Yom Chamishee
Thursday
24 Elul 5784
September 26 2024
UPDATE 9:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
The Intriguing Story of the Hour
Various news sites including NBC News in the U.S. are reporting that Hezbollah Head Hassan Nasrallah was injured in an airstrike today and that his security guard Abu al-Fadl Ammar was eliminated.
We remain skeptical of these reports until we see corroborating evidence
The Day’s Summary
*Hezbollah fired 175 missiles at northern Israel today, most recently: 18:01 Tzfat, Rosh Pinna, Hatzor, Tuba, Dalton; 18:26 Shefer; 19:08 Kfar Manda, Rumat Al Heib, Yodfat.
*The IAF and IDF carried out massive attacks on Hezbollah terrorists and assets in dozens of towns and cities including Kfarhona, El Majdal, Dier Seryan, Al Dwar, Falih, Armati, Zarria, Harib, Deir Mimas, Capra, Sedikin, Deir Ams, Kfarsir, Nabatia, Al Zahami, Kana, Al Bisria, Khareib, Nefhia, Shahabi, Zouter Al Sharqiya, Ansar, Tsur, Al Bazoriya, Bnei Hayyan, Nabari al Faqwa, Dier Anter, Zibadin, Al Khosh, Tyre, Banish, El Zaria, Belida, Jebel Al Botami, Merkah, Khirbet Salam, Yachmor, Zeuter, Kassimiya, and Mushgara to name a few.
*The Lebanese Ministry of Health claims that since the start of the current war 1,540 Lebanese have died and 5,410 have been injured. Again, one wonders how many of these were/are Hezbollah terrorists.
Thank You to the U.S. Congress!
It was announced late today that Israel will receive an $8.7 billion dollar military aid package from the U.S.: 3.5 billion for essential military procurement and 5.2 billion for air defense systems including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and the advanced laser system that Israel is working on.
UPDATE 6:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
*As we reported in the last update, all talk of a ceasefire is dead–meaning that all the delusional media talk about a ceasefire is also dead. It turns out that the ceasefire talk was not the only fake news circulating feverishly this morning; also, the media declared that PM Netanyahu had ordered the IDF to “moderate” its attacks while he was gone to New York. That was also fake news.
*From the IDF Chief of Staff today:
“We need to continue attacking Hezbollah; we have been waiting for this opportunity for years. We are constantly working to bring about achievements, to eliminate more senior officials, to thwart the transfer of weapons, to detract from Hezbollah’s firepower and to attack it throughout Lebanon.”
*Hezbollah missile barrages since noon: 13:25 Tzfat, Rosh Pinna, Dalton, Amuka; 13:36 Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot; 15:38 Odem, El Rom; 16:06 Tzfat, Beit Jann, Maron HaGalil, Amirim, Shefer, Kfar Shammai.
*Mohammed Hussein Seror the head of the Hezbollah Drone Unit was killed today in a targeted attack by an IAF drone in an apartment building in Beirut; this would seem to be the perfect time to use the idiom “what goes around comes around”:
Another Hezbollah leader was eliminated today in an attack on his car in Kachela east of Beirut. At this hour, his identify has not been revealed.
*There have been massive IAF strikes all over Lebanon all day. More about where was hit in our next update . . .
On the Ground in Gaza
A joint statement of the IDF and ISA:
“During joint IDF and ISA operational activity over the last week, IAF aircraft struck in the area of Rafah, eliminating the terrorist Suleiman Juad Suleiman Abu Lafi. Abu Lafi facilitated the transfer of weapons to and from the Gaza Strip, and directed terrorist attacks in the area of Judea and Samaria.
In addition, IAF fighter jets, following IDF and ISA direction, eliminated a team commander of Hamas’ “Nukhba” Company, as well as an additional terrorist who took part in the October 7th massacre.
The IDF is continuing to operate in the Rafah area, eliminating approximately 15 terrorists over the last week.”
UPDATE 12:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
Talk about a cacophony of confusion.
All morning long, it has been “There’s an impending ceasefire “/”There is no impending ceasefire.”
PM Netanyahu has been incessantly berated from all sides of the political spectrum in the Israel media for being ready to agree to a ceasefire.
Now, noon has arrived, and Biden’s ceasefire that he touted as being “hours away”, seems much further away (but who knows what will happen on the sidelines of the U.N. when Netanyahu arrives in New York).
What has happened is that Israel has set its own requirements for a ceasefire that Nasrallah will not accept including setting up a 7 km buffer zone north of the border and recognizing the state of Israel. And Nasrallah has stuck to his own demand that there can be no ceasefire without an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
To top it off, Israel’s moderated attacks of last night and this morning were met an hour and 15 minutes ago (10:45) with a 45-missile Hezbollah barrage on Akko.
To top even that off, PM Netanyahu’s Office just issued a statement (11:47) saying that the ceasefire proposal was an American-French proposal to which he did not even reply.
UPDATE 8:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
The View From Here In Ashdod
We have now had four straight nights and days of heavy airplane roars overhead as out pilots head out toward the north. What was surprising over the last 24 hours was an extraordinary number of booms coming from Gaza as the war there seems to have picked up.
On the Ground in Gaza
Overnight IDF tanks and drones fired at HamISIS targets north of Nuseirat. Also attacks on buildings in Khan Younis and Jabaliya have been reported.
On the Ground in the North
Talk about sickening chutzpah.
This morning we have awakened to a “demand” from Emanuel Macron and Joe Biden that there be an immediate ceasefire, and the announcement that British are sending 5 million pounds of humanitarian aid to the poor Lebanese.
Where were Macron and Biden during the 12,000 missiles and drones that Hezbollah pummeled northern Israel with during the last eleven months? It was perfectly all right to just overlook that as long as Israel was on the defensive, but now that we are proactively taking out Hezbollah assets in Lebanon, we have to have a ceasefire.
It’s the same old story. As long as Israel is being attacked, Israel is in everyone’s good graces, but the minute we go on the attack, the world recoils in horror. Think about what happened in Gaza. From October 7th to the 27th, we had the full backing and sympathy of the world, but all of that began to change when we began the Gaza ground offensive on October 27th.
And humanitarian aid to the displaced Lebanese? Those Lebanese have been displaced for one or two weeks. The residents of northern Israel have been displaced for 10 or 11 months. Where is the humanitarian aid for northern Israelis–especially for those living along the border?
*Strangely, there has been no missile or drone fire from Hezbollah overnight or so far this morning. In fact, there have been no launches since 4:30 yesterday afternoon.
Nevertheless more are expected soon. Residents of Tzfat have just been warned to stay close to their bomb shelters and fortified areas.
*There were extraordinary number of IAF attacks on Hezbollah terrorists, launchers, and facilities yesterday–so many that it is difficult to recount them all here. Suffice it to say that the following locations were hit: Tir Kharfa, Ramish, Ayita al-Sha’ab, Nakura, Al-Harmel, Deir Kaifa, Sarabin, Sereifah, Ganduria, Majdal Salam, the Sarein plain in the Beqaa Valley, Barmish, Tzur, Al-Bas, Brital, Safari, Lavonna, Alma al-Sha’ab, Jaba’a, Nabatia, Ain Boswar, Makkah, Deir al-Zharani, Al Majdil, Habosh, Ali Al-Nahari, Iqlim al-Tufah, Kasmia, Al-Zira, Chahira, Eita al-Shahab, Younin, Al-Bazalia, Deir Kanon, Jalala, Sahmar, Talabaya, Al-Zira, Labaya, Medellin, Ras al-Ain, Kfar Roman, Rashit . . . 150 of the attacks were in the Beqaa Valley where Hezbollah stores its deadliest missiles.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 72 were killed and 354 injured in these attacks–but who knows how many of these killed and injured were Hezbollah terrorists? It must also be remembered that the destruction of missiles, drones, and launchers was a primary mission of the attacks.
*The attack of the Iraqi drones in Eilat last night was particularly destructive–knocking out the potash conveyor belt at the port (temporarily halting potash exports from Israel (the 7th leading potash producer in the world). The Iranian-proxy Iraqis fired 6 drones into Israel yesterday: 3 in the Golan, 1 in the Arava, and 2 in Eilat (yesterday we thought there were 3 in Eilat but that number was corrected).
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.