News Digest — 10/2/24
Netanyahu Vows Strong Retaliation Against Iran Following Missile Attacks on Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that Iran would pay for attacking Israel with close to 200 missiles, as the region moved closer to an all-out-war.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it. The regime in Tehran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and to exact a price from our enemies,” Netanyahu told his security cabinet. It met Tuesday (1st) in the shadow of Iran’s second attack against the Jewish State, following the one in April.
US National Security Adviser Lake Sullivan said that the event marked a significant escalation in tensions between the two arch-foes and threatened there would be consequences.
All three countries – Israel, the US, and Iran – ratcheted up the oral threats in the aftermath of the attack. The Islamic Republic warned it would strike back against any retaliatory action, while Washington and Jerusalem warned of consequences.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei posted a warning message to Israel in Hebrew on his X account after the attack, stressing that reprisal attacks against it would only grow stronger.
Each one “will become stronger and more painful on the worn and rotting body of the Zionist regime,” Khamenei said.
In statements that Netanyahu published, he threatened the Iranian leadership by recalling the Israeli assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakrzadeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“There are probably those in Tehran who do not understand Israel’s military stance, but they will understand,” he promised.
“We will keep to the rule we have determined: Whoever attacks us – we attack them,” he stated.
“This is true wherever we fight the axis of evil. It is true in Judea and Samaria. It is true in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria – and it is also true in Iran. We are fighting the axis of evil everywhere, including in southern Lebanon and Gaza.”
“Today, more than ever, the forces of light in the world must unite and work together against the ayatollah’s dark regime, which is the source of terror and evil in our region. They must stand alongside Israel. The choice has never been more clear, between tyranny and freedom,” he said.
IDF Vows ‘Powerful Airstrikes Throughout Middle East’ After Iran Missile Attack
Following Iran’s missile barrage, Tuesday evening (1st), which saw more than 180 rockets launched across Israel, the IDF vowed to carry out “powerful air strikes throughout the Middle East.”
The military confirmed that the Air Force remains fully operational. Additionally, Israeli and U.S. defense systems effectively intercepted many of the incoming missiles, with the IDF reporting close cooperation in detection and interception efforts.
Senior Israeli officials vowed Tuesday evening (1st) that Jerusalem will not remain silent following Iran’s large-scale missile attack. A defense official promised a “severe response,” while another Israeli official warned, “What Iran has suffered so far is only a fraction of what it will face now.”
A high-ranking government official added, “Israel has full legitimacy for an unprecedented strike on Iranian soil–-this is the time to strike at the head of the Iranian snake.”
Shortly after the missile barrage began, and minutes after the Home Front Command lifted the order to remain in shelters, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari addressed the nation, saying, “There will be consequences for the missile fire from Iran.”
When asked if the IDF would respond soon, he replied, “We have plans and are very well prepared for an attack. We will conduct an assessment.” Hagari noted that, for now, the IDF does not detect additional aerial threats from Iran but urged the public to remain vigilant and follow Home Front Command instructions.
As part of the Iranian assault, approximately 180 ballistic missiles were fired on Israel. Iran had been repeatedly warned in recent days that any attack from Tehran would trigger a harsh response. Earlier Tuesday (1st), the United States also warned Iran of “severe consequences” should it launch an attack. Against this backdrop, Israeli threats of retaliation were issued throughout the evening.
Shortly after the missile strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard released a statement claiming the attack was in retaliation for the “martyrdom” of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian Quds Force commander in Lebanon Abbas Nilforoushan. The statement warned that “if the Zionist regime responds to the Iranian attack, it will face violent assaults.”
Despite the heavy Iranian missile barrage, Israel’s air defense systems, with assistance from foreign forces, appeared to have successfully intercepted most of the rockets. The Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service reported that two people were slightly injured from shrapnel near Tel Aviv, and several others were injured while rushing to shelters across the country.
In the aftermath of the missile attack, the Israel Airports Authority announced that Israeli airspace had been temporarily closed, diverting incoming flights to airports outside the country. Airspace was reopened shortly after.
Seven People Killed, Nine wounded In Shooting Terror Attack In Jaffa
Seven people were killed and nine others wounded in a shooting and stabbing terror attack in Jaffa on Tuesday evening (1st), according to Israel Police, in one of the deadliest terror attacks in recent years.
Two terrorists, one of whom was armed with a rifle and the other with a knife attacked civilians on the Tel Aviv light rail before getting off and continuing on foot and shooting and stabbing people on Jerusalem Street in the city.
A municipal security officer and armed civilians shot and “neutralized” the two terrorists, police added.
The two attackers were identified as Mehmed Khalaf Saher Rajab and Hassan Mohammed Hassan Tamimi, both Palestinian residents of Hebron in the West Bank.
Nine other people were injured to varying degrees in the attack and were evacuated to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon and Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv.
The terror attack – one of the deadliest single attacks in Israel in recent years – came amid tensions in Israel as the Israel Defense Forces announced a ground incursion into Lebanon in a bid to push the Hezbollah terror group away from the border and just minutes before Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel.
The identities of the victims were not immediately released. Police said they had no prior intelligence of the attack.
IDF Raids Foiled Hezbollah Plot For An October 7th-Style Invasion Of Israel
The Israel Defense Forces revealed on Tuesday (1st) that it had carried out dozens of secret ground operations into southern Lebanon over the past year to reduce Hezbollah’s war-making capacity, destroying the terror group’s tunnels and hidden weapons caches.
The raids were part of an effort to prepare for the larger ground operation, which got underway Tuesday morning (1st). The goal was to cripple Hezbollah’s ability to invade Israel.
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told the press that IDF forces discovered more details of Hezbollah’s plan to invade northern Israel, which was to be spearheaded by the group’s Radwan Force.
Israel killed Ibrahim Aqil, the head of the terror group’s special operations unit on September 20.
Holding up a map, Hagari said: “We found this map inside one of the compounds that our fighters raided. It is a map that Hezbollah planned to give to its terrorists during a broad infiltration into the territory of the State of Israel as part of the “Plan to occupy the Galilee.”
“As you can see, it has a legend marking Israeli settlements, IDF posts, access roads and attack targets that Hezbollah planned to conquer. This map was supposed to be used by thousands of Hezbollah terrorists on the day of the order to raid the territory of the State of Israel, as Hamas did on October 7,” he said.
Hagari also detailed three IDF raids into southern Lebanon, including the villages of Meiss El Jabal, Kfarkela, Ayta ash Shab.
In Ayta ash Shab, soldiers found dozens of underground shafts and tunnels dug to a depth of from 65 to 83 feet, rocket launchers and more than 10 ammunition stores.
In Meiss El Jabal, soldiers entered the houses of the village, where they found an ammunition depot for an entire company of Radwan terrorists in a 12-meter-deep shaft just 98 feet from the border with Israel.
Weapons stores were meant for future use in the planned invasion of Northern Israel, Hagari said. Terror infrastructure was destroyed by a combination of ground demolitions and air attacks.
Some of the raids took Israeli forces 6.2 miles into Lebanon, but most were a distance of 1.2 to 1.8 miles from Israel’s border.
Israeli forces would sometimes spend a few days in enemy territory. But their work was carried out in secret, unchallenged by Hezbollah terrorists, according to the IDF.
Arabs Welcome The Elimination Of Hezbollah Secretary-General Nasrallah
The targeted killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was received with joy by many Arab journalists and activists on social media, who called it a justified act that has made the world a safer place. Many thanked Israel and Allah for eliminating a man who was responsible for the killing of many Lebanese, Syrians and other Arabs..
Lebanese-Iraqi journalist Hussain Abd Al-Hussain wrote: “I’m dancing with joy today like I did when Saddam Hussein fell in Baghdad.”
Saudi journalist Tariq Al-Homayed wrote: “Israel’s intelligence infiltration of Hezbollah will remain the greatest story for decades to come.”
Kuwaiti liberal Jasem Al-Juraid wrote: “Thank you, Israel, for making the world a happier and safer place.”
Liberal Egyptian writer Dalia Ziada , who heads the MEEM Center for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Studies, wrote: “A huge portion of Muslims are so relieved by Israel’s successful hunting of the ideological heads of the Iran-sponsored proxies that have been wreaking havoc in the Middle East for decades.”
Saudi journalist Kassab Al-Otaibi wrote: “Iran’s servants keep repeating that Hassan Nasr-al-Shaytan was killed defending Jerusalem. That is a lie…. He died defending Iran.” “Nasr-al-Shaytan” means “victory of Satan, ” a play on the name Nasrallah, which means “victory of God.”
Why The Arab Street Is Celebrating Israel’s Killing of Hezbollah Chief Nasrallah – Muhannad Alazzeh
After Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was targeted and killed in an Israeli air raid, the overwhelming majority of people posting comments on social media from Arab and Islamic countries are positive. Many go beyond that to outward gloating. There are videos of people handing out sweets in the streets, and an overwhelming sense of joy at what looks like the end of Hezbollah as we know it, as Israel continues to target its commanders. During the 2006 War between Israel and Hezbollah, mass demonstrations by protestors declaring their allegiance to Nasrallah were held daily across Arab and Islamic countries. What changed?
Hezbollah is an ideological party based on loyalty to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Hezbollah’s fealty to Khomeini is what pushed the party to engage in civil wars in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and to intervene in the protests in Bahrain years ago. These interventions by Hezbollah were against the Muslim citizens in those countries, most of whom were engaged in revolts against tyrannical dictatorial regimes. Hezbollah’s support for criminal and corrupt regimes has had a much stronger impact on the Arab and Islamic masses than Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel.
Hezbollah’s involvement in repressive actions in neighboring countries elevated strongman leaders who oppressed their fellow Muslims, which angered enough people that Israel was able to recruit a large base for espionage missions. From the perspective of the overwhelming majority of Arab and Muslim peoples, Hezbollah is a destructive element that fuels sectarian conflicts and supports authoritarian regimes as long as the Supreme Leader of Iran wishes to support them.
The writer is a former member of the Jordanian Senate. (Newsweek)
