Thursday
Yom Chamishee
27 Cheshvan 5785
November 28 2024
UPDATE 12:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
The View from Ashdod
Social media and Israeli television have been treating us to absolutely hilarious videos of Hezbollah supporters returning to their towns and villages in southern Lebanon. What we see are terrorists waving Hezbollah flags and flashing victory signs against a backdrop of destroyed neighborhoods.
They may think of themselves as victorious, but their homes, weapons storehouses, and other Hezbollah assets are gone.
According to Lebanese sources, 4000 Hezbollah terrorists were killed during the war-–10 times more than were killed in the 2006 war. Who knows how many more were wounded?
Not all south Lebanese are going home.
The government has ordered the IDF to maintain this buffer zone where no residents are allowed (the area in red below . . . most of these villages are destroyed):
These south Lebanese are not the only ones not going home. Neither are Israelis living in the northern border communities. As Defense Minister Katz explained today:
“The decision of the security establishment not to remove the
restrictions and not to return the settlements of the Galilee and the north to normal tomorrow, is a step of required caution and a clear message regarding Israel’s determination to enforce the agreement. If Hezbollah’s attempts to violate the agreement continue and the Lebanese government does not fulfill its obligations, Israel is prepared to respond strongly. We will not give up and we will not compromise on the safety of the residents of the north.”
In short, the government does not believe the ceasefire will last.
By the Way, in the Hours Before the Ceasefire
The IDF Spokesman:
“In the hours before the ceasefire agreement went into effect, we struck around 180 targets across Lebanon. One of the targets we attacked was a central Hezbollah missile production site in Lebanon, near the Syrian border. This is a site we have been monitoring for a long time.“
A graphic of the site:
“In the illustration here, you can see the production site, which is located underground, within a sprawling underground facility that stretches over a kilometer and a half and is divided into multiple rooms. Each room produces a different component of precision missiles and surface-to-surface missiles. This site is located near the Syrian border, and through it, weapons and critical components for the production process were smuggled. We struck the production equipment at the site and the weapons stored there. This is a strategic asset of Hezbollah. Near this site, we also struck a compound of Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces, where dozens of operatives were eliminated along with weapons.“
And more from the Spokesman later:
“The Chain of Command of Hezbollah’s Aerial Unit (127) was eliminated: last night (Tuesday), before the ceasefire came into effect, the Operations Officer of Hezbollah’s Aerial Unit, who was responsible for launching UAVs and Cruise Missiles toward Israel, was eliminated.
In addition, yesterday we targeted a crossing where we identified an attempt to transfer weapons from Syria to Hezbollah. This strike is part of the overall effort throughout the war to target Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 and the terrorist organization’s economic infrastructure. We have also targeted, in Syria, all attempts to transfer weapons to Hezbollah. If we identify intentions to transfer weapons to the organization, we will operate.
Since the beginning of the war, we have conducted aerial strikes on 12,500 Hezbollah terrorist targets across Lebanon–including 360 in Dahiyeh in Beirut.”
On the Ground in Gaza
Earlier today, the IDF detected a drone infiltrating Israeli airspace from Egypt. Upon recovering the downed aircraft, troops discovered it was carrying rifles, ammunition, and magazines:
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
Meanwhile in Judea and Samaria, the Shin Bet and the IDF thwarted the smuggling of advanced weapons, including rockets, PZMs and kalimagor charges – originating from Iran and intended for terrorists in the Jenin area. Later, another location was revealed where the greater part of the shipment was buried.
The captured weapons:
– 40 large standard kalimagors + pellets and explosives
– 33 self-produced kalimagor charges
– wireless operating systems for kalimagor
* 6 RPG-7 cannons
* 3 107 mm rockets
* 24 RPG-18 + RPG22 rockets
* 2 60 mm mortar barrels
* 20 60 mm mortar shells
* 6 long M16 + 1 M4 + cartridges
* 7 Hunter sniper weapons
* 37 pistols (Glock + XD-9)
Elsewhere in the Neighborhood
From the Iraqi Hezbollah movement this morning: “Despite the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, we will not stop attacking the Zionist regime.“
From the IDF this morning: “While in the north we are moving from a war with Hezbollah to efforts to enforce the ceasefire, in the other arenas the dangers are only increasing. From the terrorism in Israel, through the Houthis and the militias in Iraq, to Iran that has not abandoned its revenge plan and its nuclear project is more vulnerable than ever.”
More Blather from Biden Envoy Amos Hochstein
After engineering Israel’s maritime giveaway to Lebanon two years ago, Hochstein was again on his high horse yesterday crowing about this newest agreement:
“Israel is no longer distracted on two fronts, and Iran supported the ceasefire agreement. That is, Hamas knows that there is a separation of the arena in Lebanon from the arena in Gaza, and it is time to return to the discussion table. The new ceasefire is a permanent ceasefire, and that means there will be no more fighting.”
One doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This is precisely the same nonsense that Hochstein blathered after the maritime agreement. Iran supported the ceasefire? A permanent ceasefire? No more fighting? Hochstein and the Bidenites are delusional.
By the way, since the ceasefire went into effect, IDF forces have killed six Hezbollah terrorists who tried to infiltrate into the border area and attack IDF soldiers.
A senior Israeli leader had this to say last night: “Contrary to what was attributed to Hochstein – the fighting can resume at any moment, as we saw today. Israel will act firmly against any violation of the ceasefire and prepares militarily for any scenario.”
More About the Abominable Bidenites
As we have noted the last few days, one aspect of the Agreement was the blackmail that President Biden exerted on Israel by refusing to send advance weaponry to Israel and even machinery such as D9 bulldozers that Israel has purchased.
To no one’s surprise, Biden approved the sale of $680 million dollars worth of precision weapons to Israel last night.
What a shmuck.
And so it goes today in Israel . . .
and for those celebrating the holiday:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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.