News Digest — 8/26/24
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari Addressed The Press Sunday: Discussed Preemptive Strike To Prevent Hezbollah Major Attack On Israel
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari addressed the press Sunday (25th) concerning Israel’s preemptive strike to prevent a major attack on Israel by Hezbollah stating: “This morning, we thwarted a large-scale attack by the Hezbollah terror organization targeting northern communities and locations in central Israel. We monitored Hezbollah for weeks using technological means and aerial patrols by Israeli Air Force aircraft. As soon as we identified Hezbollah’s intention to carry out the attack, we thwarted the majority of the attack. Hezbollah attempted to severely harm the north and center of Israel, but was met with an “Iron Fist.”
“Approximately 100 IAF aircraft simultaneously struck over two hundred and seventy targets in southern Lebanon, disrupting Hezbollah’s attack plan. So far, we are also aware of six terrorists who were eliminated in the strikes, and we may discover more in the coming days. Just last week, we eliminated approximately thirty terrorists, including Hezbollah commanders. Approximately ninety percent of the targets struck were short-range rockets aimed at northern Israel. Hezbollah planned to harm Israeli civilians. Hezbollah managed to launch only about two hundred and thirty rockets and over twenty unmanned aerial vehicles. Most of them either fell on their way to Israeli territory, landed in open areas, or were intercepted by Israeli Air Force defense systems and Israeli Navy ships. Contrary to Hezbollah’s claims, there were no hits on IDF bases neither in the north, nor in the center,” he clarified.
Addressing the lone casualty during the attack, the Spokesman stated: “During the operations of the Israeli Navy soldiers, an Iron Dome interceptor or interception fragments hit a Dvora-class fast patrol boat that was on a defensive mission. As a result, IDF soldier First Sergeant David Moshe Ben Shitrit was critically injured and was evacuated by sea to the hospital, where he later died of his wounds. May his memory be a blessing. Additionally two other soldiers were lightly and moderately injured and we wish them a speedy recovery. The incident is under examination. We share the family’s grief.”
“The Israeli Air Force, Israeli Navy, Northern Command, Home Front Command, Intelligence Directorate (12) and Operations Directorate (13) defended the State of Israel from a Hezbollah attack. The same attack that it had planned for many days following the assassination of Hezbollah’s most senior commander Fuad Shukr, along with other commanders eliminated in recent months. Hezbollah still has capabilities, and the mission is not yet complete. Our mission is clear – to return the residents of the north to their homes in safety, and we are preparing all plans to achieve this,” Hagari added.
Hagari stated that, “This evening (Sunday ), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military, General Brown, arrived in Israel and is scheduled to meet with the Chief of the General Staff and the Defense Minister and other commanders. The operational capabilities of the US military in the region are very significant, and together with them we are conducting a joint situational assessment in light of the regional threats.”
He clarified that, “We are in a state of very high readiness, both offensively and defensively, in all areas. At this time there is no change in the Home Front Command’s guidelines. You are required to continue demonstrating responsible, alertness, and vigilance as you have done so far, certainly today. I want to commend the exemplary conduct of the northern residents, who have prevented casualties through their responsible behavior. We will update immediately on any change. We are acting responsibly in line with the war objectives. Our challenges are in all arenas, and the most important mission is protecting the citizens of the State of Israel.”
“In the south, IDF troops continue to operate in the Gaza Strip,” said the Spokesman, and added that, “They are continuing to apply heavy military pressure on Hamas. Hamas hoped that Hezbollah’s attack would lead to a broad escalation. The hope of Sinwar and the Hamas leadership to drag the entire Middle East into escalation did not materialize today, and we will continue to apply heavy pressure on Hamas, eliminate its senior leaders, reach them, and damage its terrorist infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip.”
“Today, (Sunday) we reported on an IDF soldier who fell in battle, First Sergeant Amit Tsadikov, of blessed memory, a soldier in the Paratroopers brigade, who fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip due to an explosive device. We share his family’s sorrow and accompany them in this difficult time,” he said.
Spokesman Hagari concluded, “Alongside all this, we continue to be experiencing significant days this week, with high readiness across all arenas, as negotiations continue in Cairo. I heard rumors about the negotiations just before this broadcast. We will remain committed to one of the central war objectives – the return of the 109 hostages, and we will continue to make every effort to achieve this.”
Human Shields: ‘Every Third House’ In Southern Lebanon Is Used By Hezbollah For Military Purposes
It was no accident that during Sunday morning’s (25th) Hezbollah barrage, the Israeli military warned residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes noting that the Iran-backed terror group stores and fires rockets from civilian areas.
“Hezbollah stores their weapons everywhere, both between villages and within the villages themselves,” Sarit Zahavi, president and founder of the Alma Research Center told the The Press Service (TPS) of Israel.
“By and large, every third house in the Shiite villages of southern Lebanon is used in some way by Hezbollah for military purposes, be it weapons storage, the entrance of a tunnel, or a launchpad for shooting rockets at Israel,” she explained.
According to the center’s research, Hezbollah’s command is primarily embedded in Beirut while much of its logistical facilities are in the communities of eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
Thus, rocket launchers, weapons stockpiles, munition factories, command and control centers, tunnel shafts, observation posts, and other terror infrastructure are located in and around homes, schools, hospitals, and mosques throughout Lebanon.
In addition, the Alma Center shared with TPS-IL a collection of videos since October filmed by Lebanese citizens showing Hezbollah firing rockets from inside residential buildings in various villages.
“Firing from populated civilian areas, which is in and of itself illegal in the eyes of international law, transforms those areas into legitimate military targets,” Yifa Segal, an international law expert from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told TPS-Israel.
“Hezbollah, which is well aware of this, is deliberately endangering the lives of the civilians that it exploits in Lebanon,” he said.
“The reason that Hezbollah does this is that as per international law, even when attacking a legitimate military target, there must be some sort of proportionality of response.”
Segal explained that international law stipulates that even though the terror group is embedded in civilian areas, collateral damage must be mitigated – a gray area of international law that Hezbollah exploits.
Hezbollah’s strategy, he told TPS-IL, is “to ensure that any Israeli response will result in as much collateral damage as possible so that Hezbollah can say that it was a war crime.”
Hezbollah’s doctrine of using human shields dates back years.
“Since the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah has been entrenching itself in these areas and preparing for the next war with Israel. Hezbollah shoots from civilian areas in Lebanon towards civilian areas of Israel,” Zahavi told TPS-IL.
“In order to solve this issue, we need the international community to stand alongside us.”
An estimated 15,000 homes were destroyed and a further 13,000 were damaged during the Second War in Lebanon.
Segal noted that Israel’s response to Hamas and Hezbollah’s human-shield-tactics includes warnings to civilians both in Gaza and Lebanon of impending military operations, going above and beyond the requirements of international law.
“There is no law that stipulates this level of consideration. There is no other country that contacts civilians from enemy countries and requests that they leave the contact zone,”Segal stressed.
Nearly 80,000 Israelis were forced to evacuate their homes near the Lebanon border when Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones in October. Hezbollah leaders have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes. The attacks have killed 26 civilians and 19 soldiers on the Israeli side.
Since October 8, Hezbollah has launched more than 6,700 rockets and drones at Israel.
Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Hamas Fires Rocket At Central Israel, Rejects Cease-Fire Proposal
Hamas fired a rocket from Gaza targeting central Israel, landing in an open area and causing no damage or injuries. Sirens blared in Rishon Lezion south of Tel Aviv in the late evening hours Sunday (25th). Security authorities said the rocket landed outside the city.
Earlier, the terror group said it rejects new Israeli conditions put forward in Gaza ceasefire talks, casting further doubt on the chances of a breakthrough in the latest US-backed effort to end the 10-month-old war.
Months of on and off talks have failed to produce an agreement to release the remaining hostages seized by Hamas in the Oct. 7 massacre that triggered the war.
Key sticking points in ongoing talks mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar include an Israeli presence in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow 9-mile-long stretch of land along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
Israel insists on continued control of the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent Weapons smuggling into Gaza.
Daily Express: Yahya Sinwar ‘Dressed As A Woman’ Hiding Among Gaza’s Populace
Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ most senior leader, has “dressed as a woman” while hiding among Gaza’s populace during his time outside of the terror group’s tunnel network in the Gaza Strip, the UK’s Daily Express reported on Sunday (25th), citing Israeli intelligence sources.
The New York Times on Sunday (25th), citing American and Israeli officials, reported that Sinwar may have left the tunnels in which he had been hiding on a number of occasions over the last year.
Sinwar has reportedly been moving from place to place in the Gaza Strip to stay ahead of Israeli efforts to hunt him down.
Since his appointment to the head of Hamas’ political bureau after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, Sinwar has been the Islamist organization’s undisputed leader.
Additionally, the IDF targeted the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammad Deif, in July before later confirming the elimination of the terror leader.
The strike that killed Deif also eliminated Khan Yunis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh.
In August, speaking to the Israeli news outlet Maariv, one Israeli security source estimated that Sinwar was running out of places to hide as the Israeli offensive in the Strip cut away at Hamas’ leadership and continued to advance in Gaza.
Sinwar is believed to be relying on human couriers to receive information and send instructions, the NYT noted.
“Sinwar is said to no longer trust electronic communications, fearing that the Israeli army will discover his location and kill him,” the Emirati Al-Ain reported earlier this month.
Further, the Arabic language Alsharq al-Awsat reported that Sinwar is insisting that his life be spared as part of ceasefire deal negotiations.
Attempted Ramming Attack In The West Bank, Terrorist Eliminated
A terrorist was killed following an attempted terrorist attack involving a ramming incident near the Ariel junction in the West Bank, the IDF said on Sunday (25th).
A 30-year-old man sustained wounds and a woman in her late 60s suffered from anxiety as a result of the attack, Israel media reported.
According to reports, a Palestinian vehicle driving in the opposite direction to the traffic, collided with Israeli vehicles and attempted to ram into a military outpost.
In a separate incident, a terrorist fired at soldiers while they were operating near Jenin and was killed, the IDF announced early Sunday morning (25th). He had earlier fired at a Menashe Brigade military post. IDF forces are searching in the Jenin area for a second terrorist who also fired at the post but was able to get away.
‘A Terrorist In A Suit’: Danny Danon Confronts Palestinian Rep IN UNSC Confrontation
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon accused the Palestinian representative, Riyad Mansour, of platforming Hamas in addition to the Palestinian Authority at Thursday’s night’s (22nd) UN Security Council meeting after the representative accused Israel of committing genocide.
After Mansour told the Council “Israel is committing genocide,” Danon responded by telling the representative “If you cannot condemn Hamas, you are one of them. You are a terrorist in a suit.”
The confrontation occurred at the UNSC meeting to discuss the ongoing escalations in the Middle East. It came amid Danon’s first address before the council since he returned to the role.
“I see the representative of the Palestinian Authority is still here. You have been sitting in that chair for twenty years,” Danon’s speech began. “You have spent two decades in this place proposing resolutions which accomplish nothing but hatred and violence while claiming to be an advocate for peace.”
“But I want to clarify an important point, and I demand an answer: Mr. Mansour, who do you represent here today? Do you represent the Hamas terror organization?”
“Since October 7, you have delivered hundreds of speeches – yet you have never uttered anything, even resembling a condemnation of Hamas.”
“Mr. Mansour, If you cannot condemn them, you are one of them! You do not represent the Palestinian people. You are a terrorist in a suit.”
After addressing his accusations to Mansour, Danon turned his attention to the council. He told international representatives, “The days when Jews blood was spilled without a response are over. The days when the Jewish people were at the mercy of tyrants are over.”
“We are the captains of our own ship, and we will take all necessary steps against those who wish to harm us,” Danon concluded.
