News Digest — 10/22/24
Sirens Trigger Across Central Israel Following Rocket Barrage Targeting Tel Aviv And Iron Dome Battery
Approximately five rockets were identified crossing from Lebanon toward central Israel early Tuesday morning (22nd), the IDF confirmed.
Most of the rockets were intercepted, however, the IDF reported that one impact was identified in an open area. Shortly after the attack, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the launches, saying it had targeted an Iron Dome battery near Tel Aviv, according to a Ynet report.
According to Reuters , the Lebanon-based terror organization also said that it bombed the Glilot base of the military intelligence unit 8200 located in the suburbs of Tel Aviv with a missile salvo.
Police officers and bomb disposal experts are currently working to secure an impact site in Bnei Brak following reports of interception debris falling in the city, according to Israeli media.
Additionally, approximately 15 rockets launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon were identified in the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted while the rest fell in open areas, according to further IDF reports.
Hezbollah had also claimed it had targeted a navy base near Haifa.
According to later reports, a 53-year-old civilian was lightly wounded as a result of interception debris falling in Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael, north of Caesarea, which also caused damage to buildings and parked vehicles.
The man was evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera for further medical treatment.
IDF Reveals Hezbollah Cash Bunker Beneath Beirut Hospital, Housing Over $500 Million
Following a night of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s financial network, the IDF unveiled Monday evening (21st) a massive underground bunker located beneath a main Beirut Hospital, which serves as a key financial facility for the terror group.
In a press briefing, chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari presented a 3D illustration of the underground bunker, located beneath the Al-Sahel Hospital in Beirut, which serves as a central storage site for Hezbollah’s finances.
The facility, reportedly used by the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah who was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in late September, is alleged to contain more than half a billion dollars in cash and gold.
“Lebanon has been mired in an economic crisis in recent years, and Hezbollah has exploited this to strengthen its grip on the country,” Hagari said. “The facilities we targeted belong to Hezbollah and are disguised as civilian sites, but their sole purpose is to bolster the operation’s terror capabilities. Hezbollah has effectively created a state within a state.”
Hagari revealed that the bunker, located at 7 Daram Street in Beirut, had been under Israeli surveillance for years. “This bunker, deliberately constructed beneath a hospital, houses at least $500 million in cash and gold. The funds stored there could have been used to rebuild Lebanon, but instead, they are used to rebuild Hezbollah,” he said.
He also issued a warning: “Our aircraft continue to monitor the site, and we will keep tracking it. We call on Lebanese citizens, the Lebanese government and international organizations – do not allow Hezbollah to store money beneath hospitals.”
Hagari also reported that the Israel Air Force struck over 20 targets overnight, most of them in Beirut’s Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold. One of the key targets was an underground financial warehouse used by the Al-Qard al-Hassan association, a financial institution affiliated with Hezbollah. Hagari confirmed that the facility held tens of millions of dollars in cash and gold, earmarked to fund the group’s operations.
Hagari further outlined how Iran funds Hezbollah through three primary channels. First, oil and money are transferred from Iran to Syria, where the oil is sold, and the proceeds are funneled to Hezbollah through Unit 4400, a Hezbollah financial transfer unit. This method generates tens of millions of dollars.
Second, Iran flies cash to Lebanon under diplomatic cover, with proceeds from its Quds Force’s independent oil sales delivered directly to the Iranian Embassy in Beirut and then to Hezbollah.
The third method, according to Hagari, involves promoting economic ventures backed by Iran, including gas exports to Syria and the establishment of factories in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Turkey.
“This network was managed by Mohammad Jaafar Kassir, the commander of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, who was eliminated in Beirut earlier this month. A few hours ago, we also neutralized his successor in Syria,” Hagari confirmed, referencing recent reports of a drone strike on a vehicle near a Damascus hotel.
Hezbollah Only Has 30% Of Its Firepower Left, IDF Reports
Israel’s Northern Command reports that Hezbollah only has 30% of its rockets and launchers remaining and has lost 2,000 of its terrorists since October 8th last year.
The Northern Command added that just a few more weeks of operations in Lebanon are required to accomplish goals that will allow northern Israeli residents to return home safely.
According to IDF data, 2,000 Hezbollah terrorists have been eliminated since the war began, 1,200 of them since the initial ground operation in Lebanon.
Of the terrorists the IDF eliminated, seven were Hezbollah brigade commanders, 21 were battalion commanders, and 24 were company commanders.
The IDF attacked 3,200 Hezbollah targets, which include weapons depots, launchers, anti-tank positions, and command centers, 300 of them in the last 24 hours.
Overnight on Sunday (20th), the IDF targeted dozens of sites and facilities in Lebanon that Hezbollah used to fund terror attacks against Israelis.
Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab Media Branch in the Spokesperson’s Unit, said, “The Iranian state budget funds a large portion of Hezbollah’s terrorist activities. Hezbollah uses these funds to finance its terrorist activities, including acquiring weapons, purchasing facilities for storing combat equipment, establishing launch sites, and paying its members, as well as carrying out various terrorist activities.”
IDF Paramedic: ‘Hamas Is Murdering Gazans Fleeing Combat Zone’
Hamas gunmen are shooting unarmed Gazan civilians attempting to flee Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip, as the IDF engages in an intensive anti-terror offensive in the area.
The IDF had announced that Jabaliya is now a combat zone and that unarmed people should leave the city, but Hamas is actively preventing civilians from fleeing.
“Our battalion went into action to exert as much military pressure as possible on Hamas terrorists, who held the civilian population in the area and forbade them from evacuating to a safe area,” IDF paramedic Corporal Shai Gilboa, told Channel 12 News.
According to Gilboa, Hamas opened fire on Gazan civilians trying to reach safety, in an attempt to keep them in the line of fire between the terror group and Israeli military operating in the area.
Gazans hurt by Hamas gunfire sought help from the IDF, Gilboa said.
“The wounded came to us and we provided them with first aid in the field, which mostly entailed stopping the bleeding,” she said.
She challenged the narrative that Gazans unaffiliated with Hamas are intimidated by IDF troops.
“They smile at us, they wave goodbye to us,” she said. “They curse Hamas in front of us.”
“Not only are they not afraid of us, a lot of them are on our side,” she added.
Hamas has long used Gazan civilians as human shields as a central part of its strategy, intentionally holding battles in crowded urban areas in order to maximize civilian casualties.
The terror group then leverages the deaths of those caught in the crossfire to falsely accuse Israel of committing human rights violations.
Gilboa’s account comes after the Biden administration increased pressure on Israel to admit more aid into the Strip.
Shortly afterwards, Washington admitted that armed gangs – presumably affiliated with Hamas – are preventing the transfer of humanitarian goods throughout the coastal enclave.
UN Report Accuses Israel Of Starvation In Gaza, Ignores Hostages
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, submitted a letter of complaint this week, to the UN Secretary-General following the report on the ‘Right to Food’ which claims that Israel is committing genocide through starvation.
“This disgraceful report is an attempt to re-write the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and promote incitement against the State of Israel,” Danon said. “Instead of identifying general trends related to the right to food of everyone, in accordance with the decision of the Human Rights Council, the report is a political manifesto under the guise of a factual manifesto whose sole purpose is to distort Jewish and Israeli history and promote anti-Semitic narratives.”
Ambassador Danon added, “Additionally, the report fails to mention the starvation of the hostages who are still being held captive by the Hamas terror organization, and it fails to mention Hamas’ responsibility for the inadequate distribution and looting of the humanitarian aid in Gaza.”
The Ambassador concluded with a request for the Secretary-General to retract the submission of the report to the General Assembly and to publicly condemn the anti-Semitic illustrations that appear in it.
“It is shameful that such a publication was transmitted on your behalf to the General Assembly,” Danon concluded.
Fighting Back: Combating The Global Rise In Antisemitism – Brigadier General (ret.) Amir Avivi
Global antisemitism has spiked since October 7, amid Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah tensions, raising concerns for Jewish communities. There has been a notable rise in acts of vandalism, threats and assaults against Jewish communities, synagogues and community centers in many countries across the world.
Since Oct. 7, antisemitism in South Africa, mostly in the form of online rhetoric, has seen a massive 600% rise. Concerning increases have also been evident in countries with large Jewish populations, such as Argentina and Brazil.
There are also concerns for Jewish communities in Europe, where 10% of the global Jewish population lives. “Jewish life in Germany is under greater threat than it has ever been since the Federal Republic of Germany came into existence,” said Felix Klein, a federal commissioner tasked with fighting antisemitism in Germany.
More than 70% of the anti-Semitic incidents recorded in Germany after October 7 were “Israel-related.” Recorded incidents in Germany have included seven cases defined as life-threatening, including an attack on a Berlin synagogue with Molotov cocktails in October that shocked much of the city’s Jewish community.
One element of these global campaigns stems from Iran’s funding of Hamas and Hezbollah who target Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, seeking to destabilize global security in the process. In a short time, Hezbollah has become far more mobilized, becoming a transcontinental organization with a presence in Europe, Africa, and East Asia. This presence allows them to recruit not just individuals driven by antisemitism, but also those who may already harbor anti-Western or anti-Israel sentiments who are more susceptible to radicalization.
In recent months, symbols of these terrorist organizations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah flags, have been on display at countless protests and demonstrations without consequence. Protest calls to “globalize the intifada” or for the destruction of Israel should face urgent legal action and penalties. The issue extends to universities, where antisemitism is a growing problem now throughout Europe and the U.S. More academic and legal accountability is essential to counter this.
Another factor in the spread of antisemitism are broader-based supposedly liberal and progressive movements in the West, which often support Palestinian statehood while simultaneously opposing Israel’s existence, revealing an obvious hypocrisy in their selective endorsement of self-determination.
Clearly, Palestinian autonomy cannot be advocated while denying the Jewish people the right to their homeland. Zionism continues to be our movement for justice, equality and Jewish self-determination in the form of the State of Israel.
This fight transcends Jewish concerns however – it is a global struggle against hatred, extremism, and misinformation. To reverse this tide therefore, a strategic, multi-pronged approach is needed – one that blends positive advocacy for Zionism with targeted measures against anti-Semitic forces. Promoting a proactive and positive vision of Zionism, taking strong legal and economic actions against anti-Semitic, terror-related or terror-motivated movements, and ensuring broad societal engagement are all vital components moving forward.
Governments play a crucial role in providing support for large-scale advocacy, education, and mobilization efforts in reversing these recent trends. Robust resources for educational initiatives, conferences, and international delegations are needed to shift global perceptions and drive lasting change.
Building a broad coalition is essential and action must be taken across all sectors of society and the Jewish world. Zionist activism must extend beyond traditional Jewish advocacy groups, to form partnerships with other communities and organizations fighting hatred and extremism.
