Thursday
Yom Chamishee
11 Kislev 5785
December 12 2024
Special Notice: OneIsrael’s Chanukah Fund For Soldiers
Chanukah (Hanukkah) begins on December 25 and ends on January 2. We have begun accepting donations for a Chanukah Fund for Our Soldiers. OneIsrael will be working with organizations to lift the spirits of our soldiers by bringing them warm clothing, souvganiot (doughnuts), and latkes.
Please donate by clicking the “donate button” on the right of this page.
The View from Ashdod
On yesterday’s blog, we reported how incoming alarms for a “hostile aircraft intrusion” were sounded at 08:53 for Netivot. We noted that the aircraft was tracking toward the north. What I didn’t write was that it was tracking toward our house here in Ashdod:
After finishing the blog, I went up to the roof to see the drone if possible. For the first 15 minutes, nothing; then I took this very blurry photo with my telephone:
Hundreds of others took similar photos which were shown on Israeli television.
So guess what?
The drone, which again came from the Houthis in Yemen, was never intercepted, and simply disappeared, leaving the IDF to declare absurdly after the attribution to the Houthis–and after hundreds of photos were posted of it–that perhaps it was all a false alarm or the drone fell “in an open space.” It still has yet to be found.
On the Ground in Gaza
The war in Gaza rages on, though not with the intense explosions that we have felt and heard over the past few weeks.
The IDF Spokesman:
“With the direction of IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF precisely struck and eliminated a Department Head in Hamas’ Manufacturing Headquarters and a Company Commander in the Zeitoun Battalion. These terrorists were operating within a command and control center that previously served as the “Al-Hurriya” School in Gaza City.
The terrorist Ammar Daloul served as a Department Head in Hamas’ Manufacturing Headquarters and was as a significant source of knowledge for the terrorist organization.
The terrorist Jihad Yassin served as a Company Commander in Hamas’ Zeitoun Battalion and was responsible for attacks on IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip. The Zeitoun battalion has been responsible for numerous attacks recently carried out by Hamas against IDF troops operating in Gaza.
Six additional Hamas terrorists were eliminated in the strike, including a terrorist who infiltrated into Israel on October 7th:
1. Yahya Masoud Muhammad Ashqar, a Hamas terrorist who infiltrated Israeli territory and participated in the October 7th Massacre.
2. Kamal Saber Salim Arafat, a terrorist in Hamas’ Military Wing.
3. Muhammad Muhammad Akram Aaraj, a terrorist in Hamas’ Military Wing.
4. Loay Farid Faiz Hussein Ali, a Hamas Platoon Commander
5. Imad Aouni Ibrahim Rayan, a terrorist in Hamas’ Military Wing.
6. Raed Samir Masoud Harazayn, a terrorist in Hamas’ Internal Security Forces.
*On the hostage front, Hamas has told mediators for the first time that it would agree to a deal that would allow Israeli forces to remain in Gaza temporarily when the fighting stops.
And, Hamas has also handed over a list of hostages, including U.S. citizens, whom it would release as part of a ceasefire deal.
Obviously Hamas is responding to incoming President Trump’s threat that all hell will will be brought to bear on Hamas if the hostages are not released by January 20.
On the Ground in the Lebanon and Syria
*The IDF continues its withdrawal from specified towns in southern Lebanon.
*The IAF continues its heavy bombardment of Syrian Army positions and assets with an especially heavy attack at the city of Masyaf overnight.
*The IDF Spokesman last night:
“Hundreds of Israeli Air Force fighter jets and aircraft have inflicted severe damage on Syria’s most strategic weapons: fighter jets and helicopters, Scud missiles, UAVs, cruise missiles, surface-to-sea precision-guided missiles, surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, radars, rockets, and more.
The majority of the strikes severely damaged Syria’s aerial defense systems, destroying over 90% of the identified strategic surface-to-air missiles. Syria’s aerial defense network is among the strongest in the Middle East, and the damage inflicted represents a significant achievement for the Israeli Air Force’s superiority in the region.
Additionally, Syrian Air Force bases were struck. One of the bases that was struck was the T4 Airport in the northern Damascus area, where two Syrian Air Force squadrons—the SU-22 squadron and the SU-24 squadron—were destroyed. Another base targeted was the “Ble” Airport, which housed three fighter squadrons. Approximately 1.5 kilometers from this base, a site used for storing surface-to-surface missiles and rockets was also struck.
Furthermore, the Israeli Air Force struck central manufacturing and storage sites, including a site in the Homs area. This site is the leading facility in Syria’s Scud missile project and is considered one of the most significant infrastructures in Syria’s manufacturing industry, “CERS”.”
*In a fascinating development yesterday, the representatives from six Druze villages in southern Syria met and said that their villages belong to the Golan Heights and as such should be annexed to Israel.
The March Toward Sovereignty in Area C
of Judea and Samaria Continues
Yesterday, in a long overdue development, Finance Minister and Deputy Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich order all illegal Palestinian buildings in the Agreement Reserve near Tekoa destroyed–and all squatters there evicted.
Smotrich’s comments:
“At my direction and in accordance with the cabinet’s decision, a large-scale evacuation began in the Agreement Reserve in eastern Gush Etzion, which had suffered for years from serious violations of Agreement Y by the PLO.”
We say it everyday, but kolakevod to Minister Smotrich!
Some Bad and Excellent News
*The ludicrously bad news:
In case you missed it, Pope Francis wheelchaired out into Vatican Square the other day to visit a Nativity scene after receiving a visit from PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas:
You will notice that the baby Jesus’ manger is covered with a Palestinian keffiyeh.
Your humble servant wants to throw up.
The good news:
*The Paraguayan Embassy opened in Jerusalem yesterday:
PM Netanyahu congratulating Paraguayan President Santiago Pena.
*The Indigenous Peoples Embassy in Jerusalem (yes, there is one) released a video of Maori people in New Zealand doing a haka to support Israel:
A screen shot from the video!
On this happy note, we sign off on today’s blog
unless something more happens later . . .
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.