Today’s Image
This evening, Monday, starts the observance of Tisha B’Av, the ninth day in the month of Av in the lunar calendar. It is on this day that the Babylonians sacked the First Temple (Solomon’s Temple) sometime around 586 BC. Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon at the time. The Verdi Opera, Nabucco, is the story of that event. It is also the anniversary of the Roman destruction of the Second Temple (Hasmonean/Herod) back in 70 AD. It is thought that this day is culmination of multiple disasters of the Jewish nation over the millennia. It is said that the Spanish Inquisition started on this date in 1478. The top photo is a lithograph illustrating the destruction of the Second Temple. The second image is a real photo of the Arch of Titus in Rome. It was constructed in 81 AD and depicts the Roman legions sacking the Second Temple and bringing it contents back to Rome. You can see the giant 7 candle menorah. Starting this evening, observant people in Israel will conduct evening prayers that include “Eichah” or The Lamentations while sitting down on the floor or in a very low chair. Many people will be praying at the Western Wall in the Old City.
I wonder what explanation the Palestinian Authority and Hamas can come up with to explain the Arch of Titus as they, and the Palestinians deny that there was any presence of Jews in Israel previously??
Gaza Rockets
One rocket was fired from Gaza’s Rafah area today towards a small community near the border in Israel. The rocket landed in an open field.
Casualties
Today, the IDF announced the death of Sgt. Omer Ginzburg - 21 (Z’’L) who was killed by a sniper during operations in Khan Younis.
Yesterday I reported on a civilian casualty from a drive by shooting terror attack. The victim was Yonatan Deutsch - 23 (Z’’L). He was a commando in an elite IDF unit, recently discharged from active duty. After his recent discharge he proposed to his fiancee and was scheduled to get married over the next few months.
Gaza Operations
Yesterday I reported on the missiles fired on a mosque attached to the school, Al-Taabin. It has the whole world and the UN in a tizzy at the moment. In that report I was quoting IDF sources saying that all those killed in the operation were Hamas combatants. As of yesterday, the IDF reported on 20 killed. Hamas’s Health Ministry said that 100 civilians were killed. The IDF even went to the length to list those killed by name along with photos. Well, today the IDF reported that the strike killed more than the 20 but a total of 31 Hamas operatives. And again the IDF identified the others by name and photo. You can read more here.
In an extensive interview, conducted in Hebrew, of Brigadier General Dan Goldfus in the newspaper Israel Hayom this past weekend, Goldfus said that earlier in the year, his troops were within minutes of capturing Hamas Politburo Chief Yahya Sinwar. When asked how close Goldfus said that when they found the coffee cup he used, it was still hot. And they found a lot of cash scattered nearby. I am reading through the lengthy interview now and will post anything interesting that I find. Goldfus is a well known entity amongst the Israeli public and highly respected. He is the son of South African immigrants to Israel. He has just been appointed head of the Northern Corp. and will likely be promoted to Major General.
Lebanon Operations
The Lebanese government announced that it is placing its healthcare system, or whatever is left of it, onto a wartime footing as it is preparing for the possibility of war with Israel resulting from Hezbollah carrying out its threats against Israel.
Also, according to media reports from Lebanon, Hezbollah has relocated its entire operation out of Beirut, temporarily.
There are reports that billboards have popped up across Lebanon saying, in Arabic, “Enough, we are fed up” and “We don’t want war”. No organization has taken responsibility for them, but they are clearly directed at Hezbollah who launched an unprovoked attack on Israel starting October 8 without any expressed, legitimate grievance against Israel other than it was sympathetic to Hamas. You can see an example here.
This afternoon an interview with Habib Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, was published in the Lebanese paper Al-Jumhuriya. In that interview he warned that revenge by Iran and Hezbollah are inevitable. He claims that war is certain as long as Netanyahu is in power. He then went on to complain about how Lebanon has gone on for 12 years without the ability to elect a new President…
Very early this morning, Hezbollah launched a barrage of 30 rockets towards Israel. Most landed in open areas. No casualties or injuries reported. You can see them explode here. In response, this evening an Israeli drone launched missiles destroying the Hezbollah rocket launcher responsible for this afternoon’s volley and several adjacent buildings.
Syria/Iraq/Egypt/Jordan/Turkiye/Iran
The IDF reports that Iran has moved missiles and drones into positions very similar to those fired on April 13. They believe that they will fired towards Israel over the next 24-48 hours. White House spokesman John Kirby said the Biden Administration shares the IDF’s assessment that Iran could launch the major attack that it has threatened on Israel this week.
There are unsubstantiated rumors that the Hamas leadership in Doha, Qatar will be relocating to Baghdad, Iraq. The Qataris apparently are frustrated with the lack of progress in the negotiations and no longer wants to host them. The report is being denied by the Iraqi government. Who really knows?? It would make sense from Iran’s perspective since Iran has a great deal of control over Iraq and the government there.
In what I regard as a very interesting development in Iran…. Iran’s former Foreign Ministry Mohammad Javad Zarif has resigned from the government. Most recently he held the position of Vice President for Strategy. Sounds like a phony position without authority to me. In his resignation he said this:
I am ashamed that I could not implement, in a decent way, the expert opinion of the committees (responsible for selecting candidates) and achieve the inclusion of women, youth and ethnic groups, as I had promised.
He also came under pressure as his children hold US citizenship.
IDF General
In anticipation of an imminent attack from Iran, the Israel Museum has moved its rare art to a secure underground repository leaving many walls barren. The Israeli Air Force cancelled vacations for all its staff ordering everyone to remain in the country.
Aid
Yesterday 41 trucks bearing aid unloaded their cargo on the staging areas inside Gaza. There is now aid amounting to 500 trucks worth waiting to be distributed inside Gaza by the aid organizations.
Politics/Protests
Leaks from the Security Cabinet are emerging in the press, illustrating major differences between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. According to the report Gallant claims that Netanyahu’s call for “total victory” is hollow. Yet Gallant insists that he is totally aligned with the main pillars behind the IDF operations in Gaza - eliminate Hamas as a military power, prevent Hamas from governing Gaza again and retrieval of the hostages. The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that the Prime Minster and the Defense Minister are aligned. Yet, some of the slimy, hacks in the Likud Party are demanding that Gallant be fired. In my opinion this is a double edged sword. If Gallant were to be fired, half the country would be in the streets demanding new elections, not just the few thousands you see today. Secondly, it would show the country that the war can be conducted without the Defense Minister in which case there is no reason not to call for new elections right away.
In an hypothetical poll released today, it would appear that the National Unity Party led by Benny Gantz would receive 24 seats, to Likud’s 23. The rest of the breakdown would look like 14 seats for Israel Beitanu led by Avigdor Lieberman, 12 seats for Yesh Atid led by Yair Lapid and 10 seats for extreme right wing party Otzma Yehudit. The ultra-orthodox parties would secure 16 seats together and the former labour party 8 seats. In such a scenario it would not be possible for Netanyahu to piece together his current coalition. You can read more here. The most interesting finding is the popularity of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (for whom I have voted in elections held since 2012).
Hostages/Ceasefire
Hamas announced that it would not join the mediated ceasefire negotiations that are scheduled to start on Wednesday. According to reports, Hamas is convinced that the new push is an attempt to deter responses from Iran and Hezbollah to the assassinations. It is not obvious to me what the connection is that Hamas is citing.
The IDF announced that there are 33 hostages still alive in the category of humanitarian - female, elderly, injured, sick. It insists that they be released in the first phase of the ceasefire negotiations currently stalled. This is not a new demand, but clarifying the actual number.
It was reported by Reuters that Hamas operatives in charge of guarding some of the hostages deliberately killed one hostage and seriously injured two of the female hostages.
International
President for Life Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority arrived in Moscow today in order to meet with President for Life Vladimir Putin of Russia. Who knows what they will talk about.
And In Your Copious Spare Time…
Here is an analysis of the internal squabbling inside the government regarding the terms for a hostage deal, the opinions of the top brass and the significance of Israel securing the border between Egypt and Gaza, along with why that is important.
This is an analysis by the Security Correspondent for the UK’s Daily Telegraph describing how the West is being shamed by Israel while Israel humiliates Iran. The original article is here, but it is behind a paywall.