Check this video out!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/autdvTDNIZs
Today I posted a video. Some of you seem to be asking me for more “human interest” stories, such as the one about the IDF Oketz (canine unit). I have to say that I feel like I am reporting on a war so it is hard to post such stories. But here is a video you check out. It shows a unit of the Infantry Battalion, Golani. While on an evening workout running in a neighborhood in the ultra-orthodox neighborhood of B’nei Braq, they ran into a young bride having her photos taken before her wedding. Instantly, they surrounded her singing a tradition song sung at Jewish weddings in her honor. It takes a special army and society to see things like this… at least in my opinion.
One rocket was fired from Gaza this afternoon. It was intercepted by Iron Dome. NO IDF casualties reported on either the Gaza nor Lebanon conflict zones.
As part of the preparations underway for the IDF entry into Rafah, senior ranking officers in the IDF and Shin Bet (aka FBI) were dispatched to Cairo to brief their Egyptian counterparts on the plan. With the newly called up IDF battalions, drills are underway for preparation of the next stage with the entry into Rafah. Estimates hitting the press suggest that the IDF expects the main evacuation of civilians to take about four weeks. Tent cities are already being constructed west of Khan Younis to house the displaced Gazans.
Over the past 24 hours more than 50 active sites used by terrorists in Gaza to stage rocket and other attacks against Israel were identified and eliminated. These included tunnels and armories. In effect, every other civilian structure in Gaza is either an armory storage facility and/or tunnel entrance. This is not an exaggeration.
Today, Hamas released a video of one of the American Israeli hostages - Hirsh Goldberg Polin (23). The video shows him missing his left hand. He was one of the participants in the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023. Based on security camera videos it was known that he lost his hand. It is not clear when the video was taken. Also, today, Hamas sources are insisting that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, briefly emerged from his tunnel to inspect areas experiencing previous heavy fighting. Perhaps, the reason for the IDF evacuation of the two brigades in early April was to encourage the “rat” to come out of the sewer in the hopes of identifying him??
In any case, the Hamas leadership as quoted in Al-Jazeera, insists that they are holding hostage at least 30 high-ranking members of Israeli security forces. This is pretty much a bogus claim as there never were that number of high ranking officers held hostage. The only one that the terrorists captured was Col. Asaf Hamami, who died from wounds early in the conflict. He was captured during the fighting on October 7.
According to COGAT metrics, 357 aid trucks entered Gaza today. Yet that does not seem to be sufficient for the Biden Administration. I believe that the US President is making a reference to the Ukraine-Israel-Taiwan-Gaza Aid Bill that was signed into law today. He is intending to use the budgeted $9B to increase the amount of aid entering Gaza even more than what is entering today, applying pressure on the IDF in the process. Of the funds allocated by the law Congress just passed, $17B is destined for Israel to be used solely to purchase needed weapons and ammunition from the USA. While on the subject of aid, Germany announced that it would resume cooperation with UNRWA. This was after the agency insisted that it was investigated by the former French Foreign Minister who proclaimed that the IDF had not produced any evidence showing UNRWA staff also operating with the terrorist groups in Gaza. In the meantime, the Biden Administration announced that it wanted to see “real reform” before it restores UNRWA funding. If past behavior, rules… this means that after UNRWA stonewalling for two months, then screaming about famine in Gaza, the USA will cave and give them what they want. This is how it always happens.
In response to yesterday’s incendiary report from Al-Jazeera about buried bodies being exhumed by Gazan health workers near the al-Nasser Hospital, the EU is now insisting on a full investigation. The IDF insists that it, as well as impartial international bodies, have evidence showing that the Gazans had dug those graves amid fighting in Gaza, and were not dug by the IDF in order to hide them.
Today, in a briefing to his senior staff, Defense Minister Gallant stated that by their estimates the IDF has now eliminated about ½ of the senior brigade-level commanders of Hezbollah. Such officers would command about 6,000 fighters each. Also many battalion level commanders have been killed, even more, but the numbers were not released. He insists that the remaining commanders are remaining hidden underground to avoid detection by Israeli forces. This afternoon IDF fighter jets targeted some 40 Hezbollah armories, observation posts and other related military facilities, destroying them. Sirens sounded in the Druze Arab village of Mahal Shams near the Syrian border this evening. They warned of incoming rockets. Reports on injuries or damage have not reached the press at the time I wrote this. Earlier in the day Hezbollah lobbed several volleys of anti-tank missiles into Israel. No injuries, but light damage to two private homes was reported. Late last night Hezbollah launched a large barrage (> 25) rockets across the border into Israel. Altogether, Hezbollah attacked Israel with aerial armaments more than four times today.
In related news, in a public statement to a Beirut media outlet, a source close to senior Hezbollah officials remarked that Iran has withdrawn its forces from southern Syria. From the description it appears that they have withdrawn from at least 40 km from the Israeli border and much of the Jordanian border. But, they are notorious liars and I do not think that leaked stories like this constitute any change in policy.
And in other Iranian related news, it was announced today that back in 2007 Major General Ali-Reza Asgari, previous Iranian Defense Minister, defected to the USA. In his debriefing with US Defense Officials he disclosed heretofore top secret details on Iran’s nuclear program. According to the report, it was Asgari’s intelligence that caused the USA to hold back on attacking Iran’s nuclear program back in 2007. I wonder if the CIA’s counterparts in the Israeli Mossad were briefed on this major intelligence coup?? Apparently, up until his defection Asgari was also heavily involved with the training and assistance to Hezbollah.
In the past I have written about the issues with Qatar, including my reference yesterday to a senior official speaking at an Arab League event . But, if you have the time to read this detailed analysis of Qatar I recommend it.