Today’s Image
“Show Me the Money” It is estimated that Ismail Haniyeh accumulated more than $2.5 billion dollars in wealth. The rush is on now to find it and try to divert it before members of Hamas channel it to their smuggling, drug running and posh spending habits. This article, which I suggest you read, provides some background.
Gaza Rockets
No rockets fired from Gaza crossed into Israel in the past 24 hours.
Casualties
No IDF casualties have been reported in the past eleven days.
Gaza Operations
Indirectly, as a result of dozens of rockets fired earlier this week from within the humanitarian zone setup by the IDF, the IDF has uncovered several rocket launching facilities, all in the designated humanitarian zone that the IDF carved out for Gazan civilians. The rocket launchers were adjacent to two humanitarian aid distribution warehouses inside Gaza and the humanitarian zone, belonging to UNRWA. The IDF dropped flyers in the morning warning the residents nearby to flee. Afterwards, they destroyed the tunnels from the air. Inside the tunnels there was small rocket assembly facilities. There were considerable secondary explosions indicating that there were other rockets stored nearby. You can see more here.
Similarly, the IDF has evacuated areas of Beit Hanoun, which was the first town entered by the IDF back in October. This was after flyers were dropped telling those few civilians in the area where to go. Very few residents remain there. Several of the rockets fired last week were launched from this area. It is expected that IDF troops will enter the area soon to locate the firing locations and their associated tunnels.
It was announced today that during the week long IDF operation in Khan Younis two weeks ago that the troops uncovered a large underground tunnel connected to a rocket manufacturing facility, both about 20 meters underground. All the facilities were destroyed before the troops exited the area. You can see and read more here.
Operations in both Rafah and Netzarim Corridor continue. Hamas combatants were killed by IDF infantry in both locations.
Everyone is now reacting to the appointment of Yahya Sinwar to be the head of Hamas worldwide. No one in Israel is surprised nor really cares. Everyone here hopes to see him soon join his comrades in terror - Deif and Haniyeh - in their justly deserved places in hell. Here you can read more details on the Israeli view as well as the CIA assessment. There it talks about how IDF troops have attempted more than once since the start of the war to kill Sinwar. And just two weeks ago they came incredibly close.
But, some Gazans are being interviewed by the foreign press and expressing views ranging from disappointment to anger, some are happy. The reality is that he was making all the decisions anyway. He holds the hostages, he is in Gaza and he is absolutely ruthless with no hesitation in killing his own people if he suspects that they do not support him.
Lebanon Operations
This afternoon Israeli fighter jets killed the Hezbollah commander that is largely responsible for the ongoing anti-tank guided missile fire. Hassan Fares Jeshi was killed in Joyaiyya, a southern Lebanese village. While they were at it, the fighter jets also destroyed an Hezbollah operations building in nearby Aitaroun.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli drone fired a missile at a moving vehicle killing one and injuring four. I suspect that tomorrow we will be told who was the target.
Yemen Operations
Reports have appears in Sky News Arabic and other Arabic speaking media that US and UK forces launched strikes against some Houthi military positions in Yemen.
Syria/Iraq/Egypt/Jordan/Turkiye/Iran
Yesterday, late night our time, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced what everyone already knew; that several US troops stationed on the Ain al-Assad base in Western Iraq were injured by a rocket attack. He said:
Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region.
Both Israel and the USA are confident that the rockets were launched by an Iranian proxy operating from within Iraq.
General Mood - Israel
People continue to live their lives here. Most families have created their own stockpiles and ready as they will be for whatever comes our way.
IDF General
Starting a week ago I have been reporting on the IDF military arrests and events unfolding that relate to the alleged abuse of a Hamas commander while in detention at a temporary facility. As of now, out of the 10 originally arrested individuals, 5 remain in custody. One of the major TV channels, last night, broadcast a short video that they claim documents the abuse of the prisoner. Seems pretty compelling evidence. In the meantime, a minister in one of the extremes far right parties constituting this government is insisting that the cabinet meet to discuss the situation as she claims that the country needs to stand by the soldiers. She insists that the video was edited and does not represent the facts as they happened. What these idiots don’t seem to understand is that this is the purpose of a court and judicial process, which they should not be interfering. And, if these soldiers are truly guilty it is best for the IDF that they be prosecuted so that those vast majority of IDF recruits continue to abide by the IDF regulations. Meantime, right wing extremists pushed their way into the courtroom and disrupted the proceedings for 30 minutes. Ultimately, the police were successful in removing the protestors from the courtroom. Here you can see a short clip of the disruption.
Well, the summer draft cycle of ultra-orthodox recruits can now be called a failure. In the end only 50 of the 900 potential recruits showed up at the draft office. The IDF is now formulating how to respond. Many may be arrested for avoiding the draft. The IDF had plans to recruit another 3,000 in the fall draft cycle, but now they will have to re-evaluate next steps.
Aid
Yesterday,158 trucks carrying humanitarian goods were transferred to Gaza. Aid organizations collected goods from 94 trucks in the staging areas. Still more than 600 trucks worth of aid remain to be distributed inside Gaza. And..terrorists fired anti-tank missiles at IDF troops who were operating in the area of eastern Rafah adjacent to the Humanitarian Route, injuring several soldiers. Movement along the Humanitarian Route was temporarily halted as the area now constitutes an active combat zone.
Hostages/Ceasefire
At this stage, all the parties are waiting for a response from Yihya Sinwar.
International
Japan is holding a memorial ceremony in Nagasaki on the 79th anniversary of the atomic bomb that was dropped there in 1945. The major of Nagasaki informed the Israeli Ambassador to Japan that he was not invited over hears of anti-Israel demonstrations. This is now becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Belgium was supposed to host a frisbee match in Ghent involving an Israeli team and banned the Israelis who flew, with great difficulty these days, in order to compete in the event over fears of violent demonstrations. I guess that these violent pro-Hamas rioters all over the world are getting their way in the end. In any case, ambassadors from other European and North American countries informed the mayor that they would not attend the ceremony unless Israel was invited as well. You can read more here.
Turkiye has now officially submitted a declaration of intervention into South Africa’s initiated International Court of Justice case pending against Israel in The Hague.
And In Your Copious Spare Time…
Those of you who have been following me for some time know that I have my favorite Israeli journalists. Here is another great article from Ron Ben Yishai describing the atmosphere here and inside the IDF in the aftermath of the recent successful assassinations.
And it appears that former Israeli Ambassador to the USA, Michael Oren, has joined the reserves on the northern border. Here is what he has to say…
And here are recommendations from a respected former IDF Brigadier General.