News Digest — 7/11/24
Northern Evacuees To Hezbollah: ‘Beirut, Your Time Is Coming’
“Beirut, your time is coming!” a video warned, following Hezbollah’s rocket barrage on Tuesday (9th). “Get ready, you’re running out of time.”
Families of evacuees in northern Israel have released a video warning, in response to Hezbollah’s Tuesday (9th) drone footage of military sites and locations in the Golan Heights, according to a Maariv report.
The video, published by the “Fighting for the North” headquarters, an organization that represents hundreds of evacuees families, addresses Hezbollah directly. “Beirut your time is coming!” subtitles written in Hebrew and Arabic for distribution on Arab media networks, read: “Get ready, you’re running out of time!”
On Tuesday (9th), Hezbollah published a 10-minute propaganda video featuring drone footage of Israeli military bases and locations in the Golan Heights, including areas close to the Lebanon border, such as Nahariya, Safed, Mount Dov, and Haifa.
Hezbollah claims the footage, which is estimated to have been taken 4-5 months ago based on the patches of snow spotted in the video, was taken by a drone that entered Israeli airspace before returning to Lebanon undetected, a claim the IDF has not commented on.
Hezbollah’s propaganda video followed an alleged Israeli strike that hit a vehicle on the Damascus-Beirut highway in Syrian territory, killing Yasser Qaranbash, a former bodyguard of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, on Tuesday (9th).
Since the start of the fighting, Hezbollah has launched hundreds of drones, many armed with explosives, at northern Israel. After the propaganda video was released, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on X, “A barking dog doesn’t bite.” He warned Nasrallah “to stop the threats and violence and to “withdraw” Hezbollah forces from the border area, adding that Nasrallah would “be considered the destroyer of Lebanon” if he did not listen.
In addition to the video, “Fighting for the North” urged for a more decisive stance against Hezbollah, advocating for a shift from defensive to offensive operations. On Tuesday (9th), the IDF said around 40 projectiles were launched from Lebanon into the center of the Golan Heights, causing the deaths of two Israeli civilians, a mother and father of three children, near the Nafah Junction. After the attack, the group posted a message to the Israeli government on their Facebook page, saying “The red line has been crossed.”
“Two dead in the North … If we don’t go to war in the North now, it will be an inexcusable crime against the government and the leadership … There is an opportunity here that should not be missed for a real decision and not one-off attacks that do not provide an ounce of deterrence.”
The evacuees’ video was published in preparation for a “Day of war in the North,” a series of protests and demonstrations set to take place next Sunday (14th). According to their social media page, the group plans to hold gatherings across Israel, calling for a war in the North that will lead to the return of displaced persons to their homes and a “complete victory over our enemy.” “We have been evacuated for over nine months, and right now it seems in vain. Thousands of displaced people, dozens of dead, and there is no clear destination for the war. This thing must stop. War, now!”
IDF Has Killed 60% Of Hamas Terrorists In Gaza, Gallant Tells Knesset
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday (10th) that 60% of Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip have been killed or wounded as a result of Israel’s operation in Gaza.
Speaking at the Knesset, he also said that Israel had broken up the majority of the 24 battalions that Hamas’ military wing had at the start of the war.
“The action of the IDF that has so far led to the elimination of over 14,000 terrorists and the collapse of the military frameworks of Hamas is, in fact, the testimony of what I am saying – everything will be done in accordance with the law and in accordance with operational needs.”
According to KAN news, Gallant also stated that “international legitimacy” was a significant condition for the continuation of the operation.
Gallant also said on Wednesday (10th) that draft notices would be delivered in the next few weeks to some ultra-Orthodox Jews who had previously been exempt from serving in the Israeli military.
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled last month that the defense ministry must end the longstanding exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews from mandatory military service.
Speaking in the Israeli parliament, Gallant said the plan was to send out thousands of draft notices, though not all given such notices would end up serving.
The coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relies on two Ultra-Orthodox parties who oppose the end of the exemption. However, the IDF says they need more recruits to keep Israel safe and sustain the war against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.
Ex-Hamas Hostage Completes IDF Training ‘With Honors’
An ex-Hamas hostage completed IDF training ‘with honors.’ “Today, I finished my course with a feeling of victory,” said Noga Weiss, who was held hostage in the Gaza Strip for some 50 days.
Noga Weiss, who was held hostage in the Gaza Strip and released in November recently completed a training course in the Israeli army ‘with honors.’
Weiss, 18, was kidnapped alongside her mother, Shiri, from their home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7th.
They were released in a brief ceasefire and hostage exchange deal, after being held captive in the Strip for some 50 days.
Her father, Ilan, who left the house to defend the community from the terror onslaught, was murdered by Hamas terrorists. His body is still being held in the coastal enclave.
Although she would have been granted an exemption from army service due to the ordeal, Weiss decided to draft into the army in May.
Before her induction, Weiss told Walla, “There were times when I thought I’d never serve in the army.”
After a long process of weighing the decision, she said that she felt that skipping her army service would be letting the terrorists win.
“I understood that I wanted to beat [Hamas], for myself by joining the army,” she continued.
Weiss recently completed a training course for the position of Welfare Officer. She will be responsible for helping soldiers within the military with concerns related to their wellbeing.
“Today I finished the course with a feeling of victory,” she said. “I’m excited for what is to come, and feel I can positively impact other soldiers.”
In April, 2024, Weiss spoke to Hebrew-language Channel 12 News about her time being held hostage.
She recounted how her captor had proposed marriage, terrifying her and her mother. He gave me a ring on day 14 [in captivity], and I had to stay with him until day 50,” she said. “He told me, “Everyone will be released, but you will stay here with me and have my children.”
When asked how she responded, Weiss said “I pretended to laugh so he wouldn’t shoot me in the head.”
WSJ Report: US Resumes Arms Shipments To Israel, Including 500-Pound Bombs
The United States will soon ship weapons and arms that the Biden administration suspended, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday (10th).
The new shipments will end a two-month pause in weapons deliveries.
Weapons include 500-pound bombs that the Biden administration previously suspended, with the administration citing civilian casualties in Gaza, the WSJ noted in their report.
The report stated that according to estimates, the bombs “are in the process of being shipped” and will arrive in Israel in the coming weeks.
However, according to reports, heavier bombs, including 2,000 pound bombs are still on hold, US officials stated.
The delayed shipment, initially blocked by US President Joe Biden, had become a contentious issue in US-Israel relations.
The issue of delayed arms shipments has been a source of tension since May when the Biden administration paused the transfer of certain munitions due to concerns over the potential impact to densely populated areas in Gaza. This included 2,000 and 500-pound bombs.
The decision to approve half of the shipment marks progress but leaves unresolved issues. The heavy bombs, crucial for specific military operations, remain in the US as discussions continue. This partial release is a step toward resolving the arms crisis, although Israel continues to engage in talks with the US to secure the release of the remaining bombs.
US Intelligence Says Iran Supports, Funds Israel Protests
Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence says Tehran operatives are posing as activists online to encourage protests, and stoke discord using cyber and influence campaigns on social media.
The office of the US Director of National Intelligence this week warned in a public statement online that Iran was working to encourage pro-Palestinian anti-Israel protests and even providing funding for them in their effort to stoke discord in American society.
“Iranian government actors have sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza, using a playbook we’ve seen other actors use over the years. We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests and even providing financial support to protesters,” Haines said.
“Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, as we have seen them do in the past, including in prior election cycles. They continue to adapt their cyber and influence activities, using social media platforms and using threats,” he said.
“Americans who are being targeted by this Iranian campaign may not be aware that they are interacting with or receiving support from a foreign government. We urge all Americans to remain vigilant as they engage online with accounts and actors they do not personally know.”
The Time To Stay Silent Was Over – Maria Munoz
I am a Native American, born in Columbia, a U.S. citizen and a practicing Christian. I’m also a fierce defender of Israel. I have traveled the world, and although I’ve experienced wonderful hospitality in many places, Israel is the only place that felt like a second home. The first time I went to Israel, in May 2023, I experienced the strong community between Israelis, something that I felt was missing in the U.S. During that visit, I stopped at Kibbutz Kfar Aza near Gaza, and the residents showed us a missile that had been launched at their kibbutz earlier that week.
On Oct. 7 I heard that Israel had been attacked. I had no idea about the magnitude of the attack until I heard the news that Kfar Aza had been razed to the ground. I was devastated. To my horror, in the following weeks I was caught on the streets of Washington amid demonstration after demonstration against Israel.
I felt too scared for weeks to speak up, as I was worried about facing backlash for saying anything. However, something inside kept telling me that what I was seeing in the media was not lining up with what actually happened. So I returned to Israel in January 2024. As soon as I posted what I saw on social media, I lost my friend group, was isolated from college organizations, and received hateful messages online. But I have absolutely no regrets.
When I went back to Kfar Aza, the bright flourishing community I once knew was now in ruins. Seeing the burned rubble of family homes was the first time I fully understood the fate of the kibbutz residents.. Their voices had been stolen by the self-proclaimed activists of social media who were telling the world that the stories of Israeli victims did not deserve to be heard because their deaths were “justified.” I knew this sentiment was wrong. People who were anti-war were now openly celebrating the deaths of innocent civilians.
It made me realize people were not using this movement to stand up for human rights. They were using it to ignite hate against Jews – again. If my former friends had seen the atrocious evidence of the attacks like I did, they would also be shouting to the world that Hamas is a genocidal regime, not a revolutionary “freedom fighting” group. I consider Israel the most successful decolonization project of all time. I unapologetically support Israel and the Jewish people. People have tried to call me a Zionist as an insult. But I wear the badge proudly. (Tablet)
