Today’s Image
This is an aerial image taken of the US Army’s floating pier intended to assist in the aid delivery process into Gaza along with the IDF built staging area where the aid was to be stored pending delivery. The photo was taken about a week ago. The IDF guards the staging area. Unfortunately, the pier has broken apart for the fourth time late this past week. Rumors are that the US Army is reconsidering trying to repair it and get it operational again.
Gaza Rockets
No rockets were fired from Gaza in the past 5 days.
Casualties
The IDF reported two IDF soldiers killed in action earlier today: Staff Sgt. Yair Avitan - 20 (Z’’L) and Sgt First Class (Res.) Yakir Shmuel Tatelbaum - 21 (Z’’L). Both died during operations in northern Gaza, presumably the area around Gaza City.
Gaza Operations
IDF troops continue their operations in the Gaza City neighborhood of Shejaiya. Today they found a couple fully armed, and ready to fire, long range rocket batteries. They were located nearby an UNRWA school along with a large weapons storage facility. The IDF also reports that so far, in their three day operation in the neighborhood they have engaged dozens of combatants. None surrendered and so far all have been killed. During their sweep the IDF located Hamas observation posts, weapons storage facilities and many tunnels. You can read more details here.
And in Rafah, IDF troops also engaged Hamas combatants under close quartered fighting. Several tunnel entrances were bombed from drones.
And in the Natzarim Corridor cutting across the middle of Gaza, several buildings from which Hamas combatants were firing anti-tank missiles at IDF troops were destroyed.
Lebanon Operations
An IDF assassination drone was successfully today in eliminating another Hezbollah operative, this time with the combatant riding a motorcycle in southern Lebanon not far from the town of Shaqra. As of now we know nothing more than his name, Abbas Atwi. Earlier I the day IDF fighter jets struck several buildings in southern Lebanon used for operations facilities by Hezbollah.
This afternoon rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel struck a barn killing two horses. Earlier in the day several anti-tank missiles were fired by Hezbollah combatants at targets near the northern Israeli town of Tel Hai. No damage or injuries were reported.
On Friday more than 30 kamikaze drones launched by Hezbollah crossed into Israel most were neutralized by IDF air defenses. Three crossed, exploded in open fields causing a new set of fires.
Yesterday the head of Iran’s mission to the UN announced that if Israel launches an offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon that it will trigger an “obliterating war” that will involve many of the “members of the resistance”. It is really ironic that these so called “members of the resistance” do not define what they are resisting. Israel has not attacked any of them, except for those operating in parts of Syria and Lebanon. Israel has not harmed anyone in Iraq or Yemen, yet they are “members of the resistance”. I think that what he meant to say was “members of our Iranian network of proxies who are being paid to attack Western Interests”.
Late last night IDF fighter jets operating in northeastern Lebanon struck and destroyed Hezbollah’s anti=aircraft defense systems. They were located about 21 km northeast of the border with Israel.
Saudi Arabia and Australia have advised its citizens to leave Lebanon.
Yemen Operations
US Centcom, operating in and around the Gulf States, announced that it destroyed seven Houthi drones what were airborne along with a ground control vehicle in Yemen.
And today the Houthis claimed credit for launching a ballistic missile in an attempt to sink the oil tanker, Delonix. The Houthis insist that they hit the vessel, but there are no other independent reports yet. They also claimed to have targeted ships in the Mediterranean. I fail to see how the EU, USA and even China can permit the attacks on vessels in the Mediterranean. What is the world waiting for? Meantime British Maritime forces reported that a commercial ship heading north in the Red Sea, about 150 nautical miles from Yemen came under attack but nothing successfully struck the ship. The same sources said that the Houthis attempted to think another oil tanker operated by Maersk, a large Danish shipping company, called the Johannes, but failed to hit the ship.
Aid
COGAT reports that more than 353 trucks carrying aid crossed the border into Gaza on Friday, unloading all their contents into the staging areas. Aid continues to accumulate as NGO aid organizations picked up only the equivalent of 53 trucks worth of aid.
As I reported previously, a lot of the aid moved into Gaza has been piling up inside the Gaza border as the NGO aid organizations have been slow to distribute the aid. Today much of the aid that piled up near the US Army’s floating pier and secured by the IDF was finally picked up for distribution by the World Food Program. This was in part due to pressure from the USA. It turns out that the pier was damaged late this past week again, making it unusable. There are serious considerations by the US Army not to bother trying to reconstruct it because - it has been difficult to maintain and the aid brought it was not being distributed. I believe this gesture by the UN is an attempt to remove the second excuse.
Hostages/Ceasefires
The US State Department announced that they were modifying the wording on the President Biden “Three Stage” Proposal in an attempt to appease some issues that Hamas contested. I do not know what that means.
Politics/Protests
Several demonstrations were staged across the country today, in some cases blocking traffic. One took place in the upper Galilee, north of the Kinneret Lake, consisting of a couple thousand people. Another was in Haifa, again a couple thousand people. These were anti-government protests. And the usual protests are being staged in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Numbers are still rather low.
And In Your Copious Spare Time…
Here is an analysis of the predicament that our Prime Minister has placed himself within the current dynamics of his Government. It is written by a veteran political analyst who normally writes for the Israeli paper, Ma’ariv and a biographer of Netanyahu. It is not a flattering article.