Yom Reva’ee
Wednesday
23 Elul 5784
September 25 2024
UPDATE 9:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
On the Ground in the North
*There is much talk about a temporary ceasefire this evening based on UN Resolution 1701, though as we have heard continuously, Nasrallah steadfastly vows to continue fighting until the IDF is out of Gaza and the “West Bank.”
*Unusually, there have been no missile or drone attacks from Hezbollah since 16:30 this afternoon–the time of our last update. Of course the night is not over yet.
The IDF spokesman:
“Fighter jets of the IAF, in cooperation with the Northern Command, attacked during the day about 280 targets of Hezbollah including launchers from which the launches were carried out towards the area of Safed, Nahariya, and towards Tel Aviv, terrorists, military depots, launchers ready for launch and military infrastructure of the organization . . .
Regarding the threat to IAF planes in Lebanon: there were attempts to attack the planes, and just as importantly the air force destroyed a number of Hezbollah’s air defense systems.”
On the Ground in Gaza
The IDF Spokesman:
“In the last day, the IDF forces fighting in Gaza have eliminated about 40 terrorists from the field levels and from the various combat formations of Hamas: the rocket formation, the weapons formation, and the information formation of the organization.
In northern Gaza, the Gaza Division is carrying out targeted raids in the Beit Lahia area to destroy terrorist infrastructures. During the operation, the fighters located and destroyed three launcher hives which contained 27 launcher nests. In one of them, three canisters were found loaded with rockets ready to be launched immediately.
In central Gaza, the forces of Division 252 began several simultaneous operations in the outskirts of Nuseirat, Sabra and Zeyton with the aim of destroying terrorist infrastructures. In addition, a number of significant tunnel shafts in the area and enemy observation posts were located and destroyed.
In southern Gaza, the forces of Division 162 continue to operate in the Rafah area and the Philadelphia Corridor. The fighters eliminated terrorists who were operating from a shaft in the building and located many weapons.”
In Eilat
About 40 minutes ago, an alarm for an incoming drones was sounded in Eilat. Two drones “apparently” from Iraq were “apparently” intercepted by a naval dome system on an Israeli Navy Saar 6 missile ship. A third fell at the port. Two Israelis were “slightly” wounded–possibly by fragments from the interceptions.
A Startling Revelation Today
A letter written to the Biden-Harris Adminstration authored by Senators Tom Cotton and Mitch McConnell reveals that–despite Biden and Harris’ statements to the contrary—the U.S. is still withholding weapons to Israel–specifically bunker busting MK84 bombs badly needed for deep Hamas and Hezbollah tunnels, Apache helicopters, and D9 tractors used to clear IEDs.
Here is the letter:
UPDATE 4:30 PM ISRAEL TIME
*In the last 5 hours, three barrages of Hezbollah missiles: 13:35 Sa’ar (2 Israelis wounded), Nahariya, Rosh HaNikra, Metzuba, Kfar Manda, Shfaram; 15:09 Goren, Lehavot HaBashan; 15:28 Lehavot Bashan, Kfar Blum, Kiryat Shmona, Manara.
*What locations has the IAF has hit day?
Hundreds.
From the IDF spokesman:
“The IAF completed strikes on 60 targets of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters. In the attacks, means of collection, headquarters and other infrastructures which are used by the enemy to create the intelligence picture were destroyed.”
Some of those targets both in southern Lebanon and in the Beqaa Valley:
One person apparently killed amidst these strikes was Sheikh Mohammed Amro, who was responsible for the northern region of Hezbollah.
*All evidence points to an imminent ground incursion or raid into southern Lebanon. Accordingly, the IDF has decided to recruit two reserve brigades for operational missions in the northern sector.
*Back to the pagers and radios attacks . . . A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters today that 1,500 Hezbollah “fighters” were blinded or lost limbs. However, given the fact that Hezbollah has at least 50,000 terrorists (Nasrallah says 100,000), these 1,500 are just a drop in the bucket.
UPDATE 12:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
Since 8:00 am this morning there have been 2 drone attacks and 3 missile barrages on northern Israel.
The drone attacks: 08:49 drone from Iraq Eliad; 09:27 Tiberias.
The missile barrages: 09:27 Zichron Yaakov, Daliyat al-Karmel, Geva Carmel, Ein HaShofet, Fureidis, Yokneam Illit; 10:33 Netua, Shtula, Sassa, Matat, Sdeh Meron; 11:00 Tzfat, Avivim, Jish, Rosh Pinna, Rehaniya, Amuka.
The crazy scene over Tzfat at 11:00 this morning:
One of the 40 missiles fired at Tzfat got through our defenses and hit this house in an assisted living facility:
Tzfat has been hit by 115 missiles in the last three days.
*Several of Hezbollah’s recent launches last night and this morning have targeted (unsuccessfully) Israel’s electricity grid. This is particularly interesting given that the Bidenites in Washington have ordered Israel not to attack any “civilian infrastructure” in Lebanon. However, a hacker group known as the Red Evils, announced last night that they have hacked into Hezbollah’s water system and sabotaged it. The electrical grid will undoubtedly be targeted next.
As an added personal note: your humble servant was at the local gas station yesterday morning filling up the car–and also the 25 liter gas “can” that will fuel the generator in our house should the electricity in our house go out (the Israel Electric Company has told everyone to “expect disruptions”). Numerous people at the gas station were doing exactly the same thing.
*Meanwhile the IAF has been striking Hezbollah assets in 16 towns in southern Lebanon this morning as well as sites in the Bekaa Valley:
And:
*For the past 11 months Hezbollah Head Hassan Nasrallah has bragged about how he has depopulated northern Israel causing some 60-100,000 to leave their homes. As recently as yesterday, he said that he was going to “extend” the missile fire further south to send other Israelis away from their homes.
This comes amidst photos and videos over the past few days of massive traffic jams leading out of southern Lebanon to the north and even to Syria caused by Lebanese fleeing their homes.
It is now estimated that more than 500,000 Lebanese have fled.
*Hezbollah has claimed credit for firing a Qadir 1 ballistic missile at the Mossad headquarters in the Galilot neighborhood in Tel Aviv this morning.
As we have already reported, the attack never happened because the missile was intercepted by Israel’s anti-ballistic missile system “David’s Sling” over the Sharon.
Several days ago, the IDF released this graphic of Hezbollah’s “Fire Capabilities”:
The bottom line is that Hezbollah has a vast arsenal of missiles.
*The current deployment of US Naval vessels in the area:
In the Mediterranean: USS Wasp, USS New York, USS Oak Hill, USS Arleigh Burke, USS Bulkeley
In the Red Sea: USS Frank Petersen Jr, USS Michael Murphy
In the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman: USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group including the USS John McCain, USS O’Kane, USS Spruance and USS Stockdale.
We mention this today because most of these vessels depend on the USNS Big Horn for refueling. For example, even though the Abraham Lincoln is nuclear powered, the planes on board depend on fuel to carry out missions.
Early yesterday (Tuesday), the USS Big Horn was knocked out of commission by an as yet unknown incident off the coast of Oman. No crew members were injured, but the vessel apparently struck something underwater and began taking on water. It has been towed to port for evaluation.
UPDATE 8:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
A mixture of missiles and drones so far this morning: 01:35 drones from Iraq attacking the southern Golan: Ramat Magshimim, Haspin, Nov, Avnei Eilat; 01:47 missiles from Hezbollah: Beit Hillel, Kfar Giladi, Kfar Yuval, Metulla, Manara, Ma’ayan Baruch, Margaliot, Misgav Am, Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai; 03:00 drones from Iraq attacking the northern Golan: Ein Zivan, Merom Golan.
And . . . 06:30 one missile from Hezbollah: Tel Aviv City Center, Tel Aviv Yarkon, Gelilot, Ramat Gan, Even Yehuda, Beit Yehoshua, Givat Shapira, Kfar Vitkin, Mishmar HaSharon, Nordia (and 20 other locations:
The “missile event” in Tel Aviv is especially strange insofar as the alarms are concerned. For example, here in Ashdod, we only receive an alarm if missiles are targeting our neighborhood. If a neighborhood right beside us is targeted, we receive no alarm. It is mystifying to your humble servant how all of Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, etc received an alarm when there was only one incoming missile.
The missile, by the way, was intercepted over the heavily populated Sharon (the coastal plain north of Tel Aviv home to Netanya, Herzliya, Ra’anana, Ramot HaSharon, Kfar Saba) before it got to Tel Aviv. Ironically, the residents of the Sharon heard the intercept explosion but received no alarm whereas the residents of Tel Aviv had the alarms but heard no explosion. The white spot in the photo below is the missile:
Neverthless, Hezbollah made a symbolic statement. Even though we expected an attack on Tel Aviv following the targeted attacks in the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut, this was the first missile fired from Lebanon that ever targeted Tel Aviv. Apparently, it was a surface to surface missile which was targeting the Gelilot neighborhood of Tel Aviv–where the headquarters of Mossad are located.
*There is concern in Israel this morning over the arrival of thousands of terrorists from Iraq, Yemen, and Syria who have arrived on the Israeli-Syrian border on the Golan Heights near Daara. They are apparently waiting on the word to attack from Iran and Hassan Nasrallah:
There are reports of IAF activity in Homs and Damascus last night and early this morning. Apparently, the IAF has hit Tartus, Syria four times in the last 12 hours.
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.