Yom Rishon
Sunday
6 Nisan 5784
April 14 2024
[There Will Be Continuous Updates All Day]
UPDATE 12:00 PM
Where do we stand at this hour?
An Iranian cruise missile shot down over the Dead Sea early this morning.
The War Cabinet is meeting at 3:30 pm Israel time to discuss a response to the massive Iranian attack on Israel last night and early this morning.
President Biden is urging Israel not to respond at all, and apparently has warned that if Israel decides to attack Iran on Iranian soil, the U.S. will not participate.
The fact that Biden would even make such an outrageous demand further indicates that he just doesn’t the understand the reality of the world and especially region that we live in.
The only thing that the Arabs and Iranians in this area respect is strength. To let a massive, unprecedented assault involving ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and suicide drones go unanswered would simply embolden our terrorist enemy in Tehran.
Already we see videos of crowds in the streets of Iran and legislators in the Iranian Parliament gleefully rejoicing about the attack and chanting “Death to Israel.”
Already we see a brazen Iran threatening the U.S. if it joins Israel in engaging in “offensive” action. Already we see a brazen Iran threatening Jordan for its role in downing some of the drones fired at Israel (specifically at Jerusalem).
Unless Israel retaliates by hitting some high-value sites in Iran such as nuclear weapons sites, oil fields, or dams, who knows where the Iranians will next target?
An Extraordinary Defense Achievement
Israel’s multi-layered air defense system worked wonders against the Iranian attack. Using a mix of fighter jets led by F35s, the Arrow system hitting incoming ballistic missiles in space, David’s Sling taking down medium-range missiles, the Iron Dome, and Iron Beam (laser system), our military was remarkable.
A Further Thought Concerning President Biden And Other Western Leaders
Israel cannot thank enough those who helped us during the Iranian attacks of the last 24 hours.
American, British, and even Jordanian planes helped shoot down the incoming missiles and drones. British planes were refueled in Cyprus, and even Saudi Arabia appears to have played some as yet unknown role in deterring the Iranian strikes.
Again, a huge thanks to all of those who stood with Israel.
Having said that, it is amazing how Israel garners support when we are defending ourselves from attack, and sickening how quickly that support dissipates when we go on the offense.
It’s an old but accurate truth that the world loves us when we are being victimized, but detests us when we fight back. Watch what happens in the next 24 hours.
On the Ground in Gaza and the North
IDF forces continued making inroads into the terrorist infrastructure in Deir Al-Balach and Nuseirat in Gaza, and the IAF has struck deeply into Lebanon up to Baalbak in the last few hours.
UPDATE 8:00 AM
For the last hour, Israeli television has been showing F35s returning from missions landing at the IAF Nabatean base in the Negev.
Apparently one Iranian goal in the attacks was to disable the base.
The Iranians utterly failed.
The question before the government is now in the words of a senior government official: whether to react against Iran according to the scope of the attack it launched, or according to the results it achieved.
After helping Israel defend against the Iranian drones and missiles, President Biden has now apparently informed Israel that he does not want Israel to attack Iran–and if it does, the U.S. will not participate.
The Iranian attack is now apparently over (for the moment). Ben Gurion Airport is once again open to traffic.
UPDATE 6:30 AM
Iranian attacks are continuing with cruise missile and UAV interceptions taking place over southern and northern Israel. International media are reporting that the Iranian drone attack on Israel is the largest drone attack in history.
The Iranians have targeted Jerusalem as well as Beersheva, Dimona, Jerusalem, Samaria, Ben Gurion Airport, and the Golan Heights:
Intercepts over the Knesset in Jerusalem.
And:
Intercepts over the Temple Mount. Note the Kipat HaSela (Dome of the Rock in the lower right).
And:
Over Modi’in near the airport.
A number of countries have greatly helped Israel in our defense against the missiles and drones: the U.S., the U.K. France, Cyprus, and even Jordan which shot down dozens of drones headed toward Israel over its territory.
Those drones and missiles have been launched from more than 10 Iranian locations as well as from Iranian proxies in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon.
The Israeli laser system was fully deployed overnight shooting down incoming drones and missiles.
According to sketchy reports a 10-year-old Bedouin child living in an encampment near Arad was either killed or critically wounded.
All told, 725 red alerts have been sounded in Israel so far.
*****
Our OneIsrael Campaign For Our Soldiers
IDF soldiers on the ground in Gaza and in the north have indicated that they urgently need more basic supplies and armaments. Just yesterday, it was announced that “barrier shields” are finally being erected at military outposts in the south where soldiers were forced to lie in open trenches to protect themselves from incoming missiles and drones which have been seen in the hundreds today.
The IDF ombudsman reported last month that there has been a 265% increase in the number of incidents in which soldiers are short of combat equipment and basic protective gear.
Members of the Nahal Brigade which remains in Gaza despite the general IDF withdrawal (photo: IDF).
Here at OneIsrael we are engaged in another campaign for our soldiers. This campaign will extend through Passover and to Shavuot.
Please consider donating to our campaign by clicking on the donate button in the right hand column on this page. All donations go directly to our soldiers.
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UPDATE 5 AM
*In the last 5 hours, Iran has fired more than 150 surface to surface ballistic missiles, 36 cruise missiles, and 185 UAVs (drones) at Israel.
*As of this hour, the IDF reports that 99.9% of these have been intercepted and shot down outside of Israel’s borders.
*Remarkably, only minor damage has been caused at a base in the south.
*Reportedly, another Iranian barrage is on the way which the Iranians report will be twice as strong as what has happened before now.
The War Cabinet has reportedly decided on a response to the Iranian assault that will take place “on Iranian soil.”.
All Israel airspace is now closed except, obviously, for military aircraft which are everywhere in the sky overhead.
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.