Yom Rishon
Sunday
21 Av 5784
August 25 2024
UPDATE 12:00 PM SUNDAY
*Unconfirmed:
Hezbollah’s target this morning was the Galilot neighborhood of north Tel Aviv. The Galilot neighborhood is home to Mossad and to the 8200 Intelligence Division of the IDF.
Hezbollah claims its precision missile attacks were successful.
There is no word either way from Israel. One would have supposed that if missiles had struck the area, there would have been multiple reports of explosions. There have been none.
*The IAF continues striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
*Ben Gurion Airport, chaotically, remains open. The problem is that most flights out were postponed early this morning, and are not set to resume until later today. Only 50 out of some 300 flights were canceled.
Consequently, the airport is packed with people, and the manager of the airport, Udi Bar-Oz has just assured all passengers whose flights were postponed or even canceled that they will be able to fly out by the end of the day (perhaps on alternate flights).
*Mixed reports from Cairo: Egypt is claiming that Israel has agreed “in principle” to withdraw from the Rafah Crossing and Philadelphi Corridor. Israel continues to insist this is fake news. Hamas, which earlier said that rejected the most recent proposal is still sending representatives to the “negotiations.”
UPDATE 10:00 AM SUNDAY
*As we noted in the first update today, Hezbollah says that it has finished “Stage 1” of its retaliatory attack. Whether this is by design or necessity is not known. It appears that the IAF was successful in its pre-emptive attack to thwart firing of missiles toward Tel Aviv and elsewhere. Reports are that the IAF stopped the launch of some 6000 missiles and drones at Israel.
*Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah is expected to speak in the coming hours. Hezbollah claims that the 200+ missile and drone attacks it fired this morning were a diversion (the last ones were fired at 7:35 am at Meron and Sassa), and that it hit 2 significant targets in north Tel Aviv. There is no further information on those. This is a map provided by Hezbollah of its missile and drone “distractions”:
Remember, this map is from Hezbollah.
*More than 100 IAF aircraft took part in the pre-emptive strike on southern Lebanon this morning.
*There is much anger in the northern communities because the purpose of the pre-emptive strike was stop an attack on Tel Aviv. The heads of the northern communities issued an announcement this morning facetiously calling the pre-emptive strike “Shalom Tel Aviv” (Peace for Tel Aviv). They question whether Kiryat Shmona, Metulla, and other communities are not just as important as Tel Aviv.
UPDATE 8:00 AM SUNDAY
*Due to the current situation, we will post updates every two hours during the day. Here in Ashdod, all public bomb shelters have been opened. We have been acutely aware of IAF action since 3:30 am this morning when massive numbers of aircraft began flying high and low over our house to the north. They continue at this hour.
*At around 5:00 am this morning, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike on hundreds of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. These strikes were based on American and Israeli intel. Apparently, Israel destroyed some 150 ballistic missiles aimed at Tel Aviv.
*At 6:15 am, Hezbollah issued an announcement that its retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah Chief of Staff Fuad Shakur had begun. According to Hezbollah, IDF bases are being hit, and these attacks will continue indefinitely ultimately concluding in “a surprise attack.”
*Thus far today, Hezbollah has fired more than 300 missiles at 11 IDF bases along the Lebanese border and in the northern Golan area. At this moment, Hezbollah has just announced that it has concluded “Stage 1” of its attacks.
*The IDF has issued instructions for everyone from Tel Aviv to the north to remain close to a bomb shelter.
*Ben Gurion Airport, which was closed during the night, has reopened this morning but most flights have been delayed or canceled.
On the Ground in the South
May Their Memories Be For A Blessing
Announced last night:
L-R: ;Maj. Nitai Mitodi, Maj. Yaniv Oren, Maj. Danil Pacheniuk
Maj. (res.) Nitai Metodi, 23 years old, from Ashkelon, a fighter in the 6310th Brigade, Jerusalem Brigade, fell in battle in the center of Gaza.
Maj. (res.) Yaniv Itzhak Oren, 35 years old, from Ein Gedi, a fighter in Battalion 8119, the Jerusalem Brigade, fell in battle in the center of Gaza .
Maj. (res.) Danil Pechenyuk, 26 years old, from Bat Yam, a fighter in the 6310th Brigade, Jerusalem Brigade, fell in battle in the center of Gaza.
Major Metodi and Major Pechenyuk were killed when they entered a booby-trapped house in the Zeytoun neighborhood. A bomb attached to a wall was remotely detonated by a terrorist who was watching via a camera in the house. Maj. Oren was killed in a firefight outside the house.
Announced this morning:
Sgt. Amit Tsadikov (with apologies for the blurry photo)
Sgt. Amit Tsadikov, 20 years old, from Beit Dagan, a fighter in the 202nd Battalion, Parachute Brigade, fell in battle in southern Gaza.
339 IDF soldiers have now fallen since the Gaza Operation began on October 27th last years.
On the Ceasefire/Hostage Front
Hamas informed mediators last night that–despite numerous Israeli concessions–it rejects the latest American proposal.
Nevertheless, “negotiations” are apparently continuing this morning in Cairo.
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.