Syria and Iran: “The attack will not go unanswered.”

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UPDATES 6 pm Israel time Thursday:

**A major Hamas terrorist cell has been captured in Hebron. Twenty terrorists were actively engaged in planning the kidnapping of an IDF soldier in an operation that was remarkably sophisticated including one terrorist whose job was to gain foreign funds to carry out the kidnapping and two others who job was to find a “safe house” to keep the soldier in while demanding the release of Palestinian terrorists. Once again, Israel has Shin Bet to thank.

**The so-called United Nations “Human Rights” Council, which was so exasperated back on Tuesday when Israel refused to show up for its annual flogging, virulently attacked Israel again this morning. 

Led by French “judge” Christine Chanet, the UNHRC demanded: “Israel must, in compliance with article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, cease all settlement activities without preconditions. It must immediately initiate a process of withdrawal of all settlers from the OPT (occupied Palestinian territories).”  The UNHRC went on to recommend that the Palestinians take Israel to the International Criminal Court for the “war crime” of transferring population into Judea and Samaria.

Lest the UNHRC and “Judge” Chanet forget, Article 49.1 of the Geneva Convention forbids the “forcible transfer” of population. What “forcible transfer” is there? This morning when the IDF was forcibly removing Jewish communities members from the Jewish community of Yitzhar, your humble servant wondered if that constituted a violation of the Geneva Convention.  

**Yesterday, a Saudi Arabian newspaper published a glowing article about the Tuesday meeting of King Abdullah of Jordan with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. In that article, the paper quoted King Abdullah as saying that Meshaal had agreed “in principle” to a two state solution with Israel. This morning Hamas quashed that report saying that nothing was further from the truth–Hamas will never agree to the state of Israel.

**More heavy rains have hit Israel today filling the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) to near capacity for the first time in years. There has been flooding in the north and the south. The following picture was taken of a rare lightning strike near Eilat (unfortunately, it was posted anonymously on a list serve–so proper attribution cannot be made):

Lightning strike in the Negev near Eilat.

**Ehud Barak, Israel’s outgoing Defense Minister, announced approval today for the planning and construction of 346 more housing units in Judea and Samaria (200 in Tekoa and 146 in Nokdim). The irony of the situation is that Barak, who has been no friend of the Jewish community members of Judea and Samaria, has suddenly started granting approvals now that he is on the way out.

TODAY’S BLOG:

The events of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning remain shrouded in mystery. It seems virtually certain that the IAF struck at least one target and possibly two. First, there was the Hezbollah convoy ferrying SA-17 Russian made anti-aircraft missiles out of Syria into Lebanon. Then, there was the “research facility” just outside of Damascus, being described this morning as a central part of the Syrian missile and chemical weapons program.

The Syrian site which has been completely destroyed.

This “research facility” known as CERS in Syria (a French acronym for Scientific Studies and Research Center) is located in Jermaya, five miles from downtown Damascus. It is heavily guarded on the north, east, and west by Iranian Republican Guards–many of whom were reportedly killed in the strike.

Whether Israel struck the Syrian facility or not (and as of a few hours ago, the “Syrian Free Army” is claiming that it attacked the facility not Israel), Assad is using the supposed attack as a rallying cry for his dissipating regime–calling for all loyal Syrians to join in the fight against Israel. It is a rallying cry being underscored by threats today from Iran which is bellicosely declaring that the “attack” will not go unanswered.

Meanwhile, another Iron Dome battery has been moved north, and thousands more Israelis obtained gas masks in the last 24 hours.

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