Thursday
Yom Chamishee
20 Cheshvan 5785
November 21, 2024
UPDATE 6:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
May Their Memories Be For A Blessing
Maj. Rui Sasson, 21 years old from Mevsheret Zion, was a fighter in the Nachshon Battalion, Kafir Brigade. He was killed in battle in Jabaliya in northern Gaza.
Maj. (res.) Eitan Ben Ami, 22 years old, from Jerusalem, a fighter in Magellan’s reserve unit, commando formation, fell in battle in southern Lebanon.
Ze’ev ‘Jabo’ Hanoch Erlich, 71 years old from Ofra was killed in southern Lebanon. He was not an active member of the reserves, but was instead an archaeologist who was exploring the tomb of Shimon in Kfar Shema when he was ambushed. There is much discussion today about whether he had been permitted to enter Lebanon or not. Ze’ev was the author of many scholarly books focusing on Judea and Samaria.
In the same incident in which Ze’ev Erlich was killed, another soldier also fell but his name has yet to be released.
Israeli Heroes and Heroines
802 soldiers have now fallen including those on October 7th last year.
Since October 27 of last year when ground operations began:
–375 soldiers, including one female soldier, have fallen in Gaza.
–46 soldiers have fallen in Lebanon.
–11 soldiers have fallen in Judea and Samaria.
Of the above:
272 reserve soldiers have given their lives for Israel.
143 career soldiers have died.
The IDF has lost 69 platoon leaders, 20 deputy company commanders, 63 company commanders, seven deputy battalion commanders, five battalion commanders, and four brigade commanders.
Left behind:
–181 wives have become widows including 27 who were pregnant when their husbands died.
—44 Israeli families have suffered multiple losses.
Words cannot express the debt we owe to our heroes and heroines.
The War In the North
*There is every reason to believe that a ceasefire is imminent–perhaps as soon as the end of next week.
A draft agreement has already been approved by Israel and Lebanon–though the unknown variable is whether or not Hezbollah will go along with what Lebanon has agreed to.
As we have previously written, the agreement is anchored in U.N. Resolution 1701 which calls for Hezbollah to withdraw to north of the Litani River and for the Lebanese Army to take control south of the Litani.
At the same time, the agreement specifies that Israel has freedom to react to any Hezbollah violations of the agreement and that both sides of the border will be monitored by an international monitoring group.
*Hezbollah Missile and Drone Attacks Yesterday:
19:13 Margalit; 17:19 Metulla; 16:43 Nahariya, Akko; 16:19 Abdon; 15:42 Rosh HaNikra; 15:34 Metulla, Kfar Giladi; 14:45 Kfar Giladi; 14:26 Baram; 14:04 Metulla; 13:38 Margaliot; 10:40 Manara, Margaliot; 09:21 Kiryat Shmona, Upper Galilee; 06:37 Nes Amin; 06:33 Asher; 06:26 Shlomi; 00:37 Kiryat Shmona, Misgav Am.
The largest barrage was 25 missiles at 16:45 in Akko.
*Despite the incessant missile fire from Hezbollah, the IDF commander of the Northern Command declared yesterday that that there has been “a dramatic decrease in Hezbollah’s firepower.”
*It was revealed yesterday that 70% of the weapons seized from Hezbollah are from Russia–including some of their most recent types of military hardware. The sheer quantity of weapons has surprised the IDF.
On the Ground In Judea and Samaria
A cell of armed terrorists was eliminated after an extensive firefight yesterday in Jenin.
A Coming Attack in Iraq?
As you know, Iranian proxies in Iraq have continued firing long range missiles and drones at Israel.
This report from the Saudi Al Hadath media yesterday: “Dozens of Iranian trucks entered Iraq loaded with long- and medium-range ballistic missiles, under the auspices of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and with the flag of Sudan. The U.S. has informed the Iraqi government that it has exhausted all efforts with Israel to prevent an attack on Iraqi territory targeting pro-Iranian militias. Iraq has taken the necessary steps to prepare for this possibility, and Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani has informed the political factions about the matter.”
The Bidenites On Again Off Again Support
The new U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune reassured Israelis that as soon as the new administration is sworn in, reinforcements would begin to arrive unimpeded.
Ironically, at the same time, we just discovered that a critical shipment of 20,000 Mk84 1-ton bombs has once again been delayed by the Bidenites in Washington.
This delay was revealed even as the U.S. was vetoing another anti-Israel resolution in the U.N. Security Council. The Bidenites just can’t make up their minds about how far to go in supporting Israel.
One Final Economic Note
As you know, El Al currently has a monopoly on flights into and out of Israel in the direction of Europe, North America, and South America. El Al crews are the only ones willing to brave the threat of missile fire (such as what we experienced several days ago as we neared Israel).
So it is not surprising that El Al profits increased by 258% in the last quarter to $185 million dollars on revenues of $1 billion dollars.
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.