Today’s Image
Those of you that have followed me for some know that I occasionally posted video clips from the very popular Israeli TV Show Eretz Nehaderet, Wonderful Country. The closest thing to it from the USA is Saturday Night Live, however Eretz Nehaderet is politically neutral and makes fun of all politicians equally. You can see this sarcastic clip on YouTube here.
Special Message
I am leaving tomorrow to join a friend sailing in the Caribbean for a week. After that I will be visiting family and friends in the USA. So for the next week it is unlikely you will see me posting anything. After that I will try to post, but not likely at the frequency I have been.
Special Prediction
It is my hope and belief that the IDF will conduct a significant aerial operation against Iranian Nuclear sites sometime after the first of the year. This is the time to do it.
Casualties
There were no casualties reported by the IDF in the past 3 days.
Rockets & Missiles & Drones
No rockets fired from Gaza crossed into Israeli airspace in the past 7 days.
Two rockets were fired from Lebanon today with no party taking responsibility. Both fell in open fields without damage or injuries. I wonder if Paris will publicly accuse Hezbollah of violating the “Truce Agreement”?
Lebanon Front
An IDF drone fired a missile at what was believed to be construction work on the cross border roads between Syria and Lebanon that are used to resupply Hezbollah. It appears, instead, that it was a Lebanese Army Base and was a mishap. An investigation by the IDF is underway. In addition the IDF said that several drone strikes were conducted against Hezbollah activities that are forbidden by the “Truce Agreement”. Those included striking military vehicles manned with armed Hezbollah combatants in Southern Lebanon and vehicles operating at a Hezbollah missile manufacturing site in the Beqaa Valley. France is claiming that these operations violate the terms of the “Truce Agreement”. Israel has countered that the violations are being conducted by Hezbollah and Israel is acting within the structure of the “Truce Agreement”. But apparently US special envoy Amos Hochstein sent a message to Israel saying that while its actions are not in violation of the “Truce Agreement” it is not following the procedure specified in the agreement requiring Israel to submit proof of Hezbollah violations to the US-UK-French committee and then securing approval before conducting its operations.
Yemen Front
US CENTCOM forces announced early this morning that their destroyers shot down sever missiles and drones fired by the Houthis at US military vessels near the Gulf of Aden. Other than destroying the inbound projectiles there was no damage or injuries reported.
Syria/Iran/Jordan/Egypt/Iraq/Turkiye Fronts
There is a lot happening in Syria. IRGC sponsored Iraqi terror groups have now entered Syria, presumable at the invitation of Dictator for Life of Syria Bashir Assad. The Syrian Army is too weak to fend off the Islamic Rebels on their own. The Army pays too little and there are too many desertions. All this is an indirect result of the very serious weakening of Hezbollah. I had predicted that the rebels would take the initiative as much a month ago. These rebels are getting military and financial support from Dictator for Life of Turkiye Tayyep Erdogan.
The coalition of rebels have taken over Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city after its capital Damascus. They entered Assad’s Presidential Palace in Aleppo, currently unoccupied. They have posted a video guided tour of the unoccupied facility here in case you want to see it. With this territory under its control, the coalition threatens to move against the main Syrian Port of Latakia. That will be hard because the Russians have major forces there that would stop them. But at this point events are hard to predict. The coalition forces today offered Kurdish residents of Aleppo and those affiliated with the Assad Regime safe passage out. Nearly all the Kurds took them up on their offer and left for northeastern Syria where the Kurdish forces are largely in control, except for the occasional attacks from Turkiye. The Syrian Opposition NGO known as White Helmets reported that Russian and Syrian fighter jets struck the northwestern part of the country in an effort to hit the coalition forces hard. They said that at least 25 were killed in the strikes.
IDF forces are on alert. Firstly, they have warned Iran that they should not use this as an opportunity to re-arm Hezbollah. So the IDF will take actions if it sees that happening. Secondly, there are concerns that the Iraqi militias may get some ideas regarding attacking Israel. But now Iran has announced that it will keep “military advisors” in Syria to assist the Assad Regime. These are actually senior members of the IRGC who command the Syrian Army forces along with the Iraqi militias.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari was quoted interviewed in Arabic on Sky News today. During the interview he said:
We are closely following what is happening in Syria. We saw that the Iranian regime is sending reinforcements to Syria. Syria belongs to the Syrians. What is happening in Syria concerns Syria and not Israel. But the IDF will make sure that Iran does not smuggle weapons to Lebanon and Hezbollah. We need to make sure that we are not threatened. We are a sovereign country and we will make sure that Iranian weapons are not smuggled to Hezbollah.
There are reports that the Biden Administration and the UAE have discussed the possibility of lifting sanctions on Syrian President for Life Bashar Assad if he dissociates himself from Iran. There is absolutely no way he is going to that as it would immediately put his regime at risk. This is just more naive thinking coming from the US Administration.
And from a country never shy to make the most ridiculous claims, the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said today that all of the problems in the region are the fault of Israel - “We believe the Zionists are connected with the terror groups.” His statement was made in regard to the rebels in Syria to whom his government is providing financial and military support. You can read more here and here.
IDF/Government
In a truly great example of public service, something lacking in this current government, the Minister of the Negev and the Galilee Itshak Wasserlauf stated that he intends to relocate to live up in the northern part of the country so he can personally oversee the rehabilitation of the northern cities largely destroyed by rocket fire over the last year.
One of the opposition parties led by Benny Gantz has submitted a bill to legislative approval at the Knesset to limit the Prime Minister’s term in office to two terms (or 8 years). It is not going to be passed and has been tried before without success.
Some form of compromise has been reached regarding the criminal court cases against Prime Minister Netanyahu. His testimony in the cases will be recorded and the court will hold session in special underground rooms in the Kirya (equivalent to the Pentagon). There are three cases outstanding against Netanyahu and a fourth far away from reaching court. In these three cases he is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He accepted gifts that were not permitted under the law from foreign dignitaries. In the USA this used to be OK, but then a law was passed that about a certain value the gift must be refused.
Today the IDF formally rebuked the charges from former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon that it is conducting “ethnic cleansing”.
Aid
It is becoming increasingly clear that the screening processes used by NGOs and UN organizations operating in Gaza result in the frequent hiring of terrorists. This past Saturday an aid worker for the World Central Kitchen, Ahed Azmi Qdeih, was killed in an Israeli strike. The IDF has footage showing Qdeih participating in the October 7, 2023 attack into Israel. Despite the video recording, Qdeih’s family denies that he participated in the attack. You can read more here.
COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) reports that yesterday 144 trucks unloaded their cargo of aid inside the staging facilities in Gaza. But only 32 trucks worth of aid were distributed by the NGOs operating inside Gaza. This leaves about 770 truck loads of aid sitting inside Gaza waiting for distribution. The NGOs complain that their trucks get commandeered by Hamas and/or armed gangs who confiscate the aid. Well, perhaps if they properly screened their employees the information on the routes of the aid trucks wouldn’t be leaked to the terrorists???
Hostages/Ceasefire
A Hamas delegation met in Egypt with the Egyptian Army officials leading the ceasefire mediation efforts. They were informed that Hamas is going to wait for international pressure to mount against Israel rather than engage in negotiations now. Who knows what this really means. Meanwhile more details are emerging on the Egyptian proposal. In it, a committee is formed that will oversee the Gazan side of the border crossing with Egypt. Israel would have the ability to place many cameras in strategic positions to oversee the activity. I doubt that this will be adequate for Israel’s needs. You can read more here.
Protests/Politics
A week ago I reported on the arrest of four suspects accused of throwing flares at Prime Minister Netanyahu’s private home. Today, in Court, the prosecutors formally charged the four with “terror” and obstruction of justice. One of the accused is a retired Rear Admiral from the IDF.
And In Your Copious Spare Time…
In this report on an interview with an Israeli Academic specializing in Iran, the writers provide a truly great view on the poor situation that Iran has put itself into due to its incessant focus on destroying Israel. It is a companion piece with this one.
If you think you are confused regarding “Who is on first?” (reference to the famous Abbott and Costello routine you can view here) this article while making you dizzy goes a long way in explaining the current situation vis a vis Syria.
Safe Sailing & safe travels.