Yom Shabbat
Saturday
26 Elul 5784
September 28 2024
UPDATE 9:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
Below is part of the ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen against Ben Gurion Airport earlier today. It was intercepted before it arrived to Israel; however, parts of its fell all over including this piece on the road near Tzur Hadassah:
One elimination after another:
Hassan Khalil Yassin, a senior terrorist in Hezbollah’s intelligence array, in a strike in the Dahiya area of Beirut this afternoon. Yassin was responsible for the identification of civilian and military targets on the northern border and deep within Israeli territory.
Nabil Qaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s executive council.
Haj Tawfik Samir Deib (Haj Jihad) the newly appointed Radwan force commander who replaced who was killed last week.
*It is difficult to describe the surge of pride felt by Israelis in the last few weeks as we have taken the fight to Hezbollah. After the disaster of October 7th, Israelis—despite the immense success of the IDF in Gaza against Hamas—nevertheless walked around with a kind of hang-dog attitude. We all know that tough times are ahead, but let’s enjoy the moment.
UPDATE 5:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
Two hours ago, the IDF spokesman made this announcement: “Following a situational assessment, it was determined that as of today (Saturday), with immediate effect, changes will be made to the Home Front Command’s Defensive Guidelines in different areas in central Israel.”
More specifically, Israelis are prohibited from meetings of more than 1000 people, and are instructed to stay especially close to bomb shelter.
*Six barrages of Hezbollah missiles have targeted northern Israel and the Galilee region between 11:00 am and now (17:00): 11:16 (Samaria) Givat Harel, Levona, Ofra, Beit El, Givat Assaf, Psagot, Rimonim, Michmash, Tel Zion, Migron; 12:11 (Upper Galilee-Lebanese border) Tzfat, Ramat Dalton, Kadita, Or HaGanuz; 13:15 (Lebanese Border-Upper Galilee) Nahariya, Manot, Arab al-Aramshe, Eilon, Goren; 13:21 (Lebanese border) Metzuba, Shlomi, Hanita; 13:40 (Southern Golan-Border-Upper Galilee) Katzrin, Maona, Fassuta, Shtula, Migdal Tefen, Hurfeish, Tzuriel; 14:01 (Upper Galilee-Border) Tzfat, Dalton, Kadita, Nof Ha Kineret, Amiad.
*In the immediate fog and lack of information surrounding the attack on Hezbollah, various bits of misinformation were reported among them that the Dahiyeh headquarters were hit by missiles, then reported that they were hit by F35s, but in the end we now know that it was a squadron of F15i’s that carried out the mission.
What type and how many bombs were dropped on the headquarters remains unclear. Some reports say that 80 tons of bombs were dropped; others describe eight 1000 pound bombs. In the coming days, we should know exactly.
UPDATE 11:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
*Hassan Nasrallah is dead. The announcement was just made by the IDF Spokesman. No announcement could be made until DNA tests were carried out and a BDA Bomb Damage Assessment was finished. A complete list of the Hezbollah dead will not come for some time.
Will Nasrallah’s death be a turning point in the war? To use a cliche, only time will tell.
*During the last 3 hours, Hezbollah has launched a number of barrages at northern Israel. Perhaps most worrisome was a surface to surface missile that was intercepted by the Arrow system and crashed into an open space in central Israel.
08:01 Alarms in 192 locations in Upper and Central Galilee, along the border, Wadi Ara, and Samaria
09:00 Alarms in 39 locations in HaAmakim, HaMifratz, Central Galilee
09:35 Alarms in 105 locations in Upper and Central Galilee
09:49 Alarms in 19 locations in Upper Galilee centered on Tzfat
10:12 Alarm in Shlomi
10:42 Alarms in 21 locations along the border centered on Nahariya
*Elsewhere Another Important Elimination
From the IDF Spokesman:
“Fighter jets of the Air Force attacked during the night under the intelligence guidance of the Intelligence Division and the Northern Command, and eliminated the head of the terror infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hamas in southern Syria, the terrorist Ahmed Muhammad Fahd.
Fahd was responsible for carrying out terrorist operations against the IDF forces and the State of Israel from the area of southern Syria; he was planning to carry out another terrorist attack in the immediate time frame.”
UPDATE 8:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
Wave after wave of IAF aircraft have pulverized Hezbollah assets in Lebanon all night with a special emphasis on stopping shipments of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah, and hitting missile storage facilities in Beirut:
There is still no definite word about who was eliminated in the massive strike last night on Hezbollah headquarters in the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut. It is believed that dozens of Hezbollah commanders and subcommanders were killed in the blasts–including Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah. Lebanese television reports this morning that some 400 people are still buried under the rubble.
However, reports have begun to leak out and coupled with reports from other locations in Lebanon, this is a short list of confirmed eliminations:
*Muhammad Ali Ismail, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Missile Unit in southern Lebanon, and his deputy, Hussein Ahmad Ismail.
*Abbas Nilpuroshan, deputy of naval operations of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
*Zeinab Nasrallah, the daughter of the Secretary General of Hezbollah
*Ali Karachi (was initially believed to have been assassinated last week), Commander of the southern front,
*Whether because of shock, eliminations, or chaos within Hezbollah, Hezbollah missile strikes against northern Israel have been “relatively” muted in scope since the attack on Dahiya yesterday: 22:03 Tzfat (several direct hits), Meron, Dalton; 22:21 Husniyya, Mikhmanim, Salama, Sakhnin, Lavon; 22:24 Nahariya, Shlomi, Lehman; 01:26 Tzfat, Rosh Pinna, Ramat Dalton; 06:17 Hatzor, Tuba-Zangariyya, Rosh Pinna (a total of 10 missiles in this barrage); 07:34 Jewish communities in Samaria–Beit El, Peduel, Ofrim, Talmon, Nahaliel..
What do we mean by “relatively muted in scope”? Simply that many cities including Tel Aviv and Haifa opened their bomb shelters last night expecting missile barrages during the night. Of course, such barrages could happen at any moment.
And so it goes this Shabbat morning in Israel. As always we wish our soldiers the safest Shabbat possible under the circumstances.
Check back during the day for further updates.
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.