Friday, August 23, 2024

Is Israel Preparing for a Preemptive Strike on Iran?

by Joshua Spurlock

Monday, 19 August 2024 | Israel’s Air Force conducted a long-distance military aerial refueling exercise on Thursday, in a subtle warning to Iran as the Islamic Republic and its terror network continue to threaten Israel. In a not-so-subtle warning one day later, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz called upon European allies to support Israel in the event of an Iranian attack by directly attacking Iran themselves.

Over the weekend, Iran’s primary ally and terror proxy Hezbollah threatened in a video to attack all of Israel—even to hit Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat—in the event of a full-blown war with the Jewish State. This comes as the threat of Hezbollah launching such a conflict still looms in the background.

In a post to X, Katz said in his Friday meeting with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy that he “thanked them for their support of Israel and made it clear that the right way to deter Iran and prevent war is by announcing that if Iran attacks, they will stand with Israel not only in defense but also in striking targets in Iran. Iran is the head of the axis of evil, and the free world must stop it now before it’s too late.”

Séjourné and Lammy did not comment on Katz’s request in their own summaries of the meeting posted to their respective X feeds, nor in a joint op-ed published in the Guardian.

Katz’s strong words come as Iran and Hezbollah have threatened to escalate their attacks directly against Israel as revenge for the deaths of two high-ranking terrorists. Hezbollah chief-of-staff Fu’ad Shukr was assassinated by Israel on July 30. Less than 24 hours later, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran in an attack Tehran has blamed on Israel, but for which Israel has not claimed responsibility. This followed a Hezbollah missile attack that murdered a dozen Israeli children in Majdal Shams and is part of 11 months of regional conflict launched by another Iranian terror proxy—Hamas—in their terror massacre of around 1,200 Israelis on October 7.

With the threat of another massive Iran and Hezbollah attack in the background, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] announced on X last week that they had completed Thursday’s aerial refueling exercise. “The exercise simulated long-range flight deep behind enemy lines, performing aerial refueling in short periods of time. Aerial refueling is an operational capability required by the combat force, enabling it to remain airborne for long periods of time.”

Among the aircraft involved in the exercise were Israeli F-15 and F-35 fighter jets. While the post did not indicate the exercise was specifically aimed at preparing to attack Iran, the long-distance nature of such an attack implies Iran was likely in mind during the drill.

Also last week, Hezbollah posted a propaganda video showing a massive underground tunnel large enough for trucks to transport missiles inside and complete with missile launchpad capability. The video, which was reposted with an English translation by the Hezbollah-friendly Al Mayadeen news group’s X feed, showed Hezbollah threatening they had “precision” missiles “along with weapons capabilities so that if Israel imposes a war on Lebanon, Israel will face a destiny and reality it didn’t expect any day.”

Of note, the narration appears to ignore that it is Hezbollah’s threats of retaliation for Shukr that has the region teetering on the brink of full war.

The video concludes with a threat to strike all of Israel, while calling it “Palestine”, and referencing Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, noting “war with us extends across all of Palestine, from the Lebanese border to the Jordanian border, to the Red Sea, from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat.”

In response to the video, the official Israel X feed said, “Since October 7, Hezbollah has fired more than 7,000 rockets, using the people of Lebanon as human shields. Hezbollah must be eliminated—for the safety of Israelis, the people of Lebanon, and the entire region.”

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again reminded all of Israel’s enemies what the consequences of an attack would be.

“Israel is prepared for any threat—both defensively and offensively,” said Netanyahu in comments published and translated from Hebrew by Israel. “We are determined to defend ourselves and to exact a very high price from any enemy who dares to attack us—from any arena whatsoever.”

Source: (This article was originally published by the Mideast Update on August 18, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today.)

Photo Credit: William Lewis/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Pray for those in Israel who will make the final decision of whether or not to launch a preemptive strike—especially Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi—as well as those tasked with giving them the information on which the decision will be based. Pray that all involved will entrust the final decision to the Lord, for His will to be done and His purposes accomplished.

Scripture

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

- Proverbs 21:1

Inside Hostage Extraction: Blast Doors, Terrorists’ Bodies and Tense Tunnel Operations

by Yoav Zitun ~ Ynetnews

Wednesday, 21 August 2024 | New details have emerged about the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] operation that led to the recovery of the bodies of six hostages—Alex Dancyg, Yoram Metzger, Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Yagev Buchshtab and Nadav Popplewell—on Tuesday evening.

Unlike previous operations, this mission lacked precise intelligence on the location of the bodies and did not have the assistance of a captured operative to identify the tunnel entrances. The bodies of several terrorists were found inside the tunnel, with one IDF assessment suggesting they may have died after guarding the hostages underground for an extended period.

The operation, led by the 98th Division and commanded by Colonel Ami Biton, head of the Paratroopers Brigade, involved four teams tasked with searching buildings and locating underground entrances.

Using new detection methods and advanced technology developed by the Engineering Corps, a team from the elite Yahalom Unit identified the specific tunnel, which was located 10 meters (33 feet) underground and connected to three separate underground corridors. Inside, the forces found both the bodies of the hostages and the remains of terrorists, alongside AK-47 rifles.

The IDF believes the terrorists who were found dead had been guarding the hostages’ bodies but succumbed to the harsh conditions underground. Yahalom forces also discovered loose concrete reinforcements in the tunnel, near which the hostages’ bodies were hidden. The forces neutralized barriers, blast doors and various explosives found within the tunnel.

The Tunnel Dilemma

The Paratroopers Brigade’s operation began last week with the identification and demolition of tunnels near the border fence in southern Gaza. However, the mission was altered on Friday, redirecting forces toward a location within Khan Younis [a city in southern Gaza] where information suggested the hostages’ bodies were hidden.

The brigade, led by the Paratroopers’ Reconnaissance Battalion, which lost team commander Lieutenant Shahar Ben Nun in a friendly fire incident, and supported by the 75th Armored Battalion and Yahalom units, encountered little resistance, suggesting a weakened Hamas military presence.

“We identified the bodies on-site, even before they were transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine,” the IDF said. “Before our arrival in the area, we evacuated the population, and there weren’t many terrorists left. Most of them fled, similar to previous operations to locate deceased prisoners of war and missing persons.”

IDF officials noted that the 98th Division had previously operated in the area in March, facing dilemmas over whether to destroy tunnels without fully ensuring they did not contain hostages.

“We realized over time that all the tunnels in the Gaza Strip are interconnected in a vast network,” military officials said. “You can enter a tunnel near the border fence and exit at the beach. That’s why we made sure to verify this instead of necessarily destroying every underground passage. Our caution is so great that we frequently change attack directions if there is even the slightest suspicion that live hostages might be present in the sector.”

In the past months, the IDF has recovered 18 hostages’ bodies, mainly from Jabaliya and Khan Younis, across four operations. Avraham Munder was the only one among the recovered hostages whose death had not been confirmed until this operation, as he was previously believed to be alive.

The IDF is still investigating the circumstances of their deaths, whether they were killed by IDF strikes or murdered by their captors. At least some of the hostages are believed to have died as a result of IDF strikes in early January.

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on August 20, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit photographer/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Continue to pray on behalf of the IDF troops in Gaza, who willingly put their own safety at risk when hostages might be present in the tunnel where they are operating. Pray that they would receive accurate intelligence that will minimize their risks. Ask the Lord to give the IDF the strategy to defeat the remaining Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Scripture

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all.

- 1 Chronicles 29:11

Jews Are Likeliest of Major Religious Groups to Migrate, Pew Finds

by Menachem Wecker ~ JNS

Wednesday, 21 August 2024 | Although Jews make up about 0.2% of the global population, they account for 1% of migrants worldwide—five times their expected proportion, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center.

“Israel is the most frequent origin country among Jewish migrants and also their top destination,” Pew found. “Of the major religious groups, Jews are by far the likeliest to have migrated. One in five Jews reside outside of their country of birth, compared with smaller shares of Christians (6%), Muslims (4%), Hindus (1%), Buddhists (4%) and the religiously unaffiliated (2%).”

Christians made up the largest number (about 47%) of those living outside their country of birth as of 2020, according to the Pew analysis, which drew upon data from the United Nations, and 270 surveys and censuses. Muslims were the next largest group (29%), followed by Hindus (5%), Buddhists (4%) and then Jews.

Nearly half (47%) of Jewish migrants were born in Europe, followed by the Middle East and North Africa (26%)—largely in Israel and Morocco. Smaller percentages of Jewish migrants were born in Asia-Pacific (8%), Latin America and the Caribbean (8%), North America (7%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (4%).

Today, most (54%) Jewish migrants live in the Middle East and North Africa, largely in Israel. More than one in five (21%) now live in Europe, followed by North America (16%), Latin America and the Caribbean (6%), Asia-Pacific (4%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (less than 0.5%).

Israel was “far and away the top destination for Jewish migrants,” with 51% of the 3 million Jewish migrants (1.5 million) residing in the Jewish state as of 2020, per Pew’s analysis. Some of the largest numbers of Jewish migrants who made aliyah were from Ukraine (170,000), Morocco (160,000) and Russia (150,000), according to the analysis.

Some 14% of Jewish migrants (400,000) live in the United States, while 4% (120,000) live in the United Kingdom, and 3% (100,000 each) live in Australia, Russia, Germany and France. As of 2020, some 50,000 Jewish migrants now live in Judea and Samaria, according to the analysis, which considers someone who moves from Israel to Judea and Samaria to have migrated.

Some 110,000 Jews moved from Israel to the United States, per the analysis, compared with 70,000 American Jews who had made aliyah.

“The global stock, or total number of Jews living outside their countries of birth, grew from an estimated 2.3 million in 1990 to 3 million in 2020 (up 28%),” per the analysis. “Jews had the smallest increase among the religious groups in this analysis, smaller than the rise among Hindus (48%) and the religiously unaffiliated (67%).”

“The foreign-born Jewish population in Israel grew from 1.3 to 1.5 million (up 14%), and in the US it increased from 290,000 to 400,000 (up 41%),” it added.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on August 19, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Moshe Shai/Flash90/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Give thanks that, according to the Pew study, a majority of the Jewish migrants are coming to Israel. Proclaim the words of aliyah (immigration) Scriptures, such as Jeremiah 30:3, which reveal the One who is behind the return of the Jewish people to the Land of their inheritance. Pray that the number of immigrants to Israel will increase.

Scripture

“For behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,” says the LORD. “And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.”

- Jeremiah 30:3

China Wants More War in this War-torn Region

by Gordon G. Chang ~ Gatestone Institute

Thursday, 22 August 2024 | China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on August 11 told Iran’s acting foreign minister that Beijing supports the Islamic Republic defending its “sovereignty, security and national dignity.” Wang said that killing Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh, the terrorist group’s political leader, in Tehran violated Iran’s sovereignty and threatened regional stability.

As countries around the world pressure Iran not to strike Israel—Tehran blames the Jewish state for the bomb that killed Haniyeh on July 31—China was, in effect, publicly goading Iran to act.

Why would the Chinese foreign minister do that? Perhaps because Beijing believes that its proxy, Iran, is losing a war and has to act fast.

Hamas is a proxy of Iran. Iran’s regime believes that it is no one’s proxy, but the Chinese seem to think that Iran is indeed theirs.

Whether Iran is China’s claw or not, Tehran could not have launched the October 7 war without the direct and indirect support of the Chinese state.

First, there is Beijing’s direct economic lifeline to the ailing Iranian economy. Last year, when Iran’s crude oil exports reached a five-year high, China took about 90% of the volume, according to Kpler, a European research firm. It appears that strong Chinese demand was the reason for the increase in Iranian production.

Beijing also provided diplomatic cover for the assault on Israel. Propaganda support may have been even more important. Some 96.5% of the videos on Hamas, carried on the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, support the terrorist group. China’s Communist Party uses that platform to amplify favored narratives.

There is another telltale sign. “The proof of Iran’s status as a Beijing proxy is the continual flow of both Chinese weapons to Iran and Chinese components for Iran’s own arms,” Jonathan Bass of InfraGlobal Partners told me this month. “Everybody in the region knows this.”

Bass, who since October 7 has spoken to senior leaders of Arab League states and four of the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said the region is now especially concerned about the flood of Chinese weapons into the hands of Iran and its terrorist proxies. Regional leaders should be. All three of Iran’s main proxy groups—Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis—fight with Chinese arms.

Why is China now promoting war in the Middle East? Beijing’s approach to the region has fast evolved in the past half-decade. Not long ago, Chinese policymakers had traditionally tried to maintain a balancing act by developing relationships with all sides and steering clear of the region’s multiple conflicts.

Beijing, as a result, gained influence but was little more than a bystander as the United States dealt with the tough issues. Chinese diplomats, therefore, were on the sidelines as the Trump administration reshaped the region with the four Abraham Accords—pacts with two Gulf states, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, and two in nearby North Africa, Sudan and Morocco. The result, peace with Israel, was historic.

China countered with two landmark deals of its own, one in March last year between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the other on July 23, when Beijing got 14 Palestinian factions, including arch rivals Hamas and Fatah, to sign the Beijing Declaration, a unity pact, in the Chinese capital.

China, until the killing of Haniyeh, seemingly was driving events in the Middle East, but it now looks as if Beijing’s green light for an Iranian attack on Israel is an attempt to stop an unfavorable trend.

Clearly, the Chinese need to do something. Hamas, which had won favor in Beijing, is in disarray. The group was able to appoint a successor to Haniyeh faster than many suspected, but it is losing control of Gaza, as Amir Bohbot of the Jerusalem Post reported on August 11. Israel’s military successes, among other factors, have considerably weakened the organization.

Moreover, the US is rushing military assets to bolster its already considerable forces in the region. On August 11, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered Carrier Strike Group 3 to expedite its transit to the Middle East. He also dispatched the USS Georgia, an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, to make its way there. China cannot match American firepower in the region, and neither can its friend, Russia.

Ultimately, it is still the United States that wields power in the Middle East. Yes, at one point, it looked as if America was withdrawing. After all, the US, as it became the new Saudi Arabia, needed the region less. America has now pumped more crude oil than any other nation in history, for six years in a row. The US produces more natural gas than any other nation. China tried to fill what it perceived to be a vacuum.

Yet just because America doesn’t need the region does not make China powerful there. China’s successes, its two big pacts, have proved to be somewhat imaginary. There has been, for example, little follow-up on the Saudi–Iranian agreement, one reason the Biden administration may be making progress on its own deal with Riyadh. Furthermore, the Beijing Declaration has already cratered in record time due in large part to the stunning killing of Haniyeh.

China apparently thought it was being clever in disrupting the Middle East with a proxy war. When proxies falter, however, so do their masters. China is now faltering.

So, China is now gambling. At the moment, China’s newest gamble is emboldening Tehran. Iran’s foreign ministry repeated Wang Yi’s words on August 13 when the regime rejected calls from Britain, France, Germany and Italy not to hit Israel.

China’s President Xi Jinping, apparently adopting the views of Mao Zedong, has been promoting “chaos” to pave the way for worldwide Chinese rule. Wang Yi in his call on the 11th to Tehran made a bold chaos move.

China, from all indications, wants more war in the world’s most war-torn region.

Source: (This article was originally published by Gatestone Institute on August 14, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Khamenei.ir/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Pray that Chinese plans to “promote chaos” in the region will come to nothing and their support of Iran’s terrorism in the Middle East will be fully revealed. Pray that this alliance between China and Iran would be permanently dissolved so that a major supplier of arms and finances for Iran would be cut off.

Scripture

LORD, You will establish peace for us.

- Isaiah 26:12a

Multiple Injured as Hezbollah Missile Barrage Targets Galilee

by JNS

Monday, 19 August 2024 | Several people were wounded on Monday morning when a drone launched from Lebanon slammed into Moshav Ya’ara in northern Israel’s Western Galilee region, according to Hebrew media reports.

The injuries were caused by a fire that broke out after the UAV fell in the area, hitting at least one building.

Along with the drones, 10 rockets were fired across the border at the Upper Galilee during the barrage. No injuries or damage were reported.

“Following the hostile aircraft infiltration sirens that sounded a short while ago in the western Galilee, multiple suspicious aerial targets were identified crossing from Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted some of the targets, and others fell in the area of Ya’ara,” the IDF confirmed.

The UAV and rocket barrage came shortly after the IDF targeted Hezbollah military structures in the areas of Aita al-Sha’ab, Beit Leaf and Khula in Southern Lebanon. At least one Hezbollah operative was killed in the attack on Khula, Ynet reported.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on August 19, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Ayal Margolin/Flash90/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Continue to pray for Israel’s northern communities, which have been under fire for nearly one year. Pray that residents who have not been evacuated will continue to endure with faith and the knowledge that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has planted them in this Land and will keep them.

Scripture

“I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God.

- Amos 9:15

Botched Tel Aviv Suicide Bombing a Harbinger of Worse to Come?

by Elisha Ben Kimon, Liran Tamari, Einav Halabi, Yoav Zitun ~ Ynetnews

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 | A powerful explosion by a terrorist carrying an explosive device in southern Tel Aviv moderately injured a passerby riding a scooter. September 15, 2023, the eve of Rosh HaShanah [Jewish New Year]: An explosion shakes Yarkon Park [in Tel Aviv]. Fortunately, there are no casualties. March 13, 2023: An explosive device detonates at the Megiddo Junction in the Jezreel Valley, severely injuring a young man who happened to be passing by in his vehicle.

What all these incidents have in common is that they were terrorist attacks, which miraculously ended without fatalities.

Responsibility for Sunday night’s attack in southern Tel Aviv was jointly claimed on Monday by Hamas and [Palestinian] Islamic Jihad [the second largest terror organization in the Gaza Strip]. The security establishment is currently refraining from assigning responsibility to either of the terror groups, despite their claims, and is investigating whether another party was behind sending the terrorist.

The terrorist, a resident of the Nablus area, carried a powerful explosive device and detonated it not far from a synagogue. Only one person was moderately injured, while the terrorist was killed. An investigation is looking into whether there was any malfunction that caused the device to explode before the terrorist reached a particular target.

The attack renews concerns about the return of terrorist bombing attacks into areas inside the Green Line, many years after the devastating attacks of the Second Intifada [violent Palestinian uprising]. In fact, this fear has already somewhat materialized in the unusual sequence of events described above.

Sunday night’s attack in Tel Aviv and the attacks in Yarkon Park and Megiddo Junction last year are joined by the double bombing attack at bus stations in Jerusalem in November 2022, in which 16-year-old Aryeh Schupak and 50-year-old Tedessa Teshuma were murdered. The security system works tirelessly to thwart terrorist infrastructures and organizations within the Green Line and in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria], and although it has successfully prevented numerous attacks and disasters, the success rate is not absolute.

In March 2023, the attack occurred at the Megiddo junction, a terrorist act carried out by a Hezbollah terrorist who managed to breach the border from Lebanon without being caught, reaching a junction located 70 kilometers [43 mi.] south of the border. He activated a standard “Kalimgor” explosive device there, which severely injured Sharaf al-Din Hamaisi, a resident of Salem, who was driving home from work. The terrorist attempted to return to Lebanon and nearly succeeded. He was stopped a few kilometers from the border and neutralized.

Six months later, the explosion occurred in Yarkon Park, on the eve of Rosh HaShanah, causing panic in the area, but fortunately no injuries. It is also suspected to have occurred for nationalist reasons. As evidence of the significant concern it raised, within hours, the National Counterterrorism Unit arrested two suspects in a vehicle on Highway 431 in front of the eyes of many stunned drivers. The vehicle was also scanned by sappers to rule out the presence of another device, and nearby drivers were asked to move away. Several indictments were later filed in the explosion, which was defined as “hostile terrorist activity.”

The terrorist who detonated an explosive on Sunday night in Tel Aviv carried a powerful bomb, which detonated not far from a synagogue where a prayer service was taking place at the time. “A great miracle happened here, a few more meters and we would have woken up to a huge disaster,” said Police Spokesman Deputy Commissioner Eli Levy Monday morning.

The passerby who was injured while passing by on a scooter said Monday morning from the hospital: “Suddenly there was a huge explosion, and I flew off the scooter. I thought a gas balloon had exploded because I saw the explosion was close to a truck. It felt like in a movie, a huge explosion and I was in the middle of the flames. They told me several times in the hospital that I was saved by luck, that I only have a few holes.”

The Israel Police and Shin Bet [Israeli internal security organization] announced Monday morning that, following the attack, it was decided to raise the alert level and conduct “extensive searches.”

“The Israel Police continues to conduct intensified operational activities in crowded places in collaboration with special units and volunteer response teams to provide citizens with security and a sense of security. We urge citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious person/object to the Israel Police and call the 100 hotline,” the police said in a statement.

The terrorist who was killed in the explosion was identified as a Palestinian from the West Bank’s Nablus area. A few months ago in March, an attack in central Israel was thwarted, also planned by a terrorist from the West Bank. The terrorist, from the Jenin area, carried an explosive device and was neutralized in the village of Zita near Tulkarm. He was not previously known to the security system, but due to certain actions, suspicion arose that he was on his way to carry out an attack. Another incident occurred just five days ago in the Hebron area, where a car bomb prepared by terrorists, allegedly to execute an attack, exploded. In the explosion, two of the terrorists were seriously injured, and the security system is still investigating the incident.

The recent attacks occur against the background of the already present, and even increasing, phenomenon of terrorist explosives in the West Bank, and now the fear is that there will be a “spillover” into cities in central Israel. At the end of June and the beginning of July, soldiers sergeant major (retired) Yehuda Geto and captain Alon Sacgiu were killed days apart in attacks using explosives during operations in the refugee camps in Tulkarm and Jenin. Last month, three explosive devices also detonated near the security fence in the Gilboa area. Two contractors from the Ministry of Defense were lightly injured in that attack.

The use of explosives in the West Bank has increased in recent years, with many being constructed from non-standard and improvised materials. Sometimes, terrorists use teenagers to transport the materials from which the improvised explosives are assembled, so they are not caught. Israeli forces, which have been operating with increased intensity to eradicate terrorism in the West Bank since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, repeatedly encounter improvised explosive devices—but also bombs with large amounts of explosive materials buried underground beneath traffic routes.

Hamas and Iran constantly fuel explosive terrorism, attempting to introduce numerous and varied weapons into the West Bank and Israel, especially through the eastern border with Jordan. For this purpose, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has strengthened its forces in the area and placed emphasis on the border. Recently, it was revealed that in March, a Palestinian living in Jordan was arrested in Nablus by the Shin Bet and National Counterterrorism Unit. The Shin Bet noted he was recruited by Hamas headquarters in Turkey that planned the thwarted attack and that a 26-pound [11.7-kg.] shrapnel device was also seized.

Iran, which these days promises retaliation for the assassinations of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah official Fu’ad Shukr in Beirut, is also trying to encourage terrorism by funneling money to terrorists. The IDF recently expressed concern about attempts by Iran or Hamas to introduce “game-changing weapons” into the West Bank. Evidence of this came in March this year when the smuggling of advanced weapons originating from Iran intended for the West Bank was thwarted by the Shin Bet.

Among other things, rockets, shrapnel devices, mines and RPG launchers were seized. Fifty pistols, 33 M4 rifles, explosives, 13 anti-tank missiles and 25 hand grenades were also seized. According to the security system, the Iranian elements responsible for that smuggling attempt are members of the Special Operations Division of the Revolutionary Guards, headed by Jawad Afari, the former commander of the Quds Force in Syria.

Many smuggling attempts, as mentioned, are made through the border with Jordan, and in July last year, a case focused on suspected attempts to smuggle explosive devices intended to reach the terrorist organizations in the West Bank was revealed on Ynet. The investigation then revealed that the explosives probably arrived in Jordan via a Hezbollah route originating in Iran.

A month later, another case of arms smuggling into Israel was revealed, also via the Hezbollah–Iran route. Four residents of Kafr Qasim and Lod were then charged with receiving Iranian-made explosive devices and other weapons and, according to Shin Bet, one of them was in contact with the terrorist organization from Lebanon. The purpose of the explosives in that case was suspected to be criminal—the elimination of Arab crime leaders—but the smuggling route also serves terrorist elements. The investigation revealed that Iran actually supplies standard and large explosive devices to Arab crime organizations in Israel.

In September 2023, another case was revealed, in which indictments were filed against two Israeli Arabs for involvement in smuggling explosive charges and munitions through the Jordanian border. According to the indictment, the defendants acted for financial gain—a payment of [US] $5,380—but one of them agreed to it despite knowing that the person who sent him to fetch the weapons was an operative of the PIJ. The two were arrested in August last year by the police at the entrance to Kafr Qasim, while they were headed toward the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm.

Israeli security forces, primarily the Shin Bet and the IDF, are continually engaged in preempting terrorist attacks before they can be executed. The Shin Bet dedicates substantial resources to locating the terrorists themselves and identifying smuggling routes. Recently, the IDF has also taken direct action against those manufacturing explosive devices to reduce their use and production as much as possible.

However, prevention is not foolproof. In recent months, the defense establishment has also warned of a potential surge in attempted terrorist attacks if the Palestinian Authority, whose economic situation is deteriorating, collapses amid various government actions against it. Additionally, the phenomenon of nationalist crime against Palestinians in the West Bank heightens concerns about escalation in this region.

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on August 19, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Israel Police/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Praise God that the recent bomb planned for the city of Tel Aviv was not detonated where there would have been mass casualties. Pray for Israel’s internal security forces who are constantly under pressure to detect planned terror attacks and uncover smuggling routes for the weapons needed to carry them out.

Scripture

Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty!

- Deuteronomy 33:29a

Israel Pivots to Homegrown Arms amid Tension with US

by Lilach Shoval ~ JNS (via Israel Hayom)

Friday, 16 August 2024 | After 10 months of conflict, Israel has drawn a crucial lesson: the need to indigenously produce and develop critical weaponry for the Israel Defense Forces [IDF]. Historically, Israel has sourced some of these armaments from foreign countries, primarily the United States.

Israel Hayom has learned of a decision to domestically develop and manufacture heavy bombs for the Israeli Air Force [IAF], including one-ton bombs akin to the American MK-84s, whose delivery has been stalled for months by direct White House order.

The Defense Ministry aims to maintain minimal production lines over time, allowing for rapid scale-up when necessary, while also boosting procurement of armored fighting vehicles for the IDF.

The development and production of the new bombs are projected to take two to three years. While the US administration has yet to greenlight the transfer of heavy bombs to the IAF, security sources tell Israel Hayom that a resolution is on the horizon.

Recently, Israel Hayom revealed that the United States has begun supplying Israel with half-ton MK-83 bombs, a delivery that had been withheld for many months before the war’s outbreak.

Comprehensive initiative

The Defense Ministry is also broadening the domestic production of additional armaments, including tank ammunition (which is globally scarce) and 155mm shells. The ministry recently announced substantial procurement deals, including a NIS 1.5 billion (US $400,000) contract with Elbit for ammunition acquisition and the establishment of a new specialized factory in Israel’s south.

Defense Ministry Director General, Major General (Retired) Eyal Zamir, described this as “a large-scale strategic move designed to ensure the IDF’s war machine continues to advance. We are investing and will continue to invest tens of billions in building infrastructure and capabilities, expanding production lines, establishing new lines and purchasing inventories to solidify production independence.”

The Defense Ministry had already announced another deal with Elbit Systems, purchasing Iron Sting mortar bombs for NIS 815 million (US $216 million). These precision mortar bombs combine laser and GPS guidance. The defense establishment plans to maintain minimal production lines over time to preserve the ability to ramp up production if necessary.

Boosting production

Plans are also in place to increase procurement of armored fighting vehicles for the IDF, including Merkava tanks and armored personal carriers that have proven their worth in combat. This increase is driven by the need to establish an additional new division.

Prior to the war, armored vehicles were produced at a rate of about 24 per year; this production rate will now be increased. Additionally, as soon as feasible, an extensive rehabilitation and maintenance process will be initiated for the armored vehicles used by the IDF during the war.

Furthermore, the IDF is awaiting approval from the ministerial committee for the procurement of an F-15 squadron from the United States and new Reshef-class ships for the Israeli Navy. The independent development of advanced munitions will bolster Israel’s strategic independence. However, defense officials caution that this process could be both costly and time-consuming.

Originally appeared in the Jewish News Syndicate, via Israel Hayom.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on August 13, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Nehemia Gershuni-Aylho/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Pray that Israel’s leaders—both military and political—will look to the Lord to be their ultimate defense and that Israeli defense industries will be able to manufacture the needed weaponry in a timely manner. Pray also that the United States will not abandon the only true ally it has in the Middle East.

Scripture

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.

- Psalm 5:11

UN Ignores October 7 Victims in Exhibit for Terror Victims Remembrance Day

by Itamar Eichner ~ Ynetnews

Thursday, 22 August 2024 | To mark the seventh commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, a virtual high-level event titled “Voices for Peace: Victims of Terrorism as Peace Advocates and Educators” took place on August 21. The exhibition includes victims of the Twin Towers attack in 2001 and even terrorism in Indonesia, but not a single representation of the October 7 massacre terror victims or any other Israeli terror victim.

The exhibition presented various stories and memorials as part of the commemoration events taking place on Wednesday at the United Nations, including a statement by Secretary-General António Guterres and a panel of terror victims who are geographically and gender diverse.

However, the events do not include victims from the Hamas massacre in Gaza border communities, which is the largest terrorist attack of the year.

On his last day in office, the outgoing Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, recorded a video in which he strongly criticized the ignoring of the victims of the massacre.

The exhibition at the visitor’s entrance to the UN presents 15 posters of victims or survivors of terrorism next to an object that is unique to each of them along with a QR code that links to a video in which the victim shares his memory and what the object symbolizes for him. The exhibition features victims of the 9/11 terror attack, victims of terrorism from Indonesia and a Palestinian woman whose son was injured in a terrorist attack in New Zealand, though those looking at the poster would assume that she was the victim of an Israeli attack.

The exhibition seen by every visitor to the UN does not include a single representation of the victims of the October 7 massacre or of any other victim of terrorism from Israel.

Israel’s new ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said: “The UN’s ignoring of Israeli terror victims, and during the year of such a brutal and shocking massacre, is a disgrace and marks a new moral low for the UN. The October 7 massacre is the largest terrorist attack in the last year and the most brutal massacre against Jews since the Holocaust, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and 109 are still being held hostage in Gaza.”

“The UN was able to find the mother of a ‘Palestinian terror victim’ who was killed in New Zealand but was unable to find a single terror victim from the most brutal massacre that happened this year, or any Israeli terror victim from the thousands of terror incidents carried out against us. The Israeli delegation to the UN will make sure that no one in this building forgets October 7 and our hostages,” Danon added. “As long as the UN doesn’t declare Hamas a terrorist organization, this day remains utterly meaningless.”

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on August 21, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Office of EPA Administrator/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia

Prayer Focus
Pray that those who see the exhibit will question why Israeli victims of October 7 were not included. Pray that the Lord will turn this travesty into something that will reveal His truth, rather than a biased misrepresentation.

Scripture

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

- Proverbs 19:21(ESV)

Wives of Hamas Hostages Pen Heart-wrenching Tu B’Av Letters

by Noam Dvir ~ JNS

Tuesday, 20 August 2024 | Israelis celebrated Tu B’Av on Monday, a holiday marked by couples exchanging gifts and heartfelt expressions of love, much like Valentine’s Day in other parts of the world.

Four women, whose partners are held hostage by the Hamas terror organization, wrote poignant love letters to their loved ones to mark the day, sharing their longing and unwavering hope.

In biblical times, Tu B’Av, or the 15th day of the Jewish month of Av, held significant cultural and religious importance. It marked the start of the grape harvest, when unmarried women would don white garments and dance in the vineyards, hoping to catch the eye of a potential suitor.

Simultaneously, Tu B’Av marked the completion of the annual wood-gathering for the Temple’s main altar, a crucial communal task. While these ancient customs have faded, modern Israel has transformed Tu B’Av into a holiday of love.

Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or were abducted from the Nova music festival during the murderous Hamas onslaught in southern Israel on October 7. A total of 354 people were killed during the massacre. Argamani was rescued by the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] after 246 days in captivity. She wrote to Or, who remains captive:

“Happy Tu B’Av, my love. Every year, you’d surprise me with a bouquet and share the story of Tu B’Av’s origins—how young women in white would dance in the vineyards of Shiloh under the full moon, hoping to find their soulmates. That’s why Tu B’Av symbolizes beauty and love.”

Argamani concluded with a heartfelt wish: “Here’s to many more kisses and days filled with love—together, not apart.”

Ohad and Raz Ben Ami, both 57, were abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. Raz was released in November as part of a ceasefire deal. She wrote to her husband, who remains captive:

My dearest Ohad, 

It’s been an eternity since we’ve been apart, not by choice but by cruel circumstance. If it were up to us, we wouldn’t be separated for even a moment. Yet here we are, forced apart by a horrific reality for longer than we’ve ever been in our 32 years together.

You’re my soulmate, my confidant, my everything. Our conversations flow effortlessly on any topic, your patience endless as you explain things. That’s us. It’s about patience, mutual respect, and love—the very essence of our life together.

Waking up to our morning chats fill me with happiness. I see how wonderful life is with you by my side, but all this bliss was abruptly interrupted.

How can life go on when you’re not here? How is it possible that my other half has been suffering for so long, and I’m powerless to bring you home? I miss your guidance in all the important decisions we now face. 

The girls miss you desperately. They’re at a crucial stage in life, facing big decisions, and they need their father.

Avital Dekel Chen wrote to her husband, Sagi, who was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz:

Sagi,

Fifteen years ago, you made me a promise in one of your letters: “We’ll hike together from Mount Sagi to Mount Avital.” It was the first time I realized there were two mountains in Israel bearing our names—Sagi in the south, Avital in the north.

The idea of embarking on such a journey together, one that would span the length of our country, filled me with excitement. Despite our many travels across Israel over the years, we never managed to make that particular trip. But your words have stayed with me all this time. Today, I understand that your promise wasn’t just idle talk. Perhaps that sentence was waiting for this very moment, when we find ourselves separated after 20 years, and all I have to cling to is faith.

Faith that we’ll still make that journey together, with our daughters by our side. I now see that your words symbolize the path we’re meant to travel as a couple. We’re two different people, perhaps even opposites—a kibbutznik and a girl from Dimona—united by one crucial trait: resilience. We have the strength to stand firm in the face of life’s challenges, unmovable as the very mountains that bear our names.

Know that Barbur and Gali miss you so much and are waiting for you. Be strong, like our love. Today I’m the one who wants to promise you—we’ll still hike from Mount Sagi to Mount Avital.

Lishay Miran wrote to her husband, Omri, who was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

My beloved Omri,

The night grows late as another week ends and a new one begins. Our girls are fast asleep, and I find myself here, pen in hand, trying to organize my thoughts and search for the right words.

My darling, I visited Nahal Oz again this week—the fifth time since that fateful day. Every moment I’m there, I’m haunted by the thought that you’re just beyond the fence, so close yet unreachable. Roni’s Rosh Hashana drawings still hang on the wall, a poignant reminder that it’s nearly been a year since you were taken from us.

This apartment hasn’t felt like a home in so long. I remember when we moved after the attack, I declared with such certainty that we wouldn’t move again until we had a place of our own. But life had other plans. Next month, Roni, Alma, and I will be moving for the third time this year. I promise you again—this is the last move until you return. I’m staying put until you come back, and then we’ll build the home we’ve always dreamed of together. 

This week, the girls finished their year in kindergarten. Roni insisted on wearing your shirt and necklace to the end-of-year party. As we released balloons to mark the occasion, she made a wish in front of everyone for “Dad Omri and everyone to come back.” In Alma’s kindergarten, they placed a yellow chair with your picture. Alma approached it and simply said, “Dad.” You were there with us too, just as you are in every moment of our daily lives.

My darling, I need to ask for your forgiveness. I’m sorry you’re still there. I’m sorry I haven’t managed to bring you home yet. I’m sorry that instead of holding you close and speaking to you face-to-face, I’m writing a letter, clinging to the faint hope that they might let you read it.

I’m so, so sorry.

My love, there’s a deal on the table, and I pray you’ll be with us soon. I will continue to remind everyone, through every possible channel, both in writing and verbally: We cannot afford to miss another opportunity! 

To the decision-makers: You have no right to leave Omri and the other 114 hostages behind! The living must be returned for rehabilitation, the fallen and murdered for proper burial. We cannot move forward, we cannot heal, we cannot live in security as long as you remain there in Gaza!

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on August 13, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Courtesy/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Weep and mourn with the wives and children of those still held hostage in Gaza. Pray for them to be comforted during these days of affliction and turmoil. Ask the Lord to sustain those hostages who are alive with hope in Him alone.

Scripture

My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me. I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

- Job 30:27–28

Haifa Readies World’s Largest Underground Hospital

by Etgar Lefkovitz ~ JNS

Wednesday, 21 August 2024 | In Haifa, rows of hospital beds with adjacent oxygen units line an underground parking lot. Four operating rooms, a maternity ward and a dialysis center are among the facilities that Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus has set up three levels down in its parking garage.

The largest hospital in northern Israel has worked to create the largest underground hospital in the world and is now gearing up for what could be an all-out war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The three-floor, [US] $140-million Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital was constructed following the Second Lebanon War in 2006, when the Iranian terrorist proxy fired about 70 missiles on this northern port city over a month, shaking the hospital in an era before the Iron Dome air defense system was in place.

“We made a commitment that this scenario cannot happen again,” said the hospital director, Professor Michael Halberthal, during a tour of the facility on Sunday.

The 2,000-plus bed subterranean emergency hospital, which has been ready if unused over the last decade, is essentially a 1,500-car garage that has been seamlessly converted into a fortified hospital for warfare and that can be put into full use within eight hours.

‘We wanted peace of mind’

Nearly two decades after the last major war with Hezbollah, security threats have only grown from the Shiite terrorist group, which has been raining down missiles on Israel almost daily since the October 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. Its members are better trained and more heavily armed, with a missile stockpile experts estimate at 150,000 projectiles capable of striking virtually the entire country.

Halberthal explained that the Israeli military assessment for an all-out war describes Hezbollah firing a missile at Haifa every four minutes for 60 days, leading to thousands of casualties.

“We wanted peace of mind so we can continue to work and to reduce exposure time if there is a sudden missile attack on northern Israel,” said the hospital director.

Based on a model in Singapore, the facility received 30% of its funding from the state, with the remainder financed by Jewish and Christian philanthropists, including the late Israeli shipping magnate Sammy Ofer (the hospital is named after him) and charities.

During the coronavirus pandemic, it was converted into the largest COVID-19 facility in Israel.

With tensions with Hezbollah running high—Israel [having] killed Fu’ad Shukr, a top Hezbollah leader in Beirut, on July 30, after a terrorist rocket killed 12 Israeli children playing soccer in a Druze village in the Golan Heights—the underground hospital is again primed for use.

One of its three 20,000-square meter (5-acre) floors has been cleared of cars these last 10 months and put on standby, even as above ground the hospital has been treating hundreds of casualties from the war, including the kids wounded in the Golan attack.

Restrooms, showers and even a daycare center area can fit 8,000 people at full capacity, with enough electricity, water, oxygen, food and gas to make it self-sufficient for several days of warfare, said Halberthal.

A fortified hospital underground command center replete with smart-screen TVs and a state-of-the-art data computer system was donated for a medical center where nearly one-third of its staff are non-Jews.

‘We are prepared’

“There is no panic, but citizens are concerned,” said Tal Siboni, head of the Haifa Municipality’s emergency call center, which since October 7 has been operating in an underground bunker. “The phones are not ringing off the hook, but we are prepared.”

This city of 300,000 residents—12% of whom are Arabs—is, like many other Israeli communities these last 10 months, on edge.

About 60,000 Israelis have been evacuated from their homes in northern Israel following the attacks from Lebanon, with some moving to Haifa.

Veteran Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav has said that in a full-scale war, Hezbollah could fire as many as 4,000 projectiles a day at northern Israel.

“I am being accused of being too pessimistic but it’s better to be too pessimistic,” he said on Monday, confirming his remarks, which raised eyebrows and were reported in the Arab world, even as he voiced the hope that an agreement could be reached to avert an all-out war.

“We are the target,” the mayor said. “[Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah says it openly.”

In the meantime, the city has reduced the levels of hazardous materials at its petrochemical industries over the last two weeks as a safety measure in keeping with military instructions, said Yair Zilberman, the city’s director of emergency preparedness and security.

“There are diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict but we are readying for anything and everything,” said IDF foreign press spokesman major David Avraham at a briefing in Haifa overlooking the city’s ports.

Back at the hospital, a steady stream of patients comes and goes through the main entrance on a warm and sun-swept summer day, seemingly oblivious to the preparations underway three levels down.

“We have to be optimistic,” Halberthal said. “Somewhere along the line, there has to be an end to this.”

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on August 20, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rambam Health Care Campus/jns.org

Prayer Focus
Intercede for the medical staff—doctors, nurses, EMTs and more—who will be on the frontlines in case of war with Hezbollah. Pray that preparations will be finished, but more than that, pray that fear of the Lord would overcome Israel’s enemies and their plans to attack would be forgotten.

Scripture

So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

- Isaiah 59:19