News Digest — 9/19/24
Casualties Reported After Anti-Tank Missiles Hit Northern Border
Anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) struck the Ramin ridge in northern Israel early Thursday morning (19th), causing casualties and prompting swift retaliation from Israeli forces. The attack which occurred around 8:05 AM local time, saw two ATGMs hit the Upper Galilee region, marking a dangerous new phase in the ongoing border conflict.
The Israel Defense Forces immediately responded with artillery fire into Lebanon, signaling a rapid intensification of cross-border exchanges. Additional ATGM impacts in Tel Hai were also reported. This attack from Lebanon comes as Israel anticipates Hezbollah’s response to the mysterious explosions all across Lebanon that involved detonations of pagers held by its members, with many speculating this was an Israeli covert operation. Dozens of terrorists were killed and thousands injured.
In the hours following the missile attacks, the IDF launched a series of retaliatory strikes. An IDF spokesperson announced that overnight air operations targeted Hezbollah military structures in several areas in southern Lebanon, including Shiheen, Al-Taybeh, Blida, Mays al-Jabal, Aytaroun, and Kfar Kila. The air force also struck an arms depot used by Hezbollah in the Al-Khiam area.
Comment: Hey Hezbollah, Think Twice Before Messing With The Startup Nation – Zvika Klein
For over a year, Israel has endured a relentless barrage of rockets, drones, and daily threats from its northern border. Thousands of families in the north have been displaced, their lives uprooted, and forced to live in uncertainty. Why? Because Hezbollah, the fundamentalist organization funded by Iran, has turned its obsession with destroying Israel into a war against innocent civilians.
Israel has no choice but to fight back. When a nation is under fire for months on end, standing idly by is simply not an option. Yet, even as the war continues, critics emerge, arguing that Israel’s heavy investments in defense and military technologies are excessive. Some say it would be better to funnel those billions into education or welfare. But now, more than ever, it’s clear that this foresight was essential.
On Tuesday (17th), the latest developments in our alleged efforts became apparent. Thousands of Hezbollah operatives were wounded when their communication devices – pagers – mysteriously detonated across south Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut. While Hezbollah initially refrained from directly accusing anyone, they eventually placed the blame squarely on Israel.
Many international news outlets suggest Israel infiltrated their communication systems and used advanced technology to trigger the explosions remotely. If these reports are correct, this is yet another demonstration of Israel’s ingenuity in the face of terror – a sophisticated, surgical response to aggression.
Hezbollah may boast powerful weapons and deep pockets from Tehran, but let’s not forget: We are still that David from biblical times, who used a mere sling to outsmart the mighty Goliath. Israel might be small in size, but we are swift, innovative and adaptable. We have transformed into the Startup Nation, renowned for our technological prowess and ability to turn challenges into opportunities.
To those watching from afar, do not be fooled: Israel is not the aggressor. It is fundamentalist extremism that has brought this war upon us. No country would tolerate what we have endured. There is no government on Earth that would allow missiles to rain down on its cities, drones to hover over its homes, and terrorists to plot against its citizens without responding.
Our strength lies not just in our military power but in our ingenuity – our capacity to think outside the box. Even in the times of David, Israel was known for cleverness and strategy. As it says in the book of Samuel: “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty’” (I Samuel 17:45).
And just like David, we don’t miss our targets – though these days, we’ve swapped slingshots for pagers.
19 Iranian Soldiers Killed, 150 Injured In Pager Bombings, Israel Remains Silent
At least 19 soldiers in Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed and roughly 150 more were injured in pager explosions in eastern Syria, according to Arabic media reports Wednesday (18th).
On Tuesday (17th) thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon detonated simultaneously in a mass attack attributed to Israel.
Eleven people were killed and roughly 4,000 injured in the explosions in Lebanon.
According to a report by the Saudi-based Al-Hadath outlet on Wednesday (18th), however, the pager bombings also killed 19 members of Iran’s IRGC stationed in the Deir Ez-Zor province of eastern Syria. 150 IRGC members were injured.
Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those injured in the attack, reportedly being completely blinded in one eye and partially blinded in the other.
While initially downplaying the severity of his injuries, The New York Times reported that not only was Amani blinded, but that he lost one eye in the attack, while the other was seriously damaged, leaving him with extremely limited vision.
Hossein Soleimani, who heads the IRGC’s news website Mashregh, confirmed on X that Amani had been seriously wounded, several hours after the blasts.
Some 500 Hezbollah operatives were also blinded, either partially or entirely, as a result of the pager explosions, Al-Hadath reported.
Media reports after Tuesday’s (17th) attack implicated Israel’s Mossad, amid claims its agents implanted miniature explosive devices inside a shipment of thousands of pagers bound for Lebanon’s Hezbollah five months ago.
Israel is widely believed to be behind the operation but remains silent and has not acknowledged responsibility.
Lebanon FM: We’re Afraid, We Don’t Want This War
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister said that two days of consecutive attacks, which saw electronic devices belonging to Hezbollah members and operatives detonate, have rattled the country and left residents fearing an all-out war between the terror group and Israel.
“There’s no doubt this is a scary moment,” Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN in an interview on Wednesday evening (18th). “We are afraid of war and we don’t want any war.”
The lawmaker said that he viewed the blasts, which wounded around 3,000 people and killed at least 24, as an unprecedented escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Jewish state has not commented on the explosions, but responsibility for the blasts has widely been attributed to israel.
Bou Habib downplayed Hezbollah’s near-daily bombardment of Israeli communities and military assets in northern Israel, referring to the terror group’s attacks as cross-border “skirmishes.”
After the explosions, Bou Habib said, “Now we’re talking about a war. This is an introduction to a war.”
The politician called on the international community to prevent Israel from launching an all-out war against Hezbollah, which would likely result in great devastation throughout Lebanon.
Bou Habib made no mention of the Lebanese government enabling Hezbollah, nor the UN’s failure to enforce Resolution 1701 which dictates that Hezbollah cannot station its fighters south of the Litani River.
For months, the US has been attempting to broker a diplomatic solution to the conflict which would see Hezbollah pledge to abide by that geographic boundary.
The terror group has refused to budge, causing the Biden administration to pressure Israel “to cede land to appease Hezbollah and end the fighting.
Col. Richard Kemp: ‘Hard To Think Of More Precise, Discriminating Method Of Attack’
Colonel Richard Kemp, the former commander of the British military forces in Afghanistan spoke to Israel National News about the explosion of pagers and communication devices used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization on Tuesday (17th) and Wednesday (18th).
Col. Kemp cautioned that the New York Times was premature in its claim that the detonation of the pagers “was a tactical success that had no clear strategic impact.”
He stated, “We do not know whether this attack will have strategic impact, perhaps as part of a larger plan that has not yet unfolded. However that might or might not work out, this operation against Hezbollah will have had a major effect in its own right. First, it will have done immense damage to the terrorist organization, taking a large number of its fighters and leaders out in one go. Plus, of course severely undermining their communications capability.”
“Second, it will have intimidated Hezbollah, potentially frightening some members into leaving the group or even scare off new recruits from joining. The Psychological impact will be enormous, with every Hezbollah terrorist now fearing that almost everything he owns or touches, including cars, guns, laptops, radios, and other electrical items, could potentially be weaponized against them. This is not what Hezbollah terrorists signed up for. Wide-scale and severe maiming and death by remote control is far removed from the supposed glory of battlefield martyrdom they were promised,” he added. “Potentially even, this move could contribute to any future Hezbollah decision on whether or not to pull back from immediate conflict with Israel, not least because it is clear the extent that their organization has been comprehensively penetrated by Israeli intelligence.”
“Third, it has humiliated Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that struts its power on the world stage, presenting itself as one of the strongest armies in the Middle East. While trying to conceal its communications from Israel, that very activity has been turned against it in spectacular style. The resulting mockery that has already greeted Hezbollah in the region will add to the terrorist group’s demoralization.
He noted that, “Beyond Hezbollah, this operation will also spread fear among Israel’s other enemies including Iran and Syria. They will be terrified that Israel’s long arm will also reach into their own intelligence, terrorist and military apparatus.”
Col. Kemp praised the use of the pagers as an extraordinarily precise tactic that limits civilian casualties to an unprecedented degree. “It’s hard to think of a more precise and discriminating method of attack than detonating pagers known to be specifically assigned to individual terrorists, using devices that limit the potential for collateral damage. I doubt any widespread military attack in history in civilian areas has ever been so precisely targeted.”
“The targets of the attack were terrorist fighters who were involved, directly or indirectly, in active combat operations against Israel including rocket and drone attacks every day for almost a year. Under international law that makes them legitimate and lawful targets for attack as Israel seeks to defend its citizens from violent aggression,” he said.
When asked what Israel could or should do to take advantage of the damage this incident has caused Hezbollah, Col. Kemp responded, “This may be part of a wider military plan and only the Israeli government is in a position to judge what follow-up action now needs to take place. Clearly, Hezbollah is now at an unexpected low point and its weakness is ripe for exploitation.”
A second incident occurred on Wednesday (18th) afternoon when multiple explosions were reported in the Dahieh area of Beirut, Lebanon, killing at least five people and injuring approximately 500.
Wednesday’s (18th) incident appears to involve other kinds of communication devices such as walkie-talkies and radios and not just pagers as the original incident on Tuesday (17th) had.
UN Votes 124-14 To Strip Israel Of Right To Self-Defense In Gaza, West Bank
The United Nations General Assembly voted 124-14 on Wednesday (18th) to strip Israel of the right to self-defense in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.
The test of the resolution was based on the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion in July that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory was illegal.
Prior to the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he supported the ICJ option and would abide by the vote, which calls on the IDF to withdraw to the pre-1967 lines within 12 months.
The resolution also calls on member states not to sell arms or military equipment to Israel that would be used in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem .
The text does not mention Hamas, the October 7 invasion of Israel, or the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza. It makes no requirements on Hamas or the Palestinians with regard to attacks on Israel.
Those who voted against the resolution were Argentina, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Hungary, Israel, Malawi, Micronesia, Mauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, Tuvalu, and the United States.
Among the 43 countries that abstained were Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Some 12 of the 27 European Union countries abstained, including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.
New Zealand supported the resolution as did 13 EU nations such as Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain.
