News Digest — 7/21/25
Israel Says Drone Strike Killed 2 Hezbollah Operatives In Southern Lebanon
Israel killed two Hezbollah members on Saturday (19th) in separate drone strikes in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces announced, saying that the terror group operatives were violating agreements between Jerusalem and Beirut.
The first operative killed was a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force. The IDF said he was killed in a drone strike in Khiam while attempting to restore Hezbollah’s capabilities in the area, adding that his activities “constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
Later Saturday (19th), a drone strike in Yohmor killed Ahmad Mohammad Salah, who the military said was responsible for Hezbollah’s forces in the town.
The IDF said Salah was also involved in the efforts to reestablish Hezbollah’s capabilities.
Since a ceasefire agreement came into effect in November, Israel has maintained presence at five strategic points in Lebanon and occasionally struck Hezbollah targets it said were violating the conditions of the ceasefire.
Lebanese state media reported on Tuesday (15th) that Israeli airstrikes attacked facilities belonging to the Radwan force, where operatives and weapons depots had been detected, the IDF said.
According to Israel, the Radwan force had in recent years planned to carry out a large-scale invasion of northern Israel, but was forced to shelve the scheme after Hamas attacked southern Israel from Gaza on Oct 7, 2023, plunging the region into war.
A day after the attack, Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones, and anti-tanks missiles at northern Israel communities, carrying out attacks on a near-daily basis in solidarity with Hamas.
The rocket fire displaced some 60,000 residents of northern Israel. In a bid to ensure their safe return, Israel stepped up operations in Lebanon in September, leading to two months of open warfare with Hezbollah in which the terror group’s leadership and arsenal were decimated.
The ceasefire agreement allows Israel to strike imminent threats, though Jerusalem is required to bring less urgent concerns to an International committee.
Hezbollah is currently under pressure from Lebanon’s Western-backed government to disarm as part of an arrangement that could reportedly see Israel halt attacks and pull its troops south of the border.
Chief Of Staff: Events In Syria Teach Us – Those Who Can’t Defend Themselves Can’t Be Safe
IDF Chief Of Staff Eyal Zamir held a field tour and situational assessment on Sunday (20th) in the Gaza Strip. He looked out over Shuja’iyya, spoke with battalion commanders about the achievements of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, and discussed plans for future operations in the Gaza Strip.
“You are heroically fighting a war that is justified like no other. Our goals and the accomplishments that you are achieving will bring a security change for years into the future,” Zamir told the officers.
He noted that “the events in Syria, the massacre of the Druze in Suwayda, prove that in the Middle East, those who cannot defend themselves can’t live securely. Terror organizations and jihadist elements are a danger on all fronts, and we must fight them, as you are doing here. Your operational achievements – the elimination of terrorists, destruction of infrastructure both above and below ground, the seizure and clearing out of large territories will allow us to change our modes of operation.”
The Chief of Staff emphasized that the military is prepared to intensify its operations in Gaza even more. “We will implement new operational configurations with which we will improve our advantages, decrease our weaknesses, and deepen our operational achievements. These measures will increasingly pressure Hamas and reduce the strain on our forces. We have presented the options to the political leadership, and we will stabilize the situation in accordance with our interests..”
“Your achievements on the ground during Operation Gideon’s Chariots are what are advancing the defeat of Hamas and creating the potential for a hostage deal. Unfortunately, battle also comes with losses – this is part of the reality of war. Our soldiers fell in the sacred mission of defending the nearby communities. We are fighting to protect ourselves. This cannot not be done through defense alone – we defend by attacking. That is one of the key lessons we learned from October 7. This is a time for perseverance and resilience, only in this way will we reach a point where we break our enemies. If we reach a deal in the coming days to return the hostages, it will be a tremendous achievement of yours. Every hostage released will be thanks to your combat efforts,” he concluded.
The visit was attended by Southern Command Chief, MG Yaniv Asor, 98th Division Commander BG Guy Levy, 7th Brigade Commander Colonel S., and the Commander of the 214th Brigade, Colonel R.
Footage Appears To Contradict Hamas Claims Of IDF Shooting Gazans At Aid Sites
The IDF released video footage Sunday night (20th) from a Humanitarian aid group in the Gaza Strip, showing a crowd of Gazans rushing to take food, while cheering the IDF soldiers securing the perimeter.
The video, released by the Israeli ministry’s top Arabic spokesman, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, was released following repeated claims made by the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry accusing IDF soldiers of gunning down hundreds of civilians in and around aid distribution sites in recent weeks.
“Thus fell all of Hamas’ lies,” Adraee wrote.
“The video,” he added, “was filmed on Sunday afternoon (20th) as a crowd of civilians mobbed an aid drop-off, where soldiers securing the area were instructed not to fire.”
Gazans scrambling for food at the aid drop-off site can be seen turning around to face the soldiers and cheering them.
“Defense army soldiers stand steadfast… And just meters away – crowds of Gaza residents receive their humanitarian aid that entered the Gaza Strip.”
“Not a single bullet was fired. The decision was clear. Palestinians did not fear…but acted with hope. The civilians welcomed and cheered our soldiers, as if they saw in them life after darkness, Adraee said”
“Those who lived under Hamas’ lies know that our soldiers and our presence are a source of hope. No starvation. No deliberate killing. No intentional targeting of those awaiting aid,” he said.
“There is Hamas propaganda with empty media megaphones promoting lies to save what remains of the defeated Hamas.”
The IDF has sought to push back against claims by Hamas of indiscriminate shooting at Gazans waiting for aid.
On Sunday, (20th) Hamas’ health ministry claimed 73 people were killed while waiting for relief drop-offs that day, with more than 150 wounded. Israeli forces, Hamas claims, were responsible for the alleged shootings on mobs outside distribution sites.
However, the IDF has rejected the Hamas ministry claims, calling them propaganda.
After Hamas claimed 27 were killed and many wounded by gunfire at an aid depot near Rafah earlier this month, an investigation found no evidence of casualties resulting from shooting by IDF soldiers.
Aid workers have accused Hamas of instigating violence at Gaza sites, including stabbing one person to death at a Khan Younis aid site last Wednesday (16th) and causing a stampede that left 19 dead.
The Forgotten Slaughter Of Syria’s Druze – And Israel’s Moral Response – Maj. (ret.) John Spencer (X)
• This past week, a brutal campaign of violence has unfolded in southern Syria. Hundreds of Druze civilians (a minority community indigenous to the Levant) have been murdered, kidnapped, or forced to flee their homes. Villages have been burned. Women and children were reportedly slaughtered in sacred sites where they had sought refuge. The perpetrators include radical Islamist militants, Bedouin gangs, and regime-backed elements.
• These are not vague reports or unverifiable claims. There is footage of Druze civilians being hunted down and executed. Women are stripped and assaulted. Men are beaten, tortured, and forced to leap from rooftops as militants cheer. It is a special kind of evil. Deliberate. Performative. Proud. All of it is shared online for the enjoyment of the killers.
• These images are a visceral reminder of the savagery unleashed by Hamas on October 7. The same evil. The same joy in human suffering. The violence is not collateral damage from a larger conflict. It is direct, targeted and deliberate. It is ethnic and religious cleansing in broad daylight.
• The Israeli Druze community has played a prominent role in every aspect of Israeli society. I have personally met Druze commanders serving in the Israel defense Forces during my visits to Gaza. They are courageous, respected and integrated. The ties between Israeli and Syrian Druze are real and deeply personal.
• Israel’s response has included airstrikes against Syrian regime military positions both south of Damascus and within the capital itself. These strikes reportedly targeted forces involved in the attacks on Druze civilians. When a close-knit historically loyal minority community within Israel cries out to the Jewish state for help as its kin are massacred just across the border, Israel does not turn away.
• This is about moral clarity. It is about responding to evil when others stay silent. It is about understanding that the same ideologies that fuel the murder of Druze families in Sweida are no different from those that drove the slaughter of Israelis on Oct. 7. While the international community hesitates, while human rights organizations say little, Israel has stepped forward. When others calculate political risks, Israel sees human lives. When others look away, Israel acts.
• The same institutions and voices that claim to champion human rights have gone quiet. There have been no emergency UN sessions. No international protests. No outcry. It is a silence that reveals the selective morality of those who only speak when it fits their politics. It is a silence that enables genocide.
The writer is chair of urban warfare at the Modern War Institute at West Point.
(x.com)
American-Born Soldier Saving Israeli Civilians Under Iran Missile Fire – Barbara Sofer
Eytan Gittler, 20, grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. After graduating from Georgetown University with a degree in hospital administration, Gittler moved to Israel and enlisted in the IDF. He’s an operations coordinator and in charge of special projects at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem. He serves as a reserve soldier in a search and rescue and combat unit and was called up for the June war with Iran.
On June 13, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the middle of a modern 42-story apartment building in Tel Aviv. “When the engineers gave the okay, we ran up the steps to the 10th floor, which had the most serious damage, and started helping people get out. Thank God, people had listened to the Home Front Command and had remained in their reinforced safe rooms. Otherwise, so many people would have been wounded or worse. As it was, we had to help people who were badly shaken and shell-shocked.”
For two hours, his team walked the stairs up to the top of the 42-story building and then to the bottom, knocking on doors and helping residents leave their apartments. “Fortunately no one needed immediate medical attention. This was a happy surprise because several floors in the middle of the building were completely wrecked, with their interiors destroyed and filled with debris.”
“I never for a moment regret my decision to move here,” he said. “I can see the difference between my friends, who, like me, stayed in Israel, and my friends back in the U.S. Here we’ve developed Israel resilience. I love being able to do something for Israel. My day job at Hadassah and my military service are both extremely meaningful.”
The writer is the Israel director of public relations at Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America.
