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Posted: 5/20/2024 10:46:52 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#1]
Slightly more information published today. Parts of Jabaliya are being "cleared" for the third time while others are being cleared for the first time as they were bypassed in November and February.
The bodies of the four Israeli hostages recovered from the Gaza Strip last week, were found in a Hamas tunnel in the Jabaliya camp, the military permits for publication. The IDF had not reached the tunnel during its initial ground operation in Jabaliya, which had served as a command center for the terror group amid the fighting. The bodies of Ron Benjamin, Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk, were hidden inside the tunnel, and the area surrounding it was guarded by Hamas, according to the military. In an alley close to the tunnel shaft, terror operatives had planted a large explosive device, which was disarmed by troops. There were several clashes above ground as troops pushed into the area, and in one incident, Maj. Gal Shabbat, 24, a company commander in the Paratroopers Brigade's 202nd Battalion, was fatally wounded. However, there was no fighting in the tunnel itself. |
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Posted: 5/20/2024 11:05:59 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#2]
Full article at the Jerusalem Post below and at this link. IDF succeeds in evacuating almost 1 million from Rafah in 2 weeks MAY 20, 2024 16:59 The IDF has succeeded in evacuating around 950,000 Palestinian civilians in only two weeks since May 6, the military revealed on Monday. In addition, around 30-40% of Rafah is now under IDF control, not merely a small portion of the eastern sector, and about 60-70% of Rafah has been completely evacuated. The remaining Rafah civilians, estimated at around 300,000-400,000, are almost all near the Gaza coast Tel al-Sultan area. This is despite US predictions that the civilian population could not be evacuated without a huge death count or without leaving around four months to do so. Of those evacuated, the overwhelming majority moved northwest to al-Muwasi, while a smaller number moved to central Gaza. A much less significant number returned to Khan Yunis, though that had been discussed as a real possibility for potentially hundreds of thousands of civilians. Regarding the battle, though there certainly is significant resistance from the four Hamas battalions in Rafah, the IDF said it had mostly taken them by surprise. After initial early and more unified resistance, the impression is that the battalions have started a process of being taken apart, fleeing, or hiding to try to fight a guerilla-style battle at a later date. Another possibility is that Hamas's battalions will put up more of a fight for Tel al-Sultan, but generally to date, the terror group's battalions have not put up as hard a fight as Hamas did in the initial battles for Gaza City in October-November or for Khan Yunis in December. IDF has taken over most of the Philadelphi Corridor Next, the IDF has taken control of the majority, though not all, of the Philadelphi Corridor with Egypt. The military has already destroyed many cross-border tunnels on the Corridor, Hamas' main remaining method for receiving new weapons, but still is not sure yet how many tunnels remain. In other parts of Gaza, it has taken months for the IDF to get a fuller picture of the tunnel challenge. Despite Egypt's anger at Israel for the Rafah operation and its closing the Rafah Crossing regarding humanitarian aid, the IDF said that military relations on the ground with Cairo have remained strong, and there have been no violent incidents between the sides. Other than a tiny number, there have also been no Palestinians penetrating into Egypt, which had been Cairo's biggest fear. The IDF said that it has observed its understandings with Egypt of how to carry out the Rafah operation with utmost precision. IDF less sure than ever about Sinwar's whereabouts Unfortunately, the IDF provided no updates on the status of the hostages held in Rafah, and seemed less sure than ever about where Gaza Chief Yahya Sinwar is hiding. It was also possible that Hamas may have moved the hostages out of Rafah as part of the large number of civilians who fled, and the same could be true for Sinwar. The IDF said the Rafah operation was incredibly complex and that it had achieved significant victories despite many restraints on how it could fire on Hamas to avoid even the possibility that a misfire might hit nearby Egyptian troops. In addition, the IDF said it had seized and destroyed a very large quantity of rockets and rocket platforms in Rafah, the last place where it said Hamas might still have a larger quantity of rockets, including long-range rockets. Besides Rafah, the IDF said it caught Hamas by surprise when it reinvaded Jabalia. There, it said that the civilians were moved in a much shorter time than from Rafah, with warnings issued in the morning, and the invasion starting in the afternoon on the same day. The IDF has found additional tunnels in Jabalia and took apart an attempt by Hamas to establish a new command center there for unified fighting. Unlike in Rafah, the Hamas fighters in Jabalia are not viewed as having as much of an opportunity to flee, though the IDF still did not give a set timeframe for finishing the latest Jabalia reinvasion. If for months, there was reference to one to two Hamas battalions operating in central Gaza, the IDF said that these battalions are also being taken apart, by a mix of airstrikes and targeted invasions. A smaller force contingent is needed for these attacks because the central Gaza forces were much smaller than the forces remaining in Rafah, but the bottom line was that the IDF could be converging on a point where all 24 Hamas battalions would be dismantled. IDF sources suggested that this would signal achieving the first goal of the war, toppling Hamas as a military organization, even if other goals of the war, removal of Hamas as a political authority and return of the hostages, may still remain open questions. According to one prediction, fighting a Hamas insurgency will require significant military resources at a minimum until October of this year, and possibly even somewhat beyond. |
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Posted: 5/20/2024 11:58:15 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#3]
This week has started with a bang.
 Attached FileIDF: Fighting in Gaza could last another six months, at least. Extremely optimistic IMO The IDF assesses the fighting in Gaza will last at least another six months, in order to completely stop Hamas from operating as a militant governing body in the Gaza Strip. Even though the army killed several senior Hamas officials during the war, the IDF says the senior rank of its field divisions is almost unharmed. The security system estimates that Hamas' command abilities have taken a hard hit, but not in an irrevocable way. The Israeli army estimates that some 900,000 residents have left Rafah, with somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 remaining in the city. IDF says Air Force attacked in southern Lebanon; Hezbollah reports two killed The Israeli Air Force has attacked a group of terrorists near a launchpad in Meiss Ej Jabal, in Lebanon's south, according to an IDF statement. Hezbollah reported two people were killed in the attack. Earlier on Monday, the IDF attacked a weapons warehouse in Naqoura, also in southern Lebanon. Suspected hostile aircraft infiltration sirens sound in communities in Israel's north, including Malkia and Moshav Ramot Naftali. Syrian opposition sources: Four killed, others wounded, in Israeli-attributed attack in Homs area. Local opposition officials said the drone was targeting a Syrian army base. |
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Posted: 5/20/2024 12:00:43 PM EDT
[#4]
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Posted: 5/20/2024 5:59:30 PM EDT
[#5]
Drone attacks on Israel from the north and the east.
Israeli fighter jets shot down a "suspicious aerial target," thought to be a drone, that was heading toward Israel from the direction of Syria, the military says. The apparent drone was downed outside of Israeli airspace, according to the IDF, and alerts were activated in open areas in the Golan Heights. Separately, fighter jets and one of the Navy's Sa'ar 4.5-class missile ships shot down two more targets heading toward Israel from the "eastern direction," the IDF adds. The apparent drones did enter Israeli airspace and no sirens sounded. Amid the incident, people in Israel's southernmost city of Eilat reported seeing interceptions Meanwhile, a short while ago, the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed to have launched two drones at Eilat. Video
A Saar 4.5 type missile ship of the Navy and fighter jets of the Air Force successfully intercepted two aerial targets that were on their way to Israeli territory from the "east direction" - that is, from the Jordan region, to Ranev from Yarak. Almost at the same time, the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq took responsibility for launching two explosive drones towards Eilat In addition, fighter jets intercepted a suspicious aerial target this evening that made its way from Syria towards Israel. The target did not cross into Israeli territory |
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Posted: 5/20/2024 6:17:39 PM EDT
[#6]
A senior Hamas operative in the terror group's supply unit was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip yesterday:
Bad day for Hamas in Gaza: The helicopter of the president of Iran crashed after a meeting with the president of Azerbaijan at the border point of the two countries during the return: Israeli fighter jets struck a building in southern Lebanon's Maroun al-Ras where Hezbollah operatives were identified: Two Hamas terrorists who also served as top officials in the terror group's police were killed in recent Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, the military and Shin Bet announce. |
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Posted: 5/20/2024 10:16:23 PM EDT
[#7]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 20 May Key Takeaways Gaza Strip 98th Division continued clearing operations in Jabalia. The IDF 7th, 36th, and 460th brigades engaged Palestinian fighters, raided militia sites, and located weapons in a UNRWA compound. Palestinian militias from various groups engaged Israeli forces in Jabalia using RPGs, small arms fire, rockets, and mortars. The brigades directed strikes on fighters as they approached Israeli forces.munitions. Israeli forces have killed over 200 fighters in Jabalia since May 14. Local journalists report Israeli snipers were deployed in Beit Lahia, north of Jabalia refugee camp. More details of recovery of the remains of four Israeli hostages. The IDF 202nd Paratrooper Battalion found the remains in a Hamas command–and–control center located in tunnel complex on May 17. Hamas had brought command and communications equipment to the complex from other destroyed Hamas centers. The IDF had not previously cleared this area. Hamas planted an explosively formed penetrator inside the tunnel where the hostages' bodies were found. The 202nd Paratrooper Battalion led the operation and sustained six casualties, one of which was a company commander. 679th Brigade began an operation to clear militia infrastructure, such as tunnels, in Sabra just north of the Netzarim corridor. 99th Division continued operations along the Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip on May 20. Two IDF brigades are defending the Netzarim corridor and the US-built humanitarian aid pier in the central Gaza Strip while conducting raids. 679th Brigade shelled Palestinian fighters and weapons caches in the central Gaza. The Air Force has struck 80 targets throughout the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, including weapon depots, rocket launchers, Palestinian fighters, and buildings used to attack Israeli forces. 162nd Division announced that it “deepened” its clearing operation into eastern Rafah..Israeli forces located dozens of tunnel shafts, raided militias sites, and engaged Palestinian fighters . An IDF Maglan drone team directed a strike on a Palestinian. Three Palestinian militant groups engaged Israeli forces in Rafah on May 20. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met separately with the three members of the Israeli War Cabinet to discuss Israeli operations in Rafah. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Sullivan that Israel is “committed” to expanding a ground operation into Rafah. Israeli press reported 950,000 Palestinians have left Rafah in “only two weeks” and that 60 to 70 percent of Rafah is free of civilians. The remaining 300,000 to 400,000 civilians are mainly in Tel Sultan, western Rafah. PIJ and the Ansar Brigades launched a barrage of rockets at Mefalsim near Sderot. West Bank Israeli forces have engaged Palestinian fighters in two locations in the West Bank in the last 25 hours. PIJ's al Quds Brigades attacked IDF troops at a checkpoint near Jenin.The al Quds Brigades in Gaza attacked an Israeli settlement. The IDF detained 14 wanted individuals and confiscated cash and weapons during operations in the West Bank. South Lebanon-north Israel The IDF conducted airstrikes against a weapons depot in al Naqoura, killing at least two Hezbollah fighters, on May 20.he IDF said that it targeted a weapons depot in al Naqoura. Syria Iraq Syrian media reported an attack took on a Syrian Arab Army (SAA) 4th Division checkpoint at al Masnaa border crossing. The Air Force was carried out airstrikes on two pro-Syrian regime positions outside Homs City. One of the targets was a Lebanese Hezbollah-affiliated truck in Qusayr near the Lebanon-Syria border. Another target was attacked outside Homs City. The Air Force has targeted vehicles suspected of transporting Hezbollah militants and weapons. The IDF has increased its strikes into Syria since December 2023 to disrupt the IRGC Quds Force and Hezbollah’s efforts to bring personnel and weapons into Lebanon. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq—a coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias—claimed a drone attack targeting Eilat, Israel. Yemen The Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden. Iran Detailed analysis in spoiler in below Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran. His death upends Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s multi-year project grooming Raisi to become the next supreme leader. Israel The Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court has submitted an application to the court to obtain arrest warrants for several Hamas and Israeli officials. Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz told Likud Knesset members that he opposes extended Israeli military control of the Gaza Strip. He estimated that an occupation of the Gaza Strip would require Israel to extend mandatory military service from 32 months to 48 months. He clarified that he is “against a Palestinian state, neither Hamas nor Israel” should rule the Gaza Strip. An Israeli government document obtained by Israeli media assessed that an Israeli military occupation of the Gaza Strip would need a dramatic increase in the number of reserve soldiers and cost roughly 5 billion dollars per year. Detailed analysis on Iran and Raisi's replacement Click To View Spoiler    
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Posted: 5/20/2024 10:33:46 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#8]
From the ISW backgrounder Link
Hamas planted an explosively formed penetrator inside the tunnel where the hostages' bodies were found. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 8:49:46 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#9]
The commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missile unit in the terror group's coastal division was killed in an airstrike, the military announces. Qassem Saqlawi was targeted in a drone strike in the Tyre area yesterday. Hezbollah announced his death following the strike, but did not refer to him as a commander. The IDF says Saqlawi was responsible for planning and carrying out "many" rocket and anti-tank guided missile attacks on Israel amid the war, from the coastal region in south Lebanon. The IDF also says fighter jets hit a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon's Ramyeh. Meanwhile, several rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Western Galilee overnight. The IDF says the projectiles hit open areas. https://x.com/manniefabian/status/1792842512572244066 Video of a video but interesting. Leaked graphic footage shows Israeli troops using drones to track and kill a group of Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank's Nur Shams camp, near Tulkarem, amid a raid there last month.  Attached File
IDF back in Jenin
The Israeli Air Force struck more than 70 targets across the Gaza Strip in the past day, the military says. According to the IDF, the targets included weapon depots, rocket launchers, observation posts, and buildings belonging to terror groups, as well as operatives. Meanwhile, IDF operations continue in Jabaliya in northern Gaza , in Rafah in the Strip's south, and the Netzarim Corridor in the center of the territory. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 11:04:08 AM EDT
[#10]
Israeli fighter jets struck a Hezbollah cell in southern Lebanon's Mays al-Jabal:
The Israeli Air Force struck more than 80 targets belonging to terror groups in the Gaza Strip over the past day: Overnight, Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon: This is our reality this morning in Sderot - little kids needs to hide while rockets are flying above them from inside the Gaza Strip. This has been gone for decades. We refuse to let it continue. An Israeli soldier was lightly hurt in a rocket attack on the Biranit army base in northern Israel earlier today. Israeli retaliatory strike: Elimination of a squad of 4 terrorists by drone in Jenin: IDF forces getting the job done in Gaza. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 11:46:53 AM EDT
[#11]
A deadly Israeli raid in the West BankLink.
Seven Palestinians, including a 50-year-old doctor, were killed and 19 others were wounded during an Israeli military raid in Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday morning, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry. It was the latest in a series of near-nightly raids that Israeli officials describe as counterterrorism operations in the West Bank, where over 500 Palestinians have been killed since the war in Gaza began. A doctor? Probably put into the article to make Israel look bad. Here are a few more famous doctors: George Habash, founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Link Fathi Ibrahim Abdulaziz Shaqaqi, founder of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Shot five times and killed by the Mossad in Malta in 1995. Link Ayman al-Zawahiri of Al-Qaeda. Link |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 1:10:24 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By michigan66: A deadly Israeli raid in the West BankLink. A doctor? Probably put into the article to make Israel look bad. Here are a few more famous doctors: George Habash, founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Link Fathi Ibrahim Abdulaziz Shaqaqi, founder of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Shot five times and killed by the Mossad in Malta in 1995. Link Ayman al-Zawahiri of Al-Qaeda. Link Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By michigan66: A deadly Israeli raid in the West BankLink. Seven Palestinians, including a 50-year-old doctor, were killed and 19 others were wounded during an Israeli military raid in Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday morning, according to the Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry. It was the latest in a series of near-nightly raids that Israeli officials describe as counterterrorism operations in the West Bank, where over 500 Palestinians have been killed since the war in Gaza began. A doctor? Probably put into the article to make Israel look bad. Here are a few more famous doctors: George Habash, founder of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Link Fathi Ibrahim Abdulaziz Shaqaqi, founder of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Shot five times and killed by the Mossad in Malta in 1995. Link Ayman al-Zawahiri of Al-Qaeda. Link Another image of him running around with a rifle before he was put down. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 1:17:30 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Chaingun: Months ago these was another 'doctor' and they showed his glam photo. Another image of him running around with a rifle before he was put down. I forgot about the Australian doctor who joined ISIS. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 5:37:03 PM EDT
[#14]
The commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missile unit in the terror group's coastal division was killed in an airstrike:
The Israeli Air Force struck more than 70 targets across the Gaza Strip in the past day: Amid the IDF's ongoing raid in Jenin, troops demolished the home of Ahmed Barakat, a Palestinian terrorist involved in the killing of Meir Tamari in a shooting attack near the settlement of Hermesh in May 2023 Fighter jets carried out a wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in four different areas of Southern Lebanon: |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 6:24:14 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By michigan66:
https://x.com/manniefabian/status/1792842512572244066 Video of a video but interesting. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/501718/Screenshot_2024-05-21-08-39-38_kindlepho-3219821.JPG
IDF back in Jenin
Hopefully they bulldozed that mosque after destroying that weapons cache. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 6:37:22 PM EDT
[#16]
"Intercepted" See, the UN and other have blamed the lack of crossings into Gaza...it's not the lack of crossings...there are plenty of crossings...it's the dirty little secret that Hamas controls most of Gaza and has always been used to stealing the aid...and many NGOs and UN orgs never said anything...for maybe the first time in history someone is asking where the aid actually went.
Troops of the Nahal Brigade's 932nd Battalion, operating in southern Gaza's Rafah, located a tunnel shaft where several weapons were stored. The depot had RPGs, grenades, and other explosive devices, the IDF says. The tunnel was later demolished. In another building in Rafah, Nahal troops found another cache of weapons and military equipment used by operatives.  Attached File Attached File
The chief of the IDF Home Front Command has declared the Mount Meron area a closed zone amid Lag B'Omer celebrations, starting 11 p.m. tonight and until Monday, May 27, at noon. Hezbollah has attacked Mount Meron, which is located some eight kilometers (5 miles) from the Lebanon border, repeatedly amid the ongoing war, launching large barrages of rockets at the mountain, as well as guided missiles at the Israeli air traffic control base that sits atop it. Normally, tens of thousands of observant Jews visit the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on the mountain during Lag B'Omer. Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, chief of the Home Front Command, signed the order to close off Mount Meron in coordination with relevant authorities at the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry as well as security officials. The Home Front Command says that it "stresses that entering the Meron area is strictly prohibited" during this time. Police have been asked to enforce the closed zone.
Fighter jets carried out a wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in four different areas of southern Lebanon, the military says. The targets included a Hezbollah cell in Odaisseh, a rocket launcher in Halta, and buildings used by the terror group in Yaroun, Maroun al-Ras, and Ayta ash-Shab, according to the IDF. The IDF says it also shelled with artillery rocket launch sites in south Lebanon used in attacks on northern Israel today. The rockets caused no injuries.
Speaking to officers in northern Gaza's Jabaliya, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military is willing to carry out risky missions in order to recover the bodies of slain hostages. "The mission... is to kill as many [Hamas] commanders as possible, as many terrorists as possible, to destroy the infrastructure. This pressure... will also help us to bring hostages alive and we are ready to carry out dangerous and complicated operations to bring the bodies of our hostages back to be buried in Israel," Halevi says. The bodies of four hostages killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 were recently recovered from a tunnel in Jabaliya. A paratrooper officer was killed during fighting above ground in the area of the operation.
Article linked in tweet below Israel Intercepts Drone Attacks by Iranian Proxies on Two Fronts Latest Developments The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” flying toward Israel from Syria, the IDF said on May 20. “The target did not manage to cross into Israeli territory. Sirens concerning a hostile aircraft infiltration sounded in open areas in the Golan Heights according to protocol,” Israel’s Ynet website reported. In addition, Israeli warplanes and a naval vessel intercepted two drones as they approached the Israeli city of Eilat from the direction of the Red Sea. “The targets did not manage to cross into Israeli territory,” Ynet noted. The Iranian-backed terrorist group Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed it had targeted Eilat, Iranian media reported. Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have continually targeted Israel with drones and missiles in the wake of the October 7 assault by Hamas terrorists that triggered the current war in Gaza. Expert Analysis “The interception of drones targeting northern Israel and the southern Israeli city of Eilat illustrates the growing threat Iranian-backed terrorist groups pose. They continue to use drones inside and outside the region, as Iran has also exported drones to Russia that are used against Ukraine.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow “For years, Iran has been building a network of proxy organizations and militias along Israel’s borders and in the region, with the ultimate goal of expanding its influence and launching attacks against the Jewish state. The investments made by Iran in these entities have now begun to yield dividends, allowing the regime to exert its power in the region. With Iran’s proxies on the march, Israel must defend itself against these multi-front attacks while also working to dismantle Hamas and its allies in Gaza.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal Nearly 100 Attacks on Northern Israel in a Week Hezbollah and other terrorist groups in Lebanon carried out 95 attacks on Israel between May 13 and May 19, according to the Alma Research and Education Center. “Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 60 of these strikes, which included high-trajectory missiles (including Grad and Burkan), anti-tank missiles, and an attack using an armed UAV that fired two S5 rockets,” the report noted. The IDF has responded to these attacks, eliminating one Hezbollah commander, Qassem Saqlawi, in an airstrike near the Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on May 20, the IDF said. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 7:10:04 PM EDT
[#17]
US indicates initial satisfaction with Israeli tailoring of military plans for Rafah
Link to liveblog articles below Israeli forces raze parts of Gaza's Jabalya, hit Rafah with airstrikes Israeli forces thrust deeper into the Jabalya camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday, laying waste to residential districts with tank and air bombardments, residents said, while Israeli airstrikes killed at least five people in the southern city of Rafah. Simultaneous Israeli assaults on the northern and southern edges of the Gaza Strip this month have caused a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine. In Jabalya, the Israeli army used bulldozers to clear shops and property near the local market, residents said, in a military operation that began almost two weeks ago. In the south, airstrikes killed three children in a house in Khan Younis and at least five people including three children in a home in Rafah. East of Khan Yunis, residents said they were fleeing Khuzaa town after Israeli troops began an incursion on the eastern edge of the territory, bulldozing across the border fence. U.S. accuses Egypt of delaying humanitarian aid to Gaza A senior U.S. official said Tuesday that "United Nations, which is now in Egypt, should be going into [Gaza via the] Kerem Shalom" border crossing, but that "Egypt is holding that back until the Rafah crossing situation settles out. We do not believe that aid should be held back for any reason whatsoever. Kerem Shalom is open. The Israelis have it open. And that aid should be going through Kerem Shalom." Earlier, the United Nations said it suspended food distribution in Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity. It also said no aid trucks entered in the past two days via a floating pier set up by the U.S. for sea deliveries. Ireland to announce recognition of Palestinian state on Wednesday, source says--incredibly stupid. Reward the massacre of hundreds of civilians The Irish government is to announce the recognition of a Palestinian state on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter said. European Union members Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Malta have indicated in recent weeks that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region. The Irish government on Tuesday evening said the prime minister and foreign minister would speak to the media on Wednesday morning but did not say what the topic would be. Israel's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday warned against the move, saying in a post on social media platform X that recognition would "lead to more terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardize any prospects for peace." "Don't be a pawn in the hands of Hamas," the ministry said. Here's what you need to know on day 228 of the war ■ Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel, accusing the news agency of violating the ban on Al Jazeera. ■ Netanyahu told 'Good Morning America' that the ICC warrant request is a 'hit job.' ■ Itamar Ben-Gvir said that he would be 'very happy' to live in Gaza, and that the solution in Gaza is "Complete occupation of Gaza with full Israeli control, Jewish settlement," and "encouraging voluntary migration." ■ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "to the extent that the agreements are finalized in principle between the US and Saudi Arabia, Israel has to decide if it wants to proceed." ■ The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry announced that the Kamal Adwan Hospital stopped operating following Israeli attacks in the area. ■ An Israeli gov't spokesperson called on countries to say they will not implement any ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. ■ Defense Minister Gallant approved a detention warrant for a violent settler, who would arrive at conflict scenes in the West Bank as an emergency response volunteer, and took part in organizing violent attacks against the Palestinians. ■ The Hostages and Missing Families Forum sent a letter to the war cabinet, asking them to stop ignoring their requests for a meeting, and to initiate immediate negotiations for a hostage deal. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 7:41:33 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#18]
Very weird stuff--Israel agreed to a ceasefire, an Egyptian official changed the terms after Israel signed and gave the altered version to Hamas. Makes no sense at all. Link
In complete secrecy: Egypt altered the hostage deal terms before handing to Hamas - report. In complete secrecy: Egypt altered the hostage deal terms before handing to Hamas - report MAY 22, 2024 00:04 Egypt altered ceasefire terms before handing agreements to Hamas, three anonymous sources told CNN News in a report published on Tuesday. According to the report, Egypt changed the details of the deal submitted to the Hamas terrorist organization after it had been signed by Israel and before reaching Hamas. It was also reported that this move led to great anger among Israel, the US, and Qatar against the Egyptians. One source even claimed that the Egyptians "deceived us all." A senior Egyptian intelligence official named Ahmed Abdel Khalek was reportedly responsible for the change. A source claimed that Khalek had been telling Hamas one thing and Israel another. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani assured Mossad that Egypt had acted alone in making the changes, two of the informants told CNN. The ceasefire deal announced by Hamas on May 6 had not been the deal constructed by the US or Qatar, the sources said. An Egyptian source told CNN that Egypt had received Hamas’s response and relayed it to Israel. “Several alternatives and scenarios were proposed to overcome the main point of contention related to ending the war,” said the source. “Hamas was telling their people, ‘We will have a deal in place tomorrow,’” the first source said. “All sides were under the assumption the Egyptians provided the same document” that Israel had signed off on. CIA Director Bill Burns, who helped orchestrate the unaltered version of the hostage deal, was reportedly both angry and embarrassed that the deal had been altered without US, or Israeli knowledge. Burns “almost blew a gasket,” said the source.
I get the sense that if countries keep getting duped...then at some point it's important to ask tougher questions about the policymakers. What's the saying "fool me once..."....the thing is here that a basic skepticism of Doha, Cairo and others would have helped. For instance, when Israel was told before Oct. 7 that Hamas was "deterred"...a bit of skepticism could have prevented October 7. Unfortunately seven months into the war Israel and Israel's friends appear to continue to not be skeptical and tough enough when it comes to these things. It might be a generational thing...previous generations I think would have been more skeptical. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 9:08:35 PM EDT
[#19]
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Posted: 5/21/2024 9:19:48 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#20]
 Institute for Study for War Backgrounder 21 May Key Takeaways Gaza Strip Israeli forces continued clearing operations in Jabalia. Three IDF brigades are operating in Jabalia. 7th Armored Brigade directed an airstrike targeting a Palestinian cell that fired at Israeli forces. While raiding Palestinian militia infrastructure Israeli forces found hand grenades, explosives, and other weapons. Palestinian fighters engaged Israeli forces in Jabalia refugee camp and east of the city using mortars, small arms, and improvised explosive devices (IED). Halevi met with commanders whose units recovered the bodies of four Israeli hostages. Halevi said that the IDF seeks to kill as many Palestinian militia commanders and fighters as possible, destroy military infrastructure, and return dead and living hostages to Israel. 99th Division continued operations along the Netzarim corridor in southern Gaza City on May 21. The 99th Division was previously operating in Zaytoun, south of Sabra. 679th Reservist Armored Brigade (attached to the 99th Division) directed an airstrike targeting Palestinian fighters in the area. The brigade began an operation on May 20 to destroy militia infrastructure, such as tunnels, in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood. Israeli officials, including the IDF chief of staff, have criticized Israels current operational concept because it lacks a clear post-war plan’.CTP-ISW has previously observed that Hamas has exploited Israeli withdrawals from the northern Gaza Strip to begin reconstituting there. The IDF currently has five brigades operating in Rafah. East of Rafah, the IDF Givati Brigade detained three Palestinian fighters who emerged from a tunnel. Also in Rafah, the Nahal Brigade captured a tunnel shaft where Palestinian militias stored RPGs, grenades, and explosive devices. A Palestinian journalist reported on May 21 that Israeli forces have not made any advances into urban areas of Rafah but are advancing along the Philadelphi Corridor. Two separate Palestinian militias mortared Israeli forces operating in Rafah. The Washington Post reported Israel is planning a limited attack targeting Hamas in Rafah. US officials believe that the plan will result in fewer civilian casualties. The IDF was previously planning on sending two divisions into Rafah to destroy Hamas’ four remaining battalions there. The United States said that no humanitarian aid from the US-constructed temporary pier in the central Gaza Strip has reached the broader Palestinian population. US Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said on May 21 that the pier has facilitated the delivery of 569 metric tons of humanitarian aid. Ryder said that unspecified people or agencies still need to distribute the aid, which has so far only been delivered to the shore. Palestinians intercepted trucks delivering aid from the pier over the weekend which led the UN to suspend delivery operations. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Palestinian Islamic Jihad conducted a combined rocket attack targeting Ashkelon. West Bank The IDF launched an operation in Jenin on May 21 targeting Hamas and PIJ personnel and Palestinian militia infrastructure in Jenin. Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in at least six locations in Jenin. PIJ and the al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades targeted Israeli forces with small arms fire and improvised explosive devices (IED). Palestinian fighters detonated at least 14 IEDs targeting Israeli forces during the operation. The IDF deployed reinforcements to Jenin to support units engaged with Palestinian militias. The IDF is investigating claims that seven civilians were killed during fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters. Israeli forces destroyed a home in Jenin that belonged to a Palestinian fighter who conducted two shooting attacks, one of which killed Israeli economist Meir Tamari. The IDF killed the Palestinian fighter in an airstrike in March 2024. Israeli forces have engaged Palestinian fighters in at least 10 locations in the West Bank including Jenin in the last 24 hours.The IDF established checkpoints in the Jordan Valley after Palestinian fighters opened fire on a civilian vehicle. The IDF intentionally detonated car bomb on May 20 in Tubas. This is the second car bomb that the IDF has found in Tubas since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. An Israeli military correspondent reported that Palestinian militias have started using larger and higher quality explosives to target Israeli forces ”in recent months.” Jordan has thwarted numerous attempts in recent months by Iran and its partners to smuggle weapons—including Claymore mines, C4, Semtex, Kalashnikovs, and 107mm Katyusha rockets—into the West Bank and Jordan. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah has conducted at least 9 attacks into northern Israel in the last 24 hours. The IDF killed Lebanese Hezbollah commander Qassem Saqlawi in a drone strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Saqlawi commanded rocket and missile units in Hezbollah’s Coastal Sector and conducted numerous rocket and anti-tank guided missile attacks. The IDF intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” over Syria before it entered Israeli territory. The Islamic Resistance of Iraq—an umbrella group of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias—launched a drone attack at an IDF military base in the Golan Heights. A Syrian journalist reported that the IDF shot down drones over the Yarmouk Basin. Yemen Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Sarea claimed that the Houthis shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over al Bayda Governorate, Yemen, on May 21. Sarea claimed the Houthis used a “locally made” surface-to-air missile. Sarea previously claimed that the Houthis shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone on May 16. Iran The Iranian Assembly of Experts elected its leadership board on May 21, marking a new era for the body responsible for selecting the next supreme leader. This election is particularly important given the supreme leader’s age (84) and the recent death of the Iranian president. The assembly formally chooses the supreme leader and informally influences supreme leader succession. Humanitarian Aid The United States said that no humanitarian aid from the US-constructed temporary pier in the central Gaza Strip has reached the broader Palestinian population.   
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Posted: 5/21/2024 9:45:34 PM EDT
[#21]
Can't bring himself to say who took the food aid. "Some people.." The United States said that no humanitarian aid from the US-constructed temporary pier in the central Gaza Strip has reached the broader Palestinian population.. Link Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said on May 21 that the pier has facilitated the delivery of 569 metric tons of humanitarian aid. The United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emierates, European Union and other unspecified US partners have donated the aid. Ryder said that unspecified people or agencies still need to distribute the aid, which has so far only been delivered to the shore. Palestinians intercepted trucks delivering aid from the pier over the weekend which led the UN to suspend delivery operations. Ryder said that the United States and the UN are working to establish ”alternative routes” for the safe delivery of the aid. US officials previously hoped that the pier would process about 90 trucks of aid per day, later raising the number to 150. |
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Posted: 5/21/2024 10:57:35 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#22]
NVM
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WY, USA
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Posted: 5/22/2024 12:46:54 AM EDT
[#23]
Some people did some things. Is that the way you say it?
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Posted: 5/22/2024 9:16:26 AM EDT
[#24]
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Posted: 5/22/2024 9:25:16 AM EDT
[#25]
Dumbasses rewarding the terrorist group Hamas.
Norway, Ireland and Spain announce they are recognizing Palestinian state  Norway, Ireland and Spain announce they are recognizing Palestinian state |
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Posted: 5/22/2024 10:13:54 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By darkd0r:Some people did some things. Is that the way you say it? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By darkd0r:Some people did some things. Is that the way you say it? Yes, they beat up Israel every day because of aid shipments, but can't even say the name of those stealing supplies. You'd never hear them say, "some people attacked an apartment building" or "some people entered Rafah in tanks". Cowardly, feckless, incompetent jackasses. Originally Posted By realwar: Dumbasses rewarding the terrorist group Hamas. Norway, Ireland and Spain announce they are recognizing Palestinian state  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXRaFIAXTsEYep. Reward the most savage faction in the Palestinian world. Violence against civilians works.
The IDF said today that "Following IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF carried out a precise strike on a compound located inside an UNRWA school where Hamas terrorists - including an anti-tank missile operative and a Nukhba terrorist - were operating. The compound that was struck also contained weapons, including mortars and explosives, as evidenced by the numerous secondary explosions after the strike. The strike was carefully planned and carried out using precise munitions to mitigate any harm to civilians in the area."
Primed rocket launchers were found by troops of the 7th Armored Brigade amid operations in northern Gaza's Jabaliya, the military says. The IDF says dozens of rockets, as well as explosive belts, IEDs, grenades, and other weapons were found by the soldiers. The fighting in Jabaliya is described by the IDF as "intense." It says troops raided and demolished dozens of sites belonging to terror groups amid the operation which began earlier this month.
Easy to see how they can fire them even with IDF close by.  Attached File
A Hamas terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip, the military says. Ahead of the strike against Ahmed Yasser al-Qara, a "prominent" member of Hamas's anti-tank unit, a child was identified in the vicinity of the building. The IDF says it held off carrying out the strike until the child was at a safe distance from the terrorist. Al-Qara, according to the IDF, also carried out many attempted attacks against Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip amid the war. Along with al-Qara, another two terror operatives were killed, according to the IDF: Suhaib Ra'ed Abu Riba, member of Hama's elite Nukhba force, and Anas Muhammad Abu Rajileh, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative. A separate airstrike killed five Hamas operatives who were gathered at a school in the area of Gaza City's Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods, the military says. The IDF says that among those killed were Fadi Salim, the head of the propaganda unit in Hamas's Gaza City Brigade, three members of Hamas's intelligence unit, and another Nukhba member. Had Hamas used the donated materials to build infrastructure this would not be necessary.
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Posted: 5/22/2024 10:19:19 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By realwar: Dumbasses rewarding the terrorist group Hamas. Norway, Ireland and Spain announce they are recognizing Palestinian state https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXRaFIAXTsEIt's cheaper to virtue-signal than actually having them over. |
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Posted: 5/22/2024 10:47:23 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#28]
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has released footage obtained by the IDF, showing the abduction of five female soldiers from the Nahal Oz base on October 7 by Hamas terrorists. The clip shows Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa and Naama Levy. It has been edited to remove some of the more disturbing images, including the multiple murdered bodies. This is the same base where a Bedouin IDF tracker was killed trying to defend these young women. They weren't issued arms.
Right around the 2:00 mark you see the young woman who is in a later video in Gaza. As she's being loaded up here she looks relatively OK, but in the later video she is covered in blood. Pictures in spoiler. Click To View Spoiler |
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ESP
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Posted: 5/22/2024 11:18:48 AM EDT
[#29]
In four different areas in southern Lebanon: the IDF attacked a series of terrorist targets of Hezbollah:
Another Hamas terrorist who participated in the October 7 onslaught was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip: The military says it carried out an airstrike against a UNRWA school in central Gaza's Nuseirat, where members of Hamas were gathered. |
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Posted: 5/22/2024 12:14:23 PM EDT
[#30]
Starting to wonder what we knew about Oct. 7th ahead of time more and more as we see how they are shaping this.... |
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Posted: 5/22/2024 12:40:34 PM EDT
[#31]
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Posted: 5/22/2024 12:44:43 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BM1455:
Starting to wonder what we knew about Oct. 7th ahead of time more and more as we see how they are shaping this.... Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BM1455:
Starting to wonder what we knew about Oct. 7th ahead of time more and more as we see how they are shaping this.... Brett McGurk, U.S. President Biden's National Security Council Coordinator for Middle Eastern Affairs has reportedly been holding Secret Indirect Negotiations in the Omani Capital of Muscat with Ali Bagheri Kani, the Former-Political Deputy for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and now following the Death on Sunday of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Acting-Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Negotiations are reported to have Focused on several Items, with the Main Three being a Shared Desire for a Change in the current Government of Israel, Ending the War in Gaza, and the Prevention of the War from spreading across the Region. Now working with Iran to change the Israeli gov. |
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Posted: 5/22/2024 12:57:26 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Chaingun: Prior to Oct 7th, the US was promoting "ME is the quietest ever!!!" Now working with Iran to change the Israeli gov. Yup. Imagine that. 
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Posted: 5/22/2024 1:51:11 PM EDT
[#34]
Three Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip today, the military announces. The slain troops are named as: Master Sgt. (res.) Gideon Chay DeRowe, 33, of the Combat Engineering Corps' elite Yahalom unit, from Tel Aviv. Cpt. Israel Yudkin, 22, an officer in the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, from Kfar Chabad. Staff Sgt. Eliyahu Haim Emsallem, 21, of the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, from Ra’anana. Emsallem and Yudkin were killed in a Hamas sniper attack in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun. Another soldier of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion was seriously wounded in the same incident, the IDF says. DeRowe was killed by a explosive device in a building in northern Gaza. The military says another soldier of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion and a Yahalom reservist were also seriously wounded in the same blast. |
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ESP
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Posted: 5/22/2024 6:57:24 PM EDT
[#35]
UN holds a moment of silence for Iran's mass-murdering President.
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WY, USA
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Posted: 5/22/2024 7:00:29 PM EDT
[#36]
Numbers 31?
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Posted: 5/22/2024 7:15:02 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#37]
Before and after pics of a neighborhood in Rafah.
 Hamas: Video of captive IDF spotters was manipulated, female soldiers were treated ethically. Link Hours after the broadcast of a video showing five female IDF spotters who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, the Gaza-based terror group issued a statement claiming that "the video was "manipulated and the authenticity of what it contained cannot be confirmed." The statement added that, "the female soldiers were treated according to the ethics of our resistance and no mistreatment of those soldiers in this unit was proven." |
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CHN
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Posted: 5/22/2024 7:15:51 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BM1455:
Starting to wonder what we knew about Oct. 7th ahead of time more and more as we see how they are shaping this.... Israeli intelligence had a lot of info but a high level intel officer didn't act on it. He's very deep state, so it could have been intentional IMO. |
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CHN
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Posted: 5/22/2024 7:18:25 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Chaingun: Brett McGurk, U.S. President Biden's National Security Council Coordinator for Middle Eastern Affairs has reportedly been holding Secret Indirect Negotiations in the Omani Capital of Muscat with Ali Bagheri Kani, the Former-Political Deputy for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and now following the Death on Sunday of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Acting-Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Negotiations are reported to have Focused on several Items, with the Main Three being a Shared Desire for a Change in the current Government of Israel, Ending the War in Gaza, and the Prevention of the War from spreading across the Region. I want to see Caroline Glick's take on this. |
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Posted: 5/22/2024 7:35:04 PM EDT
[#40]
Link to liveblog articles below
Palestinians report 10 killed by Israeli forces in raid on West Bank's Jenin--impressive own goal Israeli troops have been operating in the city of Jenin in the West Bank for the second day, after the army entered the city on Tuesday. The Palestinian health ministry has reported that 10 Palestinians have been killed, and 25 wounded since Tuesday morning. Wafa Jarrer, a Palestinian woman who was arrested in the raid, was severely wounded when the military vehicle in which she was held drove over an explosive device. Jarrer, a 49-year-old resident of Jenin, is the wife of Ahmed Jarrer, who was the head of the group who in 2018 killed Raziel Shevach near the West Bank outpost of Havat Gilad. She was arrested in her house, on suspicion of involvement in terror activities. After she was wounded, Jarrer was taken to hospital on a helicopter. IDF: Air Force attacked Hezbollah building in southern Lebanon where terrorists were staying--video in tweet below The IDF reported that fighter jets attacked a Hezbollah structure where terrorists were staying, in the village of Meiss El Jabal, in southern Lebanon. It was also reported that fighter jets attacked Hezbollah buildings and observation posts in the southern Lebanese villages of Aalma El Chaeb and Ayta ash Shab.
Here are the latest updates on day 229 of the war ■ The Hostage and Missing Families Forum released footage from body cameras carried by Hamas terrorists of five Israeli women military spotters – Liri Elbag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniella Gilboa, and Naama Levy – who were abducted on October 7 and remain in captivity. The footage was trimmed and edited to remove excessively graphic content, according to the forum. ■ The IDF released the names of three soldiers killed in northern Gaza: Master Sgt. (res.) Gideon Chay DeRowe, 33 from Tel Aviv, a soldier in the special Combat Engineering unit Yahalom; Capt. Israel Yudkin, 22 from Kfar Chabad, an officer in the 97th Division of the Kfir Brigade; and Staff Sgt. Eliyahau Haim Emsallem, 21 from Ra'anana, a soldier in the 97th Division of the Kfir Brigade. ■ Eli Elbag, the father of Liri Elbag, said the families debated for some time whether to publish the video but decided it was a last resort to influence Israel's cabinet members. Ayelet Levy Shahar, the mother of Naama Levy, also said the families decided to release the video with the intention that the cabinet members will view it. Orli Gilboa, the mother of Daniella Gilboa, said it's a shame that there are ministers in the security cabinet who have reportedly refused to watch the abduction footage. ■ Following the release of the video of the captured IDF soldiers, Minister Benny Gantz said it is the responsibility of Israel's leaders "to create a different reality even when it comes to difficult decisions." ■ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement about the video, saying, "We will continue to do everything to bring them home. The brutality of the Hamas terrorists only strengthens my determination to fight with all my strength until the elimination of Hamas..." ■ Ministers Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisonkot and Yoav Gallant met with families of the hostages before the war cabinet meeting. The chairman of Shas, MK Aryeh Deri, also said he met with the hostages' families and "emphasized the absolute commitment of the Israeli government to do everything possible to bring them home as soon as possible." ■ Hundred of protesters calling for the release of the hostages are in Tel Aviv in front of the IDF's headquarters and in Jerusalem in front of the Prime Minister's Office, where a cabinet meeting is taking place. ■ The West Bank Health Ministry reported that four Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in IDF operations in Jenin, bringing the total number of killed since in the operation began on Tuesday to 11. ■ U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the U.S. is watching the situation in Rafah, but so far the IDF's operations there have been "more targeted and limited" and haven't involved "major military operations into the heart of dense urban areas." ■ Sullivan said, following Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's announced intentions to withhold funds to the Palestinian Authority, the U.S. believes it is wrong to withhold the funds and not in Israel's best interests. ■ U.S. President Joe Biden has been emphatic that a Palestinian state "should be brought about by direct negotiations through the parties and not unilateral recognition. We'll communicate that to our partners around the world," Sullivan said. ■ Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and a German foreign ministry spokesperson said the countries back a two-state solution. Germany's spokesperson said a two-state solution was a firm goal for the country, but a dialogue process was needed. ■ A German government spokesman said the country will respect the rulings of the ICC if it issues arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant. ■ Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said he expects to see normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, even within the coming year, in an interview with MSNBC's Morning Joe, but that it has been hard for the Saudis to move forward with the ongoing war in Gaza. ■ Dermer said Egypt has decided not to allow the entry of Palestinian refugees, even temporarily, and is withholding 2,000 aid trucks to Gaza for political reasons. He called on Egypt to "do the right thing on humanitarian assistance and protecting civilians." ■ House Speaker Mike Johnson said "the fine points" for sanctioning the ICC are being reviewed, and he hopes to see a bipartisan bill on the subject. ■ Head of the National Security Council Tzachi Hanegbi said Israel is not interested in controlling civilian life in Gaza and is examining alternative solutions, including local ones. Later, at a hearing in the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, he clarified that the IDF must hold the responsibility for security in Gaza. ■The Merom HaGilil Regional Council reported that an anti-tank missile hit a house in Avivim, in northern Israel, and that there was damage caused and a fire that broke out. There were no casualties reported. ■ Saudi Arabia announced that it supports the decision made by Spain, Ireland and Norway to recognize a Palestinian state and encouraged other UN member states to do the same, in a statement released by its Foreign Ministry. Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi said his country "values the decision" made by Spain, Norway and Ireland and condemned "the radical Israeli government" for its illegal measures to "kill all prospects" of a Palestinian state. ■ France's foreign minister said officially recognizing a Palestinian state is not taboo for the country, but any such decision must come at the right time and is not just a matter of political positioning. |
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Posted: 5/22/2024 8:15:18 PM EDT
[#41]
  Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 22 May Key Takeaways Gaza Strip The IDF currently has five brigades operating in Rafah, and a total of ten across the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces continued clearing operations in Jabalia. 7th Brigade raided dozens of Hamas military sites and located weapons, including explosive belts and grenades. Israeli forces directed an on a weapons storage facility, killing eight Hamas fighters. 679th Reservist Armored Brigade (attached to the 99th Division) engaged militants in central Gaza. The brigade began operations on May 20 to destroy militia in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood. Israeli forces are advancing along the Philadelphi Corridor in Rafah, a 14-kilometer-long strip of land between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. 401st Brigade was the unit that captured the Rafah crossing on May 7. Israeli forces located and destroyed rocket launchers in the corridor. Israeli forces began operations in neighborhoods west of the Salah al Din Road in eastern Rafah. The Air Force struck several targets in the area. The press reported the IDF controls at least half of the Gaza Strip’s nine-mile border with Egypt. Egyptian officials said that the IDF controls 70 percent of the Philadelphi corridor and intends to “dominate” the corridor by the end of May. Gaza Division directed airstrikes on Hamas’ elite Nukhba fighters who were inside a UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) school in Nuseirat. There were secondary explosions at the school after the initial strike. Gaza Division directed an airstrike on Hamas fighter, Ahmed Yasser al Qura, who took part in Hamas’ October 7, 2023. Additional Nukhba and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters were killed in the same engagement. IDF Southern Command directed an airstrike on five Hamas fighters who were inside a school compound near Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods in Gaza City. Politico cited a report that Hamas has been able to withstand Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip by recruiting “thousands over the last several months.” Senior US officials have recently indicated concerns that Hamas will survive in the Gaza Strip. Politico cited US intelligence that 65% of Hamas’ tunnels are “intact.” A US official told Bloomberg that the United States softened its position on a broader Israeli ground operation in Rafah. PIJ and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine conducted a combined rocket attack targeting Ashkelon and the IDF Zikim military site. West Bank The IDF continued an operation targeting Palestinian fighters and military infrastructure in Jenin on May 22. The IDF launched the operation on May 21 and has since killed several Palestinian fighters. Palestinian militias, including Hamas, PIJ, and the al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, engaged Israeli forces in nine locations across Jenin City. Palestinian media militants have used over 34 explosive devices in the current IDF operation. Israeli media reported Palestinian militias have started using larger and higher quality explosives to target Israeli forces. Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on May 22 expanded the scope of a law allowing Israeli settlers to return to settlements that Israel previously dismantled in the West Bank. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi discussed Israel’s military readiness on its northern border with several senior IDF commanders. Yemen Houthi media claimed that the United States and the United Kingdom conducted airstrikes targeting the Hudaydah International Airport in Yemen Iran Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei presided over the funeral for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and others in Tehran. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stressed the continuity of Iranian foreign policy in meetings with several foreign dignitaries who attended Raisi’s funeral   
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Posted: 5/22/2024 9:44:00 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DonS: I want to see Caroline Glick's take on this.
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Posted: 5/22/2024 10:05:52 PM EDT
[#43]
How feasible is it to pack these tunnels with anfo and simultaneously detonate them all?
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Posted: 5/23/2024 7:48:41 AM EDT
[#44]
IDF confirms it killed officer responsible for production of Hezbollah weapons in south Lebanonlink
Lebanese media reports say at least one person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle near the town of Kfar Dajjal, just south of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon. The reports say that several students on a school bus that was passing by were slightly injured by the strike.  Attached FileA video documenting the Israeli raid that targeted a car on the Kafr Dajal road
Hezbollah launched a barrage of at least 30 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel a short while ago, setting off sirens in numerous communities. The IDF says several projectiles were intercepted while others impacted open areas. There are no reports of injuries. The rocket launcher used in the attack was struck by the Air Force a short while later, the military adds.
Troops of the Givati Brigade operating in the eastern part of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip located missiles and rocket launchers belonging to Hamas at a graveyard, the military says. In the same area this week, the IDF says the Givati troops killed several gunmen who emerged from a tunnel shaft and opened fire. A short while later, another four operatives came out of a nearby building, before the soldiers directed a drone strike against them and the structure, the army says. The IDF also says that the Givati soldiers located a number of "significant underground" sites used by terror operatives.
Israeli troops continue to advance in Rafah's Brazil and Shaboura neighborhoods in the southern Gaza Strip, following "information on terror targets in the area," the military says. The IDF says the operation in Rafah is being carried out in an "accurate manner… while preventing harm to the civilian population as much as possible, after the civilians have evacuated the area." In the past day, troops located rocket launchers, and several tunnel shafts, and killed several gunmen in close-quarters combat, according to the IDF. The IDF says an airstrike was carried out against a cell of three mortar-launching operatives in the Rafah area. Meanwhile, the IDF also continues to operate in northern Gaza's Jabaliya, where it says several Hamas operatives were killed and weapons depots were destroyed in a series of airstrikes on buildings used by the terror group. Many weapons were also located by troops in Jabaliya, the military adds. In central Gaza, forces continue to hold the Netzarim Corridor and operate in the area. The IDF says several airstrikes were carried out in the central Gaza area in the past day, including one that killed the head of a terror cell in a hideout apartment and another that killed two terror operatives who had opened fire at troops in the area. A separate strike killed a terrorist who infiltrated into Israel on October 7, the army says.
The Kfir Brigade's Netzah Yehuda Battalion and other forces under the Gaza Division's Northern Brigade began a new pinpoint raid in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun in recent days, the military says. Three soldiers were killed yesterday in two separate incidents in the area. The IDF has carried out several operations in Beit Hanoun since it was first captured in the initial ground offensive last year. In the ongoing raid, the military says troops are working to kill remaining gunmen and locate tunnels among other infrastructure used by terror groups. The Air Force has struck numerous targets in Beit Hanoun in recent days, including anti-tank launch positions, sniper positions, and other buildings used by Hamas. The military releases footage showing the identification of a gunman opening fire at troops from a building. It says tanks shelled the building and a drone also carried out a strike, killing the gunman. Moments later, another operative began opening fire from the same location, and a short while later a fighter jet took out the building, the IDF says. Link to liveblog articles Fires broke out in northern Israel following rocket barrage from Lebanon Several fires broke out in the Hula Valley following a barrage of rockets launched from Lebanon into the area of Kibbutz Ayelet Hashachar, reported by Israel's fire and rescue service. According to the announcement, six fire crews have been working for the last hour from several fire stations in the area. Here's what you need to know on day 230 of the war ■ Israel's war cabinet instructed the Israeli negotiating team to continue working on a hostage-release deal with Hamas. ■ An Israeli drone attacked a vehicle in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon, according to reports across Lebanese social networks, killing two Hezbollah members. The army confirmed it killed the officer responsible for the production of Hezbollah weapons in south Lebanon. ■ The IDF arrested two suspects who crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory in northern Israel. ■ On Friday, the International Court of Justice will deliver its decision on a request for emergency measures against Israel submitted by South Africa earlier this month. South Africa is seeking for Israel to halt its military operations in Rafah. ■ Thirty soldiers were wounded over the last two days, eight of them seriously, according to data published by the IDF. ■ The IDF said 30 launches were detected in the latest barrage from Lebanon toward Kibbutz Ayelet Hashachar in northern Israel. ■ Thousands of people attended the funerals of 12 Palestinians killed in IDF operations in Jenin since Tuesday, eight of whom were members of Palestinian militant groups. ■ A number of human rights organization petitioned Israel's High Court demanding the closure of the Sde Teiman detention center, that holds arrested Gazans. ■ The IDF confirmed the prime minister was warned in four different documents by Military Intelligence that unrest in Israel in the wake of its judicial reform created opportunities for Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 5/23/2024 11:53:14 AM EDT
[#45]
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MD, USA
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Posted: 5/23/2024 12:03:49 PM EDT
[Last Edit: PsyTek]
[#46]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By nraheston: UN holds a moment of silence for Iran's mass-murdering President. The UN actively, brazenly provides aid and comfort to terrorists. They assist terrorists operationally (UNRWA with the fuel, their members involved Oct 7th) and any nation (looking at you, Norway) that chooses to support this trash under the simpleton bleating of "oppressed peoples" will most assuredly come to regret it. Funding for the UN should be zeroed out, their headquarters expelled from the US, and we should treat their operatives overseas as suspected terrorists who at a minimum, buy into the fanatical ideologies of the rape regimes they support. |
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Posted: 5/23/2024 1:21:53 PM EDT
[#47]
IDF says commander of Hamas' Beit Hanoun battalion was killed in a tunnel in Jabalya
The commander of Hamas's Beit Hanoun Battalion was killed by Israeli forces in a tunnel in the Jabaliya area, the military says. Hussien Fiad was responsible for "many anti-tank missile attacks launched at Israel during the war, and well as launching many mortars at [northern Gaza border] communities," the IDF says in a statement. The IDF says Fiad was killed in a tunnel in a joint operation carried out by the 98th Division and special forces of the Air Force and elite Yahalom Combat Engineering unit. His killing is "part of the 98th Division's fighting effort above and below ground, to find and destroy tunnel networks and eliminate the terrorists hiding inside," the military adds.  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/23/2024 1:27:34 PM EDT
[#48]
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Posted: 5/23/2024 4:15:53 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#49]
Third day in a row Iraqi militants launch drones or missiles into southern Israel. Time for the IDF to tune up another Iranian general. It is tougher now, though, as Iran moved all of their senior IRGC/QF officers north of Damascus.
Two explosive-laden drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel a short while ago. According to the IDF, one of the drones was shot down by a fighter jet, while the second struck the Kiryat Shmona area. There are no injuries in the attack. The military also says that fighter jets struck a series of Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon a short while ago. The targets included buildings used by the terror group in Ayta ash-Shab, Rab Thalathine, and Markaba, and another building and two observation posts in Odaisseh. This refers to the remains of the four hostages recovered earlier this week.
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Posted: 5/23/2024 5:04:23 PM EDT
[#50]
IDF operates in Gaza:
Israeli fighter jets struck a building in southern Lebanon's Mays al-Jaba: The Kfir Brigade's Netzah Yehuda Battalion and other forces under the Gaza Division's Northern Brigade began a new pinpoint raid in northern Gaza's Beit Hanoun in recent days: Operational Update About Our Humanitarian Efforts in Rafah: ⚠️Heavy barrage of rockets by Hezbollah just a few minutes ago, approximately 30 missiles were launched towards Israel. The Galilee is on fire: |
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