News Digest — 9/30/24
Elimination In Beirut: Three Senior PFLP Terrorists Killed In Explosion
Media in Lebanon reported an explosion in the capital of Beirut early Monday morning (30th). The Reuters news agency reported that the explosion took place in the Al-Kola district, which is not in the Dahiyeh district, a stronghold of Hezbollah.
Reports said the explosion was the result of a strike which targeted a resident building in the capital.
The Saudi Al-Hadath channel reported that the attack in Beirut, which was attributed to Israel, was aimed at an apartment owned by former member of parliament Najah Wakim.
Later, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization announced the deaths of three of its terrorists in an Israeli strike on Beirut.
According to the statement, the three senior officials eliminated were Muhammad Abdel AaI, Imad Ouda, and Abdul Rahman AaI.
Also, the Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya organization denied earlier reports which claimed that the organization’s secretary general was killed in the strike in Beirut.
Israel has not officially commented on the claims thus far. This is the first time since the start of the war that an attack outside of the Dahiyeh district of Beirut has been reported.
PM Netanyahu: Israel Changing Strategic Reality In Middle East
Israel has changed the strategic reality in the Middle East with its intense strikes on Iranian proxy groups, including the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“We crushed Hamas in Gaza. We eliminated most of its chain of command,” Netanyahu said in a Sunday night (29th) statement.”
“We forcefully struck Hezbollah, we eliminated Nasrallah, and we are systematically eliminating the top of his command, including another [assassination] today in Lebanon,” Netanyahu stated.
“At the same time, a little while ago, the IDF hit our enemies in Yemen again,” he said.
“Everyone sees the [long] range of Israel’s military capacity, everyone sees the fire over the targets, and everyone sees the price paid by those who attack us,” Netanyahu said.
“When I ordered the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, we all knew that an entire nation was behind this decision.”
“I said Saturday (28th) that we are in a period of days of greatness, but also challenging days. These are large days – because in them we are changing the strategic reality in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.
He speculated that Israel’s display of force would help forge ties with new allies in the Middle East. In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday (27th), he speculated that Israel could soon normalize ties with Saudi Arabia.
“The change in the balance of power brings with it the possibility of creating new alliances in our region because Israel is winning,” Netanyahu stressed.
“Our enemies and friends once again see Israel as it is – a strong, determined and powerful country,” He stated.
He emphasized, however, that there are still difficult days ahead as Israel stands firm on the goals it has set, “the elimination of Hamas, the return of all the hostages, and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.”
Israel Strikes On Four Fronts, Sending Stark Warning To Iran
The IDF launched extensive airstrikes Sunday (29th) on targets in Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, including the Lebanese capital Beirut. The strikes reportedly targeted Homs, western Syria and areas near Damascus.
Israeli officials said the strikes were intended to send a clear message to Iran, with the IDF showing it can engage on multiple fronts. Air Force jets flew 1,120 miles to strike Hodeidah, a distance comparable to that from Israel to Iran.
“The strike on Yemen aims to exact a heavy price for their attacks,” an Israeli official said. “If the Houthis continue targeting Israel, our strikes will intensify.”
Iran has vowed to avenge the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July in an attack attributed to Israel.
Israel said in a statement that dozens of Israeli Air Force planes, including fighter jets, mid-air refueling aircraft and reconnaissance planes, struck military targets belonging to the Houthi forces in the Ras Issa and Hodeidah areas of Yemen. The targets included power plants and a seaport used to import oil, which the Houthis used to transfer Iranian weapons. The military added that the damage to Houthi infrastructure would take time to repair.
“The IDF is determined to continue operating at any distance – near or far – against all threats to Israel citizens,” the statement concluded.
The military also confirmed targeted strikes on Sunday (29th) of Hezbollah officials in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood, including a senior commander from Unit 1600, responsible for producing rocket and missile materials and trafficking in the addictive stimulant Captagon.
In Gaza, the IDF said it targeted a Hamas command center operating from a school. The military stressed it had taken precautions to avoid civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media reported that air defenses were activated in response to Israeli strikes near Damascus, following earlier strikes on Homs.
Lebanon Locked Down To Prevent Hezbollah From Rearming, IDF Says
The IDF has placed Lebanon under lockdown to prevent Hezbollah from rearming itself with Iranian weapons after its arsenal was depleted in Israeli strikes.
Since the targeted killing of Hassan Nasrallah in the terror group’s underground command bunker in the Dahiyeh quarter of Beirut on Friday (27th), the Air Force has repeatedly attacked Lebanese heavy machinery sent to rebuild six military border crossings to Syria, damaged in previous strikes.
The military also informed Lebanon officially that it would not allow cargo planes arriving from Syria and Iran to land at Beirut’s international airport. Earlier on Saturday (28th), an Iranian cargo plane was refused landing permission and had to return to Iran. The IDF breached communications at the control tower and warned against allowing the plane to land under threat of attack.
According to reports, Israeli jets attacked an industrial area 500 meters from the airport. Reuters quoted a security source who said it was the closest strike yet to the airport. Middle East Airlines CEO Mohammad al-Hout said the airport was operating normally. “The Beirut airport is not being targeted, there are no weapons there,” al-Hout told Reuters.
Civilian travel and border crossings would not be impacted, the IDF said. Thousands of Lebanese civilians crossed into Syria in recent days, many of them hoping to escape the Israeli attacks.
Some 600,000 Lebanese residents of the South have left their homes heading north, and 400,000 residents of Dahiyeh, Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern sector of Beirut have also escaped the bombings.
Nasrallah’s Seismic Death Cracked The Iranian Axis – Shachar Kleiman
The elimination of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah isn’t the final chapter in this conflict, but it’s a pivotal moment that will reverberate far into the future. In one swift stroke, the tide has turned in the northern arena. Yet, this isn’t merely about removing the mastermind behind the world’s most lethal terror network. After all, one individual can be replaced.
What we’re witnessing is the systematic dismantling of Hezbollah’s command structure. The precision strikes in its Beirut stronghold, targeting vital strategic assets, deliver an unprecedented blow to the very concept of “resistance.” This operation challenges the misguided notion that a network of terror groups could somehow push the Jewish state out of the Middle East.
By decapitating Hezbollah’s military leadership, Israel has simultaneously toppled the tyrant who held Lebanon in his grip. This was the man who transformed the land of cedars into an international pariah, scared off Gulf investors, and paralyzed Lebanon’s political system for nearly two years. With no sitting president and a caretaker government dominated by Hezbollah and its allies, no decision could be made without the secretary’s nod, sometimes not even without Tehran’s blessing.
Saturday’s (28th) revelations showed Israel’s resolve extends beyond Nasrallah to his potential successors: Hashen Safi a-Din and Nabil Qaouk. This ruthless turn of events followed a week of mixed signals, with Israel hinting at “gradual escalation” or a “temporary ceasefire,” seemingly hoping Nasrallah would “see reason.”
Friday’s (27th) brilliant deception culminated in a seismic event. Syrian rebels called for Assad’s ouster, Iranian dissidents longed for Khamenei’s demise, and Saudi social media lit up with calls against the Houthi leader in Yemen. The vaunted Iranian axis cracked, inviting its foes to strike without mercy.
Israel faces challenging days ahead. The surviving Hezbollah leadership will likely try to honor their pledge to Nasrallah and “to continue the jihad and support Gaza.” A ground offensive carries risks of a war of attrition, and we must brace for potential attacks on Israelis abroad. The operation also claimed the life of Iran’s Quds Force commander in Lebanon, complicating Tehran’s response calculus. His predecessor’s elimination prompted Iranian missile strikes on Israel. However, Iran’s new leadership under the current Iranian president and his deputy seeks rapprochement with the West to lift sanctions. A regional flare-up could derail their plans. Nonetheless, with proper preparation, we can weather these storms. Ultimately, Hezbollah’s defeats send a clear message to Hamas. Sinwar and his cohorts, once banking on northern salvation, must now face reality: their only lifeline is releasing the hostages. Israel must seize this opportunity decisively.
The IDF Is The Most Formidable Fighting Force On Earth – Editorial
First Hamas, now Hezbollah: In a matter of months, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has decapitated the two most powerful terrorist organizations in the world. Rather than rejoice, however, the West has offered at best lukewarm support, at worst ostracism and obstruction.
Once again, Israel has transformed defeat into victory. Iran, which is responsible for unleashing the present conflict, has suffered a strategic defeat. And Israel-haters everywhere have been reminded that those who attack the Jewish people will not escape unscathed.
Israel has ignored the hostile global consensus and carried on exercising its right to self-defense. It has routed two terror organizations which between them had more men under arms and bigger arsenals than many sovereign states.
When judged by military prowess or humanitarian scruples, the IDF is the most formidable fighting force on earth. Rather than preaching to the Israelis, we in the West should admire their daring, emulate their creativity, and learn from their example. Like any nation state, Israel is not perfect, but it has survived and flourished in a dangerous region by its own efforts.
“Hezbollah Has Been A Loaded Gun Pointed At Israel” – Jared Kushner
Former White House senior adviser, Jared Kushner said on X Sunday (29th): “September 27th is the most important date in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough. I have spent countless hours studying Hezbollah and there is not an expert on earth who thought that what Israel has done to decapitate and degrade them was possible.”
“This is significant because Iran is now fully exposed. The reason why their nuclear facilities have not been destroyed, despite weak air defense systems, is because Hezbollah has been like a loaded gun pointed at Israel. Iran spent the last forty years building this capability as its deterrent.”
“Anyone who has been calling for a ceasefire in the North is wrong. There is no going back for Israel. They cannot afford now to not finish the job and completely dismantle the arsenal that has been aimed at them. They will neve get another chance.”
“Hezbollah’s massive weapon cache is unguarded and unmanned. Most Hezbollah fighters are hiding in their tunnels. Anyone still around was not important enough to carry a pager or be invited to a leadership meeting. Failing to take full advantage of this opportunity to neutralize the threat is irresponsible.”
“This is a moment to stand behind the peace-seeking nation of Israel and the large portion of the Lebanese who have been plagued by Hezbollah. The right move now for America would be to tell Israel to finish the job. It’s long overdue. And it’s not only Israel’s fight. More than 40 years ago, Hezbollah killed 241 U.S. military personnel, including 220 Marines. That remains the single deadliest day for the U.S. Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima.”
“Over the last six weeks or so, Israel has eliminated as many terrorists on the U.S. list of wanted terrorists as the U.S. has done in the last 20 years.”
(x.com)
