Monday
Yom Shnee
1 Kislev 5785
December 2 2024
The View from Ashdod/On the Ground in Gaza
It had been relatively quiet here in Ashdod for the last few days, but that ended last night.
All night and into this morning, we’ve heard and felt massive explosions emanating from Gaza. More specifically, the explosions are coming from Jabaliya in northern Gaza where the IDF is blowing up buildings where hundreds of Hamas terrorists who refuse to surrender are holed up.
Also in northern Gaza, our soldiers are fighting in face-to-face encounters with terrorirsts in the al-Safatawi neighorhood.
The War in the North
The IDF Spokesman yesterday:
“The IDF acted during the day following several operations in Lebanon that posed a threat to the State of Israel, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
As part of these operations, the fighters of the paratrooper brigade under the command of Division 98 identified a number of armed terrorists near the local church which is identified as an active terrorist infrastructure of Hezbollah in the South Lebanon area. The forces fired at the terrorists and killed them. The terrorists who were eliminated were active in the ground defense, anti-tank and artillery formations in the sector, and took part in the fighting while using the church.
After the terrorists were eliminated, the forces searched the area of the church during the day and found a shaft with weapons inside.”
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
The terrorist who murdered Yonatan Deutsch on August 11 2024 at the Mahola Junction in Samaria–and headed a terrorist squad that carried out several shooting attacks in the Gilboa area was killed. Also killed were three other members of his terror cell.
The Situation in Syria
*In an event that speaks volumes about Israel’s new power in the Middle East, IAF fighter planes intercepted an Iranian cargo plane carrying weapons to Assad’s forces in Syria and forced it turn around and return to Iran.
*Elsewhere yesterday we had Russian aircraft attacking rebel forces in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo–and claiming that 320 rebels were killed. At the same time (in support of the rebels), the U.S. using A-10 aircraft strafed Iranian proxy mercenaries in al-Mayadin in eastern Syria. Local reports say that hundreds were killed.
Who controls what territory is perhaps best illustrated by this map that appeared yesterday (author on map below title):
Basically, dark red and light red are Assad-controlled areas; dark green and light green are rebel controlled. The tiny blue area in the lower left is the Israeli Golan Heights–which is not a part of Syria.
In Good News
The government of Paraguay moved its embassy from Herzliya to Jerusalem yesterday. Paraguayan Ambassador Rubin Cymerman issued this statement: “From Herzliya to Jerusalem: Today we close one chapter to open a historic new one. The new Paraguayan Embassy in Jerusalem symbolizes our friendship and commitment to Israel. A historic step into the future!”
Kolakevod to Paraguay!
In Bad News
In an interview universally condemned by right and left here in Israel, the ever abominable Bogie Ya’alon underscored his hatred of PM Netanyahu by fraudulently accusing Israel and the IDF of “ethnic cleansing” and war crimes in Gaza. His comments were obviously meant to buttress the arrest warrants against PM Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant issued in The Hague by the International Criminal Court.
Already, pro-Palestinian groups in the Netherlands called on the Dutch authorities to arrest 3 IDF soldiers who arrived in the country yesterday.
Ya’alon is the lowest form of scum.
And what about Sara . . .
Guess who turned up at Mar-A-Lago yesterday for dinner with President-elect Trump?
Yes, Sara Netanyahu who is in Florida visiting her son in Miami was photographed by one of Trump’s pr personnel.
And so it goes this morning in the land of Israel.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.