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Posted: 5/29/2024 11:12:48 PM EDT
[#1]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 29 May Key Takeaways Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on May 29 it established “operational control” of the Philadelphi Corridor on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces are operating along the corridor except for a small area near the Gazan coast. Israeli operations on the border have the objective of disrupting Hamas’ primary smuggling routes. Israeli forces have uncovered around 20 tunnels that connect Egypt to the Gaza Strip. Israel was aware of some of these tunnels beforehand but not all of them. The IDF said that it has communicated with Egypt regarding the tunnels, something Egyptian officials deny. Hamas has used the corridor to launch rocket attacks in recent weeks, assuming the IDF wouldn't engage them that close to the Egyptian border. Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said he expects fighting in the Gaza Strip to last for the remainder of 2024. Hanegbi said that Israel needs that time to destroy the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Israeli forces have expanded clearing operations in Jabalia. 7th Brigade had gone into new areas in Jabalia. Palestinian militias attacked targeting Israeli forces in the Jabalia refugee camp and near Beit Lahia. Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in several parts of Rafah on May 29. Palestinian fighters detonated a house near the Rafah crossing, killing three IDF Nahal Brigade soldiers and injuring five others. Hamas has used house-borne improvised explosive device (IED) throughout the war, including Rafah. The New York Times reported the IDF used GBU-39 bombs in the attack on Tel al Sultan, Rafah. The al Sultan strike caused a fire that killed 45 Palestinian civilians. The United States has pushed Israel to use the bombs as they are precise and suited for urban environments. The United States said that the IDF attack in Tel al Sultan, Rafah, did not cross US President Joe Biden’s “red line” for a “major military operation” in Rafah. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement fired rockets from the Gaza Strip at an IDF site in southern Israel. West Bank Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in five locations across the West Bank in the last 24 hours. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades carried out IEDs attacks on Israeli forces in two areas near Tulkarm. Palestinian fighters shot across the border at two towns in Israel from the West Bank. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah, conducted at least eight attacks into northern Israel. IDF troops continue to conduct exercises in preparation for possible operations in the Northern Theater. Yemen The Houthis claimed six drone and missile attacks targeting vessels in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Mediterranean Sea on May 29.he Houthis damaged the Marshall-Islands flagged, Greek-owned and operated Laax on May 28. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and CENTCOM reported that Houthis attacked the Laax a second time with five anti-ship ballistic missiles 33 nautical miles northwest of al Mukha, Yemen. Three of the missiles impacted the vessel. Reuters reported that the vessel proceeded to its scheduled port of call in the United Arab Emirates following the attack. Houthi spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said that the Houthi attacks were part of the ”fourth phase of escalation” that the Houthis launched in response to Israeli military activity in Rafah. Houthi supreme leader Abdul Malik al Houthi declared during a speech on May 9 that the Houthis would launch the fourth phase and escalate attacks following the limited Israeli operation into Rafah. Houthi Spokesperson also claimed the Houthis downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Marib Governorate, Yemen, on May 29. Yemeni sources circulated videos on social media of a downed drone in the desert. CENTCOM acknowledged the reports about the downed drone but did not confirm the incident. Iran announced it helped the Houthis develop anti-ship ballistic missile capabilities. IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency published English-language and Persian-language articles on May 29 discussing how Iran has provided technical knowledge and materials to the Houthis. Tasnim News Agency specifically touted that the Houthis have based their Muhit missiles on the Iranian Ghadr anti-ship ballistic missile, claiming the Houthis present serious challenges to the United States and Israel. These articles are unusual in that Iran rarely acknowledges its provision of material support to the Houthis. The IRGC almost certainly published these articles in order to broadcast the Iranian role in empowering the Houthis and the so-called “Axis of Resistance” more broadly. Iraq Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir al Shammari traveled to Tehran to discuss internal security cooperation with senior Iranian military officials. Iran Policy adviser to the Iranian supreme leader, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, appears to be re-entering public Iranian discourse ahead of the Iranian presidential election in June 2024.   
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Posted: 5/30/2024 11:20:29 AM EDT
[#2]
A booby-trapped tunnel shaft that killed three soldiers in southern Gaza's Rafah on Tuesday was located inside a medical clinic, the military says. The IDF says that forces had come under anti-tank missile fire from an UNRWA school in Rafah, and in response launched a raid against the building and an adjacent mosque and clinic. During searches in the area, a booby-trapped tunnel was discovered inside the clinic, which then exploded, killing three soldiers of the Nahal Brigade's 50th Battalion. The IDF says troops also found a cache of weapons, as well as additional tunnel shafts, inside the school complex, including within the classrooms.
Two IDF soldiers seriously wounded in a car-ramming attack at an entrance to Nablus last night died of their wounds, the military announces. They are named as Staff Sgt. Eliya Hilel, 20, from Tel Zion, and Staff Sgt. Diego Shvisha Harsaj, 20, from Tel Aviv. Both were infantrymen in the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion. Link to liveblog articles below here IDF: Three soldiers killed on Wednesday in Rafah were killed by explosive device that went off in civilian clinic The IDF reported that the three Nahal soldiers who were killed on Wednesday in Gaza were hit by an explosive device that went off inside a civilian clinic in Rafah. The army said forces were operating in the area in response to the firing of anti-tank missiles from inside a UNRWA school, which has a clinic. While searching the compound, the forces came across a trapped shaft that exploded, resulting in the deaths of Staff Sgt. Amir Galilove, Staff Sgt. Uri Bar Or and Staff Sgt. Ido Appel. Here are the latest updates for day 236 of the Israel-Hamas war ■ Sixty days before the Paris Olympics, the Mossad said on Thursday that Iran has been inciting crime organizations across Europe to carry out terror attacks that target Israeli destinations across the continent. ■ The Israeli military says that two soldiers were killed in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank on Wednesday and that another soldier was killed in northern Gaza. ■ An initial investigation into yesterday's car ramming incident near the West Bank city of Nablus shows the two soldiers who were killed in the attack were run over while examining cars in the checkpoint. The driver turned his vehicle around immediately after hitting them and escaped back towards the city without the troops opening fire at him, a security source said. ■ The Palestinian Red Crescent has said two of its employees were killed Wednesday night in an Israeli strike in western Rafah. The army is still investigating the incident, and are examining the claim that a medical vehicle was hit, even though its presence in the area was not coordinated with the army. ■ China's President Xi Jinping has said his country supports the establishment of a Palestinian state that would be a UN member, and called for an international peace conference that would end the war between Israel and Hamas on the basis of a two-state solution. ■ The U.S.-built pier meant to provide Gaza with humanitarian aid was damaged and parts of it were separated, and would be sent to Ashdod for repairs. The rebuilding would take at least a week, according to the U.S. Office for Palestinian Affairs. ■ The United Nations, which has warned of famine in Gaza, said on Wednesday the amount of humanitarian aid entering the enclave has dropped by two-thirds since Israel began its military operation in the enclave's southern Rafah region this month. ■ A fruit and vegetable wholesale market burned down in Al Bireh in the West Bank. According to residents, the fire broke out after the army's operation in the area, that included gunfire and grenades thrown near the market. The army has yet to respond. ■ Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke on the phone with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin,and gave him updates regarding the fight against Hamas, emphasized the importance of the Rafah operation and mentioned there is "concrete information" regarding the presence of Israeli hostages in the city. ■ The Syrian news agency reported that one girl was killed, and ten others wounded, in an Israeli strike on a residential area in the city of Baniyas in the country's west. Israel sent messages to Tehran to avoid Iranian response to strike near embassy compound, Revolutionary Guard senior official says Israel sent messages to Tehran via Egypt that it would "compromise" in Gaza to avert an Iranian response to an attack on Iran's embassy in Syria, the Tasnim news agency reported. The Iranian news agency's report cited the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force. Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel in April in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, a retaliatory strike for what it said was an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate, in which seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed. "Israel sent messages through Egypt's foreign minister that it will compromise in the war in Gaza to avoid Iran's retaliation", Amirali Hajizadeh said. Gallant tells Defense Minister Austin there is 'concrete information' regarding Israeli hostages in Rafah Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke on the phone with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin. A statement by the ministry, reported on CNN, says Gallant gave Austin updates regarding the fight against Hamas, emphasized the importance of the Rafah operation and mentioned there is "concrete information" regarding the presence of Israeli hostages in the city. Mossad says Iranian-backed criminal groups target Israeli destination in Europe Sixty days before the Paris Olympics, the Mossad said on Thursday that Iran has been inciting crime organizations across Europe to carry out terror attacks that target Israeli destinations across the continent. One such attack took place when two grenades were thrown at the Israeli embassy in Belgium, and a similar incident happened at the embassy in Sweden in January, but the grenade thrown at the embassy did not explode. The attempted attack in Sweden in January led to the opening of an international investigation, which pinned the Swedish crime organization FOXTROT as the force behind the attack, on Iran's behalf. FOXTROT is the biggest crime organization in Sweden, and its members operate across Europe and are responsible for multiple homicide cases and extensive drug dealing. FOXTROT's leader, the investigation found, has been under Iran's influence for months and has been instructed to carry out attacks in Jewish and Israeli associated European destinations. |
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Posted: 5/30/2024 12:02:20 PM EDT
[#3]
Islamic Jihad publishes additional video of Israeli hostage Sasha Troufanov link
Islamic Jihad published an additional video on Thursday of Sasha Troufanov. This is after the group published a video of the hostage on Tuesday, providing the first sign of life since he was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct.7. It is unclear when Thursday's video was filmed.
All of this massive spending just because no one bothered to raise their hand in a meeting and say "what if Hamas isn't deterred, what if Doha is telling us they are deterred, but they aren't, what if we plan for the unlikely possibility they could attack over a religious holiday, what if we post an extra two battalions of troops there, and an extra battalion of tanks, rather than sending most of the forces home for the weekend?" One question. Instead the border was left undefended...left dozens of unarmed women soldiers to be massacred and kidnapped...left a handful of tanks, two helicopters on station up north, and 500 combat troops to face thousands of terrorists. It's got to be one of the greatest blunders in military history in terms of the huge toll and massive impact this is going to have around the region...and possibly on Israel's future in general... The lesson...if you ever get to high office and have a role of responsibility...raise your hand and be the one who thinks different, when everyone else is thinking the same...when everyone else believes a terrorist group...be the one person who says "what if the terrorists are lying."  Attached File
A cruise missile? Does this imply Iran has trafficked cruise missiles to its proxies in Iraq and/or Syria? Or does it imply Iran launched a cruise missile at Israel from Iran or from Iraq or Syria? Or…that the Houthis launched a cruise missile that weaved its way around so it came in from the East? Strange IDF: “Earlier today, following sirens regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration in the Golan Heights area, the IDF intercepted a cruise missile that approached Israel from the east. In both incidents no injuries or damage were reported.”
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Posted: 5/30/2024 1:43:47 PM EDT
[#4]
Earlier today Israeli air defenses mistakenly shot down an IDF drone over the northern border community of Shlomi. The IDF says it is investigating the incident. Sirens had sounded in Shlomi due to fears of falling shrapnel. |
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Posted: 5/30/2024 6:31:54 PM EDT
[#5]
“Despite our efforts to minimize civilian casualties during the strike, the fire that broke out was unexpected and unintended...Our investigation seeks to determine what may have caused such a large fire to ignite.“
Watch the full statement by IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari regarding the recent strike that occurred in Rafah: A terrorist armed with an RPG missile identified in the Jabaliya area was eliminated in an airstrike. Another terrorist who was in the area, tried to harm the troops, and was immediately eliminated as well. Paris — French police use tear gas to try to disperse rioters wanting to attack the Israeli embassy. In Mexico City they set fire to Israeli embassy with Molotov cocktails. The IDF recently demolished a "significant" Hamas tunnel near the Rafah |
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Posted: 5/30/2024 8:13:05 PM EDT
[#6]
 Attached File Attached File Attached File
Some of my followers may recall that yesterday I posted about the reported killing of Mahmoud Nashabat, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martrys Brigades in Gaza. His funeral was held today, and surprisingly, it's one of the few funerals I've witnessed in the Gaza Strip with a fair number of gunmen out in the open since the war began.
The IDF says it has demolished a Hamas tunnel network in northern Gaza's Jabaliya, from which the bodies of seven hostages were recovered earlier this month. The bodies of Ron Benjamin, Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk were recovered on May 17, and the bodies of Orión Hernández Radoux, Hanan Yablonka, and Michel Nisenbaum were recovered on May 23. All seven were murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and their bodies were kidnapped to Gaza, according to the IDF. The tunnel was demolished using engineering vehicles, mines, and other "technological means" by the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, after the IDF ruled out the possibility of any more hostages being held in the area, the military adds.
Israeli fighter jets struck two buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Houla and Maroun al-Ras a short while ago, where the military says operatives were gathered. Several rockets were also launched from Lebanon at the Zar'it area a short while ago, causing no injuries, the IDF adds.
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Posted: 5/30/2024 11:33:19 PM EDT
[#7]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 30 May Key Takeaways Gaza Strip 99th Division continued operations along the Netzarim Corridor in the northern Gaza Strip on May 30. Israeli forces located a Palestinian militia weapons depot. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades mortared an IDF site and fired rockets at Israeli forces along the corridor. Israeli forces continued clearing operations in Rafah. The IDF Nahal Brigade and 12th Brigade located Palestinian militia weapons depots in the area. Palestinian militias claimed several attacks targeting Israeli forces in western and southern Rafah. The IDF said on May 29 that it located and demolished a “significant” tunnel complex in Rafah. The tunnel has a shaft located around 100 meters from the Rafah crossing around the Egypt-Gaza Strip border. The tunnel does not cross into Egypt. Hamas used the tunnel to support attacks targeting Israeli forces. Israeli forces located weapons inside the tunnel network, which branched into several paths at different depths. Israel has found nearly 700 tunnel shafts in Rafah and discovered about 20 tunnels that cross into Egypt. The IDF said on May 29 that Israel does not believe that Hamas moved Israeli hostages to Egypt via the tunnels. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed Israeli military activity in Rafah in a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Gallant emphasized the importance of Israeli operations in Rafah, noting that Israel has “concrete information” that Hamas is holding hostages there. Austin and Gallant discussed the need to sustain the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the importance of opening the Rafah border crossing for aid flow. Hamas fired rockets from Khan Younis into Israel. The IDF last detected rocket fire from Khan Younis on April 8. West Bank The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claimed that its fighters entered Bat Hefer in Israel to kill an IDF officer there on May 29. The militia said that its fighters entered the officer’s home and seized weapons but left once they realized that children were present. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades also threatened to attack Israeli civilians in the same way that Hamas did in October 2023. The claimed infiltration into Bat Hefer comes amid an uptick in activity around Bat Hefer, which is near the Israel-West Bank border and immediately adjacent to Tulkarm. Hamas fighters fired small arms from the West Bank targeting Bat Hefer on May 27 and May 29. Around 30 unarmed Palestinians separately tried to cross the border from the West Bank into Bat Hefer on May 27. The IDF said on May 30 that it is increasing operations in the area in response to attacks targeting Bat Hefer. A Palestinian fighter killed two IDF soldiers in a car-ramming attack at a military checkpoint near Nablus. The attacker later turned himself into the Palestinian Authority security forces. The Israeli soldiers belonged to the Kfir Brigade. Hamas and the Mujahideen Movement praised the attack and called on Palestinian fighters and “youth” in the West Bank to escalate attacks targeting Israeli forces. Israeli forces have engaged Palestinian fighters in at least nine locations in the West Bank in the last 24 hours. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades fired small arms and detonated IEDs targeting Israeli forces in Nablus and Tulkarm. Israeli forces engaged PIJ and the al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Jenin. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah has conducted at least five attacks into northern Israel in the last 24 hours. The IDF intercepted a drone launched from Lebanon over Margaliot on May 30. An Iranian-backed militia was likely responsible for a cruise missile launched from Iraq toward Israel. The IDF intercepted the missile over the southern Golan Heights. Iran The registration period for the Iranian presidential election began. One only prominent individual, hardliner Saeed Jalili, has registered thus far. The registration period lasts until June 3. Syria Syrian President Bashar al Assad traveled to Tehran to meet with senior Iranian officials. The visit may be part of recent efforts by Iran and its so-called “Axis of Resistance” to coordinate their actions vis-a-vis the Israel Hamas war. Israel was likely responsible for airstrikes targeting military transport vehicles in Homs, Syria, and a residential building in Tartous, Syria. Syrian media reported that at least one of the airstrikes targeted transport vehicles, killing three Syrian Arab Army soldiers. The Air Force has previously targeted vehicles suspected of transporting Lebanese Hezbollah military cargo. The other airstrike targeted a residential building in Baniyas city, Tartous, causing at least one civilian casualty. Israel last conducted an airstrike targeting an IRGC Navy officer in Baniyas, Tartous, in March 2024. The IDF has conducted an air campaign into Syria since December 2023 with the objective of disrupting Iranian transfer of military materiel to Lebanon and Syria. Iranian border guards clashed with Pakistani individuals around the Iran-Pakistan border on May 28, killing four Pakistanis and wounding two others.    |
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Posted: 5/30/2024 11:52:41 PM EDT
[#8]
Militants claim fighters entered an IDF officer's house to kill him--link
The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (Fatah) claimed its fighters entered Bat Hefer in Israel to kill an IDF officer there on May 29. The militia said that its fighters entered the officer’s home and seized weapons but left once they realized that children were present. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades also threatened to attack Israeli civilians in the same way that Hamas did in October 2023. The claimed infiltration comes amid an uptick in activity around Bat Hefer, which is near the Israel-West Bank. Translation of Telegram post by Al-Aqsa Brigades describing the incident--link to their Telegram post. {Fight them; God will punish them at your hands and disgrace them, and grant you victory over them, and heal the breasts of a believing people} :: As part of our declared military activity on enemy checkpoints and settlements surrounding Tulkarm Governorate. :: As part of our declared military activity on enemy checkpoints and settlements surrounding Tulkarm Governorate, and after monitoring and control, with God’s help and success, our fighters were able yesterday evening, Thursday evening, Thursday 21 Dhul-Qi’dah 1445 AH / corresponding to 05-29-2024 AD, to infiltrate the Beit Hefer settlement with the aim of liquidating one of the Zionist occupation officers inside. His home, but the presence of his children led to the operation being canceled at the last minute, in compliance with the teachings of our true Islamic religion, and a message that we are contrary to what your state is doing in terms of oppression and killing of children in Gaza and the West Bank. As we know, an M4 machine gun and a Glock pistol were seized, and accordingly, they safely withdrew from the house that was raided. We address our message to this criminal enemy that your leaders and soldiers are under our eyes and under our fire, and if you deal with Tulkarm as your leaders declare, we will repeat the scene of October 7 in your settlements, and see who is besieging whom. Our operations continue and it is a revolution until victory Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - the military wing of the Fatah movement |
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Posted: 5/31/2024 12:01:33 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#9]
U.S.-British strikes leave at least two dead in Yemen, Houthi television says Link
U.S.-British strikes leave at least two dead in Yemen, Houthi television says The U.S. and British militaries said they launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday as part of efforts to deter the militant group from further disrupting shipping in the Red Sea, with Houthi media reporting at least two persons killed. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that U.S. and British forces had hit 13 targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The British defense ministry said the joint operation targeted three locations in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, which it said housed drones and surface-to-air weapons. The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported at least two deaths and 10 injuries from strikes against a radio building in Hodeidah's Al-Hawk district. "As ever, the utmost care was taken in planning the strikes to minimize any risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure," the British defense ministry said in a statement. "Conducting the strikes in the hours of darkness should also have mitigated yet further any such risks." The Houthi-run media said a total of 13 strikes had been launched against Yemen, including six on the capital Sanaa. The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas militants, drawing U.S. and British retaliatory strikes since February.
May 30 U.S. Central Command Update Between approximately 3:15 and 5 p.m. (Sanaa time) on May 30, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed eight uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) in Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen and over the Red Sea. Additionally, USCENTCOM forces alongside UK Armed Forces conducted strikes against 13 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense. |
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Posted: 5/31/2024 9:14:32 AM EDT
[#10]
Link to liveblog articles below here
Here are the latest updates from day 238 of the war ■ Yemen's Houthis launched a missile attack on the U.S. aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea in response to U.S.-U.K. strikes on the Yemeni provinces of Sanaa, Hodeidah and Taiz. ■ Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh said that the organization notified mediators in negotiations with Israel that it hasn't revised its position, and continues to do demand a full cease-fire and withdrawal of the Israel army from Gaza in exchange for a hostage deal. ■ The IDF spokesperson reported the conclusion of operations in Gaza's Jabalya area, adding that an estimated 500-600 Hamas members were killed in the fighting. ■ A group representing family members of Israeli hostages held in Gaza strongly condemned attacks by public officials and added that the Israeli government "made a conscious and deliberate decision to sacrifice the hostages." ■ Reports by a Houthi media outlet said 16 were killed in U.S.-British strikes, and 35 others wounded. ■ According to the army, the Israeli air force carried out strikes on four military buildings used by Hezbollah in the southern Lebanon villages of Aitaroun and Markaba. ■ The Israeli military has released the names of two soldiers killed Thursday in fighting in the Gaza Strip. Yemen's Houthis say they launched missile attack on U.S. aircraft carrier Eisenhower in Red Sea Yemen's Houthis launched a missile attack on the U.S. aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea in response to U.S.-U.K. strikes on the Yemeni provinces of Sanaa, Hodeidah and Taiz, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement on Friday. IDF concludes operation in Gaza's Jabalya; estimate over 500 Hamas members killed The IDF spokesperson reported the conclusion of operations in Gaza's Jabalya area, adding that an estimated 500-600 Hamas members were killed in the fighting. According to the army, tunnels built under the Gazan city reached up to 500 meters from the Israeli border, and were built to enter Israeli territory. The army says it implemented lessons learned while operating in Gaza's Khan Yunis, allowing forces to surround Hamas militants located underground. The tunnels reportedly led forces to command centers, large stores of ammunition and intelligence which helped the army retrieve the bodies of seven Israelis kidnapped on October 7. Secretary of State Blinken slams dire humanitarian situation in Gaza (This is why Hamas won't negotiate--Biden's team does it for them. Did Gazans get food on Oct 6th? If the answer is yes, then blame Hamas for the famine. It was them who launched the war). U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that the humanitarian situation for people in Gaza remains dire, slamming the closure of the Rafah border crossing as "a real problem." Blinken added that the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza is not working effectively, saying that the U.S. is working intensely on aid distribution, but that impact remains insufficient in terms of addressing the acute needs of civilians. Hamas leader says Palestinian people won't replace Hamas; calls for unified leadership Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh said that the organization notified mediators in negotiations with Israel that it hasn't revised its position, and continues to do demand a full ceasefire and withdrawal of the Israel army from Gaza in exchange for a hostage deal. "Those who speak of 'the day after' must understand, the Palestinian people won't have Hamas replaced," Haniyeh added. "Faced with the prices we paid," he continued, "a national Palestinian plan must be promoted based on a unified leadership under the framework of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's institutions which will rule both Gaza and the West Bank." Heniyeh emphasized the need for general elections for Palestinian presidency and parliament and establishing a new Palestinian national council. Egypt arrests dozens of students over protests against Gaza war Egypt has detained several students who were trying to promote pro-Palestinian boycotts and solidarity campaigns, the latest sign that it does not want to leave space for activism over the war in Gaza despite growing official criticism of Israel. The students are among dozens of people held in connection with protests against Israel's military campaign, some of them detained in October when state-sanctioned rallies spilled over to unauthorized sites, including Cairo's Tahrir Square. Analysts say Egyptian authorities fear that demonstrations over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could fuel domestic political dissent, which has been suppressed in a broad crackdown lasting more than a decade. According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, an independent Cairo-based group, at least 125 people have been arrested since the Gaza war began in October, 95 of whom are still being held in pre-trial detention on charges including membership of a banned group or spreading false news. Three students were arrested earlier this month over their attempt to create a group called Students for Palestine, according to Nabeh El Ganadi, a human rights lawyer who represents two of the students. |
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Posted: 5/31/2024 9:55:33 AM EDT
[#11]
Short ~3 minute discussion on the Philadelphi corridor in southern Gaza.
Two explosive-laden drones launched from Lebanon struck an area in the northern Golan Heights earlier today, the military says. The IDF says it is investigating why it failed to intercept the two drones. There were no injuries in the attack, which set off drone sirens in two communities in the Golan. Also earlier today, the IDF says a projectile launched from Lebanon struck the Metula area, causing no damage or injuries. Troops shelled the launch site in response, the military says. Suspected drone infiltration sirens that sounded a short while ago in the Galilee Panhandle and an hour ago in the Golan Heights were false alarms, the IDF adds.
The IDF confirms for the first time that it is operating in the center of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, while calling the offensive against Hamas there "precise" and "intelligence-based." Troops of the Commando and Givati brigades, operating in central Rafah, located rocket launchers, tunnel shafts, and caches of weapons used by Hamas, the military says. In other areas of Rafah, including the eastern part of the city and along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor that runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, the IDF says other forces under the 162nd Division located long-range rockets and additional weapons and military equipment. Also in the Rafah area, the military says a member of Hamas's elite Nukhba force was killed in a drone strike. Strikes were carried out against "numerous" more targets across Gaza over the past day, including weapon depots, buildings used by terror groups, and cells of gunmen, the IDF adds.
Two IDF soldiers were killed during fighting in the Gaza Strip yesterday, the military announces. The slain soldiers are named as: Sgt. First Class (res.) Adar Gavriel, 24, of the Bislamach Brigade's 6828th Battalion, from Caesarea. Sgt. Yehonatan Elias, 20, of the Givati Brigade's reconnaissance unit, from Jerusalem. Gavriel was killed in the northern Gaza Strip during a battle with terror operatives. Elias was killed, and another Givati officer was seriously wounded, as a result of an anti-tank missile fired at them in the southern Gaza Strip.
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh, from the comfort of his home in Qatar: "We need the blood of women, children, and the elderly of #Gaza... so as to awaken our revolutionary spirit." Listen to this vile terrorist scum sacrifice his own people, while living in the lap of luxury.
Palestinian twitter inside quote box
Translation: The youth of Jabalia camp returned after the occupation’s withdrawal to feed the cats Destroyed for no reason? 
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Posted: 5/31/2024 11:23:00 AM EDT
[#12]
The Shin Bet security agency says Israeli forces have killed 18 members of Hamas's so-called West Bank headquarters -- a unit based in the Gaza Strip that is responsible for advancing terror attacks against Israel from and within the West Bank -- amid the ongoing war. Among those killed was Yassin Rabia, the head of the unit. Rabia was killed alongside another top member of the headquarters in a strike in Rafah earlier this week. Another nine members of the unit have been detained by troops in the Gaza Strip, the Shin Bet adds. The agency says the unit is primarily made up of Hamas members who were exiled to Gaza in a 2011 deal with Hamas, in which Israel released 1,027 Palestinian terror convicts in exchange for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Members of the unit make contact with West Bank Palestinians, in order to recruit them to carry out terror attacks in the territory and in Israel proper, it says. Among those detained by troops in November was Mahmoud Bashir Tanira, who the Shin Bet says is a member of a West Bank headquarters unit involved in directing attacks. The Shin Bet says Tanira's interrogation revealed that the unit was involved in numerous terror attacks in the West Bank between 2022 and 2023, which resulted in the deaths of eight Israelis and the injury of others. According to the Shin Bet, among the attacks directed by the unit were a shooting against the settlement of Beit El in October 2022, in which an Israeli civilian was wounded; a shooting at a gas station near Eli in June 2023, in which four Israeli civilians were killed and two were injured; a shooting near the settlement of Kedumim in July 2023, in which a soldier was killed; a shooting at a car wash in Huwara in August 2023, in which two Israeli civilians were killed; a shooting at the Hamra junction in August 2023, in which an Israeli civilian was wounded; and a shooting near Hebron in August 2023 in which an Israeli civilian was killed. According to the Shin Bet, the unit was involved in at least 20 more shooting attacks in the West Bank last year. |
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Posted: 5/31/2024 12:45:19 PM EDT
[#13]
Hamas Releases Voice Recording of Israeli Hostage Noa Argamani
 Hamas released on Friday a voice recording of Noa Argamani, a 26-year-old from Be'er Sheva who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7. Argamani, 26-years-old from Be'er Sheva, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival together with her partner Avinatan Or. She was seen in the early days of the war being kidnapped into Gaza on a motorcycle. Liora Argamani, Noa's mother, has advanced cancer, and has expressed her hope that she will be able to see her daughter again before she dies Entire article in quote box Hamas releases voice recording of hostage Noa Argamani Argamani, 26-years-old from Be'er Sheva, was kidnapped from the Nova music festival together with her partner Avinatan Or. She was seen in the early days of the war being kidnapped into Gaza on a motorcycle Hamas released on Friday a voice recording of Noa Argamani, a 26-year-old from Be'er Sheva who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7. In the video, Argamani addresses Israeli citizens and asks, "Will you leave us here and end my fate and the fate of my fellow hostages like Ron Arad?" Argamani called on Israeli citizens to take to the streets and demonstrate in order to promote a deal for the release of the hostages. "I say to the people of Israel: Have you become government partners with [Prime Minister] Netanyahu, [Defense Minister] Gallant and [Minister] Gantz?" "Let thousands of women and men come out and block the streets of Tel Aviv and not return home until we return home," Argamani can be heard saying. "Do not put our fate in the hands of Netanyahu and the war cabinet." Drawings are shown in the video at the same time as the audio of Argamani. The family believes that the images are drawings made by Argamani while in captivity. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement that "There is no need for any Hamas propaganda video to echo the call on the Israeli government: A deal must be released to bring them home quickly." Argamani's family gave permission to publish the video, whose recording date is currently unclear. Argamani, a resident of the southern Israeli city of Be'er Sheva, was kidnapped together with her partner Avinatan Or. She is a student of the information systems engineering department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In videos uploaded to social media during the war's first days, Noa was seen being transported on a motorcycle into the Gaza Strip. Hamas released a video of her in captivity in Gaza in January. Liora Argamani, Noa's mother, has advanced cancer, and has expressed her hope that she will be able to see her daughter again before she dies. She was in another video released in January:  Hamas military wing releases video of Israeli hostages |
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Posted: 5/31/2024 3:33:25 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#14]
Hamas persists in its efforts to inflict psychological warfare on the families of hostages held in Gaza and the Israeli public. Earlier today, the group released a video with the voice of who has been identified as Noa Argamani. Interestingly, the video is subtitled in English to reach a Western audience.
A barrage of nine rockets was fired from Lebanon toward the Upper Galilee community of Ga'aton, a short while ago. According to the IDF, seven of the rockets struck open areas. Another six rockets were fired at Peki'in, which according to the IDF, were all intercepted by air defenses.
The IDF releases footage showing Hamas smuggling tunnels and rocket launchers discovered by troops along the Gaza-Egypt border. Along the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, adjacent to the southern city of Rafah, the IDF has located so far some 20 tunnels that cross into Egypt. Another 82 tunnel shafts leading into the tunnels have been located in the corridor area. Hamas has been known to use such tunnels to smuggle weapons into Gaza, despite attempts by Egypt to thwart them in the past decade. A "high-level" source speaking to Egyptian state media this week denied such tunnels still exist. The IDF says it has so far demolished dozens of tunnel shafts and several "significant" underground routes in the corridor area, while others are still being investigated. Hamas operatives were killed by IDF troops inside some of the tunnels, the military says. The IDF also says it located five primed rocket launching sites along the Gaza-Egypt border. The launchers were all demolished. On Wednesday, the IDF announced that it had established “operational control” over the entire Philadelphi Corridor. Troops are physically located in most of the corridor. There is a small section near the coast where ground forces are not present, but the IDF says it is controlling the area with surveillance and firepower.
A drone launched from Lebanon that entered Israeli airspace was shot down by air defenses over the northern coastal city of Acre, the military says. Sirens had sounded due to fears of falling shrapnel. The IDF also says it carried out a strike against a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Naqoura earlier today, after identifying a terror cell there. Another strike, in south Lebanon's Yaroun, targeted a Hezbollah operative, the IDF adds.
IDF: “the Israeli Air Force and the Hellenic Air Force conducted a joint exercise in Greek skies. As part of the exercise, Boeing 707 refueling aircraft of the 120th Squadron (the Israeli Air Force refueling squadron) participated in the flights and refueled dozens of airborne Hellenic Air Force fighter jets. This exercise was held in the framework of a planned training program and as part of the regional cooperation between the two countries. The Israeli Air Force's refueling exercise with Greece occurs several times a year on a regular basis. The training simulates an operational flight and long-range refueling of fighter jets, as for several hours the fighter jets join and receive fuel to continue their missions.” |
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Posted: 5/31/2024 7:52:43 PM EDT
[#15]
May 31 U.S. Central Command Update At approximately 1:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on May 31, Iranian-backed Houthis launched one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Red Sea. The UAS crashed into the Red Sea with no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships. Separately, between 2:53 a.m. and 10:59 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed one UAS over the Gulf of Aden and three UAS over the Red Sea that were launched from Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. At approximately 9:31 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships. |
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Posted: 5/31/2024 9:35:37 PM EDT
[#16]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 31 May Key Takeaways Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on May 31 that its units withdrew completely from Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Confirmation comes after sources reported IDF units were leaving Jabalia on May 30. The IDF reentered Jabalia on May 11 after assessing that Hamas and other Palestinian militias were rebuilding their capabilities and networks. The IDF published a summary of its activities in Jabalia, which included destroying over 10 kilometers of tunnels, some of which were 500 meters from the Israel-Gaza Strip border, recovering the bodies of seven Hamas-held hostages, killing several militia commanders, including the commander of Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion. Hamas' military wing is structured like a conventional military with a deep bench of experienced commanders. The withdrawal from Jabalia follows some of the most intense fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters of the war. Hamas turned civilian infrastructure in Jabalia into a “fortified combat complex.” This is consistent with previous reports that Palestinian fighters have established “fighting compounds” to rapidly move through buildings rather than exposing themselves in the streets to Israeli forces. 341 "operational incidents" --where militants engaged Israeli forces with explosives or small arms--occurred in the first week of fighting in Jabalia. The count of 341 is significantly higher than the roughly 100 engagements that occurred between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters during the first week of Israeli operations in Khan Younis in December 2023. These number of incidents and their intensity reflect the degree to which Hamas and other Palestinian militias remain combat effective in and around Jabalia. Hamas and the other militias will almost certainly resume their efforts to reconstitute there. Palestinian militias fired mortars and rockets targeting Israeli forces at the US-constructed temporary pier site. The United States suspended operations at the pier due to damage sustained from rough seas on May 28. 99th Reserve Division continued operations along the Netzarim Corridor, which intersects with the pier site. The IDF said on May 31 that its units are operating in central Rafah. 89th Commando Brigade and Givati Brigade (162nd Division) engaged Palestinian fighters in central Rafah and destroyed a Hamas weapons depot. Palestinian militias targeted Israeli forces in western, central, and eastern Rafah with mortar attacks. Israeli forces continued to operate along the Philadelphi Corridor to destroy Palestinian military infrastructure, such as tunnels and rocket launchers. The United States, Israel, and Egypt will meet next week to discuss the Rafah border crossing and a plan for securing the southern border. The United States will prioritize reopening the Rafah border crossing for aid deliveries, preventing Hamas from smuggling weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, and ”maintaining a tenuous peace between Israel and Egypt.” An unspecified militia fired a rocket from Gaza City into southern Israel, which landed in an open area. West Bank Shin Bet said on May 31 that Israeli forces have killed Palestinian fighters from a unit based in the Gaza Strip that recruits militantscand directs them to commit attacks in the West Bank. The unit directed 20+ attacks in 2023 in the West Bank, primarily using small arms. Israeli forces have killed at least 18 Palestinian fighters from the “West Bank Headquarters” unit since the Israel-Hamas war began. An Israeli airstrike killed the head of the unit, Yassin Rabia, in Rafah on May 26; the unit is primarily composed of Hamas fighters who were exiled to the Gaza Strip in a deal [the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange that also freed Yawha Sinwar] with Israel in 2011. Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in at least two locations in the West Bank in the last 24 hours. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades fired small arms at Israeli forces in Balata refugee camp in Nablus. Seventeen Palestinian individuals tried to cross from the West Bank into Israel from Zeita, northeast of Tulkarm. Israeli forces arrested all the Palestinian “infiltrators” near the Israel-West Bank border wall. This incident follows a similar one on May 27 in which around 30 unarmed Palestinians tried to cross into Bat Hefer, Israel, from Tulkarm. ( This tactic was used in Gaza for years, including in the weeks leading up to 7 Oct.) Southern Lebanon Golan Heights Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah, have conducted at least 13 attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel in the last 24 hours. Sources told Reuters that an Israeli airstrike killed a Hezbollah-affiliated medic in Naqoura in southern Lebanon on May 31.The strike targeted an ambulance belonging to the Islamic Health Commission, which is a rescue force affiliated with Hezbollah. The IDF has not confirmed the strike at the time of this writing. Iraq The UN Security Council voted unanimously to end the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq at the end of 2025. Yemen The United States and the United Kingdom struck 21 Houthi targets in Yemen and over the Red Sea on May 30. CENTCOM destroyed eight drones in Houthi-controlled Yemen and over the Red Sea. CENTCOM and the British Armed Forces conducted combined preemptive airstrikes targeting 13 Houthi targets. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that the United States and the United Kingdom conducted four strikes in the capital, Sanaa; two strikes in Sanaa Governorate; one strike in Haifan, Taiz Governorate; six strikes targeting the Hudaydah Radio building and Port Salif Coast Guard; and two strikes targeting the homes of former Yemeni President Ali Mohsen and Vice President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s homes. Saree also claimed that 58 individuals were injured or killed in the strikes and that the Houthis launched an unspecified number of missiles at the USS Eisenhower in retaliation. Iran Candidates have continued registering for the Iranian presidential election in June 2024. Among the candidates are prominent moderate politicians, some of whom could be particularly strong contenders for the presidency. The European Union sanctioned the IRGC Navy for supporting weapons distribution to militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah and the Houthis. The IRGC Navy provided weapons, including drones and missiles. The European Union also sanctioned other Iranian military entities and affiliated individuals responsible for the transfer of drones to Russia and/or militias in the Middle East. Ceasefire Negotiation US President Joe Biden urged Hamas to accept the latest Israeli ceasefire and hostage-release proposal. The proposal includes three phases to end the war, release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and begin reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. Biden outlined the three phases of the Israeli proposal: Phase one involves a six-week ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas would release an unspecified number of hostages, including Americans, women, and elderly and sick individuals, in exchange for “hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners. Displaced Palestinian civilians would return to their homes, including those in the northern Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid would “surge with 600 trucks [entering the Gaza Strip] per day,” which is a notable increase from the 500 trucks in an earlier Israeli proposal. Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would continue. Phase two involves Hamas and other Palestinian militias releasing all remaining living hostages, and the IDF withdrawing from the Gaza Strip completely. Biden said that the United States, Egypt, and Qatar would ensure that negotiations continue. Phase three involves major reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip. It also involves Hamas and the other militias returning the bodies of all hostages to Israel. Biden did not offer specific details on the number of Israeli hostages or Palestinian prisoners that would be released in this proposal, nor did he specify the length of phases two and three. The intent of each phase largely resembles the proposal that Israel made in early May 2024. The Israeli proposal offers flexibility on the number of living hostages released in phase one, according to anonymous sources. The proposal also includes “a willingness” to discuss a "sustainable calm" in the Gaza Strip—a phrase that both Israel and Hamas included in recent ceasefire proposals.    
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Posted: 5/31/2024 9:53:01 PM EDT
[#17]
Palestinian militias fired mortars and rockets at Israeli forces at the US temporary
Translation: #Military_Communication // The missile unit in the Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades targets the Zionist enemy concentrations opposite the so-called floating port in the north of the Central Governorate with missile bursts  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/31/2024 10:57:36 PM EDT
[#18]
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Posted: 6/1/2024 3:26:41 AM EDT
[#19]
Israeli fighter jets struck a Hezbollah position in southern Lebanon's Khiam earlier:
The IDF spokesman officially confirms that the hostages are being held in Rafah: Insane footage of the IDF troops face-to-face with Hamas in Jabaliya: Israel Defense Forces are in Rafah: BREAKING: The IDF has discovered another tunnel shaft in a school in Jabaliya, further highlighting how every school, hospital, or facility is being utilized as a Hamas stronghold |
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Posted: 6/1/2024 9:32:11 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#20]
The current ceasefire plan is a plan to keep Hamas in power. The result will be that Hamas will return to running most of Gaza in a year and the reconstruction effort will obviously empower Hamas as it has in the past, with Hamas partnering with the donors and then each house that is reconstructed will have a Hamas minder who plans the tunnel shaft entrance and where to place launchers in or near it…and so in a few years Hamas will be back to where it was on Oct 6
The IDF says it launched a new pinpoint raid against Hamas in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood this past week. The operation is being carried out by the Multi-Domain, or Ghost Unit, alongside the Carmeli and Yiftah reserve brigades, under the 99th Division. Troops of the elite Ghost Unit, alongside other forces, killed dozens of gunmen and demolished a weapons depot in Sabra over the past two days, the IDF says. The military says troops also located weapons and many tunnel shafts during sweeps of the area. The IDF first operated in the Sabra neighborhood during the beginning of the ground offensive last year.
The Israeli military says it targeted a building belonging to the Al-Noor organization in Gaza City earlier this week. According to the IDF, Al-Noor is classified as a terror group, due to it funding Hamas. The military says Al-Noor transferred millions of dollars to Hamas for terror activity in the West Bank, as well as distributed funds to the families of Hamas operatives killed or jailed by Israel. The strike against the organization's building in the area of Gaza City's Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods took place on Thursday. In another strike this week, the IDF says it killed Salame Baraka, a member of Hamas's East Khan Younis Battalion, who also served as head of the finance department in the terror group's police.
The IDF confirms that one of its drones was shot down over southern Lebanon a short while ago. It says the drone, reportedly a Hermes 900 model, was hit by a surface-to-air missile while operating in the area. The IDF says the incident is being investigated. It marks the fourth IDF drone to be shot down by Hezbollah over southern Lebanon amid the war. In all, two Hermes 450 drones and two Hermes 900 models have been downed in recent months.
Hezbollah claims responsibility for launching heavy "Burkan" rockets at a military base adjacent to Kiryat Shmona a short while ago. According to the Kiryat Shmona municipality, heavy damage was caused to infrastructure, property, and vehicles in the area. The IDF says no injuries were caused in the attack, and a short while after, it struck and destroyed the rocket launcher used to launch the two projectiles with heavy warheads. This morning, the IDF says it also struck two Hezbollah operatives who were spotted in southern Lebanon's Majdel Selm. Video of attack on the two Hezbollah militants in tweet below
Three "prominent" Hamas operatives were killed in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in recent days, the military announces. On Thursday, fighter jets struck in central Gaza's Nuseirat, killing Mansour Adil Mansour Kashlan, who the IDF says was involved in advancing terror attacks in Israel and in the West Bank. "The terrorist... advanced and carried out terror activities, as well as engaged in coordination and cooperation with terror groups in the Gaza Strip and other countries," the military says. In another strike this past week in central Gaza, carried out by a drone, Walid Abed Abu Dalal was killed. The IDF says Abu Dalal served in the terror group's military wing, alongside his role as head of the technology department in Hamas's internal security forces. The military says that Hamas's internal security forces, and especially its technology department, "harm the IDF's freedom of action in the Gaza Strip, and are also a significant part of Hamas's counter-espionage attempts." In another strike, on Friday, also in Nuseirat, Tareq Darwish was killed. According to the IDF, Darwish was a prominent member of the Nuseirat Battalion's aerial array. The military says Darwish was killed following his attempts in the past month to "impede the IDF's freedom of aerial action" in Gaza. |
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Posted: 6/1/2024 9:46:36 AM EDT
[#21]
Expanded Twitter thread on potential ramifications of a cease-fire going into effect. The initial tweet is below.
The current ceasefire plan is a plan to keep Hamas in power. The result will be that Hamas will return to running most of Gaza in a year and the reconstruction effort will obviously empower Hamas as it has in the past, with Hamas partnering with the donors and then each house that is reconstructed will have a Hamas minder who plans the tunnel shaft entrance and where to place launchers in or near it…and so in a few years Hamas will be back to where it was on Oct 6. Not only that, but this plan will also result in Hamas likely exploiting the war to come to power in the West Bank within 10 years. Hezbollah will not be deterred and Israelis will have trouble returning to the north and south. The Houthis and Iran will be emboldened. The end result will be an Israel that is much more isolated than on Oct 6 and an Israel that has not been able to defeat Hamas despite more than 7 months of war. All of those killed on October 7 and in the months since will have been sacrificed in vain. Meanwhile Ankara, Doha and others who back Hamas will benefit massively and it’s likely they will try to take the reconstruction of Gaza contracts to help empower Hamas and construct a new hundreds of miles of tunnels for it. Israel’s enemies will be empowered by this war. They will then use it to carry out more provocations and threats, because they will sense that Israel will face pressure not to get involved in another protracted war. Also, Israel wasted a lot of political capital on fighting this slow war, the IDF seemed to think it had all the time in the world to fight a campaign for years and so no one pushed for a decisive victory over Hamas. Instead the whole war and the political leadership eschewed any strategy or day after concept or alternative to Hamas and preferred this slow grueling war which was not in Israel’s interests and has likely done tremendous harm to Israel in the long term. When you go into a war you need to ask who will benefit from a long war and a war without a goal or without clear victory. The terrorists clearly benefit. Israel doesn’t benefit. Now Israel may be trapped into a ceasefire where no goals are met in Gaza. A weak Hamas can recover. Iran learned a lot in this war about Israel’s vulnerabilities. What did Israel accomplish? It didn’t even defeat a terror group that had one 20-30,000 fighters. When powerful countries fight weaker enemies the powerful country has more to lose via missteps. This may have been a march of folly. If the only goal was to make it so Hamas can’t do another Oct 7…Hamas should never have been able to do that in the first place place. Hamas leaders are still free and living in privilege. They did not face Justice. No one was really punished for Oct 7. Hamas can recruit again. So what was accomplished in the long term and strategic? |
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Posted: 6/1/2024 1:47:58 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#22]
Hamas released more "evidence" of a purported capture of an IDF soldier last weekend. This will be a PR disaster for whatever side is lying.
Really bad picture, proves nothing.  Attached File
 Attached File— Younis Tirawi | ???? (@ytirawi) June 1, 2024  Attached File |
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Posted: 6/1/2024 3:51:07 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#23]
There is now a video of 25 May incident where Hamas claims to have captured a soldier. Some of the footage looks familiar to me.
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Posted: 6/1/2024 4:29:59 PM EDT
[#24]
This is a home in Rafah that Hamas has booby-trapped. Just one out of many examples where Hamas embeds itself within civilian population and infrastructure. Our forces are continuing intelligence-based targeted operations in the Rafah area, locating stocked weapons storage facilities, multiple tunnel shafts and various firing positions. Hamas continues prioritizing their terrorism over the safety of Gazans. We will continue our operations to dismantle Hamas in accordance with international law.
Troops of the Nahal Brigade operating in southern Gaza's Rafah in recent days located rocket launchers and a weapons depot, the military says, publishing images of the findings. The troops also used a small drone to scan a suspicious building, where several barrels packed with explosives were located, the IDF says.  Attached File
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Posted: 6/1/2024 6:28:22 PM EDT
[#25]
The IDF says it has demolished a Hamas tunnel network in northern Gaza's Jabaliya, from which the bodies of seven hostages were recovered earlier this month.
The IDF officially finished the operations in Jabaliya, after successfully killing hundreds of Hamas terrorists, and destroying 10km long tunnels. Israeli fighter jets hit four buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Aitaroun and Markaba: Israeli fighter jets struck two buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Houla and Maroun al-Ras a short while ago, where the military says terrorist were gathered. The IDF releases footage showing Hamas smuggling tunnels and rocket launchers discovered by troops along the Gaza-Egypt border |
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Posted: 6/1/2024 8:16:50 PM EDT
[#26]
 The Institute for the Study of War Backgrounder 1 June Key Takeaways Gaza Strip The Air Force targeted the al Nour Association in Tuffah neighborhood, Gaza City. The al Nour Association facilitated millions of dollars in Hamas money transfers, some of which financed Hamas activity in the West Bank. The al Nour Association also transferred Hamas payments to families of killed or detained Hamas fighters. Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters and destroyed Palestinian militia infrastructure in central Gaza. Unit 888 launched an operation into the Sabra neighborhood, finding tunnel shafts and weapons. 679th Yiftah Brigade located a munitions warehouse that contained “dozens“ of rocket components. 162nd Division continued clearing operations in Rafah on June 1. The Nahal Brigade located tunnel shafts, rocket launch sites, an ammunition depot, and various small arms and explosives. Israeli forces also engaged Palestinian fighters in tunnels. Palestinian militias targeted Israeli forces in southern and western Rafah with mortar attacks. Hamas fighters conducted two attacks targeting Israeli soldiers with anti-personnel devices. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters targeted an Israeli vehicle with a barrel bomb east of Rafah. The Air Force has destroyed around 80 militia targets in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours. US administration officials expressed optimism that the US-built pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip can be repaired and rebuilt over the coming weeks.The pier was towed from the central Gaza Strip to Ashdod, Israel, for repairs. Palestinian militias conducted two indirect fire attacks from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. West Bank Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in five locations in the West Bank in the last 24 hours. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah conducted nine attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel in the last 24 hours. Hezbollah fired Burkan rockets at the IDF 769th Brigade at Gibor camp in Kiryat Shmona; they claimed the rocket attack was a response to air strikes on Ain Qana, Lebanon. The rockets caused extensive damage to military and civilian infrastructure, property, and vehicles. The IDF reported that there were no injuries in the attack. The IDF said it struck and destroyed the rocket launcher that was used to fire the rockets. Hezbollah fighters downed an IDF Elbit Hermes 900 drone with a surface-to-air missile on June 1. The drone caught fire and landed in a southern Lebanese village. Yemen The Houthis launched one drone from Houthi-controlled Yemen into the Red Sea. CENTCOM reported that the drone crashed in the Red Sea without causing damage to any surrounding vessels. The Houthis also launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) into the Gulf of Aden from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen.    |
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Posted: 6/2/2024 6:44:37 AM EDT
[#27]
Israeli fighter jets struck more than 30 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says. According to the IDF, the targets included Hamas infrastructure, weapon depots, and cells of gunmen. In southern Gaza's Rafah, the IDF says troops of the Nahal Brigade directed an airstrike against a rocket launcher moments after it was used to attack troops in the area. There were no injuries in the rocket attack.
Overnight, Israeli fighter jets struck a Hezbollah compound in northeastern Lebanon's Baalbek, the military says. The IDF says the strike came as a response to Hezbollah shooting down a military drone over southern Lebanon yesterday. In addition to the compound, the IDF says fighter jets also struck a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Bint Jbeil, and command rooms in Qana and Baraachit.
Between 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. (Sanaa time) June 1, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial system (UAS) in the southern Red Sea. USCENTCOM forces also observed two other UAS crash into the Red Sea. No injuries or damage was reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships. Additionally, between 7 and 11:30 p.m., USCENTCOM forces successfully engaged two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) in the southern Red Sea. The ASBM were fired in the direction of USS Gravely and were destroyed in self-defense, with no damage or injuries reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships. Link to liveblog articles below Suspected hostile aircraft intrusion sirens sound five times in 15 minutes across Israel's north, Suspected hostile aircraft intrusion sirens sound in a series of communities across Israel's north, including Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai, Metula and Kfar Blum IDF says air force attacked Hezbollah target deep in Lebanon overnight into Sunday The Israeli army has said the air force attacked a Hezbollah building in the Beqqa Valley in Lebanon overnight into Sunday, in response to the organization hitting an Israeli drone on Saturday, and to the continuous fire into northern Israel. The army further said fighter jets attacked command centers and an additional building belonging to Hezbollah at several locations close to the border with Israel. Report: Israel changed Rafah operation plans due to American pressure Israel changed its plans for a Rafah offensive because of pressure applied by the U.S. as far back as March, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Originally, two IDF divisions were meant to sweep through the city, but after an intensive discussion with U.S. officials, the Israeli army's operation will focus on military presence in the border between Gaza and Egypt, and raids of the southern city. U.S. and Israeli officials told The Wall Street Journal that the plan was changes to avoid crossing the Biden administration's red line. The original plan for a Rafah operation raised concerns in the White House regarding the toll on civilians in Gaza. The alternate plan, that focuses on securing the Egypt-Gaza border and conducting raids into Rafah, enables Israel to avoid a major ground operation in Rafah, which would mean risking a decrease in American military support. "It's not that we just adjusted our plan to please the Americans without achieving our goal," an Israeli official told the Journal, "We did not give up on the goal to defeat Hamas in Rafah." |
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Posted: 6/2/2024 10:41:49 AM EDT
[#28]
The IDF publishes footage of the strike in Majdel Selm:
Three "prominent" Hamas terrorists were killed in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip: Israeli fighter jets hit "significant assets" belonging to Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon: Recent operational activity in Jabaliya: Footage shows damage caused to an IDF base adjacent to the northern city of Kiryat Shmona earlier today, after it was hit by heavy rockets launched by Hezbollah. |
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Posted: 6/2/2024 11:14:05 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#29]
A barrage of at least 10 rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Katzrin area in the Golan Heights a short while ago, according to the military. The Fire and Rescue Service says the rockets sparked several fires, in an area just south of the city. There are no reports of injuries in the attack.
The IDF bombed the Baalbek yesterday--every time they do Hezbollah comes out swinging.
A barrage of 15 rockets was launched from Lebanon a short while ago. All of the projectiles were intercepted over the Kiryat Shmona area, according to the IDF. In a separate attack, a building in the border community of Metula was damaged by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon. Some 40 rockets and missiles have been fired at northern Israel today, in addition to several drones.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel is working on finding a replacement for Hamas's rule in the Gaza Strip, vowing that the war will not end until the terror group is dismantled from both its military and governmental capabilities. "In any process of ending the war, we will not accept the rule of Hamas. We are advancing an alternative government to Hamas, within the framework of which we will isolate areas, remove the Hamas members and bring in other forces that will enable a different government," Gallant says following an assessment at the Southern Command in Beersheba. "On one hand, military action, and on the other, the ability to change the government, will lead to the achievement of two of the goals of this war, the dismantling of the Hamas government and its military power, and the return of the hostages," he adds.
The IDF says it completed a war simulation exercise over the past week, as part of preparations for an escalation in northern Israel amid daily attacks by Hezbollah from Lebanon. The drill, carried out by the Northern Command and other General Staff directorates and wings, included "many scenarios that simulate the expansion of the war in the northern arena, and multi-front war scenarios," the military says. The IDF also says that as part of the drill, the 36th Division simulated "combat scenarios in the northern arena." IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited the Northern Command's underground command center, the Israeli Air Force's command center, and other war rooms amid the drill, the military adds.
The IDF says it carried out a strike against a Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon's Mays al-Jabal earlier today. The strike was carried out after a Hezbollah operative was spotted entering the site. A short while later, a fighter jet struck the building. The IDF says secondary blasts were seen after the strike, indicating the site was used to store munitions. The military also says it struck a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Houla, which it says was used to launch a barrage of rockets at the northern community of Margaliot. All of the rockets fired at the largely evacuated border community were intercepted by the Iron Dome, according to the IDF. Lebanese media claimed that two shepherds were killed in the Houla strike. Sirens that sounded in the Nahariya and Acre area earlier were triggered after an interceptor missile was launched at "a target suspected of being a suspicious aerial target," the military says. The IDF says the incident is over and is under investigation, without elaborating. Some 15 rockets were also launched at the Katztin area, hitting open areas and sparking a large fire near the city, the military adds.
Joint Statement of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar As mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar jointly call on both Hamas and Israel to finalize the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Biden on May 31, 2024. These principles brought the demands of all parties together in a deal that serves multiple interests and will bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families. This deal offers a roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and ending the crisis. |
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Posted: 6/2/2024 2:52:49 PM EDT
[#30]
 Attached File
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Posted: 6/2/2024 6:40:02 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#31]
A reporter for an Israeli TV network posted a video of the IDF using quadcopter drones to take out Palestinian miitants in Rafah. Something seems off about it, might be a game.
Translation from Hebrew: Worth watching: Closing a circle of the Shaked Battalion from the Givati ??Brigade on a terrorist in Rafah minute by minute
This is what surrender to Hezbollah looks like. Almost 8 months of northern Israel being surrendered to these attacks. People are debating now also whether to give Gaza back to Hamas...which would be a disaster...but the surrender to Hezbollah is part of a multi-front surrender to Iranian-backed groups. Israel will need to rethink its security policy if it wants a future that isn't simply multi-front wars chipping away at most of the state.
 Attached File
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Posted: 6/2/2024 10:03:45 PM EDT
[#32]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 2 June Key Takeaways Gaza Strip The Israelis launched a raid into the Sabra and Zaytoun neighborhoods of Gaza City; forces have conducted multiple operations in both areas of Gaza City throughout the war. The IDF deployed its joint special operations multidimensional unit and two reserve brigades under the 99th Division for the raid. One 2 June the multi-dimensional unit with the Air Force attacked a Palestinian militia squad in a building. Israeli forces continued clearing operations in Rafah on June 2, with the Givati Brigade operating in the Yabna refugee camp in central Rafah; Israeli forces located weapons in the camp, including anti-aircraft machine guns. Israeli forces engaged Palestinians fighters near the Philadelphi Corridor. Israel gained operational control of the corridor last week. US officials said that Israel adjusted its military operations in Rafah to avoid crossing the US Joe Biden administration’s red lines. Israel 's initial plan was for to two divisions to conduct clearing operations. The United States expressed concern that such action could increase civilian casualties significantly. An Israeli intelligence source confirmed Hamas killed a clan leader in the Gaza Strip, disrupting an Israeli plan to replace Hamas as the primary governing authority. Palestinian militias conducted two indirect fire attacks into Israel on June 2. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine fired rockets at an IDF site, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine fired rockets at Israeli forces near the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Kerem Shalom is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. West Bank Israeli forces engaged Palestinian fighters in eight locations across the West Bank. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Lebanese Hezbollah conducted 11 attacks into northern Israel. The IDF intercepted an aerial target in northern Israel, which caused alarms near Nahariya. Iraq The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed a drone attack targeting Israel. Yemen The Houthis claimed that they conducted two attacks targeting the US aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower north of the Red Sea in the past 24 hours. The Houthis purportedly used drones and missiles in the first attack and unspecified weapons in the second attack. There is no evidence that these attacks occurred. The Houthis also claimed they “directly hit” a US destroyer in the Red Sea using drones.US Central Command reported that it intercepted two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles targeting the USS Gravely destroyer in the southern Red Sea. Political Negotiations Hamas stated that it will engage the latest Israeli proposal constructively, so long as the proposal meets Hamas’ maximalist demands.   
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Posted: 6/3/2024 10:05:18 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#33]
Houthis are back
Hezbollah takes responsibility for launching dozens of rockets from Lebanon at the Golan Heights a short while ago. The terror group claims to have targeted a military position in the area. There are no reports of injuries, and sirens did not sound in any towns. Hezbollah also claims launching an explosive drone at the Metula area earlier today.
The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike against a vehicle in southern Lebanon this morning, killing a member of the Hezbollah terror group. Hussein Sabra was targeted while driving near the village of Kauthariyet al-Rez, in the Sidon District, Lebanese media reported. According to the IDF, Sabra was a member in Hezbollah's force build-up unit, and was involved in efforts to improve the terror group's air defense unit, including by equipping it with new means. Separately, the IDF struck several buildings in southern Lebanon's Qotrani, which it says were used by Hezbollah's air defense unit.
Troops of the Commando Brigade operating in southern Gaza's Rafah in recent days raided an "active combat complex," killing several operatives and locating tunnel shafts in the process, the IDF says. The IDF says the commandos also seized dozens of mortars, rockets, RPGs, and other weapons and military equipment during their raids in Rafah.  Attached File Attached File
A large blaze is spreading in the Ramim Ridge area, near Kiryat Shmona, reportedly as a result of rocket impacts in the area over the past day. The Fire and Rescue Services says nine firefighting teams are working in the area, and the blaze is not yet under control. Meanwhile, the service says firefighting efforts also continue in the Golan Heights, following a major fire sparked yesterday as a result of a Hezbollah rocket barrage at the Katzrin area.
Translation--Kiryat Shmona is burning. Like many other places in the Galilee. It's heartbreaking, no less.  Attached File
Dolev Yehud, 35, initially thought to have been taken hostage to the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists on October 7, has been declared dead after his body was identified in Israel, the military says. Yehud, from Kibbutz Nir Oz on the Gaza border, was a volunteer medic with Magen David Adom and United Hatzala. On the morning of October 7 he left his house to aid others amid the Hamas onslaught, before being killed. Initially, Yehud was believed by the IDF to have been abducted. Although amid the war there were no indications from Gaza of him being there, unlike other hostages, leading authorities to reevaluate unidentified remains found in the kibbutz from the onslaught. Some victims of the Hamas massacres had their bodies burned or otherwise mutilated beyond recognition, making identification difficult. New scientific identification tests, paired with information on where the remains were found, confirmed that a previously unidentified body belonged to Yehud. The IDF says that Dolev's family was notified after the body was identified. Dolev was married with four children; his wife, Sigal, gave birth to their fourth child while he was thought to have been held captive. His sister, Arbel Yehud, 28, is still being held by the terror group in Gaza. The latest development lowers the number of hostages taken on October 7 from the previous figure of 252 to 251. |
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Posted: 6/3/2024 10:50:13 AM EDT
[#34]
An attempt by Hamas to carry out a suicide bombing attack in Israel, directed by members of the terror group in Turkey, was recently foiled, the Shin Bet security agency announces. According to the Shin Bet, on March 15, a Palestinian man originally from the West Bank city of Tulkarem but resides in Jordan, Anas Shurman, was detained in Nablus over his suspected involvement in the bombing plot. The agency says that his interrogation revealed that in December 2023, Shurman was recruited by Imad Abid, a Hamas operative living in Turkey, though also originally from the West Bank. Shurman agreed to carry out a suicide bombing on behalf of Hamas, with the target set to be in Israel proper, the Shin Bet says. The Shin Bet says that as part of the plans ahead of the attack, the would-be suicide bomber filmed a last will, underwent motorcycle lessons which he would have used in the attack, and received funds and instructions to carry out the bombing, including where to collect the explosive device from a hidden location in the West Bank. The large fragmentation bomb, weighing some 12 kilograms, was seized by the Shin Bet from a spring in the West Bank, the agency says. Next to the bomb, the Shin bet says it found written instructions on how to carry out the attack. Additional Hamas members involved in the plot were also detained, with the Shin Bet saying they were part of a terror network in Nablus. The agency says those Hamas members were involved in manufacturing the bomb and hiding it for Shurman. Shurman was charged with several severe security offensives, including "attempting to intentionally cause death" — the equivalent of attempted murder under military law, as well as being a member of a terror group. Five more Nablus residents were hit with similar charges, the Shin Bet says. The agency says its investigation "reveals the establishment of Hamas... in Turkey and its involvement in directing terror attacks in Israel." Longish twitter thread by Seth Frantzman on the operational-strategic situation Israel finds itself in. Thread is in quote box.
The tactic Israel chose for Gaza appears that it won't result in "years" of freedom of action to keep returning to areas. That means Hamas will return as it already has, to 70% of Gaza...and eventually 95% or something like that. It boils down to a basic question of whether time is on Israel's side. Clearly Hamas and Hezbollah have become much stronger over time and Israel is wary of a two-front conflict with them. That would indicate that time is not on Israel's side, and that a quick decisive defeat of these groups was preferable...to a slow attrition where they gain. However, Israel was sold a tactic of slow...and slow resulted in Hamas continuing to run Gaza so far...and also Hamas is intact in central Gaza...unless someone pulls a rabbit out of a hat it's not clear what the next step is in Gaza. A few months ago when Israel began withdrawing forces from Gaza after having "cleared" areas of northern Gaza...Hamas returned. However, the narrative among some optimistis was that this is ok, because the IDF will go back and "clear" again "like it does in the West Bank" and operational freedom will lead to success. What's obvious from the potential ceasefire deal is that Israel is going to be constrained from going back into places like northern Gaza or Khan Younis. Basically throwing out this "tactical" success that some of the backers of the slow moving campaign in Gaza of "clear and leave and clear again" were talking up. It's plausible that in coming years shooting and may rocket attacks will begin from the northern west bank and then Israel will decide that this is also the new norm. Once countries start surrendering parts of the country and evacuating citizens, they usually don't stop. Hezbollah has learned it has basically total impunity to fire rockets, to launch drones, to do whatever it wants...and it receives in response some kind of proportional response...but in general democracies shouldn't let terror groups rain down rockets on their cities...and respond "proportionately." A lot of Israel's answers are for internal domestic consumption...such as various claims about the responses to Hezbollah in the north...Hezbollah launches rockets...the IDF strikes a shed...and this is considered equal. But it's not really equal because proportional responses to terror groups weaken the state that responds...the terror group just rebuilds the shed. Hezbollah has learned it has basically total impunity to fire rockets, to launch drones, to do whatever it wants...and it receives in response some kind of proportional response...but in general democracies shouldn't let terror groups rain down rockets on their cities...and respond "proportionately." It's not an equal fight. The fact that Lebanese civilians fled the border "also" isn't a win...Lebanese and Israelis suffer. Hezbollah and Iran gain. That's the equation. And Israel surrendered deterrence. |
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Posted: 6/3/2024 12:15:13 PM EDT
[#35]
Troops of the Nahal Brigade operating in southern Gaza's Rafah in recent days located rocket launchers and a weapons depot:
The IDF launched a new pinpoint raid against Hamas in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood this past week. This is a home in Rafah that Hamas has booby-trapped. Just one out of many examples where Hamas embeds itself within civilian population and infrastructure. Several Iron Dome interceptions seen over the Margaliot area in northern Israel. Israeli fighter jets struck more than 30 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day: |
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Posted: 6/3/2024 2:54:26 PM EDT
[#36]
Dog Who Saved Israeli Family During October 7 Hamas Attack Dies. Link.
 Petel, the Ben-Zvi family's beloved dog, scared off attackers with her barking, and was shot sometime in the following days after being separated from her family, with whom she was eventually reunited before her death When terrorists broke through the window of the Ben-Zvi family's home in the kibbutz of Be'eri on the morning of October 7, they were greeted by the angry barking of Petel, the family dog. The sound was so ferocious, it scared off the Hamas attackers Leaving under heavy fire, the family was told they would, unfortunately, not be able to take their beloved pet with them. Petel managed to survive the horrors of October 7 only to be shot a few days later while roaming the kibbutz. She was eventually discovered by soldiers sweeping the area. Petel was transferred to a veterinary clinic in Rehovot, where she was treated by Dr. Ido Kahn. Petel was suffering frorn tendons and several bone fractures, her body riddled with shrapnel. "We...discovered that Petel's body was full of shrapnel," Khan said. "We did what we could". Once the Ben-Zvis moved from their Dead Sea hotel to a temporary home, they were finally reunited with Petel. She remained with them until her untimely death last week. Entire article in quote box Dog who saved Israeli family during October 7 Hamas attack dies Petel, the Ben-Zvi family's beloved dog, scared off attackers with her barking, and was shot sometime in the following days after being separated from her family, with whom she was eventually reunited before her death A four-legged hero who saved her owners' lives on October 7 died last week from shrapnel-related wounds she sustained in the days after Hamas' attack. When terrorists broke through the window of the Ben-Zvi family's home in the kibbutz of Be'eri on the morning of October 7, they were greeted by the angry barking of Petel, the family dog. The sound was so ferocious, it scared off the Hamas attackers, ultimately saving the lives of the entire family. Back in 2014, when rockets rained down on the kibbutz during Operation Protective Edge, Petel developed a sensitivity to the loud booms of the Iron Dome defense system that intercepts incoming rockets. "When she would hear the blare of the [alert siren], she would run straight into the safe room," Petel's owner, Ella Ben-Zvi, recounted in an interview with local media. "Ever since then, she's been terrified of the noise. On October 7, she ran with us into the safe room, but when the terrorists broke the window, she ran out of the room. "That's when she started barking," Ben-Zvi added. After the men fled in fear, Ella, her husband, Eyal, and their three children remained in the safe room until they were eventually rescued several hours later by the military. Leaving under heavy fire, the family was told they would, unfortunately, not be able to take their beloved pet with them. The Ben-Zvis were evacuated to a hotel in Givat Ella, near the Dead Sea. Petel managed to survive the horrors of October 7 only to be shot a few days later while roaming the kibbutz. She was eventually discovered by soldiers sweeping the area, who found her suffering from torn tendons and several bone fractures, her body riddled with shrapnel. The soldiers bandaged her up and brought her to a group of volunteers who had arrived at the southern border to help rescue the hundreds of dogs and other animals who were wounded and separated from their families in the wake of Hamas' attack. Eventually, Petel was transferred to a veterinary clinic in Rehovot, where she was treated by Dr. Ido Kahn. "We took off the bandages and discovered that Petel's body was full of shrapnel," Khan said in an interview with the news outlet Ynet, at the time. "We took some out and left some inside, but she was in a condition where we couldn't put her under, so we performed various surgical operations before sewing her up and rebandaging her. "We did what we could," Khan added. As she recovered, the clinic was able to figure out who her owners were thanks to the dog's microchip. Once the Ben-Zvis moved from their Dead Sea hotel to a temporary home, they were finally reunited with Petel. She remained with them until her untimely death last week. "Petel finally succumbed to her wounds," Ella Ben-Zvi reported. "We were told she hung on as long as she could to spend as much time with us as possible before finally letting go." |
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Posted: 6/3/2024 4:18:17 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#37]
The Israeli military says it has confirmed the deaths of four Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity, after obtaining new intelligence. Chaim Peri, 79, Amiram Cooper, 84, Yoram Metzger, 80, and Nadav Popplewell, 51, were all believed by the IDF to have been held together by Hamas in the Khan Younis area, and died together several months ago. The military did not detail the circumstances of their deaths, citing an ongoing probe. Peri, Cooper, and Metzger were all abducted by Hamas from Nir Oz on October 7, while Popplewell was taken hostage from Nirim. In December, Hamas published a propaganda video of Peri, Cooper, and Metzger; and in March, claimed that the three were killed by Israeli strikes. Popplewell was seen in a separate propaganda video in May, apparently published weeks after he was killed. The IDF has now confirmed the deaths of 41 of the remaining 120 hostages still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The terror group had abducted 251 people on October 7. Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military will thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the deaths of hostages Chaim Peri, Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger, and Nadav Popplewell. "We estimate that the four were killed together, in the Khan Younis area, several months ago, while being held by Hamas terrorists and while IDF forces were operating in Khan Younis," Hagari says in a press conference. "I know that difficult questions will arise regarding the circumstances of the deaths... we are examining the circumstances of death in-depth, looking into all possibilities, and we will present the findings as soon as possible, firstly to the families and then to the public. We will present [the findings] transparently, as we have done so far," he says.  Attached File
A large fire sparked by Hezbollah rocket attacks in the Kiryat Shmona area continues to spread, and is now threatening homes in the city's northern Tel Hai podium neighborhood. The Fire and Rescue Service says several yards, pergolas, and the roof of one home are now on fire due to the high flames.
Undercover Border Police officers killed a wanted Palestinian in the West Bank city of Nablus earlier today, police say. The officers and IDF troops had entered the Balata camp adjacent to Nablus to detain a wanted Palestinian at a venue. Police say that the suspect spotted the troops and attempted to flee the area while armed with a handgun. The Border Police officers then shot him dead. Several more gunmen and rioters hurling explosives were shot by troops in the area, police add.  Attached File
An explanation about IDF control of the Philadelphi Corridor: The IDF don't control the entire length of the corridor physically, as they are missing around 2.0km to the coast. The IDF claim however to have fire control over this area and that there are no tunnels here. Thus they claim to have "operational control" over the entire Philadelphi Corridor, even if they are missing a small part towards the coast physically. |
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Posted: 6/3/2024 6:25:02 PM EDT
[#38]
Israel kills another IRGC-QF general in airstrikes in Aleppo last night. Link
Israeli airstrikes near Aleppo, Syria, in the early hours of Monday killed a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps who had been deployed to the country as an adviser, according to Iranian media reports. Tasnim published a photograph of General Abyar, clad in black and standing at a Shiite shrine. His coffin, draped in the Iranian flag with his photograph attached, was taken to the Sayyida Zaynab shrine in Damascus, photographs on social media showed. General Abyar was a member of Iran’s Quds Force, a branch of the Revolutionary Guards that operates largely in other countries. He had been in Syria since 2012, when he was deployed to help the government in Damascus fight a civil war with opposition forces and Islamic State terrorists. Entire article in quote box Israeli airstrikes near Aleppo, Syria, in the early hours of Monday killed a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps who had been deployed to the country as an adviser, according to Iranian media reports. The Iranian was identified as Gen. Saeed Abyar by Tasnim News agency, a media outlet affiliated with Revolutionary Guards. He was the first Iranian to be killed by Israel since the two countries nearly went to war in April, after Israel bombed Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus, killing several commanders. Iran retaliated, attacking Israel with a barrage of 300 drones and ballistic missiles, after which Israel attacked an Iranian military base with a missile. Since then, however, the two countries stepped back from direct confrontations, facing intense international pressure to not ignite a new, wider regional war. And Iran is now enmeshed in a domestic leadership crisis, making a new wave of attacks on Israel seem unlikely. Iran has been reeling from the sudden death of its president, Ebrahim Raisi, and its foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, two weeks ago in a helicopter crash. The country is also preparing for a presidential election on June 28 in which more than 80 candidates, representing a wide array of political factions, have registered as candidates. Tasnim published a photograph of General Abyar, clad in black and standing at a Shiite shrine. His coffin, draped in the Iranian flag with his photograph attached, was taken to the Sayyida Zaynab shrine in Damascus, photographs on social media showed. General Abyar was a member of Iran’s Quds Force, a branch of the Revolutionary Guards that operates largely in other countries. He had been in Syria since 2012, when he was deployed to help the government in Damascus fight a civil war with opposition forces and Islamic State terrorists. The Quds Force now uses Syria as a regional headquarters for coordinating and arming the regional militia groups known as the “axis of resistance,” including in Lebanon, Iraq and the West Bank. Tasnim reported that Israel attacked several targets on the outskirts of Aleppo overnight on Sunday night and Saturday morning, killing 17 people and injuring 15. The Syria Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, said that among the dead were Iraqis, Syrians and members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The target appeared to be a copper factory and a weapons warehouse, the group said. Iran’s interim foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, a hard-liner with close ties to the regional militia, visited Beirut on Monday. There, he held meetings with senior Lebanese officials and senior members of Hezbollah, according to Iranian media. Mr. Bagheri said at a news conference in Beirut that Israel was a source of instability in the region and asserted that Iran and the regional militant groups it supports were “a source of stability and peace.” Mr. Bagheri, who led Iran’s delegation in several rounds of secret talks with the United States in Oman about the war in Gaza and other regional issues, said that Tehran and Washington had continued exchanging messages after Mr. Raisi’s death. |
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Posted: 6/3/2024 9:32:41 PM EDT
[#39]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 3 June Key Takeaways Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted clearing operations north of the Netzarim Corridor near Sabra and Zaytoun in Gaza City. 99th Division is currently operating along the Netzarim Corridor, using the corridor as a base to launch raids against Hamas fighters and infrastructure in the northern and central Gaza. 679th Brigade (99th Division) directed strikes on Palestinian sniper positions and located a munitions warehouse containing "dozens" of rocket components during operations in Sabra and Zaytoun. Israeli forces have conducted at least five separate operations in this area of southern Gaza Ci Palestinian fighters, including Hamas, targeted Israeli forces with rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire in Sabra. Palestinian fighters also targeted Israeli forces along the Netzarim Corridor with indirect fire. Israeli forces continued clearing operations in central Rafah. 89th Commando Brigade raided an "active combat complex" in Rafah containing tunnel shafts, and a weapons stash including long-range rockets, ”combat transmission systems,” and explosive charges. The Air Force also struck a separate Hamas weapons production site. Three Palestinian militias have mortared Israeli forces along the Egypt-Gaza Strip border. Palestinian fighters targeted Israeli forces across Rafah Governorate with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. The IDF Air Force targeted over 50 Palestinian sites across the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours. US, Israeli, and Egyptian officials discussed ways to reopen the Rafah border crossing during talks in Cairo on June 2. The IDF announced on June 3 that four Israeli hostages died in captivity in the Gaza Strip. The IDF is investigating the circumstances of their deaths, which occurred a few months ago in Khan Younis. Palestinian militias did not conduct any indirect fire attacks from the Gaza Strip. West Bank Palestinian fighters continue to seek to attack Israeli towns from the West Bank. Shin Bet announced on June 3 that it arrested a Hamas fighter in Nablus in March 2024 who had planned to conduct a suicide attack in Israel. The fighter is originally from Tulkarm in the West Bank but had been based in Jordan. A Hamas member in Turkey recruited the fighter. The fighter underwent military training in an unspecified location and Hamas sent the fighter funding and instructions for the attack. The Shin Bet also detained several Hamas fighters from Nablus who helped manufacture the IED. Palestinian militias in the West Bank continue to maintain cells focused on attacking Israeli towns and cities. Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man in Zeita, along the West Bank-Israel barrier, en route to conduct a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in March. Hamas and the al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claimed three separate attacks targeting Bat Hefer, an Israeli town immediately adjacent to Tulkarm, in May. The al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade claimed that in one of the attacks their fighters entered Israel itself. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas publicly condemned a speech given by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on June 3 where he praised the October 7 attacks. Abbas said that Khamenei’s speech sought to “sacrifice Palestinian blood” and would not lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. Northern Israel An Israeli Army Radio correspondent reported on June 3 that the IDF faces challenges intercepting drones targeting northern Israel. Other military forces, including the US Army, have also encountered challenges combatting Iranian-made drones in the Middle East Army Radio reported on June 3 that the IDF faces challenges intercepting drones targeting northern Israel. An Israeli research center reported on June 2 that Hezbollah has significantly increased its drone attacks against Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. Hezbollah more than doubled its drone attacks between April and May 2024.[100] The Air Force conducted an airstrike that killed a Hezbollah engineer in Tyre, southern Lebanon, on June 3. The engineer, Ali Hussein Sabra, improved and equipped Hezbollah air defenses. The Air Force also struck several military compounds that Hezbollah used for its air defense systems in Qotrani, southern Lebanon. Syria-Iraq The Islamic Resistance in Iraq—a coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias—conducted a drone attack targeting Haifa, Israel, on June 2.[124] The drone purportedly targeted a “vital target” in Haifa. Israel likely conducted an airstrike that targeted Iranian-backed militia infrastructure north of Aleppo, Syria and killed IRGC advisor Saeid Abyar on June 3. Syrian sources reported that Israel targeted an industrial complex operated by Iranian-backed militias in Hayyan, north of Aleppo City. Iranian regime-affiliated media reported that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) advisor Saeid Abyar was killed in the airstrike. Syrian media also reported that at least 15 Iranian-backed militia members were killed, including two members of Lebanese Hezbollah. The Israeli strike in Aleppo is a continuation of Israel’s campaign targeting IRGC and Iranian-backed personnel, weapons, and infrastructure. Iranian-backed militias have historically maintained a presence north of Aleppo in the nearby towns of Nubl and Zahra. The IDF has increased its air campaign in Syria since December 2023 to disrupt Iranian-backed efforts to transfer of military materiel to Lebanon. Yemen The Houthis likely launched a ballistic missile from the Red Sea targeting Israel on June 3. The IDF’s Arrow ballistic missile defense system intercepted the Houthi missile. US Central Command (CENTCOM) intercepted one Houthi one-way attack drone over the Red Sea on June 2. Iranian Presidential Elections Hardliners overwhelmingly dominate the candidate pool for the upcoming Iranian presidential election. Current Parliament Speaker and former IRGC Air Force commander Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and close Khamenei aide Vahid Haghanian both registered for the election between June 1 and 3. Ceasefire Negotiations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will not agree to a permanent ceasefire until Israel achieves its war objectives. Hamas may reject the agreement if the agreement fails to secure Hamas’ maximalist objectives, which include a permanent ceasefire. Post-War Gaza Strip Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on June 2 that Israel is assessing an alternative governing authority to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas will violently resist and undermine alternative governing authorities that do not include it.  
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Posted: 6/4/2024 12:47:31 AM EDT
[#40]
IDF says it killed terror suspects planning to shoot at towns across security barrier. Link
The IDF says troops killed two terror suspects overnight near the West Bank city of Tulkarem as they headed to open fire at Israeli towns across the security barrier, following several recent shooting attacks. According to an IDF statement, commandos ambushed the armed suspects as they approached the barrier, killing them and confiscating the assault rifle they allegedly planned to use.  |
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Posted: 6/4/2024 5:51:18 AM EDT
[#41]
Israeli fighter jets struck a Hezbollah compound in northeastern Lebanon's Baalbek:
Pro-Hamas Mob Brutally Attacks Jewish Man in Brooklyn: The IDF says it carried out a strike against a Hezbollah weapons depot in southern Lebanon's Mays al-Jabal earlier today. Israeli fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Ayta ash-Shab and additional infrastructure in Tayr Harfa: Israeli fighter jets struck a rocket launcher and buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon's Naqoura, Maroun al-Ras, and Khiam: |
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Posted: 6/4/2024 8:17:45 AM EDT
[#42]
Fire and rescue teams in Northern Israel:
The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike against a vehicle in Southern Lebanon: Fire and rescue teams in Northern Israel (2nd video): The IDF says it struck a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon's Naqoura: Israeli undercover police caught 17 Hamas members hidden in a truck in Judea and Samaria: |
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Posted: 6/4/2024 9:20:57 AM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#43]
The military says it carried out a drone strike overnight against a Hamas compound in central Gaza's Bureij, based out of a United Nations school. According to the IDF, several Hamas operatives were gathered at UNRWA's Abu Alhilu school when the strike was carried out. It says the strike was "carefully planned and carried out using precise munitions, while avoiding harm to uninvolved [civilians] as much as possible." The compound at the school was used by Hamas to plan attacks against troops operating in the Strip, according to the IDF. Another 65 targets were hit in airstrikes across Gaza over the past day, the military says. The IDF says the sites include buildings used by terror groups, weapon depots, rocket launch positions, observation posts, other infrastructure, as well as cells of gunmen. The strikes come as troops continue to operate in southern Gaza's Rafah and in the Netzarim Corridor in the central part of the Strip. The IDF says troops operating in Rafah located several "significant" tunnel shafts and caches of weapons over the past day.
Lebanese media report an alleged Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in the Western Beqaa District. According to reports, two people are wounded in the strike. The strike reportedly took place between the villages of Libbaya and Yohmor, some 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the Israeli border.
A fire has sparked in the Biriya Forest near Safed in northern Israel after an interceptor missile was launched at a target in the area, local authorities say. Two firefighting teams are at the scene and there is no fear that the fire will threaten any nearby towns, the Marom Hagalil Regional Council says. The fire apparently sparked from falling shrapnel following the interception. The IDF has not yet commented on the incident.
Palestinian and sympathizer tweets in quote box Link to IED tweet. Qassam vs IDF in Jabaliya Camp: Fighters repurpose an IDF anti-tank mine used to demolish houses as part of a booby-trap that included other IEDs detonated against IDF soldiers entering a home in the refugee camp. [Qassam Brigades 3/6]
The Israeli military advances into the eastern areas of the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps in Central Gaza. Yesterday, the military had intensified its attacks on the two refugee camps, and locals are also now reporting heavy shelling.
Hamas is NOT an insurgency. It is the ruling power of Gaza that had complete control of a geographic area, a population, all institutions, and a vast military (40,000 fighters, 15-20k rockets, 400 miles of military tunnels up to 200ft under ground, and a massive array/supply of small arms, mortars, crew served weapons, anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft guns, mines, improvised explosive devices, and other weapons supplies arrayed in a 15 year prepared defensive posture) with the stated and written objective to destroy Israel and all jews of the world. Israel is NOT conducting a counterinsurgency or counterterrorism campaign. Israel is conducting a war to remove a regime (happens to also be a terrorist organization) from power and dismantle its military. To say Israel cannot "destroy Hamas” through military force, that it increases Hamas's “support” or “you can’t destroy an idea or terrorism like this” is a fallacy. Israel’s war on Hamas step one is to remove them from power and dismantle their military capability. Dismantle. Defang. After step one, many elements of the clear, build, hold post-conflict phase of a war to include reconciliation and de-radicilzation will be a focus. The counterinsurgency or counterterrorism line of thinking applied to even unconventional war where the goal is to remove a power/regime and destroy/dismantle/defeat their military is equal to saying you can’t remove Hitler from power or destroy the Nazi military in Germany because of concern for further hardening the beliefs and sentiment of the portion of the German population who supported the Nazis. |
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Posted: 6/4/2024 9:40:14 AM EDT
[#44]
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Posted: 6/4/2024 1:07:06 PM EDT
[#45]
The Alma Resource and Education Center is a think tank in Israel that specializes on threats to northern Israel. Link to Alma Research Center
Here's a ~ 9 minute Youtube video of a presentation from a conference in May, "Visualization of the Iranian Threat" that shows Iranian bases and operations.  The Visualization of the Iranian Threat - Colin David |
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Posted: 6/4/2024 4:05:51 PM EDT
[#46]
The Israeli military says it has launched a new operation against Hamas in the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip. It says fighter jets are striking Hamas targets in Bureij, as ground forces are operating "in a precise manner" in the area. The IDF says it will provide additional details on the operation at a later time. The IDF first operated in Bureij in January, before withdrawing Use link to see tweet with video of gunfight. This tweet doesn't show if I use the normal process Police publish footage of the operation in the Balata Camp in Nablus yesterday, during which a wanted Palestinian was killed and several more gunmen were shot.
The military says it has wrapped up a week and a half-long pinpoint raid in Gaza City's Sabra neighborhood, aimed at re-clearing the area of Hamas infrastructure and operatives. Early this morning, combat engineers completed the demolition of a kilometer and a half-long Hamas tunnel in the area, the IDF says, before pulling back to the Netzarim Corridor. The tunnel, 23 meters deep, passed close to the corridor where the IDF maintains a semi-permanent presence. The raid in Sabra was led by the Yiftah Reserve Armored Brigade. During the raid, the IDF says the reservists located two major rocket depots, as well as other weapons, including an Igla (SA-18) anti-aircraft missile launcher, considered to be a relatively rare model in the Gaza Strip. The troops came under RPG fire amid the raid, and responded by killing the operatives with tank shelling and by directing airstrikes, the military says. Dozens of gunmen were killed and some 70 sites belonging to terror groups were destroyed by the brigade, combat engineers, and in airstrikes, the IDF adds.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says Israel is close to making a decision regarding Hezbollah's daily attacks on northern Israel amid the Gaza war. "We are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made, and the IDF is prepared and very ready for this decision," Halevi says during an assessment with military officials and Fire Commissioner Eyal Caspi, at an army base in Kiryat Shmona. "We have been attacking for eight months, and Hezbollah is paying a very, very high price. It has increased its strengths in recent days and we are prepared after a very good process of training... to move to an attack in the north," he says. [We have] strong defense, readiness to attack, [and] we are approaching a decision point," he adds. Halevi and Caspi later met with firefighters who worked to extinguish large blazes in northern Israel over the past two days, some of which were sparked by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks. |
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Posted: 6/4/2024 8:29:57 PM EDT
[Last Edit: michigan66]
[#47]
June 4 Red Sea Update In the past 24 hours, Iranian-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships. This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Link to liveblog articles below here All fires in northern Israel brought under control; firefighting operations to continue overnight An Egyptian security delegation is set to meet with Qatari and U.S. counterparts in Doha on Wednesday in attempt to revive Gaza truce negotiations, Egyptian State TV and state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV channel said on Tuesday, citing sources. Senior official: Hamas will only agree to permanent Gaza cease-fire, Israeli position remains unclear A senior Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said, "without a clear position from Israel that it will be ready for a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire, including a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, there will be no agreement." According to Hamdan, Hamas is still waiting for a clear response on the matter from Israel and will not move forward without Israel agreeing to this. "Israel only wants to carry out one step in the deal, in which it receives some of the hostages, and then return to the war," he claimed. "We are not prepared for that." Here are the latest updates on day 242 of the war ■ During a tour in northern Israel, IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said the country is approaching "the point where a decision will have to be made in the north," and the army is prepared to go on the offense in Lebanon. ■ The IDF reported that it attacked targets in southern Lebanon and assassinated a Hezbollah operative in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura. The army also said a hostile aerial target fell in the area of Mount Hermon and there were no casualties. ■ The National Jewish Fund (KKL-JNF) said fire crews are working in Keren Naftali and Margaliot to contain the fires in northern Israel and reported that twice as much land has been burned in northern Israel in recent days than was burned throughout the entire Second Lebanon War. According to its data, approximately 14,000 dunams (about 3459 acres) of forests have burned in the Galilee and the Golan Heights. ■ In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hezbollah's deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, said the organization has chosen not to expand the war with Israel, but warned that "If Israel chooses a full-out war, we are ready." ■ The IDF reported that ground forces are operating in the Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and that the Air Force is simultaneously attacking Hamas targets there. ■ U.S. President Joe Biden ordered to send CIA Director William Burns to the Middle East in an effort to reach a breakthrough in talks for a cease-fire in Gaza and the return of the hostages. ■ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf to discuss the current proposal to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza and release the hostages, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller reported. ■ Qatar's foreign ministry said that talks are persisting between Israel and Hamas, and in Doha they are awaiting a clear response from each side regarding the proposal outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden. ■ A senior Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said the group is waiting for a clear response from Israel that it has agreed to a permanent cease-fire and the withdrawal of forces from the Gaza Strip and that the Hamas would not agree to a deal unless these conditions are met. ■ Some 200 people demonstrated outside the IDF's headquarters in Tel Aviv, blocking Begin Street, and called for the release of the hostages. ■ The ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced that it supports the proposal for a hostage deal and said it contains "far-reaching steps for the return of the hostages." ■ The IDF reported that it completed the demolition of a Hamas tunnel that passed near the Netzarim Corridor and was about 75-feet deep and spanned roughly a mile. ■ The World Central Kitchen said it has resumed its work in Gaza with full-force. Its Middle East activation manager, John Torpey, reported Tuesday that 68 of the organization's kitchens are fully operational and have provided more than 3.5 million meals since reopening. ■ The IDF reported that 17 soldiers were wounded in the past day, one severely. According to the army's data, 13 soldiers sustained their wounds outside of Gaza. ■ Hamas' public relations office said Israel struck a Palestinian police vehicle that was safeguarding the public order in Deir al-Balah in Gaza. According to Hamas, eight officers were killed and several civilians were wounded. ■ The Defense Ministry announced that it signed a deal with the U.S. government to purchase 25 F-35 fighter jets to be transferred to Israel starting in 2028. |
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Posted: 6/4/2024 9:01:01 PM EDT
[#48]
Because he didn't get the memo, because he doesn't have any real role in Lebanon, because Hezbollah runs Lebanon, not "Mikati"...literally this is a Lebanese "government" where Hezbollah has carried out 4,000 attacks on Israel in almost eight months....MOST countries don't have groups that carry out 4,000 attacks on a neighboring country and the country pretends it is still a country. If your country has an army that is NOT controlled by the state that has 200,000 rockets and missiles...and attacks a neighboring country with 4,000 rockets, drones and missiles...then your country doesn't really have a "prime minister"...
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It's hard to keep track of all these battalions that have arisen in the West Bank recently...fueled and armed by the masses of illegal rifles (almost all of them stolen/smuggled M-4/M-16 types)...this is what happens when a state decides security doesn't matter...and shrug at the West Bank sinking into violence and war...just like the "shrug" on October 6 that let Hamas attack the next day...and the shrug for 8 months that let Hezbollah take over northern Israel. It's all the same. It's good the Palestinian Authority got this one rifle...and some gear. In the end, sadly, the PA can't stop the flow of illegal rifles...because they all come from outside the West Bank...almost all of them are made in the West...and if anyone bothered to track them they'd find a big elephant in the room.
Avi Dichter, Likud minister and former Sayeret Matkal soldier and head of the Shin Bet was asked in a conference why Israel is not handling Hezbollah in the north. His answer was depressing yet 100% correct: "We are not a superpower that can handle threats on seven fronts at full force. We are not the United States. We don't have the capabilities, the tools or the resources." Israel, on its own, cannot handle this terrible situation. It needs the backing of the United States and the EU and to join a wider anti-Iranian alliance. There are limits to the effectiveness of military force, and the IDF in particular.
Israel fell into a huge trap on Oct. 7 and it didn't see it coming. It had convinced itself that it was running things and dictating tempo and initiative, but it was outflanked. And all of its plans about "third circle" threats and "multi-front wars" came crashing down. Israel is now fighting in Gaza for 8 months and Hamas runs 70% of Gaza still. Hezbollah rains down rockets on Israel's north and Israel can't stop the attacks. Houthis blockade the Red Sea. Iraqi militias launch drones. Iran is doing as it wants everywhere.
Unless Israel can seize the initiative and wake up from the slumber it will be in a worse position over time. It's leadership continues to seem profoundly out to lunch in terms of understanding what is happening. It is treating the war in Gaza as another 2009 war...yet things have changed.
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Posted: 6/4/2024 11:17:59 PM EDT
[#49]
 Institute for Study of War Backgrounder 4 June Key Takeaways Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated on June 4 that it concluded its raid in southern Gaza City into Sabra and Zaytoun neighborhoods with two brigades. 679th Brigade demolished a 1.5-kilometer-long and 23-meter-deep tunnel that Hamas fighters had used to attack Israeli forces. 99th Division is currently operating along the Netzarim corridor. Palestinian militias fired mortars at Israeli forces and an IDF site along the Netzarim Corridor. On June 4 the IDF launched a re-clearing operation targeting Hamas in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip. The Air Force struck a school compound, where it said that Hamas fighters were planning attacks targeting Israel and Israeli forces in the strip. Hamas mortared Israeli forces advancing east of Bureij. The IDF conducted operations in Bureij in December 2023. The IDF continued clearing operations in Rafah, sraeli forces. CIA Director Bill Burns and US National Security Council official Brett McGurk are traveling to Egypt and Qatar to advance the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal. West Bank Palestinian militias have continued trying to attack and threaten Israeli towns adjacent to the West Bank. IDF reported that two Palestinian fighters approached the border wall between Israel and Tulkarm on June 3 to shoot at Bat Hefer, Israel. The IDF killed the two Palestinian fighters and confiscated their weapons. Gallant said that the IDF will continue to conduct ground and air-based operations to thwart Iranian efforts to “flood” the West Bank with smuggled weapons. He instructed the IDF and the Israeli Defense Ministry to form, equip, and train “intervention teams” from Israeli towns and combat unit graduates to intervene in events that may develop along the Tulkarm border and in the region. Southern Lebanon and Golan Heights Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanese Hezbollah, have conducted at least 11 attacks in the last 24 hours. The IDF intercepted one drone launched from Lebanese territory over the coast of Nahariyya in northern Israel. Hezbollah separately launched a ”squadron” of one-way attack drones targeting an IDF brigade in the Golan Heights.[56] IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halev said on June 4 that Israel is approaching a point where it must decide how to respond to Hezbollah’s daily cross-border attacks. Halevi said that Israeli forces on the northern border have been training and developing capabilities in preparation for an unspecified attack targeting Hezbollah. Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem said that Hezbollah is prepared for a war with Israel, adding that Hezbollah would respond to any Israeli attack “with devastation, destruction, and displacement.” He claimed that Hezbollah is currently only using a ”small portion” of its capabilities and reiterated that Hezbollah’s calculations on the Israel-Lebanon border are tied to Israeli activity in the Gaza Strip. Yemen The Houthis announced that they recently fired a "Palestine" ballistic missile from Yemen at Israel. The IDF reports intercepting a missile on 3 June. Iraq A prominent Iranian-backed Iraqi militia called for a boycott of US businesses in Iraq and implied its support for recent attacks targeting these businesses. Iran Senior officials tied to the IRGC are supporting Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in the Iranian presidential election.   
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CA, USA
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Posted: 6/4/2024 11:40:22 PM EDT
[#50]
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