News Digest — 8/6/24
US CENTCOM Commander, Defense Minister Discuss Expansion Of Anti-Iran Coalition
On Monday (5th), Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi hosted Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander, US Central Command at the MOD headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Their discussion focused on the coordination of defense cooperation between the respective establishments and militaries. They also discussed ways to expand the international coalition facing aggressive activities by Iran and its proxies against Israel, and destabilizing the Middle East Region. Minister Gallant expressed his appreciation to the US defense establishment led by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, for standing with Israel at this time and taking action to further strengthen Israel’s defense capabilities.
Minister Gallant thanked General Kurilla for his leadership and personal commitment to restoring regional stability and ensuring Israel’s security.
Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said: “The visit by CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla at this time, is a direct translation of US support for Israel into action. The relationship between Israel and the United States is unshakeable.”
“In my meeting with General Kurilla and IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, we discussed the coordination of defense activities and ways to expand the international coalition facing aggressive actions by Iran and its proxies.”
‘Dangerous Escalation’ – 7 US Soldiers Wounded In Missile Attack
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant shortly after a missile attack on a US Air Force Base in Iraq wounded at least seven servicemen, calling the assault a “dangerous escalation” amid rising tensions in the region.
According to a Reuters report, at least two Katyusha rockets were fired on the Al Asad Base in the early hours of Tuesday morning (6th), seriously wounding at least one.
While no group officially took responsibility for the attack, similar assaults have been carried out by Iran’s proxy militias in the past.
Washington is operating under the assumption that the attack was ordered by the Islamic Republic.
“Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant agreed that today’s Iran-aligned militia attack on US forces stationed at Al Asad Airbase in western Iraq marked a dangerous escalation and demonstrated Iran’s destabilizing role in the region,” read a statement from the Pentagon.
During a phone call, the summary said, Austin reiterated to Gallant the “unwavering US commitment to Israel’s security in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and other Iran-aligned militia groups.”
Israel is girding for an expected retaliatory strike by Iran, after the assassination of Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Notably, Iran has said that it finds both Israel and the US responsible for the slaying.
Tehran has claimed that Washington had advanced knowledge of the attack, though they have not provided evidence to support that claim.
In January 2024, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-linked group, fired rockets on a US army base in Jordan.
That attack killed three soldiers and wounded dozens more.
Katib Hezbollah, another Iranian proxy, has said they will target American military assets in Iraq until the US completely withdraws from the country.
US To Supply Israel With 1000-Lb MK-83 Bombs As Regional Tensions Mount
As Iran threatens retaliation for Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran, and Hezbollah vows vengeance for the killing of their top military commander Fuad Shukr, the United States is bolstering its support for Israel. Washington is deploying a substantial fleet of warships, fighter jets, and defense systems to the region. Israel Hayom has learned that the Biden administration has lifted its restrictions on supplying Israel with the MK-83 1000-lb bombs. The decision was made even before the current escalation. These munitions had previously been withheld for months, even prior to the outbreak of the current conflict.
The fate of the heavier MK-84 bombs, weighing one ton each, remains uncertain, with no clear indication of whether the US will agree to their transfer to Israel.
Israel Hayom has also learned that the US has recently eased restrictions on additional munitions. Weapons from US military warehouses in Israel have been transferred to Israeli forces, including air-to-air missiles. These are crucial for intercepting unmanned aerial vehicles that have frequently attempted to infiltrate Israeli airspace since October 7, including one that exploded in Tel Aviv.
Furthermore, the US plans to bolster its munitions stockpiles in Israel. This strategic move would enable rapid transfer of munitions if necessary, eliminating the need for time-consuming transportation from the US mainland.
Iran’s Ongoing Effort To Destabilize Judea And Samaria
Iran is continuing its efforts to flood Judea and Samaria with weapons, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari warned on Sunday (4th), a day after Israel Defense Forces eliminated two terrorist cells in the Tulkarem area.
One of the cells was en route to carry out an attack when the car it was traveling in was hit by an Israeli airstrike, according to the IDF.
All Five members of the cell were killed.
According to Hamas, one of the casualties was a commander of the Tulkarem brigade, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed the other casualties, according to Reuters.
Hours later, the IDF and Israel Security Agency jointly announced the elimination of a second cell via an airstrike in the Tulkarem area.
Troops from the IDF elite Duvdevan unit directed the airstrike on four terrorists who were shooting at Israeli forces, according to the statement.
Palestinian media later identified one of the casualties as a local Hamas commander.
Following the counterterrorism operations in the area, the IDF released images of ammunition seized, much of it, according to Hagari, arrived in Judea and Samaria from Iran.
“For years Iran has been arming terror organizations in the Middle East, including creating smuggling infrastructure for bombs,” he added.
“These efforts include the smuggling into Israel of anti-personnel mines for use in terror attacks,” said Hagari, noting that the IDF and ISA had disrupted many such plots.
“We are determined to act against Iranian terror in all places,” he stated.
Harel Chorev, head of the Doron Halpern Middle East Network Analysis Desk at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, is a resident of one of the communities of the Hefer Valley area, which is not far from Tulkarem.
His community had received a security warning prior to the cell’s elimination, he said.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel, the IDF has “taken off the gloves” with regard to Judea and Samaria, according to Chorev.
Several hundred terror operatives have been killed in Judea and Samaria since then, he said, and the Israeli Air Force has returned to operating in the area for the first time since the Second Intifada, which broke out in 2000.
Until Oct. 7 it was up to ground forces to deal with terrorists in Judea and Samaria, “a much longer and more cumbersome process,” he said.
The terrorist battalions in the region are seemingly independent and devoid of factional affiliation, but in reality number among their members operatives from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Fatah, he explained.
“They work under the ‘national unity banner.’ The first example was Lions’ Den in Nablus. Northern Samaria saw other battalions set up. This is the main security challenge,” he added.
“These battalions are being fueled by Iranian weapons smuggling via Jordan, as well as funding from Hamas, which is prepared to support them whether or not they formally affiliate with the Gaza-based terrorist group,” he said.
“Hamas for years was prepared to work ‘behind the scenes,” said Chorev. “In the past, this was at the media incitement level, but it has become more than that,” he added.
According to Joe Truzman, senior research analyst at Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Long War Journal, the various terror factions have entrenched themselves in certain areas of Judea and Samaria to a dangerous degree.
“Tulkarem has emerged as a significant hotspot for terrorism, akin to Jenin and Nablus,” he said
“Groups such as Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades have firmly established their presence in the area,” he added.
“These groups have established IED laboratories, where they produce explosives in large quantities, capable of inflicting significant casualties,” he continued.
Moreover, disturbingly, even with near-daily Israeli counter-terrorism operations, these groups continue their assaults on both civilian and military targets.
“For more than three years after the surge in violence began in the West Bank, Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades have been the dominant forces behind attacks on Israeli troops and civilians,” he said.
“However, in the past six months, there has been a notable increase in terrorism attributed to Hamas in the territory. This increase indicates that Hamas is shifting its focus toward the West Bank, as operating in Gaza has become increasingly challenging due to the ongoing war.”
Defiant Of Iranian Threat, Over 150 French Jews Immigrate To Israel
As flights into Israel were canceled amid the threat of an Iranian attack, a special International Fellowship of Christians and Jews aliyah flight continued undaunted on Thursday (1st), bringing over 150 French Jews to their new home in the Holy land.
One hundred and forty-eight men, women, and children, seven babies and one small dog waited through the extra layers of security with all their belongings at Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport.
The excitement was tangible as the immigrants settled into their El Al seats.
Major airlines like Lufthansa had canceled flights into the country over concerns that the Iranian regime would retaliate over the alleged Israeli operation in Tehran that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, but the French olim (new immigrants) were defiant of the intimidation of threats.
The Maimon family said that they were not afraid of a potential Iranian attack. The Glick family of four said it was better to come to Israel, Iranian threat and all, than to stay in France, where anti-Semitism had become normalized. The State of Israel would protect them.
The Glick family was set to live in Ashdod. They were nonplussed about the problem of Gaza rockets, and confident that the IDF would completely remove this threat. They sought to make aliyah to secure a future for their two children, whom they said would have greater prospects in the Jewish state. “There’s no future for them in France,” said Glick.
During the flight, IFCJ staff and Israeli immigration officers guided the olim through aliyah’s paperwork. With each final signature and adoption of Israeli citizenship, cheers and songs erupted along the aircraft aisle.
The olim descended from the plane in Israel greeted by music and dancing youth group members. At a ceremony in the airport, a new immigrant was welcomed on stage to sound the symbolic ram’s shofar blast. Aliyah Minister Ofir Sofer, World Zionist Organization chair Yaakov Hagoel, and IFCJ CEO Ayelet Shilo Tamir welcomed the immigrants as they set their first steps on Israeli ground as citizens.
IFCJ chairman Bishop Paul Lanier recalled how in ancient times pilgrims would sing songs as they ascended to Jerusalem.
“Over 150 people woke up in France today under threat of anti-Semitism and made their ascent today,” said Lanier. “I don’t know what they said in ancient times, but I say now, “Baruch Hashem [Blessed be God].”
Sofer said that it was exciting to see the new immigrants and that it was the duty of the nation to warmly receive them.
“People are coming, knowing that their home is here and we in Israel need to receive them properly,” said Sofer. Hagoel said it was exciting to meet 154 new citizens, and predicted that by the end of the war thousands more olim would be greeted in such a fashion at the airport.
“We have a nation of heroes,” said Hagoel.
With the IFCJ flight, the number of French Jews that had made aliyah since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War exceeded 1,000. The Jewish Agency and Aliyah Ministry said that over 7,000 new applications had been opened in France in 2024 compared to 1,200 the year prior. Since October 7, 24,000 people from around the world have made aliyah to Israel.
Thursday’s (1st) new immigrants from France left the airport to take residence in Netanya Raanana, Hadera, Givat Shmuel, and Ashdod.
