Yom Revaee
Wednesday
22 Tevet 5784
January 3 2024
UPDATE 7:00 PM
Hostage Death Update
The IDF has informed the Baruch family that their son Shahar was killed during a rescue attempt on December 8. It is not known whether he died from HamISIS bullets or those of his rescuers. Shahar, aged 25, was taken hostage at Kibbutz Beeri on October 7th.
Soldier Death Update
Maj. Meiron Moshe Gersch, 21, from Petach Tikva, a fighter in the Yehlam unit, the Combat Engineering Corps, fell in battle in northern Gaza.
May the memories of both men be for a blessing.
UPDATE 6:00 PM
The Situation in the North
Terrorists in Lebanon continue firing missiles at communities on the Lebanese border with alarms at Betzet, Hanita, Metzuba, Rosh HaNikra, and Shlomi (17:29), and Dovev (16:35). Several missile fired were of the large Burkan type. There are no physical casualties. The IDF has responded by attacking the launch sites in southern Lebanon and Markaba which is across the border from Margaliot.
In Iran
As you undoubtedly know by now, two explosions at the tomb of former Al-Quds General Qassem Soleimani have killed at least 103 Iranians. According to the governor of the province, two suitcases left at the entrance to the tomb were remotely detonated during the memorial activities (the abominable Soleimani met his deserved end on January 3, 2020 at the Baghdad airport when his car was hit by a missile).
Attention immediately has focused (as always) on Israel, but there is no reason in the world that Israel would have targeted his tomb. ISIS as well as other “takfiris” have been implicated in many previous such attacks and attempted attacks in Iran. Takfiris are Muslims who accuse other Muslims of being apostates.
Hostage “Pre-Negotiations”
All significant hostage “pre-negotiations” in Cairo have now ended following the assassination of Al-Arouri. Egypt refuses to mediate, HamISIS representatives have gone back to Qatar (the Qataris say that negotiations are still possible), and the Israeli group is back in Israel.
No matter. The “pre-negotiations” were going nowhere with Yahya Sinwar sending out ludicrous signals that he was willing to be more flexible while at the same time demanding the withdrawal of all Israeli soldiers from Gaza.
Now that the “pre-negotiations” have ended, numerous Israelis are demanding that the humanitarian shipments into Gaza also end.
They should have never begun.
A Laughable General Strike in Hevron, Jenin, and Eastern Jerusalem
In retaliation for the Al-Arouri hit, the PLO and HamISIS called a general strike yesterday in the areas mentioned.
Why is this laughable? The only people getting hurt by the strike are Palestinian merchants. No Israelis shop in Jenin, and few if any in the Palestinian section of Hevron or in eastern Jerusalem.
In fact, the merchant stalls in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City have been shuttered for weeks, and their owners complain that they are going bankrupt.
2 Down, 1 To Go
Now that President Claudine Gay of Harvard has resigned following the resignation of Liz Magill at Penn University, only President Sally Kornbluth of MIT remains in her position following the threesome’s disastrous and malicious testimony concerning anti-Semitism at the Congressional hearing last month.
Gay’s resignation comes as somewhat of a surprise given the fact that she seemed to have weathered the storm following her remarks–thanks to support from the Harvard Board and such alumni as former President Barack Obama.
What seems to have been the nail in her coffin were the numerous discoveries of her plagiarism in her academic work.
Whatever the reason, good riddance!
UPDATE 9:00 AM
Follow-up To The Elimination of Al-Arouri in Beirut
The quiet before the storm? The night here passed quietly in the sense that no long-range missiles were fired at Israel from either the north or south. Here in Ashdod, all we heard all night was the constant roar of planes overhead.
Hezbollah terrorists did fire an anti-tank missile at the IDF post on the Ramim Ridge in the north lightly wounding two soldiers. In response, Israeli planes attacked Hezbollah forces between Rav Telathin and Merkaba in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah issued this statement: “Dangerous development, this crime will not go unanswered. Our forces are at the highest level of alertness and readiness.”
Actually Salah Al-Arouri was not the first HamISIS leader in Lebanon to be eliminated. Two weeks ago, an IAF missile incinerated Khalil Kharaz, the deputy head of military wing of HamISIS as he was riding in a car near Tzur.
In addition, to Al-Arouri, two more HamISIS commanders were killed in the same strike last night: commanders of the HamISIS armed wing in Lebanon: Samir Findi Abu Amer and Azzam Al-Aqraa Abu Ammar. Four others were also killed.
It now appears that the seven who were killed last night were hit in 2 drone strikes–one on an apartment, the other on a car in the street below. By the way, the attack took place in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, the Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon. More than this, the attack took place approximately 1 km away from Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah’s notorious bunker where he has lived for more than a decade.
The Biden Administration
The Biden Administration has gone to some lengths this morning to say that it was not informed in advance by Israel of the targeting of Al-Arouri. However, it should be remembered that the U.S. State Department had posted a $5,000,000 reward for information leading to the Al-Arouri’s capture.
Whatever the case, Secretary of State Blinken has delayed his planned visit here which was to have taken place tomorrow.
On the hostage front, a senior Bidenite said yesterday that the U.S. believes that six Americans are still held hostage–but does not know if they are alive or dead. The number dropped from 8 to 6 this week when Gadi and Judy Haggai were declared “dead.”
Making Some Progress
A few days ago, we reported with alarm that our government had decided to hand out 10,000 work permits to Palestinians in Judea and Samaria to work in Israel.
We wondered what happened to the plan to bring workers from other countries.
It turns out that Israeli representatives are in India and Sri Lanka doing just that. An initial 5,000 Indian workers have already been screened and are ready to arrive; 3000 Sri Lankans are currently being vetted.
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.