News Digest — 8/15/24
5 Palestinian Gunmen Killed, Four Troops Hurt In West Bank Raid
Five Palestinian gunmen were killed in a 12-hour Israeli counter-terrorism raid in the northern West Bank on Wednesday (14th), the military said.
Four soldiers were also wounded during the operation after a roadside bomb hit their vehicle.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, troops entered the West Bank city of Tubas, the nearby town of Tamun and the Far’a refugee camp to detain wanted Palestinians and dismantle local terrorist groups in the area.
The towns are located on the edge of the northern Jordan Valley, 9 miles northeast of Nablus.
In Tubas, an explosive device planted on a road exploded by a light armored vehicle wounded four troops. Two were listed in moderate condition and the other two were lightly hurt, the IDF said.
Also in Tubas, the army said a senior wanted member of a terror group in the area was killed in an exchange of fire with troops. Other armed Palestinians were wounded by Israeli forces in the clashes.
Meanwhile, in Tamun, a drone strike was carried out against a group of Palestinian gunmen, killing four of them, according to the IDF.
Hamas identified one of the gunmen as a member of their terror group.
The military said it seized five M-16 assault rifles and one submachine gun, along with other weapons, including explosive devices, during the operation.
The Operation was carried out by the IDF’s Duvdevan Commando Unit, troops of the Kfir Infantry Brigade and the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit, along with Border Police officers, Israel Prison Service’s elite Metzada Unit and the Shin Bet security agency.
The IPS’s elite unit is rarely involved in West Bank raids. Wednesday’s (14th) operation marked a rare instance of four of Israel’s security bodies – the IDF, police, IPS, and Shin Bet – operating together in a single raid in the West Bank.
Tensions in Israel and the West Bank have soared since October 7, when terrorists burst through the Gaza border into Israel in a Hamas-led attack, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,400 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,850 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 590 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 26 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another five members of the security forces were also killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
Chief Of Staff: Every Day Hamas Holds Our Hostages, It Will Be More Bitter For Them
On Wednesday (14th), the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, held a situational assessment at the Philadelphi Corridor in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, along with the Commanding Officer of the Southern Command, MG Yaron Finkelman, the Commanding Officer of the 162nd Division, MG Itzik Cohen and additional commanders.
Chief of Staff Halevi told the soldiers of the 162nd Division, “Over ten months, and the achievements are very high, I say this to the Southern Command and to the 162nd Division that has been excellent since the beginning of the war, and I’m telling you this, the brigade commanders who have been here from the start and those who replace others along the way are doing very high-quality work. I measure first and foremost the dismantling of Hamas; this is the most important mission because when you excel in dismantling Hamas, we will be able to later tell Kerem Shalom, Holit, Ein HaShlosha – come back, it is safe to live here. And I measure the dismantling of Hamas in the number of terrorists eliminated, the number of operatives eliminated and the amount of infrastructure destroyed – you are making very good progress here.”
”The second thing is to ensure that these blows and the destruction of terrorist infrastructure are such that they [Hamas] won’t be able to lift their heads here. Therefore, make sure it is planned in such a way that we truly know how to destroy all terrorist infrastructure here, and not leave any stepping stones to build things forward,” he said.
Halevi elaborated, “The thing is the return of the hostages. This is the goal of the war. We are working on it with great determination, and I want you to know that what you are doing above and below ground has a significant impact on this. Hamas needs to know that every day that it holds our hostages will be more bitter for them than the previous day. And we will intensify until we succeed in bringing back the hostages and then not allow Hamas to lift its head either.”
“The third thing is the Philadelphi Corridor. This Corridor is important because it deals with strengthening our position. We are preparing for all scenarios that the political level may decide. If they decide we stay in the Philadelphi Corridor, we will know how to stay there and stay strong. If they decide that we monitor and raid every time we have an indication, we will know how to do that. We will know how to work well. I see our operational freedom in Gaza; see, we activated the 98th Division more than a week ago. You see, there is no place in Gaza today where our troops cannot reach. There is no such thing. We know how to get anywhere in a short time, and this achievement must be maintained, this strength must be preserved,” the Chief of Staff concluded.
Palestinian On Terror Watchlist Caught At US Border In New Mexico
A Palestinian migrant, Omar Shedhaha, who has appeared on a terror watch list, was caught on Monday (12th) at the southern border in the United States, according to a Wednesday (14th) New York Post report.
According to the report, Shedhaha, aged 35, was on the terror watchlist for previous use of explosives/firearms.
He was caught at the border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
In July as well, three Palestinian migrants with possible terrorist connections were detained by border agents after illegally crossing the San Diego-Mexico border, another Post report showed.
Border agents found pictures of a masked man holding an AK-47 in the phone of one of the migrants. The federal authorities also detained a Turkish migrant with suspected terrorist connections.
While the Post was not told what terror groups the migrants were affiliated with, San Diego Customs and Border Protection agents were told in October to look closely for individuals with Palestinian terror ties in the aftermath of the October 7 attack.
Internal Strife: Iran’s Delayed Retaliation To Israel Sparks Rift Within Terror Proxies – Report
Iran has angered its allies, particularly Hezbollah and Hamas, by once again urging caution in responding to Israel after the assassinations of high-ranking Hezbollah terrorist Fuad Shukr and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Kuwaiti newspaper al Jarida reported on Wednesday (14th).
According to the report, while Iran has recently signaled a willingness to delay its response to Haniyeh’s assassination, a source within the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force revealed to the Kuwaiti news outlet that a heated meeting took place on Sunday (11th) in Tehran between representatives of Iran’s regional allies and the Revolutionary Guard leadership.
This meeting exposed a significant rift, the report noted, which escalated into a verbal clash and ended with some allies storming out in anger.
The source told al Jarida that representatives from Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, various Iraqi factions, and the Houthis attended the meeting to coordinate a response to Israel.
According to the source, Revolutionary Guard representatives urged the allies to hold off on retaliation at least until after the conclusion of hostage negotiations in Gaza, set to end on Thursday (15th).
However, Iran’s allies felt that the timing was ideal to launch an all-out assault on Israel, even if it meant confronting those who defend it, including American forces in the region. The source noted that the Iranian delegation made it clear that pursuing such an aggressive strategy would ultimately play into Israel’s hands.
Instead the Iranians proposed a “tit-for-tat” approach, according to al Jadida’s report, suggesting that any assassination of resistance figures should be met with retaliatory assassinations of Israeli leaders.
Hezbollah representatives, on the other hand, expressed concerns about the risks of continued restraint, fearing that some of their members might act independently and carry out uncoordinated attacks. They insisted that, following the attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, it was time to retaliate by targeting Haifa and Tel Aviv.
The source also revealed Tehran’s growing concern that its allies might launch attacks without coordinating with Iran, forcing it to deal with consequences – much like what Hamas did on October 7, but potentially on a more dangerous scale, according to al Jarida’s report.
Israel Responds To European Support For Palestinian State By Approving New Settlement In Judea
Israel defense authorities gave approval for the establishment of a new Jewish town south of Jerusalem in Judea Wednesday (14th).
The Israeli defense ministry’s Civil Administration, the governing authority in roughly 60% of Judea and Samaria under full Israeli control, finalized the municipal boundaries for the new town of Nahal Heletz, which will be built as part of the Gush Etzion bloc south of the capital.
Once completed, Nahal Heletz and another new planned town, Sde Boaz, will create territorial continuity of Israeli townships between Jerusalem and the existing Gush Etzion bloc.
The Israeli government voted to greenlight the establishment of five new recognized towns in Judea and Samaria in late June, in response to European states recognizing the unilateral Palestinian statehood.
In addition to Nahal Heletz, towns selected for recognition include Evyatar, Givat Assaf, and Sadeh Efraim in Samaria, and Adoraim in Judea.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party), who also serves as Minister in the Defense Ministry, with authority over settlement affairs inside the ministry, celebrated the finalizing of municipal boundaries for Nahal Heletz as a “historic moment” for the settlement movement.
“About two months ago the security cabinet approved my proposal for the establishment of five new towns in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich tweeted Wednesday (14th).
“Through combined work of the Ministry of Defense and the Civil Administration, they have put in much effort to implement the decision and, among others, promoted the outline of Nahal Heletz that will be part of the continued momentum and construction of Jewish towns and villages.”
“No Anti-Israel and anti-Zionist decision will stop the further development of Jewish construction. We will continue to fight the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state and establish facts on the ground,” he added.
Most Seriously Wounded Victim Of Majdal Shams Massacre Regains Consciousness
The Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa on Wednesday morning (14th) reported that the condition of an 11-year-old girl who was seriously injured in the Hezbollah rocket strike on a soccer field in Majdal Shams on July 27th has improved significantly.
The girl was declared the most seriously-injured victim of the massacre, and suffered a very severe shrapnel injury to her head. In the hours following the strike, she underwent a lengthy surgery.
On Tuesday (13th), she fully regained consciousness, and her condition is now considered moderate. The girl will remain in the hospital for several more days.
Another victim of the massacre, a 12-year-old boy who suffered from the Hezbollah rocket attack, is still hospitalized and is also expected to be released in the coming days.
Twelve children and youths were murdered in the July 27th massacre and over 30 were injured, as they played soccer in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on a Saturday afternoon last month.
The victims were named as : Fajer Laith Abu Saleh (16), Ameer Rabeea Abu Saleh (16), Hazem Akram Abu Saleh (15), Johnny Wadeea Ibrahim (13), Iseel Nasha’at Ayoub (12), Vines Adham Alsafadi (11), Yazan Nayeif Abu Saleh (12), Alma Ayman Fakher Eldin (11), Naji Taher Halabi (11), Milad Muadad Alsha’ar (10), Nathem Fakher Saeb (16), and Jifara Ibrahim (11).
