Today’s Images
In effect, the northern part of Israel is on fire. It is just not a few homes in a village. Our forests and agriculture fields are on fire. Our towns are being destroyed and our cities severely damaged. The only thing keeping the casualty count from skyrocketing is that most everyone has evacuated from the northern part of the country since October 8. Imagine, if you will, that the entirety of the states of Washington, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota were on fire and all the residents evacuated to live in hotels in Texas and Arizona…. for eight months! If you can imagine what that would be like, then you can begin to imagine what we are going through. Hezbollah is pounding our north with more than 50 rockets, missiles and drones a day. And the IDF estimates that they still have more than 90% of their rockets/missiles left to fire. The only thing preventing the IDF from dealing with this disaster is the US Administration,, that is trying to micromanage. This cannot go on. The Chief of Staff is in the north today and there is a lot of talk about war with Lebanon. Here is a link to the video.
Yesterday, Defense Minister Gallant, Chief of Staff HaLevi and War Cabinet Minister Gantz all visited both civilians and IDF senior staff in the northern part of the country. Today Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the north.
Hamas Gaza Rockets
No rockets launched from Gaza crossed into Israel in the past nine days.
Casualties
No IDF casualties were reported in the past five days.
Gaza Operations
IDF infantry operating in Rafah has found more than 20 tunnels and 82 shafts connecting the tunnels to the surface traversing across the border with Egypt. They are still exploring the tunnels. In the meantime they found a 2 km (1.24 mile) tunnel which interconnects many of the tunnels which cross the border. All of these are used to smuggle weapons, people and contraband. Inside the 2 km tunnel the IDF uncovered many weapons storage facilities, explosives and very valuable intelligence materials left behind. Incidentally, members of the Egyptian government have denied that these tunnels existed…. Most likely this is because Egypt is complicit with Hamas in operating these tunnels as they provide a nice steady income.
Just after a couple days after entering Bureij and Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, the IDF announced that it has operational control. They uncovered several rockets hidden in an UNRWA facility and mortars hidden inside UN labeled boxes. During the course of the operation they also located several shafts leading to tunnels that are being mapped now, to prepare for destruction. Along the way a few dozen combatants were killed.
Lebanon Operations
Early this morning, the IDF struck several rocket launching facilities run by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Then a bit later in the morning Hezbollah sent more kamikaze drones that landed outside the city of Kiryat Shmona. They just continue to ignite raging fires.
Late this afternoon a kamikaze drone launched by Hezbollah passed through the Israeli border, undetected, and landed in the northern town of Hurfeish. On a football field (soccer to you Americans) no less. Hurfeish’s residents chose not to evacuate earlier in the war. The drone left 11 people injured, one critically. It is not clear yet how much damage was done. Hurfeish is a Druze village. As I had mentioned previously, the Druze are Arab but their religion is very distinct from Islam. Druze serve in the IDF and are loyal to the state. The IDF is investigating why the drone did not trigger the early warning system.
This morning several kamikaze drones entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon, headed towards the northern town of Metula. Iron Dome neutralized them before they could reach their target.
There was a shooting today at the US Embassy in Beirut. A local guard was seriously injured.
Aid
Discussions between the US, Egypt and Israel regarding the reopening of the Rafah border with Egypt continue. They must have hit a roadblock as the USA is supposed to come up with a proposal on how to operate it.
And relations between the World Central Kitchen and the IDF are back on a good footing after that tragic accident back in April killing a few of their staff members. The WCK announced today that it is receiving and distributing food/water at a very good clip now in cooperation with COGAT, the Ministry of Defense agency for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories.
Hostages/Ceasefire
It was reported in the Israeli Press that senior Hamas officials met with Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries today in Doha to review the latest Israeli hostage deal proposal. Within the same hour, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said, in a public statement, that they will deal with the proposal in seriousness only as long as it provides a guaranteed complete and permanent ceasefire. Hamas is being asked to formally reply to the ceasefire proposal.
In comments on the NBC “The Today Show” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that Israel has repeatedly reconfirmed its commitment to the hostage deal proposal. In his words:
Israel’s a raucous democracy, so there’s a lot of talk and a lot of chatter, but the Israeli government has reconfirmed repeatedly — as recently as today — that that proposal is still on the table and now it’s up to Hamas to accept it. The whole world should call on Hamas to accept it.
Raucous democracy…. I will have to remember that as it is an apt description. You can see the interview here.
IDF General
The results from the first phase of investigations into the military failures on October 7 are soon to be released internally to the IDF. It has been reported that the first presentation to the senior military officials will take place the first week of July. The investigation is only the first and it won’t be the last. It is supposed to cover the period between 2018 and 2023. Once it has been reviewed by Chief of Staff, it is supposed to be released to the public. Altogether, the investigative committee, consisting of 20 commanders outside the chain of command, is examining 40 battle locations
On a related subject the IDF announced today the formation of a new unit, manned (womanned?) exclusively by reservists living in the towns and settlements surrounding Gaza. It is going to be full part of the IDF with its own command structure. Its job is to provide active defense of those settlements against a possible future attack along the lines of the October 7 massacre.
And the IDF announced that it is calling up additional reservists. Publicly they are insisting that they will be deployed to Gaza, but who knows??
There was an accident on an IDF base in the Negev which resulted in an ordinance storage facility exploding causing 9 soldiers to be injured. It does not sound like sabotage.
International
Al-Jazeera was given its day in court today in Tel Aviv so that the judges could hear its attorneys argue why their office should not be shut down as had been done by the government. They lost. The court found that the Qatari Government run network was broadcasting, “in real time”, IDF positions so that Hezbollah and Hamas could react. According to the court:
It was determined that there is no doubt the channel’s broadcasts do real damage to Israel’s security.
Politics/Protests
Our Far Right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced that his party will not vote with the coalition in future legislation until, according to Ben Gvir, the Prime Minister stops hiding the terms of the current ceasefire agreement. They should send this guy back to kindergarten. At least, get him out of this government…
The Jerusalem Day Flag March, depending on your view, did not go well. Eighteen people were arrested, including 13 arrested for violence and threatening behavior. Fights and violence broke out between extreme rightists and leftists. It was ugly. Very glad I was no where close.
And In Your Copious Spare Time…
Here is a report from Reuters on various internal discussions amongst Hamas and Fatah regarding post war structure. It is interesting to see how Hamas, is already planning on how it will operate once the war is over.
Here is a podcast interview conducted by Elon Levy with Bernard-Henri Levy (two Levites) on what the October 7 attack means for Western Civilization. Bernard-Henri Levy is French, very French, and offers a perspective not to different from many American Political Analysts on the Right. But he is not only French, but also a Leftist. You can hear it on Spotify here or Apple Podcasts here.
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