.

“We are here to support the just claim of the Palestinian people, for their sovereignty, their freedom against the genocidal crusade that Israel practices towards the Palestinian people,” Michel Marino, a 20-year-old international relations student, told AFP.

Notably absent from the Cuban government’s fictitious narrative was any mention of the Hamas attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages.

While Diaz-Canel grandstands on the world stage, joining South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel at the ICI, the regime continues to stifle dissent and basic freedoms at home.

Thousands of starving Cubans took to the streets in March to demand better living conditions amid persistent blackouts and food scarcity.

Despite the severity of these conditions, Diaz-Canel has made no substantive economic reforms, instead opting to hand out harsh and lengthy prison sentences to perceived threats.

(worldisraelnews.com)

Israel Strikes Hezbollah Weapons Cache In Dahieh, Beirut After Week Of Quiet

After a week of quiet, Israel Air Force jets struck the Dahieh neighborhood of southern Beirut on Wednesday morning (16th).

Witnesses told Reuters that after Israel struck the Lebanese capital, a blast was heard, and a plume of smoke could be seen.

The IDF later stated that the IAF had targeted “strategic weapons belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization” in a strike conducted according to precise intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate.

The weapons were being stored in a subterranean storage facility, the military noted.

The military stated that a number of measures were taken prior to the strike in order to minimize potential harm to civilians.

Approximately an hour before the strike, IDF Arab media spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted a warning on X/Twitter, urging Lebanese residents near a building identified on a map in the post to evacuate.  Adraee noted in his post that the building was located in Haret Hreik, a municipality in Dahieh.

“You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, and the IDF will work against them in the near future,” the IDF spokesperson wrote.  “For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate this building.”

The map shared in the post noted, in Arabic,  that the people in the vicinity of the building highlighted on the map were required to move 500 meters from the site.  The map also highlighted the Marty Mahmoud Faid School, located next to the building.

(jpost.com)

 

IDF Chief: Hezbollah Hides Its Dead As Israel Tightens The Noose

Israel’s military chief said on Tuesday (15th) that Hezbollah’s decision to withhold information about its casualties shows the terrorist group is in a difficult position.

“Hezbollah is hiding its casualties while fabricating losses on our side.  There is a gap that shows the organization is in a difficult situation,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said during a security briefing.  “We need to widen this gap, protect our forces, strike their operatives and apply more pressure as Hezbollah faces growing distress.”

Halevi’s remarks come as Hezbollah has reportedly stopped publishing its daily list of casualties since Israel launched its Operation Northern Arrows, which opened with a spree of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies that killed dozens of Hezbollah terrorists and maimed thousands and continued with airstrikes on Beirut and a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.  While the group has also refrained from disclosing the names of its senior commanders killed in the fighting, Israel continues to target key figures.

Meanwhile, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari highlighted on Tuesday (15th) during an interview with the US-based Arabic language channel Alhurra the list of top Hezbollah commanders killed since the start of the war, including Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

Hagari presented a graphic showing other high-ranking figures, such as Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s expected successor, and Hezbollah intelligence chief Ali Hussein Hazima, also targeted.

Among the confirmed slain leaders are Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi, head of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket division; Ali Karaki, southern front commander; and Ibrahim Aqil, head of operations.  The list also includes Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military commander, Nabil Qaouk, head of Hezbollah’s preventive security unit, and several others responsible for arms transfers and air defense.

Hagari reiterated that Hezbollah initiated the hostilities last year and emphasized that the Israeli military would continue targeting locations where the group stores weapons.  “Any home containing Hezbollah weaponry will be struck,” he said, adding that Lebanon’s borders would remain under close surveillance to prevent arms smuggling.

“We are not at war with the State of Lebanon or its people,” Hagari said, clarifying that Israeli operations are focused on Hezbollaah’s use of southern Lebanese villages as military bases.  “Our actions are limited to targeting the villages Hezbollah has turned into terror hubs near our border.”

(ynetnews.com)

 

Netanyahu: Israel Will Respond To Iran ‘Based On National Security Needs’

The decision to respond to Iran’s missile attack against Israel will be “based on Israel’s national security needs,” according to a statement released by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, early Tuesday (15th).

“We listen to the American government’s thoughts, but will make our final decisions based on Israel’s national security needs,” the statement continued.

The statement was an apparent response to a Washington Post report on Monday (14th) that Netanyahu had informed US President Joe Biden that Israel’s retaliatory strike on the Islamic Republic would avoid oil and nuclear installations and instead focus on military sites.

A US official and an official familiar with the matter told the Post that the comments were made during a phone call last week between the two leaders.  The latter official said that the retaliatory action would be adjusted to avoid the perception of “political interference in the US elections.”

Both officials suggested that the alleged softening of Netanyahu’s stance in favor of a more limited strike was related to Washington’s decision to deploy in Israel a THAAD advanced aerial defense system to defend against a potential Iranian response.  

The Israeli strike on Iran would be carried out before the US presidential election on Nov. 5, the official familiar with the matter said, because a lack of action could be seen by the regime in Tehran as a sign of weakness.

Jerusalem’s target list will likely include Iranian military and energy infrastructures, but not nuclear facilities or assassinations, NBC News reported on Saturday (12th), citing US officials.

However, the sources stressed that Israel has not decided on the type or timing of the strikes.

The Jewish state has vowed a significant response to Tehran’s second-ever direct attack on Oct. 1, in which over 180 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel from Iranian soil.  The Israeli military with the assistance of the United States and Jordan shot down most of the missiles, with the sole casualty of the attack being a Palestinian man from Gaza who was struck by falling missile debris near Jericho.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Oct. 9 that Israel’s strike “will be powerful, precise and above all, surprising,” adding that the Islamic Regime “will not understand what happened and how it happened.”

(worldisraelnews.com)

 

Policeman Killed, 4 Injured In Terror Shooting On Highway Near Ashdod

A policeman was killed and four people were wounded when a terrorist opened fire along the Route 4 highway north of the coastal city of Ashdod Tuesday (15th).

The victim was identified as First Sgt. Adir Kadosh, 33.  He was critically wounded in the attack, and died of his injuries on the way to the hospital, medical officials and police said.

Reports in Hebrew and Arabic media identified the terrorist as 28-year-old Muhammad Dardouna, who entered Israel illegally from the West Bank.  According to the reports, Dardouna was originally from Jabalya, in the Gaza Strip, but resided in the West Bank after moving there several years ago.

Assuta Medical Center said it was treating an individual who was moderately hurt by pieces of his car window that was shattered by gunfire, and two others who were lightly hurt, including a doctor who stopped his car to treat the injured and was hit by another car.

Another injured person was taken to Kaplan Medical Center.

An initial probe found that Dardouna approached the road on foot, police said.  Citing the Central District Police Commander, Channel 12 reported that he approached the police car stationed at the side of the road after the officers noticed him walking and called him over for a security check.

He then fired at Kadosh and injured the additional four people before he was shot by a Magen David Adom ambulance service volunteer who happened to be at the scene.

In a statement, the Israeli Police said Kadosh was supposed to be getting married in November.  He joined the Israel Police in 2013, after completing his military service in the Border Police and served in the traffic division since 2022.  He is survived by his parents and two siblings.

The incident is the latest in a string of deadly attacks as Jewish Israelis mark the High Holidays.

Last Wednesday (9th), a man was killed in a terror-stabbing rampage in Hadera.

Days earlier, Sgt. Shira Suslik, 19, a Border Police officer, was killed by a gunman at the central bus station in Beersheba – with 10 wounded in the attack.

Earlier this month, seven people were killed and at least eight were wounded in a shooting and stabbing attack in Jaffa, in one of the deadliest attacks in Israel in recent years.

In a statement, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s office said a greater disaster was averted on Tuesday (16th) due to the minister’s easing of private gun ownership, adding that the civilian  who shot the attacker had received his private gun license three months earlier.

(timesofisrael.com)

  

Israel’s Strategic Goals In The Current War – Prof. Eitan Shamir

Many commentators claim that Israel lacks a clear plan for “the day after” the end of the current war.  But Israel is not playing a short-term game.  Beyond its declared war goals, Israel is aiming to create a new security reality in the region by weakening Iran and its proxies.  This broader goal stems from the understanding that to Israel, this war is existential, and the removal of significant threats from Israel’s border is non-negotiable.

Post-Oct. 7, Israel now understands that it can no longer allow hostile terrorist armies to exist on its borders waiting for the order to invade Israeli territory.  When a war is existential, the goal is first to remove the threat and only then to clarify arrangements for “the day after.”  This is not, after all, the American invasion of Iraq, a war that took place thousands of miles from U.S. borders.

In Gaza, the fight against remnants of Hamas, isolated terrorist cells that continue to operate, will go on for many months and perhaps even years.  The realistic goal is to hit Hamas hard enough that Gaza does not pose a greater threat than that posed by Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank.

The IDF understands that in Lebanon it is not possible to destroy most of the enemy’s forces.  It is, however, possible to hit Hezbollah extremely hard.  The goal is to bring Hezbollah to the point where it no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel and is unable to carry out a massive invasion of the Galilee.  Israel’s test will be whether or not it can prevent Iran from rehabilitating Hezbollah.  Israel will have to expand the campaign between the wars that it has been conducting in Syria for 10 years.  It will now need to include Lebanon for the purpose of disrupting, delaying, and preventing Hezbollah’s buildup.

Finally, there is potential for new regional arrangements, including normalization with more Arab countries, if Israel succeeds in significantly weakening the Iranian threat.  If Israel can show potential allies major military achievements against a common enemy, it can suggest a political plan that will improve its position in the region – but not before then.  For Israel there is no end game, only a long game.

The writer is head of the BESA Center and professor in the Department of Political Studies of Bar-Ilan University.

(besacenter.org)   

 

The Psychological Barrier Of Western Ideology – Irwin J. Mansdorf

• Western ideology and consciousness fail to grasp the depth of a culture that does not accept a Jewish state in its midst.  On Oct. 1, just before Iranian missiles rained down on Israel, two armed Palestinians exited a train in Jaffa, adjacent to Tel Aviv, systematically killing seven civilians, including one young woman clutching a baby to her chest.

• The two likely knew they would not survive their rampage to kill as many Jews as possible, but this probably raised their motivation even higher,  presenting them with a prize of martyrdom and a place in the hearts of family and community who celebrated rather than mourned their deaths.

• Western minds want to believe that we are all alike, that we all want the same things, and that we all just want peace.  It is the same thinking that glorifies “resistance” as legitimate and fails to recognize that internal belief systems are far more responsible for behavior than any external environmental factors.

• The West’s noble but naive approach, based on wishful magical thinking, absolves the putative “victim” of any responsibility and assumes that a “fair” solution would solve everything.  As with any ideology, this thinking is hard to crack, despite the test of reality.

• A reality where Palestinian leadership rewards terror, with stipends if they survive, and subsidies for their families if they are killed.  A reality where Palestinians educate children that Jews have no history in the land and have no rights to exist as a state.  A reality where Palestinians chose and continue to support Hamas.  A reality where Hezbollah and Iran both seek to eliminate Israel.

• The inability to recognize the defining role of ideology in the culture of the Middle East has incapacitated much of Western thinking and has tilted policy towards solutions that impose Western-based  values on a culture that views things very, very differently.

The writer is a clinical psychologist and a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs specializing in political psychology.

(israelhayom.com)

Here’s a summary of significant events in Israel now:

1. US Gives Israel 30 Days to Address Gaza Aid Crisis, Threatens to Curb Weapons Supply; “Letter from Blinken and Austin lists series of demands, including allowing 350 trucks daily into the Strip, ensuring that north Gaza isn’t ‘isolated;’ deadline falls days after US election.”

2. “IDF Says it arrested 3 Hezbollah commandos; is interrogating them for intel.”

“Lebanese PM: ‘I have American assurances that Israeli strikes in Beirut will be reduced.”

3. “Israel’s Growth Expands at slower pace as the grueling war takes an economic toll”

“Israel’s GDP is revised down to 0.3 percent in the April to June period, as the year long war with Hamas puts a strain on exports, according to statistics bureau data.”

4. “4 soldiers killed in drone strike, as families ask why there was no warning.” The four soldiers killed and fifty-eight others wounded, were eating dinner when the explosives-laden drone hit the dining room.”

5. “Researchers uncover hidden tomb under ‘Indiana Jones’ landmark in Petra.”

That’s a look at Israel following the first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas War. There is much to stay abreast of and to bring to God in prayer regarding Israel, its people, its military, and its leaders. Above all pray for a just, lasting peace and a complete victory for Israel over its terrorist foes.

(Source:  The Times of Israel)

Senior Director of Standards and Practices at CBS News reminded employees to be cautious when it comes to speaking about this ancient Israeli city. What was it and why is CBS allowing this?

WATCH THE VIDEO

Netanyahu: ‘We’ll Continue To Strike Lebanon Without Mercy’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (14th), visited the IDF Golani Brigades Training Base which was hit Sunday evening (13th) by a UAV of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.

The Prime Minister visited the dining hall that was hit and spoke with the commanders and soldiers about the difficult incident in which four fighters were killed and dozens were wounded.  The Prime Minister was impressed by the resourcefulness of the fighters and medics who treated the wounded, and commended them.

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated at the base, “I am here at the Golani base that was hit Sunday (13th) by UAVs of the murderous Hezbollah terrorist organization.  You hear the shooting in the distance; those are Golani Brigade soldiers who are continuing to train for the continuation of the campaign.”

“First of all, I would like to send condolences to the families of the four heroic soldiers who fell here yesterday: Sgt. Omri Tamari; Sgt Yosef Hieb; Sgt. Yoav Agmon; and Sgt. Alon Amitay – may their memories be for a blessing.  May God avenge them, “ he said.

“From here I am going to visit the wounded who were injured in The Sunday night (13th) attack. Together with the entire nation, I pray for their quick recovery,” he added.  “They and their fellow soldiers who are recovering here, and the soldiers who fell – they are the generation of victory.”

“You are fighting in a difficult war against Iran’s axis of evil that seeks to destroy us.  They will not succeed,” Netanyahu told the soldiers.  “We are continuing to fight.  We are paying a painful price but we have considerable achievements which we will continue to make.”

He declared, “I would like to make it clear: We will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy everywhere in Lebanon – Beirut. Everything is according to operational considerations.  We have proven this recently and we will continue to prove it in the coming days as well.”

“The main thing is the spirit, the spirit that I see here; the great spirit of the soldiers and medics, fighters that understand that they are fighting for the eternity of Israel.  With God’s help, together we will fight and together we will win,” Netanyahu added.

Rockets fired by Hezbollah continued to pummel Israel throughout Monday (14th) setting off sirens as far south as Ness Ziona, as Israel continued to strike in Lebanon, after a drone strike a day earlier killed four IDF soldiers.

Dozens of rockets targeted Israel throughout the day, as fierce fighting continued in southern Lebanon between IDF troops and Hezbollah, while the Israeli Air Force carried out a rare strike in northern Lebanon and the IDF set a goal of completely eliminating their terror group’s drone operations.

Mid-morning, around ten rockets were fired at the Haifa area, and the IDF said that most were intercepted and some fell in open areas.  Not long afterward, a barrage of rockets set off sirens in Netanya, Baqa al-Gharbiyye and several dozen surrounding towns.  The IDF said it intercepted all of the rockets fired from Lebanon, and no injuries were reported.

Mid-afternoon Monday (14th) a barrage of 15 rockets was fired toward Karmiel in the Galilee, with most of them intercepted.  One did hit a parked car, setting it on fire with no injuries reported.

Meanwhile, the IDF said Monday afternoon (14th) that it had killed Muhammad Kamel Naim, the head of  the anti-tank missile array of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, in an airstrike in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh.

The IDF said on Monday afternoon (14th) that over the past day, ground forces and the IAF had killed dozens of Hezbollah operatives in close combat and in airstrikes.  The IAF had struck 200 targets in a 24-hour period including rocket launchers, anti-tank missile positions, military outposts and weapons caches.

On September 30, Israeli troops began what the IDF said was a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon, in which 12 Israeli soldiers were killed. 

(timesofisrael.com)

 

Exposed: Hezbollah Underground Compound Stocked With Weapons For Invasion Of Israel

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced Monday evening (14th) that the soldiers of the 8th Brigade combat team, under the command of the 91st Division, continue to conduct limited, localized, targeted raids based on precise intelligence in southern Lebanon.  Together with the Yahalom Unit, the soldiers located an underground compound stretching across 800 meters that served as a command center for Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces.

Inside the underground compound, the IDF found helicopter-fired missiles, mortar shells, motorcycles, living quarters, and means for long-term stays, including a kitchen stocked with food and supplies. Hezbollah intended to mobilize these weapons as part of their “Conquer the Galilee” invasion plan and deliberately embedded this underground command center below a civilian area in southern Lebanon.

During the targeted raid on the compound, the troops engaged in an encounter with a terrorist who had embedded himself in the headquarters.  Guided by an Israeli Air Force aircraft, the terrorist was eliminated.  The troops are continuing their activity in the area and are investigating the tunnel route.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. “They were planning, with these motorcycles here, to enter Kiryat Shmona, to Yiftah, to villages and positions inside Israel and conduct a massacre as was done in southern Israel border communities.  We feel they were here recently, because coffee was still warm in the cups.”

(israelnationalnews.com)

 

IDF’s New Target: Hezbollah’s Drone Unit, Provided By Iran

Amid the dense forest of geopolitical maneuvering, Hezbollah’s Unit 127 – its drone division – has emerged as a formidable player, evolving significantly since the 2006 Second Lebanon War.  This unit, primarily rooted in Lebanon, has sharpened its expertise in crafting and deploying drones for a spectrum of purposes – ranging from offensive operations to intelligence gathering. 

Major General Tomer Bar, the Air Force Commander, ordered the corps to prioritize the dismantling of this unit’s cadre, marking them as high-value targets in the complex chess game of regional security.  This comes in the wake of the deadly attack by a Sayyad 107 drone that exploded  at the Golani training base, claiming the lives of four soldiers and injuring dozens more.

The brainchild behind this drone initiative was senior Hezbollah figure Hassan al-Laqis, who was allegedly assassinated over a decade ago near his Beirut residence.  Al-Laqis, who had been a mastermind in UAV development, reportedly frequented Iran, visiting factories, engaging in military drills, and consulting with experts.

His name, etched in Hezbollah lore, was often invoked by former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who spoke about al-Laqis’ pioneering efforts in UAV technology for Hezbollah.  Nasrallah himself was known to visit al-Laqis’ labs, where innovation in drone technology was nurtured to meet the tactical needs of the organization.  

Unit 127’s reach extends beyond Lebanon, playing a pivotal role in establishing drone infrastructure in Syria, particularly in regions like Homs and Palmyra, in direct collaboration with local Iranian forces.  This unit operates closely with Iran’s Quds Force Unit 340, which aids Iran’s proxies in developing autonomous weapon production capabilities across the Middle East – from Yemen to Gaza.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed an unrelenting offensive against Hezbollah across all of Lebanon, including Beirut.  He said this was a broader, grueling campaign against what he termed the “axis of evil” led by Iran, asserting that despite the heavy toll, Israel continues to achieve significant strategic victories.

(ynetnews.com)

 

‘Hitting Us With Sticks’: Gazan Says Hamas Beats Civilians attempting To Evacuate

Hamas is beating Gazan civilians who attempt to evacuate to the Al-Mawasi humanitarian area from Jabalya, a Palestinian resident of Gaza told an IDF Unit 504 representative in an audio recording shared by the military on Monday afternoon (14th).

Unit 504 is an IDF human intelligence unit.

“The problem is that when we follow the army’s instructions and try to go to Al-Mawasi, there are people who come out against us and start hitting us with sticks, telling us ‘go back, go back,’” the Gazan civilian said to a military representative in the IDF recording.

The military reported that the development came as troops of the IDF’s 162nd Division operated against Hamas terrorists in the area.

“What should we do?” the resident asked.  “We want to leave.  We took our belongings  and wanted to leave, and now they’re hitting us and telling us to ‘go home, go home,’ What should we do?”

In response, the IDF representative asked whether it was Israeli troops or Hamas terrorists beating the civilians with sticks.

“Hamas, Hamas,” the Gazan responded, adding that the terrorists were continuing to send civilians back to the area from which they were attempting to evacuate.

“While the IDF makes every effort to move civilians away from the battlefield, Hamas continues to make every effort to keep civilians in the line of fire,” the IDF stated.

Hamas has a history of attacking dissidents.

Palestinian dissidents against Hamas have routinely been attacked or murdered by members of the terror group in the past.

In September, Gazan activists and whistleblowers told the New York Times about the abusive treatment Hamas inflicts on Civilians.

Amin Abed, a Palestinian who found bullets on his doorstep in response to speaking out against Hamas, told the NYTs that he was hospitalized after terrorists beat him with hammers and metal bars.

“At any moment, I can be killed by the Israeli occupation, but I can face the same fate at the hands of those who have been ruling us for 17 years,” he said from a UAE hospital bed.  “They almost killed me, those are killers and criminals.”

(jpost.com)

 

IDF Builds First Sukkah In Gaza Since 2005

Israel Defense Forces soldiers have erected a sukkah in the Netzarim Corridor dividing northern and southern Gaza ahead of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, which starts on Wednesday (16th), Hebrew media reported.

It is the first time a sukkah has been built in Gaza since Israel disengaged from the enclave in 2005, forcibly removing some 8,000 Jews from their homes.  

During the weeklong Sukkot holiday, which this year starts at sundown on Oct. 16 and runs through Oct. 23, Jews erect festive booths across the Jewish state, in keeping with the Biblical commandment of Leviticus 23: 42-43 to “dwell” in sukkot to remember the Exodus from Egypt.

Amid the ongoing IDF campaigns against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the IDF Rabbinate is this year providing troops with a portable sukkah which meets all the requirements of Jewish law but can be quickly assembled and disassembled in the field.

The Rabbinate also issued some 12,000 sets of the “Four Species” that have been checked to ensure that every soldier can fully enjoy the holiday ritual that involves waving a bundle of four plants (an etrog; lulav; myrtle bough; and willow branch).

The Sukkot holiday is immediately followed by Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Law), which last year saw thousands  of Hamas terrorists invade Israel, killing some 1,200 people, primarily Jews, while taking 251 captives to the Gaza Strip.

(worldisraelnews.com)

 

CAM Reports Record-High Of 324 Anti-Semitic Incidents In One Week

The Anti-Semitism  Research Center (ARC)  of the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) recorded 324 anti-Semitic incidents worldwide last week, the center announced on Monday (14th).  This amounts to nearly double the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in a single week of monitoring over the past five years.

Over forty percent of the recorded incidents took place on college campuses, marking the highest they’ve been since the emergence of anti-Israel encampments in April of this year.  

In September, a report was published by former New York chief judge Jonathan Lippman, calling for a significant overhaul of the City College of New York (CUNY) system to address “the levels of anti-Semitism and discrimination that exist on CUNY’s campuses today.

CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa commented on the report’s findings, saying, “The world cannot continue as if nothing has changed.  This week, the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement recorded the highest number of anti-Semitic incidents since our founding over five years ago.  We believe it’s also the week with the highest number of attacks on Jews since the end of the Holocaust.”

Last week, following the one-year anniversary of the October 7 massacre, masked pro-Palestine protesters broke into the office of a Jewish professor at the University  of Melbourne in Australia in an alleged protest over his academic connection to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Dratwa added, “We say to people around the world that you have two choices – stand by and watch,  knowing that hatred will eventually turn against you.  Or rise up and take a stand.  If you’re ready to take action, join us.  This call is for people of all faiths – let’s stand together against hatred.”

(jpost.com)