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WSJ: Defying Biden, Israel’s Netanyahu Doubles Down on Plans to Fight in Rafah
Highpoints Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government is preparing plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the southern Gaza city of Rafah so that Israeli forces can expand their campaign against Hamas there, despite warnings by the U.S. and United Nations of the potential cost in civilian lives and suffering. President Biden last week called Israel’s offensive “over the top.” That hasn’t stopped Netanyahu. In a move that puts his government at odds with the U.S., the Israeli leader is doubling down on military plans to enter Rafah. Netanyahu is taking his message directly to Americans, in an interview scheduled to air on ABC News on Sunday. In a released preview, he declared that “victory is within reach” and that “we’re going to get the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in Rafah, which is the last bastion.” Netanyahu said that not entering Rafah would be akin to losing the war against Hamas and allowing the group, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization, to survive. Israel’s plan to push into Rafah also threatens to strain relations with neighboring Egypt, where officials are worried about a flood of Palestinians fleeing Gaza and entering the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt, a leading mediator in those talks, has warned Hamas that it must reach an agreement with Israel within about two weeks or Israel will proceed with a ground invasion of Rafah. View Quote Entire article in spoiler Click To View Spoiler ]Defying Biden, Israel’s Netanyahu Doubles Down on Plans to Fight in Rafah TEL AVIV—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government is preparing plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the southern Gaza city of Rafah so that Israeli forces can expand their campaign against Hamas there, despite warnings by the U.S. and United Nations of the potential cost in civilian lives and suffering. The Biden administration has signaled increasing discomfort with Israeli talk of entering a city where more than one million Palestinians have taken refuge. President Biden last week called Israel’s offensive “over the top.” That hasn’t stopped Netanyahu. In a move that puts his government at odds with the U.S., the Israeli leader is doubling down on military plans to enter Rafah. Analysts say Netanyahu is seeking to extend the war in Gaza as polls show waning domestic support for him but strong support for pursuing Hamas. Netanyahu is taking his message directly to Americans, in an interview scheduled to air on ABC News later on Sunday. In a released preview, he declared that “victory is within reach” and that “we’re going to get the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in Rafah, which is the last bastion.” Netanyahu said that not entering Rafah would be akin to losing the war against Hamas and allowing the group, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization, to survive. Israel’s stated goal is to destroy Hamas and prevent it from posing further threats to the country’s security. Netanyahu’s government has also said that military pressure on Hamas is needed to compel the group to release more than 130 hostages still in Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Sunday that deepening the pursuit of Hamas in Gaza brings Israel closer to a “realistic deal in order to return the hostages.” Israel’s proposed push on Rafah threatens to deepen a rift with the Biden administration, which faces growing pressure to temper its support for the war during an election year. Some Biden aides fear the president’s support for Israel could hurt his standing among younger voters as he seeks another term. Netanyahu appeared to try to bridge that gap with the administration by saying Israel is focused on protecting civilians. “This I agree with the Americans. We’re going to do it while providing safe passage for the civilian population so they can leave,” said Netanyahu. The U.N. has warned that an Israeli offensive in Rafah would “exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare.” The city has so far been mostly spared from the heavy firefights seen in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis and Gaza City in the north. On where Palestinians would be able to go after Rafah, Netanyahu said Israel is working out a detailed plan, while mentioning “plenty of areas” north of the city that he said Israel had cleared. “We’re not cavalier about this,” he said. Israel’s plan to push into Rafah also threatens to strain relations with neighboring Egypt, where officials are worried about a flood of Palestinians fleeing Gaza and entering the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian officials have repeatedly pressed their Israeli counterparts to limit the scale of any possible operation in Rafah, warning that Cairo has the option of suspending its 1979 peace treaty with Israel. In a move to mitigate the risks, Egypt has reinforced its border fences and added cameras, watchtowers and sensors. It has also moved tanks and infantry fighting vehicles into the border area. Upsetting Egypt would also not bode well for ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a cease-fire plan that could free hostages still held in Gaza. Egypt, a leading mediator in those talks, has warned Hamas that it must reach an agreement with Israel within about two weeks or Israel will proceed with a ground invasion of Rafah. About 28,000 people, mainly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to Palestinian authorities. The number doesn’t distinguish between civilians and militants. Israel began its air, ground and sea campaign in Gaza after Hamas militants conducted a cross-border attack on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities. Khan Yunis as seen from Rafah, Sunday Feb 11 |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Haaretz: Turkey Analysis | Celebrating Hamas, Targeting Jews: In Erdogan's Turkey, the Gaza War Sets a Dangerous Mood
Highlights Ever since the dreadful Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of over 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, the position of Ankara and some Turkish citizens has been Gaza first, even to the detriment of their own priorities. [In] October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered three days of national mourning for the Palestinians killed in Israel's bombardment of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Two months later, 12 Turkish soldiers were killed in an ongoing, underreported conflict between Turkey and Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq. However, no days of national mourning were announced for the fallen Turkish citizens. Erdogan publicly insisted that despite October's ghoulish atrocities, Hamas are actually noble freedom fighters. In recent years, Ankara has allowed some of the terrorist group's top echelons to conspire from Istanbul. The week after the Oct. 7 attack, Erdogan personally spoke on the phone with Hamas' sponsors in Tehran to have a strategic discussion with hard-line Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Two weeks later, demonstrators in Turkey marched outside of Turkey's NATO bases and even tried to storm one...despite NATO membership being the cornerstone of Turkish military power. Sagiv Jehezkel, an Israeli soccer player...[scored the tying goal] against rival Trabzonspor last month. Celebrating, he showed a tiny inscription written on a band around his wrist paying tribute to the Israeli hostages languishing in Gaza. In response, the club terminated his contract. [The] player was subsequent detained by Turkish authorities and deported to Israel. The Starbucks corporation had a dispute with the coffee chain's workers' union about [Starbuck's] social media posts on the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Starbuck's customers have been pelted with rocks or greeted by protests. A gunman fired on a branch in southern Turkey. Turkey's local Jewish population has been targeted too. There have been signs on shops barring entry to Jews; leading newspapers published articles detailing global Jewish conspiracies and blood libels. There are many reasons for Turkey's tailspin over Gaza. Some Turks are angry at the intensity of Israel's bombardment and the large civilian death toll. Much of the present rage is a direct result of Erdogan's influence. The president, who has been at the helm of Turkish politics for over 20 years, has long held antisemitic views, plus aspirations for Turkey to occupy center stage regionally. He believes.in the legitimacy of Hamas as a viable Palestinian actor, which is a natural outcome of his ideological affinity for the Muslim Brotherhood" Sunni Islamist organization. ..the situation in Turkey is dangerous. Last month, Islamic State gunmen burst into a Catholic church in Istanbul during mass and opened fire, killing one man and causing worshippers to duck for cover behind pews. As luck would have it (believers might call it a miracle), the terrorists' automatic weapons jammed, preventing them from murdering more people. According to informed reports, the Islamic State has ordered that Jewish and Christian sites in Turkey be targeted. The West doesn't need Turkey, a country that is institutionally bound to the West...to use the language of jihad. View Quote Entire article in spoiler: Click To View Spoiler Celebrating Hamas, targeting Jews: In Turkey, the Gaza war is triggering a dangerous mood
ISTANBUL – Toward the end of 2023, Turkey was rocked by a diplomatic scandal. The son of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud managed to flee Turkey after killing a motorcyclist in a road accident. When Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc was asked about Ankara's position, his response was – and I quote, not paraphrase – "The agenda is Palestine." This is indicative. Ever since the dreadful Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of over 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, the position of Ankara and some Turkish citizens has been Gaza first, even to the detriment of their own priorities. A few examples to illustrate the point. Toward the end of October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered three days of national mourning for the Palestinians killed in Israel's bombardment of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Two months later, 12 Turkish soldiers were killed in an ongoing, underreported conflict between Turkey and Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq. However, no days of national mourning were announced for the fallen Turkish citizens. The United States, Canada, Britain, European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have designated Hamas a terrorist group. However, Erdogan publicly insisted that despite October's ghoulish Hamas atrocities that included rape and systematic massacre, Hamas are actually noble freedom fighters. In recent years, Ankara has allowed some of the terrorist group's top echelons to conspire from Istanbul and, according to some reports, Hamas leaders watched the massacre in southern Israel take place while in Turkey, raising eyebrows in Western capitals. The week after the Oct. 7 attack, Erdogan personally spoke on the phone with Hamas' sponsors in Tehran to have a strategic discussion with hard-line Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Two weeks later, demonstrators in Turkey marched outside of Turkey's NATO bases and even tried to storm one that houses U.S. forces. This despite NATO membership being the cornerstone of Turkish military power. Sagiv Jehezkel, an Israeli soccer player for top-flight Turkish club Antalyaspor, earned his team a much-needed point by scoring the equalizing goal against rival Trabzonspor last month. Celebrating, he showed a tiny inscription written on a band around his wrist paying tribute to the Israeli hostages languishing in Gaza. In response, the club terminated his contract. This despite him being the team's second highest scorer this season. The international reputation of the Turkish league has also suffered in the process – especially after the player was detained by authorities and then summarily deported to Israel. Back in October, the U.S.-based Starbucks corporation had a dispute with the coffee chain's workers' union about their social media posts on the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, cappuccino drinkers and iced-latte guzzlers at non-unionized Starbucks chains in Turkey have been pelted with rocks or greeted by protests. One gunman even fired on a branch in southern Turkey. Yet in Turkey, the Starbucks chain is owned by a Qatari state corporation as well as Turkish subcontractors. Similarly, McDonald's was branded a Zionist-supporting entity because the home of the Big Mac has branches in the Little Satan. One Turkish protester went as far as to unleash a squadron of mice onto a branch last November. But in Turkey, Mickey Dee's is owned by the Vienna-based Boheme Investment, which itself is owned by a Qatari national. Without Qatari investment, Turkey's international strategic position would be vulnerable and its economy would shake. It is the same story at Burger King, which has faced a number of attacks despite being part of the portfolio of Turkish-owned TAB Gida, which runs a number of Turkish-based fast-food chained outlets. In an incident not unlike a scene from Chris Morris' cult British comedy "Four Lions," an armed Turkish assailant stormed into a Procter & Gamble factory near Istanbul earlier this month, taking seven workers hostage. All the captives were Muslim and Turkish. Luckily, they escaped unharmed when the man was captured by the authorities while reportedly taking a toilet break. How the perpetrator thought that taking captive Turks would help the hungry and displaced in Gaza is anyone's guess. Regardless, Procter & Gamble has not considered closing its center in Tel Aviv. If anything, the consumer goods giant must now invest in greater security precautions in Turkey. Turkey's local Jewish population has been targeted too. There have been signs on shops barring entry to Jews; leading newspapers alleging a global Jewish conspiracy; articles purporting Jewish blood libels; and one group of protesters considered it a good idea to protest nefarious Jewish plots and conspiracies outside a synagogue in Izmir that had already been defaced. In Istanbul, a group of doctors came dressed with bloodied handprints on their white scrubs to demonstrate outside a Jewish community-owned hospital, even though the facility's patients are overwhelmingly Muslim. There are many reasons for Turkey's tailspin over Gaza. Some Turks are angry at the intensity of Israel's bombardment and the large civilian death toll. Turkey's far left has for decades seen Israel and Zionism as an imperialist project. However, as noted by Brookings Institution Visiting Fellow Asli Aydintasbas, much of the present rage is also a directly result of Erdogan's influence. The president, who has been at the helm of Turkish politics for over 20 years, has long held antisemitic views, plus aspirations for Turkey to occupy center stage regionally. He believes, in the words of Aydintasbas, "in the legitimacy of Hamas as a viable Palestinian actor, which is a natural outcome of his ideological affinity for the Muslim Brotherhood" Sunni Islamist organization. Regardless, the situation in Turkey is dangerous. Last month, Islamic State gunmen burst into a Catholic church in Istanbul during mass and opened fire, killing one man and causing worshippers to duck for cover behind pews. As luck would have it (believers might call it a miracle), the terrorists' automatic weapons jammed, preventing them from murdering more people. According to informed reports, the Islamic State has ordered that Jewish and Christian sites in Turkey be targeted. The last thing Turkey needs is a repeat of the dark days between 2013 and 2017, when multi-casualty terror attacks by ISIS and the Kurdistan Workers' Party were the norm. Meanwhile, continued talk of Hamas as freedom fighters is bound to anger Turkey's traditional allies in the West. Qatar's close ties with Hamas and Iran are just about tolerated because of its utility. However, the West doesn't need two Qatars or for Turkey, a country that is institutionally bound with the West through NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Council of Europe and its ties to the EU, to use the language of jihad. If calm heads don't prevail in Ankara soon, it is likely that Turkey will make international headlines for all the wrong reasons. |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Institute for Study of War backgrounder 11 Feb Key Takeaways: Northern and central Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces clashed with Palestinian fighters in the northern and central Gaza Strip. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) mortared Israeli military positions east of Gaza City. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement fired rockets at an Israeli military position in southeast Gaza City. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement is a Palestinian faction aligned with Hamas and has expressed close ties with Iran. The IDF Nahal Brigade (assigned to the 162nd Division) clashed with and killed Palestinian fighters targeting Israeli forces with anti-tank missiles in the central Gaza Strip. Israeli aircraft targeted a weapons warehouse and Palestinian fighters in the central Gaza Strip. Southern Gaza Strip Hamas, Egyptian, and Houthi officials issued threats likely to dissuade the IDF from a military operation into Rafah. The IDF 35th Paratroopers Brigade and 89th Commando Brigade (both assigned to the 98th Division) clashed with Palestinian fighters in western Khan Younis. The 646th Brigade (assigned to the 99th Division) launched a new clearing operation in eastern Khan Younis and detained approximately 60 Palestinian fighters. Palestinian militias mortared Israeli forces in eastern Khan Younis. The IDF 98th Division directed airstrikes targeting three weapons depots and a Palestinian militia squad in Khan Younis. The commander of the 98th Division stated that Israeli forces have “dismantled and destroyed” Hamas in Khan Younis both under and above ground. The IDF reported on February 11 that its 84th Givati Brigade (assigned to the 162nd Division) “deepened” the damage it inflicted on Hamas’ Western Khan Younis Battalion. Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade is composed of five battalions. The Givati Brigade killed about 100 Palestinian fighters in several clashes using tanks, small arms, and air support “in the last few weeks.” Israeli forces “expanded” ground operations in western Khan Younis on January 22. Hamas, Egyptian, and Houthi officials issued threats likely to dissuade the IDF from a military operation into Rafah on February 11. An unspecified senior Hamas official speaking to a Hamas-affiliated outlet said that an Israeli ground incursion into Rafah would “torpedo” hostage exchange negotiations. Two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat told the Associated Press that an Israeli ground operation in Rafah would freeze the Egypt-Israel Camp David Accords peace treaty. A senior Houthi official warned that the Houthi movement would intensify attacks against Israel if the IDF entered Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with ABC that Israeli forces would “provide safe passage” to Gazan civilians from Rafah to unspecified, already cleared areas north of Rafah and reiterated that the IDF will enter Rafah in the near future. West Bank Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian fighters twice. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah conducted five attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Syria Likely Iranian-backed militants tried to conduct a drone attack targeting US forces at Conoco Mission Support Site in Deir ez Zor Province, Syria. All drones intercepted and destroyed. Yemen US Central Command forces conducted self-defense strikes targeting Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles and unmanned surface vessels. CENTCOM forces struck three mobile ASCMs and two USVs north of Hudaydah in Yemen. CENTCOM conducted the preemptive, self-defense strikes after determining that the ASCMs and USVs presented an “imminent threat” to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the Red Sea. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Link
Israeli forces rescue two hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza Israeli security forces have rescued two hostages who were held captive by Hamas in Gaza overnight Sunday, a joint statement by the IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police said. The two, Louis Norberto Har, 70, and Fernando Marman, 60, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7 and were held in an apartment in Rafah. They are in good condition and have been taken for medical evaluation at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Israel’s Iron Dome shooting down rockets fired at Israel from Hezbollah in Lebanon:
Israel uncovers Hamas terror tunnel under UNRWA HQ in Gaza. 700m long, 18m down. The IDF releases footage obtained from the body camera of a Hamas operative, showing members of the terror group booby-trapping a home in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis with explosive devices. Soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade found the camera and using the footage located the building and neutralized the explosive devices |
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Sites hit by fighter jets in Marwahin included a rocket launching position and other infrastructure used by Hezbollah, the IDF says.
In Ramyah, Yaroun, and Chihine, the IDF hit an observation post, a building, and additional Hezbollah infrastructure. The Givati Brigade has "deepened" the damage caused to Hamas's western Khan Younis Battalion, and has strengthened its "operational control" in the area in southern Gaza. Troops of the IDF's 98th Division continue to battle Hamas in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, while the 162nd Division carries out smaller raids in central and northern Gaza Israel's heroic rescue in Gaza! |
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What’s the difference between pancakes and a Mini-14? Pancakes hit the spot.-dvanblaricom
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Haaretz | News Israel-Hamas War Day 129 | U.K. Slaps Sanctions on Four Israeli Settlers; IDF Strikes Hezbollah Operatives in Lebanon Feb 12, 2024
What is left of buildings where hostages were held RECAP: Israeli forces rescue two hostages in Rafah; IDF announces two soldiers killed in southern Gaza Here's what you need to know 129 days into the Israel-Hamas war: ■ Israeli forces rescued two hostages – Louis Norberto Har, 70, and Fernando Marman, 60 – who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on Oct.7, from Hamas captivity overnight. The two were rescued from an apartment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. ■ The IDF announced that two soldiers – Sgt. 1st Class Adi Eldor, 21 years old from Haifa, and Sgt. 1st Class Alon Kleinman, 21 years old, from Tel Aviv – of the Maglan commando unit, were killed on Sunday in combat in the southern Gaza Strip. ■ The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said 67 people were killed and dozens were injured in the IDF's attacks overnight in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip but said the search for victims is still underway. ■ The Lebanese News Agency reported that several people were injured in a drone attack on a vehicle in the town of Bint Jbeil, in the southern part of the country. The Al-Arabiya network and other media outlets said the target of the attack was Mohammed Alawiya, a Hezbollah commander in charge of the Maroun El Ras area. ■ Reports in Syria said explosions were heard in Aleppo near the international airport. ■ An appeals court in the Netherlands ordered the government to suspend all supplies of F-35 aircraft parts to Israel. ■ Hezbollah announced that Nasrallah met with Secretary General of Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah to discuss Gaza and the West Bank and "the assistance provided by the resistance axis in the various arenas." ■ The head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Monday the agency continues to call for safe access for humanitarian personnel and supplies, for Hamas to release hostages and for a cease-fire. ■ Sirens sounded in Ein HaBsor. It was the first siren in five days in the Gaza border communities View Quote Belgium says it has not received any clarification yet from Israel on Gaza building bombing Belgium has not received clarification yet from Israel on the destruction of its government buildings in Gaza two weeks ago, Belgium's minister of development cooperation said on Monday. View Quote IDF investigates an Israeli citizen who crossed border into Gaza and then returned The IDF reports that an Israeli citizen crossed on Sunday from the southern Israeli Kibbutz of Be'eri area into the Gaza Strip and then returned to Israel. The army's statement added that the civilian walked about a kilometer (about 0.6 miles) into the Strip and then returned to Israel, where he was interrogated View Quote NBC report: Biden called Netanyahu an 'asshole,' said he is preventing cease-fire President Biden used harsh words towards Prime Minister Netanyahu in private conversations in recent weeks, expressing deep frustration at his inability to convince the latter to change Israel's military tactics in the Gaza Strip and treating him as a major obstacle in trying to bring about a cease-fire, according to five sources that spoke with NBC News. The sources are said to have first-hand knowledge of the statements and said Biden said he is trying to get Israel to agree to a cease-fire, but Netanyahu is "giving him hell" and is impossible to deal with. The sources said on three separate occasions Biden called Netanyahu an "asshole" and on other occasions referred to him as "this guy." "He just feels that enough is enough. This (referring to war) needs to stop," said one of the sources about Biden's words View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
A vehicle with a number of Hezbollah operatives in it was struck in Maroun al-Ras. The IDF also struck Hezbollah infrastructure in Odaisseh and Khiam, two buildings and another military site in Tayr Harfa and Maroun al-Ras.
The moment Fernando Simon Marman and Norberto Louis Har reunited with their families after being rescued by Israeli special forces from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip New Footage of IDF Operations in Southern Gaza: Hamas Tunnel Network Complete with Server Room: Footage from an IDF Service Dog: |
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Video taken by Palestinians of what's left of buildings where rescued hostages were kept
Translation: From the site of the operation in Rafah at dawn today View Quote
Translation: From the bombing of the Al-Shaer family home on Al-Kharba Street in Rafah at dawn today View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Palestinians are killed by airstrikes, while Israel hails the "impressive" hostage rescue in Rafah.
Video of the Israeli army's raid on the Khan Younis Hamas compound is released: Pro-terrorism demonstrators clash with police in Brooklyn: Description of Hamas "Intelligence Server Farm" Under UNRWA HQ in Gaza: |
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Tweet from John Spencer at the Modern War Institute on yesterday's hostage rescue. He is the author of the articles on tunnels in Gaza that were posted here in Oct.
“This historic operation involving basically the nation of Israel to retrieve its hostages in such a densely populated area where Hamas is using human shields…I think its shows Israel’s approach, clearing dense urban areas…hostages are in Southern Gaza…best way to bring them home and create a new phase for the operation for the Palestinian people…” View Quote Complete article on tunnels published in October in spoiler. Link Click To View Spoiler Underground Nightmare: Hamas Tunnels and the Wicked Problem Facing the IDF - Modern War Institute Underground Nightmare: Hamas Tunnels and the Wicked Problem Facing the IDF If Israel launches a ground campaign into Gaza to clear the dense areas of Hamas military capability—and all indications are that it intends to—Israeli forces can expect to face a wide range of challenges. Some of these are common features of modern urban warfare history, while others stem from the unique characteristics of Gaza’s urban terrain. But one challenge spans both categories: tunnels. Subterranean spaces have featured in other urban battles—not only recently but stretching back to ancient history. But the scale of the challenge in Gaza, where hundreds of miles of tunnels crisscross below ground in the enclave, is entirely unique. This expansive underground complex is the wicked problem—one for which no perfect solution exists—awaiting Israeli ground forces. Tunnel warfare is not new. From medieval mining and countermining, its long history extends through the subterranean component of the World War I battles of the Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Messines to the deep natural and manmade tunnels used at Mariupol, Bakhmut, and Soledar during the ongoing war in Ukraine. The US military’s experience with tunnels includes the Civil War sieges of Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1863 and Petersburg, Virginia in 1864, the massive underground complexes of the Vietnam War, and both to al-Qaeda and ISIS tunnels in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. In Vietnam, where North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces used miles of tunnel networks to protect their supply routes, military forces, and bases in places like Cu Chi, the problem became so severe that it forced the development of new tactics such as sending soldiers, called tunnel rats, into tunnels armed with only a pistol and flashlight. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are very aware of the presence of Hamas tunnels in Gaza. They often refer to the group’s tunnel systems as the “metro.” The destruction of these tunnel complexes was one of the objectives of previous ground campaigns into Gaza, in 2008 and 2014. In total, there were believed to be over three hundred miles of tunnels in 2021, when Israel claimed to have destroyed sixty miles of tunnels during an eleven-day bombing campaign. Even if those tunnels have not been rebuilt or replaced, that means that it is likely that there remain hundreds of miles of intricate, complex, and deep tunnel infrastructure in Gaza. It is a veritable city underneath the cities on Gaza’s surface. In the event of a ground campaign launched by Israel, Hamas would use its tunnels both defensively and offensively. The way it employed these spaces against the IDF during Israel’s 2014 Operation Protective Edge offers clues about what to expect in the days and weeks ahead. Defensively, Hamas will use tunnels to escape IDF observation and attack. Any Hamas military capability that survives Israel’s current air campaign will mostly be deep underground. Hamas will have already placed its leadership, fighters, headquarters, communication, weapons, and supplies like water, food, ammunition in its tunnel complexes to prepare for the ground assault by Israeli forces. The tunnels will allow fighters to move between a series of fighting positions safely and freely under massive buildings, even after the IDF drop thousand-pound bombs on them. Hamas tunnels often have generator power, air ventilation, water pipes, and stockpiles of food that will allow the group’s fighters to better withstand the most basic challenges, like normal exhaustion, that result from urban siege and isolation. Hamas leaders and fighters will use the tunnels to remain mobile to escape entire sections of the combat area when they feel they are about to be decisively attacked or surrounded. Importantly, Hamas has also dug a large portion of its tunnels under, and connected to, civilian sites like school, hospitals, and mosques in dense urban areas. Among other reasons for doing so, this is part of its defensive lawfare strategy. Offensively, Hamas tunnels allow the group’s forces to conduct protected and surprise attacks. They will use the tunnels to infiltrate behind IDF positions to surprise Israeli forces that might not be as well prepared or equipped for combat as those spearheading the campaign, like those in logistical areas. Interconnected tunnels under urban areas will allow Hamas to move quickly between prepared attack positions with caches of sniper rifles, antitank munitions, rifle-propelled grenades, and other weapons and ammunition. Tunnels will be the vital element of Hamas’s guerrilla warfare strategy. Its fighters will form small hunter-killer teams that move underground, pop up, strike, and pop quickly back into a tunnel. Hamas also uses the tunnels to hide and move rockets. These rockets can be remotely detonated or transported to hidden launch sites at the last minute. Hamas will also have many tunnels rigged with hundreds of pounds of explosive to function as tunnel bombs under main roads and buildings that the IDF might be lured into. Entering tunnels presents unique tactical challenges, many of which cannot be addressed without specialized equipment. In some cases, it can be impossible to breathe without oxygen tanks in tunnels, depending on their depth and air ventilation. It can also be impossible simply to see. Most military night-vision goggles rely on some ambient light and cannot function when it is entirely absent. Any military navigation and communication equipment that relies on satellite or line-of-sight signals will not work underground. A weapon fired in compact spaces of tunnels, even a rifle, can produce a concussive effect that can physically harm the firer. A single defender can hold a narrow tunnel against a much superior force. Of course, not all military tunnels and bunkers are the same. I have seen firsthand the wide variety, having been in North Korean invasion tunnels discovered in South Korea, Iraqi military bunkers, defensive bunkers and tunnels in Nagorno-Karabakh, and Hezbollah tunnels along the Israeli-Lebanese border. Two features typical of Hamas tunnels are important to note. First, Hamas tunnels are almost all very narrow, largely because of the prefabricated concrete sides and tops Hamas favors to build them. The average Hamas tunnel is just two meters high and a meter wide, making entering, moving through, fighting in them extremely hard. Second, because of Israel’s advancements tunnel detection and destruction, Hamas has dug its tunnels deeper and deeper. In 2020, Israel found a Hamas tunnel that descended 230 feet below the surface, the deepest found up to that point. On the other side of the equation, there are a number of particular capabilities available to the IDF to deal with the challenge of Hamas tunnels. I have studied the phenomenon of subterranean warfare in conflicts around the world, have worked with leading scholars and experienced military practitioners to better understand its role in urban warfare, and am a founding member of first and only International Working Group on Subterranean Warfare. Of all the forces I have studied, the IDF has done the most work to prepare for dealing with tunnels in war. The IDF has the capability to find, recover hostages from, clear, neutralize, and destroy tunnels. There are specialized units like the IDF Combat Engineering Corps’s Yahalom Unit, an elite commando unit whose soldiers specializes in finding, clearing, and destroying tunnels. The large force includes subordinate units like Sayfan, which trains to handle the threat of unconventional weapons, Samur, which specializes in entering, clearing, and destroying tunnels. The Yahalom is one of the largest units in the world that trains, mans, equips, experiments, and develops new ways to deal with underground warfare. The IDF’s canine unit, Oketz, has dogs trained for operating underground. And the IDF, police, and intelligence services all have special units—like Sayeret Matkal, the Yamam, and others—who share best practices for dealing with terrorists and combatants underground. The Yahalom and other IDF units also have special equipment specifically developed for tunnels. Tunnel reconnaissance units, for example, use ground and aerial sensors, ground-penetrating radar, drilling equipment, and other systems to find tunnels. There are radios and navigation technologies that to work underground, night-vision goggles that use thermal and other technologies to see in complete darkness, and a suite of remote or wire-controlled flying or crawling robots that can look into and map tunnels without risking soldiers. The IDF also uses virtual reality training simulators that allow soldiers to train for underground warfare even when they aren’t at the physical training sites that include subterranean environments. Israel has also developed special tactics for dealing with tunnels once they are found. It has a wide range of ground-penetrating munitions like the GBU-28, which can penetrate one hundred feet into the earth or through twenty feet of concrete. IDF ground forces also have multiple types of explosives to collapse or seal tunnels. They also have plenty of bulldozers they can use to seal tunnels—a tactic the US Marines employed when it sealed Japanese defenders in their caves and tunnels during the last part of the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. When multiple Hezbollah tunnels were discovered along Israel’s norther border during Operation Northern Shield in 2017, the IDF poured truckloads of wet cement into the tunnels to close them. Egypt is known for trying to neutralize Hamas cross-border smuggling tunnels along its border with Gaza by flooding them with seawater and sewage. But the hard truth is that the depth and scale of Hamas tunnels in Gaza will surpass Israel’s specialized capabilities. It may come down to IDF infantry and engineers dealing with tunnels as they discover them. It will also not be a simple matter of finding and destroying Hamas tunnels for several reasons. Gaza is not the mountainous and sparsely populated terrain of Afghanistan, for instance, where in 2017 the US military dropped America’s most powerful nonnuclear bomb—the 21,600-pound GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb—on an ISIS cave and tunnel complex. Moreover, Hamas will likely put weapons and explosives in tunnels that can trigger unintended explosions elsewhere or travel through to other parts of the tunnel network, causing damage where the IDF didn’t foresee. Finally, Hamas will likely put civilians and hostages in their tunnels as human shields. All of this means that Israel will have to take a deliberate approach to each of the tunnels they will discover. There is no uniform solution to the problem that tunnels will present Israeli ground force, undoubtedly one of the biggest they will face in Gaza. Dealing with each tunnel will require a situation-dependent mix of capabilities. But above all, given the scale and complexity of the underground infrastructure in Gaza, one thing is certain: overcoming the challenges posed by tunnels will require a lot of time. John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, codirector of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast. He is also a founding member of the International Working Group on Subterranean Warfare. He served twenty-five years as an infantry soldier, which included two combat tours in Iraq. He is the author of the book Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connection in Modern War and coauthor of Understanding Urban Warfare. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense. Second article from January inside spoiler Link Click To View Spoiler Gaza’s Underground: Hamas’s Entire Politico-Military Strategy Rests on Its Tunnels - Modern War Institute
Gaza’s Underground: Hamas’s Entire Politico-Military Strategy Rests on Its Tunnels The use of tunnels in wars is not new. Seeking advantages by using either natural or man-made spaces underground is as ancient as warfare itself—from stories of tunnels being used to win massive battles in the bible to underground spaces becoming key factors to urban battles, like Mariupol and Bakhmut, in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Modern nations including the United States, China, and North Korea invest billions in deep-buried military bunkers and tunnel complexes. But what Israel has faced in Gaza represents a unique first in war—namely, a case in which tunnels form one of two pillars, along with time, of a combatant’s political-military strategy. Before the Israel-Hamas war, both the presence of Hamas tunnel networks and their growth over the years were very well known. The network was referred to as Gaza’s “Metro” or “lower Gaza.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and scholars estimated before the war that there were three hundred miles of tunnels ranging from fifteen feet to over two hundred feet below the surface. The estimates were wrong. After three months of close combat and discovering over 1,500 tunnel shafts and underground passages, the IDF has learned enough to require the estimates to be revised. Israeli forces have unearthed massive invasion tunnels two and a half miles long, underground manufacturing plants, luxury tunnels with painted walls, tile floors, ceiling fans, and air conditioning, and a complex, layered, labyrinth underneath all areas of Gaza. The new estimates say the network may include between 350 and 450 miles of tunnels, with close to 5,700 separate shafts descending into hell. New estimates also indicate the construction of this subterranean network could have cost Hamas as much as a billion dollars. The group has poured resources over fifteen years not just into constructing tunnel passages, but for blast doors, workshops, sleeping quarters, toilets, kitchens, and all the ventilation, electricity, and phone lines to support what amount to underground cities. As much as 6,000 tons of concrete and 1,800 tons of metals have been used in this subterranean construction. The sheer size of Hamas’s underground networks may, once fully discovered, be beyond anything a modern military has ever faced. One of the last conflicts that involved a large amount of tunnel complexes was the Vietnam War. American forces and others faced some tunnel complexes that ranged up to forty miles in length and one of the most concentrated places of tunnels, near Saigon at Cu Chi, contained 130 miles of passageways. There are larger military tunnel complexes in the world. China is believed to have three thousand miles of tunnels and bunkers capable of withstanding nuclear attacks in a network that has been called the “Underground Great Wall.” Some estimates show North Korea has over five thousand tunnels and infrastructure that includes multiple underground air bases with runways, radar sites, and submarine ports inside mountains. But more importantly than the scale of the tunnels in Gaza, the Israel-Hamas war is the first war in which a combatant has made its vast underground network a defining centerpiece of its overall political-military strategy. In the past, and even in most cases today, military tunnels and bunkers have been built specifically to gain a military advantage. They are used for smuggling, kidnapping, and invading or defending territory. Underground spaces enable militaries to conserve capabilities by avoiding detection and strike, to hold terrain by using the tunnels for mobile defense tactics, or even offensively to use guerrilla tactics to attrit the attacking force. For the first time in the history of tunnel warfare, however, Hamas has built a tunnel network to gain not just a military advantage, but a political advantage, as well. Its underground world serves all of the military functions described above, but also an entirely different one. Hamas weaved its vast tunnel networks into the society on the surface. Destroying the tunnels is virtually impossible without adversely impacting the population living in Gaza. Consequently, they put the modern laws of war at the center of the conflict’s conduct. These laws restrict the use of military force and methods or tactics that a military can use against protected populations and sites such as hospitals, churches, schools, and United Nations facilities. Almost all of Hamas’s tunnels are built into civilian and protected sites in densely populated urban areas. Much of the infrastructure providing access to the tunnels is in protected sites. This complicates discriminating between military targets and civilian locations—if not rendering it entirely impossible—because Hamas does not have military sites separate from civilian sites. Hamas’s strategy is also not to hold terrain or defeat an attacking force. Its strategy is about time. It is about creating time for international pressure on Israel to stop its military operation to mount. Hamas is globally known for using human shields, which is the practice of using civilians to restrict the attacker in a military operation. The group wants as many civilians as possible to be harmed by Israeli military action—as one of its officials put it, “We are proud to sacrifice martyrs.” It wants the world’s attention on the question of whether the IDF campaign is violating the laws of war in attacking Hamas tunnels that are tightly connected to civilian and protected sites. It wants to buy as much time as is needed to cause the international community to stop Israel. Its entire strategy is built on tunnels. The tactical challenges Hamas tunnels present to Israel are thereby compounded by strategic challenges. To deal with tunnels at the tactical level, Israel has demonstrated some of the world’s most advanced units, methods, and capabilities to find, exploit, and destroy tunnels. From specialized engineer capabilities and canine units to the use of robots, flooding to clear tunnels, and both aerial-delivered and ground-emplaced explosives, to include liquid explosives, to destroy them. Arguably, no military in the world is as well prepared for subterranean tactical challenges as the IDF. But the strategic challenge is entirely different. To destroy many of the deep-buried tunnels, the IDF has required bunker-busting bombs, which Israel is criticized for using. And most importantly it has required time to find and destroy the tunnels in a conflict in which Hamas’s strategy is aimed at limiting the time available to Israel to conduct its campaign. Hamas’s strategy, then, is founded on tunnels and time. This war, more so than any other, is about the underground and not the surface. It is time based rather than terrain or enemy based. Hamas is in the tunnels. Its leaders and weapons are in the tunnels. The Israeli hostages are in the tunnels. And Hamas’s strategy is founded on its conviction that, for Israel, the critical resource of time will run out in the tunnels. John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, codirector of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast. He is also a founding member of the International Working Group on Subterranean Warfare. He served twenty-five years as an infantry soldier, which included two combat tours in Iraq. He is the author of the book Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connection in Modern War and coauthor of Understanding Urban Warfare. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense. Image credit: Israel Defense Forces (adapted by MWI) |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Attached File |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Hamas has published "Our Narrative – Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", a 15-page pamphlet where they lay out why they did what they did. If you want to read it, Here is a link to download it in PDF. Link to PDF..
Well, we know they didn't spend their Qatari $$ on a graphic designer. The cover of their propaganda pamphlet looks like a creepy religious magazine from the 1980s. The perspective is hilarious--look at the militants near the tank's tread. They are tiny, like something from Gulliver's Travels. Attached File Highlights Link to website sympathetic to their cause that gives the highlights of the pamphlet. The report, titled "Our Narrative…Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”..aimed at refuting Israel's claims. Operation Al-Aqsa Flood represented a strategic move to alleviate the blockade in the Gaza Strip, break free from Israeli occupation, restore national rights, attain independence, shape the Palestinian destiny and establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. During the operation, "some faults" may have arisen..due to the swift breakdown of the Israeli security and military system, leading to chaos along the border areas with Gaza. "..the Hamas Movement dealt in a positive and kind manner with all civilians who have been held in Gaza, and sought from the earliest days of the aggression to release them". Refering to allegations that the Al-Qassam Brigades..targeted civilians on Oct. 7, “What the Israeli occupation promoted of allegations that the Al-Qassam Brigades on Oct. 7 were targeting Israeli civilians are nothing but complete lies and fabrications. The source of these allegations is the Israeli official narrative, and no independent source proved any of them." "Video clips taken on...Oct. 7 – along with the testimonies by Israelis themselves that were released later showed that the Al-Qassam Brigades’ fighters didn’t target civilians.". (I guess the videos of Hamas militants throwing grenades into civilian shelters aren't real). View Quote Entire article in spoiler Click To View Spoiler The Palestinian resistance group Hamas published a 16-page report on Sunday highlighting the motives behind its Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel and its connection to the Palestinian cause while also countering Israeli allegations. The report, titled "Our Narrative…Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” and aimed at refuting Israel's claims, said Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was a necessary step and a natural reaction against Israel's plans to eliminate the Palestinian cause, seize lands, Judaize the Palestinian lands, and establish complete control over Al-Aqsa Mosque and holy sites. It underscored that Operation Al-Aqsa Flood represented a strategic move to alleviate the blockade in the Gaza Strip, break free from Israeli occupation, restore national rights, attain independence, shape the Palestinian destiny and establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. During the operation, "some faults" may have arisen in its implementation due to the swift breakdown of the Israeli security and military system, leading to chaos along the border areas with Gaza, it noted. "As attested by many, the Hamas Movement dealt in a positive and kind manner with all civilians who have been held in Gaza, and sought from the earliest days of the aggression to release them, and that’s what happened during the week-long humanitarian truce where those civilians were released in exchange of releasing Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails," it said. Addressing accusations of targeting Israeli civilians during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the report highlighted that avoiding the targeting of civilians, especially women, children and the elderly, was a moral and religious obligation for Hamas members. Regarding allegations that the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, targeted civilians on Oct. 7, the report said: “What the Israeli occupation promoted of allegations that the Al-Qassam Brigades on Oct. 7 were targeting Israeli civilians are nothing but complete lies and fabrications. The source of these allegations is the Israeli official narrative, and no independent source proved any of them." "Video clips taken on that day – Oct. 7 – along with the testimonies by Israelis themselves that were released later showed that the Al-Qassam Brigades’ fighters didn’t target civilians, and many Israelis were killed by the Israeli army and police due to their confusion," it said. "The Palestinian fighters only targeted the occupation soldiers and those who carried weapons against our people," it said. The report called on the US and European countries to support the judicial process for investigating all crimes committed in Palestine if they truly believe in justice, despite their opposition to Israel being prosecuted at the International Court of Justice, it added. Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas, killing at least 25,105 Palestinians and injuring 62,681. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack. The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Link to drone video 1 of hostage rescue Here
Link to drone video 2 of hostage rescue: Here. NYT: details of hostage rescue in Gaza. Down a suburban side road, the squad — drawn from both a police SWAT team and the Shin Bet, Israel’s equivalent of the F.B.I. — halted outside a two-story house, its walls partly obscured by a tree, drone footage later showed. At around 1:50 a.m., some of the commandos fixed a small explosive to the front door and blasted it open...the commandos hurried inside in single file. After rushing up the stairs to a second-floor apartment, the commandos located Mr. Marman and Mr. Har within seconds, Major Dinar said. ...immediately, the rescue team began taking fire from inside and outside the building, starting a gun battle that lasted for several minutes. Within a few moments, the Israeli Air Force began striking the area around the house, as well as other parts of Rafah. The explosions lit up the night sky. The blasts were so bright, one refugee said, that the sky seemed closer to day than night. Health officials in Gaza said nearly 70 people were killed. Video verified by The New York Times showed a mosque ablaze following the strikes. Three Hamas captors were killed as the Israeli rescue team fought its way out of the building, Major Dinar said. One SWAT officer was lightly injured. Drone footage showed the group hurrying down the street and away from the building in single file. They soon met up with members of Israel’s 7th Brigade, who escorted the team and the freed hostages back toward the front line. A helicopter flown by Shayetet 13, an Israeli unit akin to the Navy SEALs, flew the hostages to safety in Israel. View Quote Entire article in spoiler: Click To View Spoiler The Israeli commandos reached the hide-out on foot, weaving in silence through the back streets of Hamas-controlled Rafah in the pre-dawn darkness. Their mission: Rescue two of the hostages captured on Oct. 7 during the Hamas-led raid on southern Israel that began the ongoing war in Gaza.
More than 250 people were captured that day, roughly half of whom were released in November. But in the early morning on Monday, a squad from the Israeli special forces freed two of those who had now been held hostage for more than four months: Fernando Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70. The rescue mission was described by the Israeli military, which also released videos from the operation, which the country’s military and civilian leadership — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — followed in real time from a command center in central Israel. In Gaza, the rescue team’s moves went undetected. Down a suburban side road, the squad — drawn from both a police SWAT team and the Shin Bet, Israel’s equivalent of the F.B.I. — halted outside a two-story house, its walls partly obscured by a tree, drone footage later showed. At around 1:50 a.m., some of the commandos fixed a small explosive to the front door and blasted it open, according an Israeli military spokesman, Maj. Nir Dinar. Footage showed the commandos — numbering roughly a dozen — hurrying inside in single file. After rushing up the stairs to a second-floor apartment, the commandos located Mr. Marman and Mr. Har within seconds, Major Dinar said. Evacuating them would prove harder and take longer. Almost immediately, the rescue team began taking fire from inside and outside the building, starting a gun battle that lasted for several minutes, Major Dinar said. Within a few moments, the Israeli Air Force began striking the area around the house, as well as other parts of Rafah. Israel’s goal with the strikes, Major Dinar said, was to hit Hamas military command centers, confuse the militants, sever contact between the hostages’ captors and their commanders, and provide cover for the escape. The explosions across the city lit up the night sky, terrifying the roughly 1 million Gazans who had fled there to escape fighting further north. The blasts were so bright, one refugee said, that the sky seemed closer to day than night. Health officials in Gaza said nearly 70 people were killed. Video verified by The New York Times showed a mosque ablaze following the strikes. Three Hamas captors were killed as the Israeli rescue team fought its way out of the building, Major Dinar said. One SWAT officer was lightly injured. Drone footage showed the group hurrying down the street and away from the building in single file. They soon met up with members of Israel’s 7th Brigade, who escorted the team and the freed hostages back toward the front line. A helicopter flown by Shayetet 13, an Israeli unit akin to the Navy SEALs, flew the hostages to safety in Israel. After 128 days in captivity, they were free. “Welcome back,” one commando said in footage filmed on the helicopter. “How are you guys? How are you feeling?” “Shocked,” one of the hostages is heard replying. “Shocked, all right.” |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Fighter jets hit a site belonging to Hezbollah in the South Lebanon village of Tallouseh:
The IDF releases new footage from the hostage rescue operation in southern Gaza's Rafah overnight, showing special forces coming under fire and the moments when the Navy's Shayetet 13 commando unit accompanied Fernando Simon Marman and Norberto Louis Har to a helipad in the Strip. "The hostages are in our hands, there is gunfire against the force," an officer is heard saying over the radio. "The force has begun movement on the axis, the force is heading out," another officer is heard saying, as footage shows a convoy of armored personnel carriers driving in Gaza. Footage from one of the APCs shows Shayetet 13 commandos asking Marman and Har how they are shortly after they were rescued by the Shin Bet and the police's Yamam unit. "In shock," one of them replies. "Do you feel good?" an officer asks Har, who responds: "Excellent." The naval commandos give the pair coats to wear before they head out to the helipad. One of the soldiers also gave Har his shoes, as he was extracted barefoot, and is seen tying the shoelaces for him in the video. The soldiers also offer the pair water bottles and ask if they need a blanket for warmth. The two hostages then boarded a helicopter in Gaza, which took them to Sheba Hospital in Ramat Gan, where they are currently listed in good condition. The IDF releases footage from the overnight hostage rescue in southern Gaza's Rafah, as well as of strikes in the area amid the extraction of Fernando Simon Marman and Norberto Louis Har by special forces. RAFAH, GAZA: This is the building the two Israeli hostages were rescued from. POV: The hostages being rescued as filmed on an IDF soldier's helmet, without subtitles in English One of the hostages was barefoot when he was rescued, notice how the soldier just gave him his own shoes. |
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Times of Israel: Houthis struck cargo ship carrying corn to Iran
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis fired two missiles on Monday at an Iran-bound cargo ship in the Red Sea, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, US military officials said. The early morning strikes appeared to be the first time the Houthis have targeted an Iran-bound vessel since starting attacks on international shipping. “Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired two missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Bab al-Mandeb,” US Central Command said. “Both missiles were launched toward MV Star Iris, a Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel transiting the Red Sea carrying corn from Brazil.” “The ship reports being seaworthy with minor damage and no injuries to the crew,” CentCom officials say on X. “Of note, the MV Star Iris’s destination is Bandar Iman Khomeini, Iran.” Entire article in quote box Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis fired two missiles on Monday at an Iran-bound cargo ship in the Red Sea, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, US military officials said. The early morning strikes appeared to be the first time the Houthis have targeted an Iran-bound vessel since starting attacks on international shipping in solidarity with Palestinians over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 attack. “Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired two missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Bab al-Mandeb,” US Central Command says on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. “Both missiles were launched toward MV Star Iris, a Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel transiting the Red Sea carrying corn from Brazil.” “The ship reports being seaworthy with minor damage and no injuries to the crew,” CentCom officials say on X. “Of note, the MV Star Iris’s destination is Bandar Iman Khomeini, Iran.” The Houthis military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a televised statement the ship was American but maritime-shipping trackers said the Marshall Islands-flagged ship was Greek-owned. The Star Iris had been transporting a corn cargo from Brazil to Iran, according to CentCom and ship tracking analysis from data and analytics group Kpler. “The Star Iris, like every Iran-bound bulker, had not diverted away from the Red Sea, perhaps unafraid of attacks from Iran-backed Houthis who could be considered ‘friendly’ given the vessel’s destination,” said Ishan Bhanu, lead agricultural commodities analyst at Kpler. “At a projected 4.5 million tons for this year, flows from Brazil make for the majority of Iran’s corn imports.” A regional security official says the attack appeared designed to “show Iran does not control the Houthis and they act independently”, and that the Houthis had informed Tehran in advance. Houthi militants in Yemen, who control the country’s most populous regions, have repeatedly fired on international commercial ships since mid-November. Their targets have been vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain or Israel, shipping and insurance sources say, but they have also targeted others. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Times of Israel: Three soldiers killed on Monday, 232 total killed since start of ground war. One of the dead was the battalion commander.
A commander and two soldiers were killed fighting Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip, the military said Tuesday. Monday’s deaths brought the number of soldiers killed in the nearly four-month ground offensive against Hamas to 232. The three were named as: Lt. Col. (res.) Netanel Yaacov Elkouby, 36, the commander of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade’s 630th Battalion, from Haifa. Maj. (res.) Yair Cohen, 30, an acting company commander in the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade’s 630th Battalion, from Ramat Gan. Sgt. First Class (res.) Ziv Chen, 27, of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade’s 630th Battalion, from Kfar Saba. According to military sources, the three were killed when an explosive was detonated in a building they were in east of Khan Younis. In a statement, the IDF added that another two soldiers of the 630th Battalion were seriously wounded in the same battle. View Quote Haaretz | News Israel-Hamas War Day 130 | Israeli Teen, Woman Severely Wounded by Anti-tank Fire From Lebanon Feb 13, 2024 Some progress made in hostage deal, says foreign source familiar with negotiations ■ IDF: Israeli forces kill more than 40 terrorists over last day ■ Three Likud MKs: We appealed to Netanyahu to pass the military draft bill as a temporary order for only one year ■ International warnings mount on Israel as it prepares full-scale operation in Rafah Here are the latest updates on the 130th day of the war: ■ A mother and her son are seriously wounded after two anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon and hit them as they were driving in the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona. ■ The Israeli military announced that two officers, including a battalion commander, and one soldier were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip on Monday. ■ Israeli forces operating in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis killed more than 30 terrorists and around 10 terrorists in central Gaza over the past 24 hours, the IDF Spokesperson said. ■ A total of 28,473 Palestinians have been killed and 68,146 have been wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. ■ A foreign source familiar with the hostage negotiations said that "it is safe to say that there has been some progress" in recent days. ■ China called on Israel to halt military operations in Gaza as soon as possible. ■ The Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank said that 20-year-old, Mohammed Sharif al-Salmi, was killed in Qalqilyah by Israeli forces. The IDF commented on the incident, saying al-Salmi was shot dead after trying to run over soldiers. ■ A man suspected of attempting to run over civilians in the West Bank Gush Etzion intersection was shot and apprehended by Israeli forces. A knife was found in the suspect's vehicle. ■ Three lawmakers say they appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pass the new military draft bill as a temporary order for one year, after the bill faced heavy criticism. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
WSJ: Inside Israel’s Daring Hostage Rescue in Gaza: ‘Diamonds Are in Our Hands’
A few new details on the hostage rescue raid: Israeli forces prepared [for the raid] for a month, the head of the police SWAT team said. The operation was a collaboration between various Israeli forces, including an elite group of police officers, Shin Bet and the Shayetet 13—Israel’s equivalent of U.S. Navy SEALs. “We waited for the right timing and intelligence to move in,” said Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht . The decision to go ahead was made as negotiations to release hostages stalled, said David Tsur, a former commander of the police SWAT unit. “If the deal had progressed, I think they would have canceled the operation,” said Tsur. The SWAT team likely spent weeks practicing how they would enter the home and deal with potential complications posed by being in a dense neighborhood, said Tsur. The Israeli military said that it carried out strikes for roughly one hour as the men were whisked out of Gaza. Around 2 a.m., phone alerts went off at the military headquarters in Cairo, Egyptian officials said. Panic ensued among defense officials. They thought Israel had started the offensive, which risked pushing a wave of Palestinians into Egypt, without telling them. Palestinians in the city of Rafah, on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, awoke Monday to the sound of explosions. It was 1:50 a.m., but it looked like daytime outside. “I never witnessed such a violent night since the war began,” said Hanan Abdulkarim, who said her window was flashing white when she and her 6-year-old son woke up. View Quote Entire article in spoiler Click To View Spoiler Inside Israel’s Daring Hostage Rescue in Gaza: ‘Diamonds Are in Our Hands’
Israeli officials said two hostages were freed during an overnight raid in Rafah, in Gaza. The rescue comes as Israel’s military prepares for a larger operation against Hamas in the southern border town. TEL AVIV—Palestinians in the city of Rafah, on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, awoke Monday to the sound of explosions. It was 1:50 a.m., but it looked like daytime outside. “I never witnessed such a violent night since the war began,” said Hanan Abdulkarim, who said her window was flashing white when she and her 6-year-old son woke up. “I was 100% sure we were going to die at that moment.” Minutes earlier, an elite Israeli team of counterterrorism police and intelligence agents had used explosives to break through a blast door and rush into the second floor of a residential building in the city. They exchanged fire with militants, killing at least three of them. They quickly surrounded two men—70-year-old Luis Har and 61-year-old Fernando Simon Marman—and attempted to shield them with their bodies. Both men were dual Israeli-Argentinian citizens and had been taken from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on Oct. 7. They were thin and weak after 129 days in captivity. As the rescue at the residential building unfolded, airstrikes rained down on operation centers of Hamas, to prevent the group from having a real-time picture of the raid, according to Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari. More than a million Palestinians have crowded into the city of Rafah, seeking refuge from Israel’s offensive against Hamas to the north. But the war has been closing in on them. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on American television that the Israeli military would enter Rafah, which he called the last bastion of Hamas. Israel is proposing setting up sprawling tent-cities as part of an evacuation plan for those sheltering in the city. The rescue of two hostages brought a glimmer of hope for Israeli families with loved ones still held captive in Gaza and offered a moment of optimism for the nation. For Palestinians in Gaza, however, the operation was another reminder of how exposed they are to Israeli military operations. “I truly believed it was our end,” said Hanan Harbi, a doctor’s secretary who had sought refuge in Rafah with her five children. Nearly 70 Palestinians were killed in the operation, mostly in airstrikes, according to health authorities in Gaza. The figures don’t distinguish between militants and civilians. As the rescue operation unfolded, many Palestinians in the city said they thought the invasion had begun. They weren’t the only ones. Around 2 a.m., phone alerts went off at the military headquarters in Cairo, Egyptian officials said. Panic ensued among defense officials. They thought Israel had started the offensive, which risked pushing a wave of Palestinians into Egypt, without telling them. In Israel, Netanyahu had gathered with top officials—including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Ronen Bar, the director of the country’s security agency Shin Bet. They watched live footage of the rescue from a Shin Bet special operations room in an undisclosed location. Netanyahu later said he had watched the SWAT team place the explosive charge. Seconds later, he said the team reached their target. A voice could be heard over the radio: “The diamonds are in our hands.” It was code for the two men. The two men—Fernando and Luis—had been taken on Oct. 7, along with Fernando’s sisters Clara Marman and Gabriela Leimberg, as well as Gabriela’s 17-year-old daughter, Mia. Luis is Clara’s partner. Clara, Gabriela and Mia were released in late November as part of a one-week cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel. All five of them were kept in one residential house, Clara told The Wall Street Journal in an interview last month. Luis, who has four children and 10 grandchildren, didn’t have his hearing aid or the medication he needed for high blood pressure and diabetes. They kept track of time by listening to the Muslim call to prayer five times a day. Each prayer had a different tune. Mia and Clara would count the days. To pass time, the adults in the family told Mia stories about their life on the kibbutz, including how Clara and Luis met when he was working at the kibbutz factory. Sometimes they heard buzzing outside from what they thought were Israeli drones trying to collect intelligence. When it was possible, they would try to speak louder, in the hope their voices would be detected by the drones. When the family had to split up as the three women were released in November, their captors gave them only a bit of time to say goodbye. Clara’s eyes welled up in tears as she recalled her separation from Fernando and Luis. “They tried to play it cool but I could tell they were devastated,” she said. A daring rescue Before rescuing Fernando and Luis, Israeli forces prepared for a month, the head of the police SWAT team said. The operation was a collaboration between various Israeli forces, including an elite group of police officers, Shin Bet and the Shayetet 13—Israel’s equivalent of U.S. Navy SEALs. “We waited for the right timing and intelligence to move in,” Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said on Monday. The decision to go ahead was made as negotiations to release hostages stalled, said David Tsur, a former commander of the police SWAT unit. “If the deal had progressed, I think they would have canceled the operation,” said Tsur. The SWAT team likely spent weeks practicing how they would enter the home and deal with potential complications posed by being in a dense neighborhood, said Tsur. They would have planned the precise timing of each movement and task, he said. “From the moment you explode the door, you’re already exposed,” said Tsur. “You have a few seconds to get to the terrorists and eliminate them. Then begins the evacuation operation.” As they were evacuated from the building early Monday, the two men and their rescuers came under fire as they walked down a narrow road in Rafah, according to aerial video footage released by the Israeli military. “The forces have started to move along the route,” an Israeli officer can be heard saying to his colleague. A tank convoy can be seen moving along the road. The Israeli military said that it carried out strikes for roughly one hour as the men were whisked out of Gaza. At nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, the wounded began flowing in. Musa Masaad, a 21-year-old Palestinian who was staying with relatives in the neighborhood where the raid took place, started checking on his family members after being awakened by deafening blasts. He said he could see bodies outside on the ground. A bit further away, Ameen Abu Taha, 34, was sleeping in a tent in a neighborhood of Rafah that the Israeli military had designated a safe zone. He held on to his daughter and brother’s four children, and urged them to go back to sleep. “I honestly thought we were going to die,” said Abu Taha. As the city of Rafah reeled from the strikes, Fernando and Luis were almost out of harm’s way. As they were being taken in a vehicle to a helicopter, they were greeted by members of the Shayetet. “Welcome back. How are you guys? How are you feeling?” they asked the men. “Shocked, shocked, all right,” said one of the men, according to a video released by the Israeli military. They were buckled in and asked whether they wanted a blanket and water. One of the officers offered the men shoes since they were still barefoot. “We love you!” said someone in the crew. Just after 3 a.m., Fernando and Luis landed at Sheba Medical Center, where they were greeted by family. There were long hugs and tears. Fernando held Gabriela tightly, while Luis embraced his daughter Natali Afgan. A medical staff member in green scrubs smiled on the side. “I’m still speechless really,” said Maayan Sigal-Koren, Fernando’s niece. “We’re all still shocked here.” “We waited for this. We dreamed about this for a very long time,” Gefen Sigal Ilan, Fernando’s niece, told Israeli radio on Monday. —Abeer Ayyoub and Summer Said contributed to this article |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Helmet camera footage from hostage rescue at twitter link.
Police release dramatic footage from the hostage rescue operation in southern Gaza’s Rafah early Monday morning. The headcam video shows officers of the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit breaching into the building where Fernando Marman and Louis Har were being held. The officers killed three Hamas terrorists guarding the pair and extracted the two hostages. The two hostages were then taken by the forces in armored vehicles out of Rafah, then put in a military helicopter that brought them to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan for examination, where both are listed in good condition. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar spotted in Gaza tunnels in first sighting since outbreak of war |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Helmet camera footage from hostage rescue at twitter link.
Police release dramatic footage from the hostage rescue operation in southern Gaza’s Rafah early Monday morning. The headcam video shows officers of the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit breaching into the building where Fernando Marman and Louis Har were being held. The officers killed three Hamas terrorists guarding the pair and extracted the two hostages. The two hostages were then taken by the forces in armored vehicles out of Rafah, then put in a military helicopter that brought them to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan for examination, where both are listed in good condition. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Institute for Study of War backgrounder 13 Feb Key Takeaways: Northern/Central Gaza Strip Palestinian militias did not claim any attacks targeting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the northern Gaza Strip on February 13. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that the IDF would continue to operate in the northern Gaza Strip and added that the northern Gaza Strip remains “isolated” from the remainder of the Strip because the IDF does not want civilians to reenter areas where Palestinian militia fighters are continuing to operate. The Nahal Brigade (operating under the 162nd Division) killed at least 10 Palestinian fighters in the central Gaza Strip, including a Palestinian anti-tank cell. Southern Gaza Strip Israeli forces continued operations in several areas of Khan Younis. Israeli forces concentrated on clearing western Khan Younis between January 22 and February 10. Palestinian militias have resumed attacking Israeli forces in eastern, southern, and northern Khan Younis after concentrating most of their attacks in western Khan Younis. Palestinian militias attacked Israeli forces north of Khan Younis on February 13. Hamas conducted at least four attacks on Israeli personnel and armor in the al Qarara area, north of Khan Younis on February 13, including a house-borne improvised explosive device attack. Palestinian fighters defending against the 646th Brigade’s operations in Abasan al Saghira..detonated a house-borne improvised explosive device that killed three Israeli soldiers, including a battalion commander, during the brigade’s operations in the town on February 13. Israeli forces continued clearing operations in western Khan Younis and clashed with Palestinian fighters there. The IDF 7th Brigade (assigned to the 36th Division) raided militia infrastructure, conducted patrols, and killed over thirty Palestinian fighters in western Khan Younis. The 35th Paratrooper Brigade (assigned to the 98th Division) killed two Palestinian fighters in western Khan Younis who were hiding among civilians to disguise their movement. Local Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces advanced to the gates of the Nasser Hospital in western Khan Younis on February 13 and ordered the occupants to evacuate the grounds. The 646th Brigade (assigned to the 99th Division) engaged Palestinian fighters and captured Hamas weapons caches during clearing operations in Abasan al Saghira, east of Khan Younis, during the last week. The 646th Brigade evacuated thousands of civilians from a humanitarian shelter that Hamas fighters were using for refuge. The 646th Brigade detained and killed dozens of Palestinian fighters as the fighters attempted to evacuate alongside the civilians in the shelter. The IDF Chief of Staff stated on February 13 that Rafah contains an estimated 10,000 Hamas fighters and over a million displaced Palestinian civilians. Israel presented a proposal to move displaced Gazans in Rafah to Egyptian-built tent cities in the southwestern Gaza Strip, according to the Wall Street Journal. Egyptian officials said the Israeli proposal plan would obligate Egypt to 15 camps in the Gaza Strip containing 375,000 tents with funding from the United States and unspecified Arab partners. The camps would contain medical clinics, and Israel would coordinate with Egypt to permit the evacuation of wounded Gazans. The Israeli and Egyptian governments did not comment on the alleged proposal. Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Israel is considering other plans to enable operations in Rafah by evacuating the population from Rafah to Khan Younis or by allowing some civilians to return to designated zones in the northern Gaza Strip. Negotiations An unspecified Hamas source told CNN on February 13 that the next 24 hours are critical to the ceasefire negotiations. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan claimed on February 12 that Egyptian and Qatar mediators believe that the Hamas ceasefire proposal that Qatar delivered to Israel “opened a way to reach an agreement.” Hamdan reiterated Hamas’ longstanding requirements for a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, which include the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the end of Israeli military operations, humanitarian aid and reconstruction, and a hostage-for-prisoner exchange deal. Rockets Palestinian militias launched at least two rocket salvoes from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on February 13. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement fired a rocket salvo from the Gaza Strip into a town in southern Israeli adjacent to Beit Lahia. West Bank Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian fighters four times across the West Bank on February 13. Israeli security forces shot and captured one attacker who attempted to run over civilians with his vehicle near Gush Etzion. The IDF detained 18 wanted individuals across the West Bank on February 13. The IDF separately reported that Israeli security forces detained a Hamas fighter in Jenin described as the head of ”Hamas’ military infrastructure in Jenin”. Lebanon Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah, conducted six attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel on February 13. Hezbollah fired anti-tank guided missiles into Kiryat Shmona. in an attack that injured two Israeli civilians. France outlined a three-step plan to deescalate the conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border and force Lebanese Hezbollah to withdraw six miles from the Israeli border. The proposal calls on Israel and Hezbollah to end military operations—including airstrikes and cross-border attacks—along the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah would then withdraw at least six miles north of the border. The Lebanese Armed Forces would backfill Hezbollah positions to serve as a buffer between the border and Hezbollah forces. Israel and Lebanon would resume negotiations to demarcate the border between the two countries in the plan’s third stage. A Hezbollah official said in response that the group would not negotiate until Israel stopped military operations in the Gaza Strip. Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech on the state of the Israel-Hamas war. Nasrallah said that Hezbollah will not escalate against Israel unless Israel escalates against Hezbollah, adding that Hezbollah will continue its attacks into northern Israel until Israel ends its operations in the Gaza Strip. Israeli media reported on February 13 that Lebanese Hezbollah has incorporated hundreds of Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters in Syria into Hezbollah’s Radwan Force. The Radwan Force is an elite Hezbollah unit. Hezbollah has enabled Palestinian militias to conduct attacks targeting Israel from southern Lebanon since the war began. Iran, Iraq, Syria Israel likely conducted a drone strike targeting an IRGC missile storage facility in al Mayadin, Deir ez Zor Province, Syria on February 13. Israel has conducted a series of airstrikes during the Israel-Hamas War targeting IRGC and IRGC-affiliated military facilities, weapons warehouses, and personnel in Syria. Syrian media reported that unspecified Iran-backed militias targeted US forces stationed at the al Omar oil field in eastern Syria on February 13. The IRGC fired short and medium-range ballistic missiles from a forward base ship in the Gulf of Oman toward central Iran during a military exercise on February 12. The IRGC Navy and Aerospace Force launched the missiles from the Shahid Mahdavi forward base ship using a launcher disguised as a shipping container. Former Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister and Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director General Ali Akbar Salehi said during an interview on February 11 that Iran is able to develop nuclear weapons. 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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Haaretz | News Israel-Hamas War Day 131 | IDF Begins 'Extensive' Lebanon Strike After Barrage Kills One Israeli; Palestinian President Urges Hamas to Swap Hostages Feb 14, 2024
RECAP: Israeli killed, eight wounded in rocket barrage to northern Israel; Cairo hostage talks extended Here's what you need to know on day 131 of the war in Gaza: ■ Israeli emergency and rescue services report one Israeli killed and eight wounded in the northern Israeli city of Safed following a rocket barrage fired from Lebanon. ■ The New York Times reports that according to an Egyptian source, the Cairo hostage talks have been extended for another three days. ■ The Israeli army says that about 20 Hamas members were killed by the forces during the last day in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis and in other locations in the central Strip. ■ The Washington Post reports that an Iranian natural gas pipeline exploded early on Wednesday, with an official saying it is the result of "sabotage and terrorist action." (note: Balochi groups have increased activity since October.) ■ A delegation of family members of hostages being held in Gaza has departed Israel and is making its way to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to file a complaint against Hamas. "It's time justice is done," they said. ■ One in four Jewish Americans say they avoid wearing, carrying or displaying things that identify them as Jewish, according to a poll released Tuesday by the American Jewish Committee. ■ Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday described as "reprehensible" a raucous pro-Palestinian protest held outside a Toronto hospital that was founded by the local Jewish community. ■ Many displaced Palestinians who sheltered in the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis were recorded leaving the premises early on Wednesday following IDF warnings. ■ Anti-government protesters have glued themselves to the floor of the Likud party's Metzudat Ze'ev Headquarters in Tel Aviv. View Quote Air strike in Central Gaza Translation Zionist raid on a building On the road to Adchit El-Ksiba, near the bakeries of Qamiha View Quote Rockets fired from Lebanon killed an Israeli civilian, wounded 8 An Israeli woman was killed and eight others were wounded as a barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon slammed into Safed and an army base in the northern city, the military and medical officials said. In response to the attack, the IDF said fighter jets were carrying out a “widespread” wave of airstrikes in Lebanon. View Quote Translation Three were moderately injured as a result of the impact in the Safed [Israel] area documenting the moment of impact and panic View Quote Haaretz | News Wave of SUVs Theft Raises Concerns of Another October 7 Style Attack From West Bank Dozens of Suzuki Jimny off-road vehicles have been reported stolen in Israel in the past few weeks, with evidence suggesting that they are taken to the West Bank. There has also been an increase in thefts of other off-road vehicles, particularly Jeep Wranglers. Over the last five years, only 3,239 such vehicles have been sold in Israel, making the theft of dozens of them much more notable. Entire article in spoiler Click To View Spoiler Wave of SUVs theft raises concerns of another October 7 style attack from West Bank There has been a wave of Suzuki Jimny thefts in Israel in the past few weeks. Many reappear in the West Bank, leading some to fear the thefts are an indication of plans for attacks Dozens of Suzuki Jimny off-road vehicles have been reported stolen in Israel in the past few weeks, with evidence suggesting that they are taken to the West Bank. There has also been an increase in thefts of other off-road vehicles, particularly Jeep Wranglers. Some in the insurance business are concerned that the trend is an indication of plans for attacks against Israelis, given Hamas' use of all-terrain vehicles during its October 7 attacks on Israel. The police have no information suggesting this is the case, however. A Suzuki Jimny. Over the last five years, only 3,239 such vehicles have been sold in Israel, making the theft of dozens of them much more notable. The Jimny is a small, reliable car, but until recently, car thieves had little interest in it because there was no demand for its spare parts. It is a very niche vehicle purchased mainly by people with an interest in off-road driving. Over the last five years, only 3,239 such vehicles have been sold in Israel, making the theft of dozens of them much more notable. Many Jimny owners belong to excursion clubs and to Facebook or WhatsApp groups. Recently, instead of advice on spare parts or excursion sites, these platforms have been busy talking about car theft. Some of the stolen vehicles are documented in TikTok videos taken in parking garages in the West Bank. There are also online ads offering stolen Suzuki Jimnys for sale. A 2023 vehicle was on offer for 25,000 shekels ($6,800), for example, instead of the 145,000 shekels a similar vehicle would cost in Israel. The ad noted that it had not been purchased legally. It seems that most of the stolen cars aren't dismantled for parts but rather sold in the West Bank. The Jimny's characteristics allow drivers to drive in difficult terrain and bypass roadblocks or traffic congestion. Due to the increased number of Jimny thefts, insurance companies are now requiring drivers to install GPS tracking devices that cost hundreds of shekels a year. Insurance rates for the Jimny are also expected to rise. Many drivers have installed a durable lock on the steering wheel. The police had not provided a response to a request for comment as of the publication of this article. |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Dozens of Hamas operatives have been killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip over the past day, mostly in the Khan Younis area where much of the fighting is focused:
This footage of October 7, showing Hamas terrorist executing a Jewish young woman begging for her life on her knees. IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a press conference airs footage showing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a tunnel in southern Gaza's Khan Younis. The IDF says it struck two Hezbollah posts in the south Lebanon towns of Ramyeh and Rachaya al-Foukhar, from which projectiles were fired at Israel. |
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The IDF has announced that it has completed an extensive wave of attacks on Lebanese territory, including military targets associated with the Radwan force, military buildings, combat arms, terrorist infrastructure and more. The attacks were carried out in the areas of Souaneh and Kfar Dounine in southern Lebanon View Quote Israel hasn't hit Radwan targets , or least said they've hit Radwan targets, since early January when they killed one of the unit's senior commanders.Reuter's report from January 8th on the targeted killing of Wissam Tawil in Lebanon. The Radwan Force takes its name from the nom de guerre of its former leader, Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in Syria in 2008. [Mughniyeh was responsible for the 1983 attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut, the embassy bombings in Beirut, the hijacking of flight 847 where a USN diver was murdered and his body dumped on the runway, kidnapping and torture murder of the CIA station chief in Lebanon, helping Saudi Hezbollah with the attack on Khobar Towers, just to name a few]. NYT article on Radwan Force from January 2024. Radwan has taken the lead in Hezbollah’s long-running conflict with Israel. Israeli military analysts say that Radwan has adopted the mission of conquering the northern Israeli region of Galilee. “The Radwan force is dedicated to duplicating what happened on Oct. 7 in the south of Israel in the north,” Tamir Hayman, a retired general who led Israeli military intelligence until 2021, said in an interview. Last spring [2023], the Radwan force took part in a rare example of public military exercises by Hezbollah, displaying an expansive military arsenal and simulating an infiltration into Israeli territory. Slick propaganda videos produced by Hezbollah have showcased the group’s small unit tactics and live-fire drills, interspersed with threats to Israel. View Quote Entire article Click To View Spoiler Here’s What to Know About Hezbollah’s Radwan Force
The elite unit of the Lebanese armed group lost a commander in a strike on Monday. Jan. 8, 2024 Israel has long seen Hezbollah, with thousands of trained fighters and a deep arsenal of rockets and other weapons, as the most formidable foe on its borders. And Israeli officials say Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, in particular, poses a major threat. A strike on Monday in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah’s stronghold, killed a Radwan force commander, Wissam Hassan al-Tawil, the latest volley in the back-and-forth attacks across the border that have deepened fears the war between Israel and Hamas could broaden into a regional conflict. Israel’s foreign minister appeared to say that Israel had been responsible for the strike that killed the Radwan force commander. Israeli officials have contended that the Radwan unit is focused on attacking northern Israel and is a legitimate target. Why does Israel call the Radwan unit a threat? Radwan has taken the lead in Hezbollah’s long-running conflict with Israel, and in the cross-border attacks that have escalated in the three months that Israel and Hamas have been at war. Israeli military analysts say that Radwan has adopted the mission of conquering the northern Israeli region of Galilee. Hezbollah and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip along Israel’s south, share a patron in Iran. If Iran and its proxies were to make a serious effort to broaden the war, the Israel-Lebanon border would be the likeliest place to do it. And since Hamas mounted its bloody Oct. 7 assault on Israel, there have been fears that Hezbollah could attempt something similar. “The Radwan force is dedicated to duplicating what happened on Oct. 7 in the south of Israel in the north,” Tamir Hayman, a retired general who led Israeli military intelligence until 2021, said in an interview. “For that exact reason, it’s unacceptable for Israel to allow its fighters to remain in the border area.” Last spring, the Radwan force took part in a rare example of public military exercises by Hezbollah, displaying an expansive military arsenal and simulating an infiltration into Israeli territory. Slick propaganda videos produced by Hezbollah have showcased the group’s small unit tactics and live-fire drills, interspersed with threats to Israel. Why are we hearing more about the Radwan unit now? The Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas also led to intensified strikes and retaliations between Hezbollah and Israel, forcing tens of thousands of people on each side of the border to evacuate. In northern Israel, officials and residents have piled pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect them from Hezbollah and make it safe to return home. “We need some kind of guarantee that there’s no danger to our citizens in the north,” General Hayman said. What Israel had treated as a manageable threat it now describes as something more serious, and Israeli leaders have repeatedly cited the Radwan unit by name. In December, Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s national security adviser, told Israeli media that the country “can no longer accept Radwan force sitting on the border.” On Sunday, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the Israeli military, said that a “focus” of its actions in Lebanon was driving the Radwan force away from the border. Israeli leaders have increasingly declared in recent weeks that there are only two options for restoring calm in the conflict: a diplomatic solution that would move the Radwan forces farther from the border, north of the Litani River, or a major Israeli military offensive aimed at achieving the same goal. So far, U.S.-led efforts to secure a diplomatic solution have proved unsuccessful. Where did the Radwan force come from? The origins and makeup of the unit are murky. The group took its name from the nom de guerre of its former leader, Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in Syria in 2008. Under his command, the unit played a pivotal role in the abduction of Israeli soldiers in 2006 that led to the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War. The unit, along with other elements of Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups, later took part in the battle against the Islamic State in Syria. But the fighting in the last three months has marked the Radwan force’s most active period against Israel since 2006. |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Police release dramatic footage from the hostage rescue operation in southern Gaza's Rafah early Monday morning.
2 videos showing troops visiting a tunnel where Yahya Sinwar, his family and other senior Hamas officials hid during the war. Tribute to Kathryn Lynne Hilton, Israel advocate who recently passed away from cancer: |
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Feb. 13 Summary of Red Sea activities On Feb. 13, at approximately 2:35 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully conducted a self-defense strike against one mobile anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), in Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen, that was prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea. Separately, at approximately 9:20 p.m.(Sanaa time), one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) was launched from Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. U.S. Navy ships tracked the missile but took no action because the missile was not projected to impact near any ships. There were no reports of injuries or damage from ships in the area. U.S. forces will continue to take actions that protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. navy and merchant vessels. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Intense evacuation of an IDF soldier:
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WSJ: Pentagon Used Six-Bladed ‘Ginsu’ Weapon to Kill Iraqi Militia Leader
Article confirms what a lot of you said after the attack last week. You called it. Hellfire R-9X missile Highpoints The Pentagon killed a Kataib Hezbollah leader in downtown Baghdad last week using a weapon that employs six long blades to shred its target and minimize civilian casualties. The strike on [the KH leader] was part of a retaliatory response to the Iranian-backed group for their role in attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, where a Jan. 28 attack on a base killed three American soldiers, the officials said. The modified Hellfire missile used is known colloquially as “the flying Ginsu,” recalling the popular knives sold on TV infomercials in the 1970s, was used to target Abu Baqr al-Saadi, the leader of Kataib Hezbollah in Syria. The Ginsu is designed to plunge more than 100 pounds of metal through the tops of cars and buildings to kill its target with minimal collateral damage. Instead of exploding, it has telescoping knives that eject out of its nose at the moment of impact. Fomally known as the R9X, it...was employed in last week's targeted killing because of concerns that killing innocent bystanders could inflame an already tense political situation in Iraq. Pictures taken after the strike on al-Saadi showed the remnants of a burning but largely intact vehicle, which is typical of other attacks where the Ginsu was used. A weapon with an explosive warhead, like the traditional Hellfire missile, would have likely destroyed the vehicle. The U.S. used the weapon in the targeted killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in July 2022 and in a strike on Islamic State in Afghanistan in response to the group’s deadly attack in Kabul in August 2021 that killed 13 American troops near the city’s airport. In January 2019, the Pentagon used it to kill Jamal al-Badawi, accused of helping to plan the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 in a port in Yemen that killed 17 American sailors. And in February 2017, the CIA used the weapon to kill Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri, an Egyptian national who served as al Qaeda’s second in command, in Idlib province in Syria. View Quote Entire article in spoiler Click To View Spoiler WSJ News Exclusive | Pentagon Used Six-Bladed ‘Ginsu’ Weapon to Kill Iraqi Militia Leader
The Pentagon killed a Kataib Hezbollah leader in downtown Baghdad last week using a weapon that employs six long blades to shred its target and minimize civilian casualties, defense officials said. The modified Hellfire missile, which inside the military is referred to colloquially as “the flying Ginsu,” recalling the popular knives sold on TV infomercials in the 1970s, was used to target Abu Baqr al-Saadi, the leader of Kataib Hezbollah in Syria. The U.S. use of the Ginsu in the Baghdad strike hasn’t been previously disclosed. The strike on al-Saadi, who was traveling in a car, was part of a retaliatory response to the Iranian-backed group for their role in attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, where a Jan. 28 attack on a base killed three American soldiers, the officials said. The weapon, formally known as the R9X, is an inert Hellfire missile designed by the Pentagon and the CIA to kill terrorist leaders. It was employed, in part, because of concerns that killing innocent bystanders could inflame an already tense political situation in Iraq, which hosts roughly 2,500 American troops, the officials said. Imagery of the strike on al-Saadi, showing the remnants of a burning but largely intact vehicle, was reminiscent of others involving the Ginsu. A weapon with an explosive warhead, like the traditional Hellfire missile, would have likely destroyed the vehicle. U.S. military officials declined to comment on the use of the Ginsu. The Ginsu, also sometimes referred to as the Ninja bomb, is designed to plunge more than 100 pounds of metal through the tops of cars and buildings to kill its target without harming individuals and property close by. Instead of exploding, it has telescoping knives that eject out of its nose at the moment of impact. It is unclear how many times the Pentagon has used the weapon, but typically it is employed against high-profile individuals in areas where targeting them risks killing bystanders. Some U.S. defense officials say they believe al-Saadi may have been in a crowded part of the Iraqi capital because he thought he was safer among so many civilians. The U.S. used the weapon in the targeted killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in July 2022 and in a strike on Islamic State in Afghanistan in response to the group’s deadly attack in Kabul in August 2021 that killed 13 American troops near the city’s airport. In January 2019, the Pentagon used it to kill Jamal al-Badawi, accused of helping to plan the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 in a port in Yemen that killed 17 American sailors. And in February 2017, the CIA used the weapon to kill Ahmad Hasan Abu Khayr al-Masri, an Egyptian national who served as al Qaeda’s second in command, in Idlib province in Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani on Thursday said the strike could push Baghdad to terminate the mission of the U.S.-led military coalition in the country, according to his spokesperson. Iraqi officials have said the strike killed at least two other people; the Pentagon has said it believes only al-Saadi died. Months of escalating clashes between the U.S. and Iranian-backed militias in the country have increased pressure—both from ordinary Iraqis and from political factions loyal to Iran—on the prime minister to fast-track an American exit. There have been at least 170 attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan since shortly after the war between Hamas and Israel began on Oct. 7. While minimizing civilian casualties is important, U.S. strikes increase the political pressure on the government in Baghdad, said Andrew Tabler, a former Middle East director at the White House’s National Security Council and now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank. “And that strengthens arguments within Iraq that the government should end its military relationship with the U.S.” In addition to the U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, who are advising and assisting local forces to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, there are at least 900 more based in Syria, according to the Pentagon. The withdrawal of forces in Iraq likely would affect the U.S. presence in Syria as well, defense officials have said. Washington and Baghdad last month began formal talks aimed at winding down the coalition, but no timeline has been set for their completion. Even if the coalition ends, U.S. troops may stay as part of a new bilateral arrangement. |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
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Troops continue to kill Hamas operatives in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, as well as in central part of the Strip.
Footage of Yahya Sinwar: |
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Institute for Study of War backgrounder 14 Feb
Key Takeaways: Iraq Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei discussed the removal of US forces from Iraq, counterterrorism, and border security with senior Iraqi politicians in Baghdad on February 13 and 14. The effort to expel US forces from Iraq supports Iran’s goals but ignores the current security situation in Iraq. Former Parliament Speaker Mohammad al Halbousi released a statement on February 14 that warned “war merchants and seditionists from the Islamist parties” against “tampering with the stability of Anbar [Province].” Halbousi was likely referring to the Shia Coordination Framework, a loose coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi political parties that are pushing for the expulsion of US forces from Iraq. The Gaza Strip The number of Palestinian militia attacks in the northern Gaza Strip dropped from a daily average of 5 attacks between January 31 and February 6 to a daily average of 2.7 attacks between February 7 and February 13. The IDF conducted a two-week, division-sized clearing operation in early February that targeted Hamas underground infrastructure and fighters. The IDF degraded Hamas units during previous clearing operations in the northern Gaza Strip earlier in the war, but Hamas “took advantage” of the IDF’s withdrawal in late December to reconstitute some of its military units. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters mortared Israeli forces in the northern Gaza Strip on February 14, but CTP-ISW cannot confirm the point of origin. Hamas will likely continue to appoint new commanders in the aftermath of the latest clearing operation and learn from its mistakes to better protect its new leaders from future Israeli operations. Hamas retains many experienced commanders—including the Gaza City Brigade commander—who will continue to rebuild the organization between Israeli clearing operations. Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian fighters in the central Gaza Strip on February 14. The IDF Nahal Brigade (assigned to the 162nd Division) killed at least ten Palestinian fighters. Israeli forces directed an airstrike targeting two armed Palestinian fighters in the central Gaza Strip. The airstrike caused secondary explosions. Palestinian militias have not claimed any attacks targeting Israeli forces in the central Gaza Strip since February 9. The IDF continued clearing operations in several sectors of Khan Younis on February 14. The IDF 98th Division located tunnels and captured large quantities of weapons during clearing operations in western Khan Younis on February 14. The division also directed airstrikes targeting Palestinian fighters attacking IDF forces in the city. A journalist at Nasser Hospital in western Khan Younis told CNN that hundreds of patients and people left the hospital on February 14 amid sounds of “heavy gunfire.” Israeli forces opened a “secure route” on February 14 from the hospital and its surroundings to evacuate civilians to the humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian fighters attempted to defend against Israeli operations across Khan Younis on February 14. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, which is the self-proclaimed military wing of Fatah, fired a rocket-propelled grenade targeting an IDF tank near Nasser Hospital. The militia reported that its fighters also targeted Israeli forces in central and eastern Khan Younis using small arms and mortars. Hamas’ military wing posted footage on February 14 of its fighters firing RPGs targeting Israeli forces in Khan Younis. Ceasefire Negotiation Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to send an Israeli delegation to Cairo on February 14 for “low-level” follow-up talks to discuss ceasefire proposals. Unspecified Israeli officials said that Netanyahu will not agree to further ”low-level” talks unless Hamas agrees to reduce the number of Palestinian prisoners that Israel would release as part of a ceasefire deal. The Qatari prime minister and US, Egyptian, and Israeli intelligence chiefs met in Cairo on February 13 to broker a deal for the release of hostages and an extended pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip West Bank Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian fighters at least four times across the West Bank on February 14. The al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and PIJ both claimed small arms fire targeting Mairav, a town in Israel near the West Bank. A local Israeli official said that there were no injuries.The IDF returned fire towards Jilbon, in the West Bank. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades said separately that it fired small arms targeting Israeli security forces near Hebron and Jenin. PIJ claimed two attacks targeting the IDF near Jenin. Lebanon Likely Lebanese Hezbollah fighters fired 11 122mm Grad rockets at the IDF Northern Command headquarters in Safed in northern Israel on February 14. The IDF conducted a series of major airstrikes on February 14 that targeted Hezbollah positions and assets in southern Lebanon in response to the attack targeting Safed. The attack killed one Israeli soldier and injured eight others. Hezbollah launched the rockets from Ramish, southern Lebanon, which is about 10 miles north of Safed. Israeli media said that the Iron Dome launched interceptors at the barrage but failed to intercept the rockets The IDF said that it monitored two other rocket salvoes targeting Northern Israel on February 14. The IDF conducted a series of major airstrikes on February 14 that targeted Hezbollah positions and assets in southern Lebanon in response to the attack targeting Safed. The strikes targeted Hezbollah military buildings, combat operations rooms, and Radwan unit infrastructure. Houthis US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a pre-emptive strike that targeted one Houthi mobile anti-ship cruise missile in Yemen on February 13. The Houthis had prepared to launch the missile targeting ships in the Red Sea. CENTCOM said that the Houthis separately launched one anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden. US Navy ships in the area did not intercept the missile because its trajectory did not endanger any vessels. Syria/Iraq/Iran The US Defense Department deputy press secretary stated that Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have not attacked US forces since February 4. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has not claimed an attack targeting US forces since February 4. An unspecified security source told Reuters on February 10 that US air defense systems intercepted one-way attack drones targeting Conoco Mission Support Site in eastern Syria. The deputy head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria claimed that the IDF Air Force conducted an airstrike targeting Nairab Airport in Aleppo, Syria, on February 12. Iranian officials claimed that unspecified terrorist actors caused two explosions on natural gas pipelines in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Fars provinces on February 14. The two explosions targeted Iran's main south-north natural gas pipeline. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
The IDF releases footage from an incident on Tuesday in southern Gaza's Khan Younis:
The IDF carried out several targeted killings of Hamas terrorists in Gaza City and other areas in the north of the Strip over the past day. Hamas terrorists eliminated in Al Shati: Former US Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo dances with Israeli soldiers: |
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This stuff was seized on January 28th and they are just now announcing it? 28 Jan was the day the soldiers were killed in Jordan. Guess this news might have raised more calls for striking Iranian assets directtly without 5 days warning.
CENTCOM Intercepts Iranian Weapons Shipment Intended for Houthis TAMPA, Fla. – A U.S. Coast Guard cutter, forward deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 28. The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr (WPC 1147), assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, located the vessel and boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The boarding team discovered over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components. The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of such aid violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216 (as extended and renewed by resolutions 2675 and 2707). “This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region, ” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander. “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.” CENTCOM is committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the region by all lawful means including U.S. and U.N. sanctions and through interdictions. View Quote Attached File Attached File |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Haaretz | Israel-Hamas War Day 132 | Israeli Army Operating in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis; IDF Says Hostage Bodies May Be Inside
Feb 15, 2024
Our planes over Beirut already have their targets' Israel defense minister warns Hezbollah: 'Our planes over Beirut already have their targets' Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said on Thursday that Israel does not want a war in the north, but if forced to, it will take steps to allow Israeli civilians to return to the homes in the north. Speaking at the end of a drill, that simulated the economic impact of a war in the north, Gallant said "Hezbollah escalated by half a click - we escalated with a full step" Gallant, however, said that this first step is only one out of 10 "we could attack not just 20 kilometers inside [Lebanon], but 50 kilometers, and in Beirut, and anywhere else View Quote IDF says it killed a senior commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force The IDF announced that the Air Force killed a senior commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force. According to the announcement, the commander is Ali Muhammad al-Dabs, who was one of the planners of the attack at the Megiddo Junction in Israel in March 2023 and planned terrorist activities against Israel during the war. The army said Hassan Ibrahim Issa and another Hezbollah operative were also killed in the attack. It was reported that Wednesday night 11 civilians, including four children, were killed in IDF attacks in southern Lebanon. View Quote Gaza post-war reconstruction estimated at $20 billion says UN trade body Gaza will need a new "Marshall Plan" to recover from the conflict between Israel and Hamas, a UN trade body official said on Thursday, adding that the damage from the conflict so far amounted to around $20 billion. Speaking on the sidelines of a UN meeting in Geneva, Richard Kozul-Wright, a director at trade body UNCTAD, said the damage was already four times that endured in Gaza during the seven-week war in 2014. Kozul-Wright said the estimate was based on satellite images and other information and that a more precise estimate would require researchers to enter Gaza. UNCTAD already said in a report last month that it could take until the closing years of the century for Gaza's economy to regain its pre-conflict size if hostilities in the Palestinian enclave were to cease immediately View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
WSJ: Biden-Netanyahu Relationship at Boiling Point as Rafah Invasion Looms
Highpoints Israeli military plans to invade Rafah have exacerbated tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the Biden administration, which has grown increasingly frustrated with its attempts to rein in Israel’s military campaign. Biden now appears to be trying to draw a line with Israel’s proposed military operation on Rafah where 1.1 million Palestinians—many of them displaced—now reside. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has vowed to forge ahead, saying Wednesday that Israel would mount a “powerful” operation in the city once residents are allowed to evacuate. The U.S. has communicated that it wouldn’t—under any circumstances—support a plan for a full-scale invasion of Rafah, and that it would prefer to see targeted operations. (Israel has done targeted operations in the Middle East, in places far from Israel like Tunis as well as the Palestinian territories. They will not work in Israel's cyrrent situation.) the U.S., together with Qatar, Egypt and Israel, continued to work on fragile plans for a sustained pause in fighting to secure the release of some of the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity while also ensuring that desperately needed humanitarian aid gets to the people of Gaza. Those efforts appeared to collapse Wednesday when Israel said it wouldn’t return to Cairo for further negotiations. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have been exploring different ways to exert pressure on Netanyahu, but Biden has shown no willingness to use the biggest tool in his arsenal: weapons sales to Israel. U.S. officials have pushed the White House to take a more critical public approach to Israel’s war in Gaza, and Biden has in recent days expressed more concern about the way Netanyahu is leading the campaign, repeatedly calling Israel’s military campaign “over the top.” (Very dumb. You know Israel won't do what you say, so quit advertising your weakness to the world.) The State Department has launched a probe looking at several Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that killed dozens of civilians and the possible use by Israel of white phosphorus in Lebanon, to determine whether the Israeli military misused American bombs and missiles to kill civilians, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal. The relationship reached a boiling point in December when Biden abruptly ended their Christmas-week call following a tense exchange about civilian casualties and, in Washington’s view, the need for Israel to shift to a new phase in its war, focused on targeted operations. Biden, who was so angry that he was almost shouting in the Dec. 28 call, according to officials, declared the conversation “over” and hung up. View Quote Entire article in spoiler Click To View Spoiler Biden-Netanyahu Relationship at Boiling Point as Rafah Invasion Looms
The looming Israeli military plans to invade Rafah have exacerbated tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the Biden administration, which has grown increasingly frustrated with its attempts to rein in Israel’s military campaign. The consequences of the distrust between President Biden and Netanyahu, who have spoken 18 times since Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault, have grown only starker in recent days. Biden now appears to be trying to draw a line with Israel’s proposed military operation on Rafah where 1.1 million Palestinians—many of them displaced—now reside. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has vowed to forge ahead, saying Wednesday that Israel would mount a “powerful” operation in the city once residents are allowed to evacuate. The U.S. has communicated that it wouldn’t—under any circumstances—support a plan for a full-scale invasion of Rafah, and that it would prefer to see targeted operations, U.S. officials said. The Biden administration has asked the Israeli military to produce a “credible plan” that included both a military and humanitarian component if it decides to disregard Washington’s advice and invade the city, U.S. officials said. The growing clash between the two governments over Rafah underscores the Biden administration’s waning leverage over Netanyahu as his military continues to hammer Gaza, even as pressure grows inside the U.S. government to rein in Israel. The State Department has launched a probe looking at several Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that killed dozens of civilians and the possible use by Israel of white phosphorus in Lebanon, to determine whether the Israeli military misused American bombs and missiles to kill civilians, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal. Talk of a Rafah operation came as the U.S., together with Qatar, Egypt and Israel, continued to work on fragile plans for a sustained pause in fighting to secure the release of some of the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity while also ensuring that desperately needed humanitarian aid gets to the people of Gaza. Those efforts appeared to collapse Wednesday when Israel said it wouldn’t return to Cairo for further negotiations. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have been exploring different ways to exert pressure on Netanyahu, but Biden has shown no willingness to use the biggest tool in his arsenal: weapons sales to Israel. The president has dismissed any talk of slowing arms sales to Israel, U.S. officials said, and instead has largely relied on the bully pulpit to try to express discontent. U.S. officials have pushed the White House to take a more critical public approach to Israel’s war in Gaza, and Biden has in recent days expressed more concern about the way Netanyahu is leading the campaign, repeatedly calling Israel’s military campaign “over the top.” In a tense phone call Sunday over the potential for a full-scale Rafah invasion, Biden pushed Netanyahu to continue negotiations for a hostage release. Sitting alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday, Biden again emphasized the U.S.’s desire for a hostage deal, which would cease fighting for at least six weeks, as a path to a longer-term resolution. “The key elements of the deals are on the table,” Biden said. “There are gaps that remain, but I’ve encouraged Israeli leaders to keep working to achieve the deal.” On Wednesday, Netanyahu’s office said the government wouldn’t send a delegation back to Cairo to continue negotiations. Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank, said the Biden administration’s public messaging so far is having very little impact on pushing Netanyahu to develop an exit strategy for Gaza or embracing the Biden administration’s goal of advancing talks to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel. “The gap between the Biden administration and the Netanyahu government on a range of key issues has widened in recent weeks as the war between Hamas and Israel continues,” Katulis said. Tensions between Biden and Netanyahu had been rising for months. In mid-December, Biden angered Netanyahu and Israel’s government when he told attendees at a campaign fundraiser that Israel was starting to lose support around the world because of its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza. At that same event, Biden recalled something he once said to Netanyahu, whom he has known for nearly 50 years: “I said, ‘Bibi, I love you, but I don’t agree with a damn thing you have to say.’ That remains to be the case.” The relationship reached a boiling point later that month, according to U.S. and Israeli officials, when Biden abruptly ended their Christmas-week call following a tense exchange about civilian casualties and, in Washington’s view, the need for Israel to shift to a new phase in its war, focused on targeted operations. Biden, who was so angry that he was almost shouting in the Dec. 28 call, according to officials, declared the conversation “over” and hung up. Some of Biden’s senior aides are becoming increasingly worried that his support for Israel’s war in Gaza risks damaging his re-election prospects amid cratering support from young voters. Last week, Biden dispatched a group of foreign policy and political advisers to Michigan on Thursday in an effort to quell growing outrage over deaths in Gaza ahead of Michigan’s Feb. 27 presidential primary. The appeal has taken on a new urgency after Biden’s previous attempts to assuage Muslim and Arab-American supporters have proven insufficient. Over one million Palestinians—many of them displaced—reside in Rafah.Photo: Said Khatib/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Israel’s bombardment in the enclave has left more than 28,000 people dead, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities. The figures don’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. Netanyahu has significant considerations about his own political longevity with his war against Hamas. He is deeply unpopular in Israel, and some more left-leaning media outlets have said the prime minister bears responsibility for the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Last month, the U.S. administration was considering enacting a package meant to send a message of discontent to Israel. The package, U.S. officials said, would have included a reversal of two Trump-era policies: one that allows products made in Jewish settlements in the Israel-occupied West Bank to be labeled as being “Made in Israel,” and another that upended longstanding U.S. policy that the West Bank settlements violate international law. U.S. officials said they were also considering imposing sanctions on two influential members of Netanyahu’s right-wing government: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Taken together, U.S. officials said, the package could have sent a strong message of discontent. But, in the end, the Biden administration only enacted sanctions against four largely unknown Israeli settlers, once again tempering the Biden administration’s response. “It remains to be seen what leverage the Biden administration might be willing to use to address this gap between Israel and the United States on the Gaza endgame and the revived two-state solution concept.” Katulis said. “It’s one thing to leak messages of discontent and disapproval—it’s another thing to make a policy shift that might matter and lead to a different debate or decision calculus inside of Israel.” On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller defended the Biden administration’s strategy, saying that Biden’s and Blinken’s have had an impact on the way Israel has conducted its operations, even if not always to the full extent the U.S. wants. Miller said some people might have unrealistic expectations about how much influence the U.S. has over Israel. “I think that sometimes people pretend that the United States of America has a magic wand that it can wave to make any situation in the world roll out in exactly the way that we would want it to,” he said, “and that is never the case.” |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Attached File Times of Israel: IDF confirms senior Hezbollah commander and deputy killed in south Lebanon strike last night The IDF says it eliminated a senior Hezbollah commander in the terror group’s elite Radwan Force, along with his deputy, in a strike in southern Lebanon yesterday. Last night, the IDF says fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah in Nabatieh, killing Ali Muhammad al-Debes and his deputy Hassan Ibrahim Issa. According to the IDF, al-Debes, a commander in the Radwan Force, was one of the masterminds behind the bombing attack at Megiddo Junction in northern Israel in March 2023, and planned and carried out other attacks against Israel, including amid the ongoing war. Media reports say he was responsible for Palestinian affairs in the Hezbollah terror group. The IDF says it also struck several Hezbollah positions in the last few hours, in south Lebanon’s Blida and Maroun al-Ras View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
WSJ: Egypt Builds Walled Enclosure on Border as Israeli Offensive Looms
Highlights Egyptian authorities, fearful that an Israeli military push further into southern Gaza will set off a flood of refugees, are building an 8-square-mile walled enclosure in the Sinai Desert near the border. Egypt has sought to bolster security along the frontier to keep Palestinians out, deploying soldiers and armored vehicles and reinforcing fences. The massive new compound is part of contingency plans if large numbers of Gazans do manage to get in. More than 100,000 people could be accommodated in the camp, Egyptian officials said. It is surrounded by concrete walls and far from any Egyptian settlements. Large numbers of tents, as yet unassembled, have been delivered to the site. Egypt has long sought to avoid a flood of refugees from spilling over its borders, even threatening to abandon its decades-old peace treaty with Israel if that occurs as a result of its offensive against Hamas. The fact that Egypt is now urgently proceeding with contingency plans signals that Egyptian officials see a rising danger of such a scenario. If Israel does proceed with the offensive on Rafah, the military would seek to move the civilian population northward—out of the battle zone but within the Gaza Strip—a senior Israeli military official said. Israel has also assured the U.S. that it would create a safe corridor to the north, according to a former U.S. official. Israel hasn’t publicly outlined any plan for what it would do with the civilians in the area. Israel has been pressuring Egypt to accept a military operation in Rafah, arguing that Israeli forces have to cut off Gaza’s border with Egypt. View Quote Entire article in spoilerClick To View Spoiler WSJ News Exclusive | Egypt Builds Walled Enclosure on Border as Israeli Offensive Looms
DUBAI—Egyptian authorities, fearful that an Israeli military push further into southern Gaza will set off a flood of refugees, are building an 8-square-mile walled enclosure in the Sinai Desert near the border, according to Egyptian officials and security analysts. For weeks, Egypt has sought to bolster security along the frontier to keep Palestinians out, deploying soldiers and armored vehicles and reinforcing fences. The massive new compound is part of contingency plans if large numbers of Gazans do manage to get in. More than 100,000 people could be accommodated in the camp, Egyptian officials said. It is surrounded by concrete walls and far from any Egyptian settlements. Large numbers of tents, as yet unassembled, have been delivered to the site, these people said. With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying his army will need to fight Hamas in Rafah, a Palestinian city on the Egyptian border, Egyptian officials think a broad Israeli offensive could happen within weeks. In the event of a major exodus of Palestinians from Gaza, Egypt would seek to limit the number of refugees to well below the capacity of the area—ideally to around 50,000 to 60,000—Egyptian officials said. Egypt has long sought to avoid a flood of refugees from spilling over its borders, even threatening to abandon its decades-old peace treaty with Israel if that occurs as a result of its offensive against Hamas. The fact that Egypt is now urgently proceeding with contingency plans signals that Egyptian officials see a rising danger of such a scenario. The governor of Egypt’s North Sinai region on Thursday denied initial reports of the construction of a potential refugee camp for Palestinians, saying the activity in the area was part of an effort to take an inventory of houses destroyed during Egypt’s past military campaign against Islamic State extremists in the area. Israel pulled out of the negotiations over a potential cease-fire deal on Wednesday, heightening fears that the country will move forward with its Rafah offensive. On Thursday, CIA Director William Burns met with Netanyahu and Mossad Director David Barnea to continue talks, according to people familiar with the matter. President Biden, U.N. officials and Palestinian leaders have also sought to avoid a mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, fearing that many wouldn’t be able to return. Israel has said those who leave their homes in Gaza will be allowed to come back. The concern over displacement is especially sensitive for Palestinians because of the exodus from their homes during the war at the creation of Israel in 1948. “You cannot imagine the terror and fear in the hearts of civilians here in Rafah,” said Fatima Majdi Hamouda, a woman from Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip who like thousands of others fled to the south in the early days of the war following an Israeli evacuation notice. “Some people are already on the Egyptian border, and if the bombing intensifies, they will go directly to Sinai. It’s the worst of decisions,” said Hamouda, who is 32 and sheltering with her family in a tent on the edge of Rafah near the Mediterranean. If Israel does proceed with the offensive on Rafah, the military would seek to move the civilian population northward—out of the battle zone but within the Gaza Strip—a senior Israeli military official said. Israel has also assured the U.S. that it would create a safe corridor to the north, according to a former U.S. official. Israel hasn’t publicly outlined any plan for what it would do with the civilians in the area. Palestinians who enter the enclosed area wouldn’t be allowed to leave unless they are departing for another country, Egyptian officials said, outlining contingency plans discussed within the government. If Egypt were to begin accepting a large number of Palestinian refugees, it would tighten entry and exit restrictions on a larger area of the northern Sinai, including the regional capital of Al-Arish, Egyptian officials said. Sinai Foundation for Human Rights, a nonprofit organization monitoring events in the region, published a report this week documenting the construction of the concrete enclosure, including photos of what it said were concrete walls more than 7 yards high. The report cited witnesses on the ground and included a map of the rough area of the enclosure. Egyptian officials confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that the area identified by the foundation was the general location of the planned enclosure. Though many Palestinians living in the enclave are desperate to leave for their own safety, many also oppose any mass migration to Egypt, fearing that they wouldn’t be allowed to return home. Egyptian officials have taken a hard line against Palestinian refugees but some privately concede that an exodus on some level may now be inevitable. The fortified camp being set up by Egypt could ultimately be used in different ways, said regional officials and analysts. In one scenario, it could serve as a safety net if Palestinians rush the border. In another, Egypt could agree to accept a limited number of Palestinian refugees in return for financial or other incentives, they said. “It’s a multipronged effort from Egypt to counter any scenario that is not according to its accepted conditions,” said Mohannad Sabry, an Egyptian security analyst and author of a book on Sinai. The enclosure could serve as a backstop to prevent refugees from flooding over the border unabated. “Even if the Israelis push a million and a half people to spill over the border, Egypt can throw the ball back into Israel’s lap by simply limiting the movement of Palestinians further in,” he said. Israeli military officials say that they must expand the military operation into Rafah to pursue Hamas leaders and militants who have fled there. Palestinian officials and relief groups have warned that large-scale fighting in the area could result in a humanitarian catastrophe because of the huge civilian population, which includes many thousands of people crammed into tent cities, schools and abandoned buildings in the area. Within Gaza, 1.7 million people have fled their homes during the war, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Israel has issued evacuation notices urging civilians to leave roughly two-thirds of the strip, according to the U.N. Israel says the evacuations are necessary to protect civilians and give the military a freer hand to fight Hamas. Israel has been pressuring Egypt to accept a military operation in Rafah, arguing that Israeli forces have to cut off Gaza’s border with Egypt to block Hamas’s ability to smuggle weapons. Egypt has urged Israel not to carry out such an operation, saying that it has already clamped down on underground smuggling tunnels in the area. |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Attached File |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Israeli army, Shin Bet kill Hamas commander who took part in October 7 massacre, held Israeli hostage
Entire article in quote box The IDF announced that it killed Ahmed Gul, a Hamas commander who participated in the October 7 massacre in Israel and who held hostage a soldier, Noa Marciano, who was killed in Shifa Hospital. According to the army, Gul was a commander in the Shati Battalion of Hamas and was killed by an aerial attack. View Quote Noe Marciano, young IDF soldier killed in Gaza after being kidnapped on Oct 7 |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
More shelling in Blida and Maroun al-Ras, Lebanon:
Great coordination between the commands of the elite Maglan and Egoz units: Egyptian authorities build a buffer zone in case of a mass exodus from Gaza: Rashida Tlaib supporting terrorists: |
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Source article
Resident of East Jerusalem refugee camp opens fire at a bus stop. Two people were killed and four were wounded in a shooting attack in southern Israel on Friday. The terror attack took place at Re'em-Masmiyya junction. A preliminary investigation by police revealed that the shooter arrived at the intersection by car and opened fire at a busy bus stop. The shooter was then shot by an armed civilian. The shooter, Fadi Jamjoom, is a resident of Shoafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. Security authorities are looking into whether he had been employed in Israel in the past. Police forces have now shut down the checkpoint in Shoafat. National Securiy Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke at the scene of the attack: "This attack proves once again that weapons save lives. This month, there's been all kinds of criticism about me. Not only will I not accede to the criticism, but I'll widen our policy to encourage the citizens of Israel to bear arms." The minister said that terror can't be spoken to, but addressed with a bold response. "That's how it should be in Gaza, that's how it should be in Lebanon, that's how it should be everywhere. Bold response, zero tolerance, war until destruction. Destroy them." View Quote The scene of the shooting in Israel, on Friday. Attached File
Translation: The scene of the attack at Massamia intersection. The terrorist arrived in a Mazda vehicle as documented and opened fire at the shuttle station towards Jerusalem. Killed and five injured. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Haaretz | News Israel-Hamas War Day 133 | Israeli Army Detains Hamas Terrorists in Khan Yunis' Nasser Hospital Feb 16, 2024
RECAP: IDF arrests dozens in Nasser Hospital; Paratrooper killed in fighting Thursday named as Noam Haba from Jerusalem Here's what you need to know 133 days into the war: ■ The IDF named 20-year-old Staff Sergeant Noam Haba from Jerusalem, a member of the 202nd Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade, as the soldier who was killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. ■The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said four patients died due to a power outage that caused a cut in oxygen supply in Khan Yunis' Nasser Hospital, where the IDF continues to operate following intelligence regarding the possibility of Israeli hostages being held there. ■The IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced that the army troops currently operating in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis have arrested dozens of suspects, including over 20 terrorists who took part in the October 7 massacre. ■The Israeli Air Force attacked several Hezbollah targets in Qantara in the south of Lebanon overnight into Friday, killing several terrorists in the assault. ■Rockets launched from Lebanon Thursday night hit a chicken coop in Margaliot, in the Upper Galilee region, killing thousands of chickens. ■ Egypt has begun setting up a huge walled enclosure in the Sinai Desert as part of a contingency plan if there is a mass migration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. ■The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry announced that 112 people were killed in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, and 157 wounded. ■The World Health Organization said it is 'trying to get access to biggest functioning hospital in Gaza', the Nasser Hospital, after an Israeli raid View Quote IDF arrests over 20 terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis The IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced that the army troops currently operating in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis have arrested dozens of suspects, including over 20 terrorists who took part in the October 7 massacre. The statement also said the forces found a stash of weapons in the hospital complex View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
I'd prefer to see that the ship is the newest artificial reef, but with Team Brandon this will have to do.
Source article: The United States conducted a cyberattack recently against an Iranian military ship in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that had been collecting intelligence on cargo vessels, NBC News reported on Thursday, citing three US officials. The cyberattack took place a week ago as part of a government response to a drone attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that killed three US service members in Jordan late last month and wounded dozens of others, the report said. NBC reported that the operation was intended to inhibit the ship’s ability to share intelligence with Houthi militants in Yemen. The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have launched a wave of exploding drones and missiles at commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in recent weeks, calling it a response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza against Hamas and a show of solidarity with Palestinians. The attacks have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and raised fears of supply bottlenecks. The US military has responded with strikes against the group. US President Joe Biden said in January that strikes on Houthi targets would continue even as he acknowledged they may not be halting their attacks. The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the NBC News report. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Israel's defense chief says over 30 UNRWA employees participated in Oct. 7 attack; discloses identity of 12
Two terrorists in Hamas' October 7 attack claimed to be UNRWA employees by the Israeli army.Credit: IDF Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Israel possesses intelligence indicating that more than 30 UNRWA employees actively participated in Hamas' attack on October 7th. In a briefing to foreign journalists, Gallant disclosed the identities of 12 UNRWA workers who took part in the attack, including those involved in the abduction of civilians and soldiers. Among the identified terrorists are those involved in the abduction of a soldier from Kibbutz Be'eri, transporting and holding other hostages, as well as participating in the attack and aiding in its preparation. In footage from the day of the attack presented by the Gallant, Red Crescent medics are seen treating a wounded militant inside an ambulance belonging to the organization. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Joe being stupid Joe--setting the US up for failure when Israel ignores him and does what they need to do. The Israelis have told anyone who will listen that failure to seriously attack Hamas in Rafah would make the entire operation thus far a waste of time, money, and lives. Worse, it would signal to terrorists that human shields work.
Source at Haaretz. U.S. President Joe Biden, addressing the media on Friday said...he doesn't anticipate Israel executing a large-scale land invasion in Gaza's Rafah, and emphasized a need for a temporary cease-fire for a hostage deal. Asked if Israel had presented a credible plan for sheltering Palestinians in Rafah, Biden said, "I've had extensive conversations with the prime minister of Israel over the last couple of days. I've made the case, and I feel very strongly about it, that there has to be a temporary cease-fire to get the hostages out." "I don't anticipate, and hoping that the Israelis will not make a massive land invasion, in the meantime. My expectation is that's not going to happen. There has to be case-fire temporarily to get hostages. We are in a situation where American citizens being held hostages, not just Israelis," he said. View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
Looks like the natives are getting restless. As near as I can tell there are checkpoints or controls at the Rafah crossing to keep the Palestinians from accessing the area where trucks are let into Gaza. Some Palestinians stormed those controls.
Attached File
Displaced Gazans broke through to Palestinian side of The Rafah crossing and burned tires, Hamas police officers arrived at scene Palestinians coming from the Gaza Strip broke through to the Rafah crossing and burned tires outside the entrance to the compound. Sources in Gaza's border authority say they are displaced people who were sheltering near the border crossing, and that they stormed aid trucks entering Rafah. Hamas police forces arrived at the scene to push the crowd and allow the trucks to cross View Quote |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
NYT: Israel Was Behind Attacks on Major Gas Pipelines in Iran, Officials Say
Highlights Israel carried out covert attacks on two major gas pipelines inside Iran this week, disrupting the flow of heat and cooking gas to provinces with millions of people, according to two Western officials and a military strategist affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps. The strikes represent a notable shift in the shadow war that Israel and Iran have been waging by air, land, sea and cyberattack for years. Israel has long targeted military and nuclear sites inside Iran — and assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists and commanders — both inside and outside of the country. Israel has also waged cyberattacks to disable servers belonging to the oil ministry, causing turmoil at gas stations nationwide. But blowing up part of the country’s energy infrastructure, relied on by industries, factories and millions of civilians, marked an escalation in the covert war and appeared to open a new frontier, officials and analysts said. The Western officials and the Iranian military strategist said the gas pipeline attacks by Israel required deep knowledge of Iran’s infrastructure and careful coordination, especially since two pipelines were hit in multiple locations at the same time. ...[the attacks sent] a stark warning of the damage that Israel could inflict, as conflict spreads. The strikes and counter-strikes across the region have escalated in recent months. Israel has killed two senior Iranian commanders in Syria, while the United States has struck military bases connected to the Revolutionary Guards and its proxies in Iraq and Syria after three American soldiers were killed in a drone attack. “This shows that the covert networks operating in Iran have expanded their target list and advanced beyond just military and nuclear sites,” said Shahin Modarres, a Rome-based security analyst focused on the Middle East. “It’s a major challenge and reputation blow for Iran’s intelligence and security agencies.” View Quote Entire articleClick To View Spoiler Israel Was Behind Attacks on Major Gas Pipelines in Iran, Officials Say
The sabotage, which analysts said marked an escalation in the shadow war between Israel and Iran, caused massive disruption in several provinces. Israel carried out covert attacks on two major gas pipelines inside Iran this week, disrupting the flow of heat and cooking gas to provinces with millions of people, according to two Western officials and a military strategist affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps. The strikes represent a notable shift in the shadow war that Israel and Iran have been waging by air, land, sea and cyberattack for years. Israel has long targeted military and nuclear sites inside Iran — and assassinated Iranian nuclear scientists and commanders — both inside and outside of the country. Israel has also waged cyberattacks to disable servers belonging to the oil ministry, causing turmoil at gas stations nationwide. But blowing up part of the country’s energy infrastructure, relied on by industries, factories and millions of civilians, marked an escalation in the covert war and appeared to open a new frontier, officials and analysts said. “The enemy’s plan was to completely disrupt the flow of gas in winter to several main cities and provinces in our country,” Iran’s oil minister, Javad Owji, told Iranian media on Friday. Mr. Owji, who had previously referred to the blasts as “sabotage and terrorist attacks,” stopped short of publicly blaming Israel or any other culprit. But he said that the goal of the attack was to damage Iran’s energy infrastructure and stir domestic discontent. The office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment. The Western officials and the Iranian military strategist said the gas pipeline attacks by Israel required deep knowledge of Iran’s infrastructure and careful coordination, especially since two pipelines were hit in multiple locations at the same time. One Western official called it a major symbolic strike that was fairly easy for Iran to repair and caused relatively little harm to civilians. But, the official said, it sent a stark warning of the damage that Israel could inflict, as conflict spreads across the Middle East and tensions rise between Iran and its adversaries, notably Israel and the United States. The Western officials said Israel also caused a separate blast on Thursday inside a chemical factory on the outskirts of Tehran that rattled a neighborhood and sent plumes of smoke and fire into the air. But local officials said the factory explosion, which took place on Thursday, stemmed from an accident in the factory’s fuel tank. Iran has said that it does not want a direct war with the United States, and it has denied being involved in either the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel or the various attacks against American and Israeli targets in the region since then. But Iran supports and arms a network of proxy militia that have been actively fighting with Israel and United States, including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and militants in Iraq and Syria. Iran has also armed and trained Hamas and other Palestinian fighters. The strikes and counter-strikes across the region have escalated in recent months. Israel has killed two senior Iranian commanders in Syria, while the United States has struck military bases connected to the Revolutionary Guards and its proxies in Iraq and Syria after three American soldiers were killed in a drone attack. Iran also suffered one of the largest terrorist attacks in its history in January, when suicide bombers killed about 100 people in Kerman during a ceremony for a top general, Qassim Suleimani, killed by the United States four years ago. ISIS claimed responsibility for the suicide attack. Now, the Western officials say, Israel has attacked inside Iran’s borders with back-to-back explosions that have unnerved Iranians. “This shows that the covert networks operating in Iran have expanded their target list and advanced beyond just military and nuclear sites,” said Shahin Modarres, a Rome-based security analyst focused on the Middle East. “It’s a major challenge and reputation blow for Iran’s intelligence and security agencies.” The sabotage targeted several points along two main gas pipelines in the provinces of Fars and Chahar Mahal Bakhtiari on Wednesday. But the disruption in service stretched to residential homes, government buildings and major factories in at least five provinces across Iran, according to Iranian officials and local media reports. The pipelines carry gas from the south to major cities like Tehran and Isfahan. One of the pipelines runs all the way to Astara, a city near Iran’s northern border with Azerbaijan. Energy experts estimated that the attacks on the pipelines, which each run for about 1,200 kilometers or 800 miles and carry 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, knocked out about 15 percent of Iran’s natural daily gas production, making them particularly sweeping assaults on the country’s critical infrastructure. “The level of impact was very high because these are two significant pipelines going south to north,” said Homayoun Falakshahi, a senior energy analyst at Kpler. “We have never seen anything like this in scale and scope.” On Friday, Mr. Owji, the oil minister, said that technical teams from the ministry had worked around the clock to repair the damage, and that the disruption had been minimal and service restored. But his assessment was at odds with the comments of local governors and officials from Iran’s national gas company, who had described widespread outages of service in five provinces, forcing the closure of government buildings. On social media, Iranian energy experts advised people in the affected areas, where in some places temperatures dropped below freezing, to dress warmly. The blasts happened at around 1 a.m. local time, terrifying residents, who fled their homes and poured into the streets, according to Iranian media reports. On social media, people described blasts so loud that they woke up thinking a bomb had been dropped. No casualties were reported. Saeid Aghli, an official with the national gas company, told Iranian media that officials immediately called an emergency meeting attended by the oil minister, officials from the foreign ministry and representatives from all of Iran’s intelligence and security services. Mr. Aghli said the sabotage was intended to take out about 40 percent of the country’s gas transmission capacity. How the pipelines were struck — with drones, explosives attached to pipes or some other means — remains unclear. Iran’s energy infrastructure has been targeted in the past, but those incidents were much smaller in scope and scale, analysts said. The military strategist affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards Corps — who, like the other officials, was not authorized to speak publicly — said the Iranian government believed Israel was behind the attack because of the complexity and scope of the operation. The attack, he said, almost certainly required the help of collaborators inside Iran to figure out where and how to strike. He noted that major pipelines in Iran, which carry gas across vast distances that include mountains, deserts and rural fields, are patrolled by guards in outposts along the length of the pipes. The guards check their areas every few hours, he said, so the attackers may have had knowledge of their breaks, when the area would remain unmanned. Mr. Falakshahi, the energy analyst, said the blasts exposed the vulnerability of the country’s critical infrastructure to attacks and sabotage. He said that Iran, the third largest producer of natural gas in the world, has about 40,000 kilometers of natural gas pipelines, mostly underground. He added that the pipelines are primarily for domestic consumption and that, because of sanctions, Iran’s export of gas was minimal and limited to Turkey and Iraq. “It’s very difficult to protect this very extensive network of pipelines unless you invest billions in new technology,” Mr. Falakshahi said. He added that repairing the damaged pipelines would require shutting off the gas and then replacing the pipes, which could take days. |
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"A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot."
Robert A. Heinlein, Friday |
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