🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 252, 2023 - June 14, 2024 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 252 that 120 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**

“I’ve never met them,

But I miss them. 

I’ve never met them,

but I think of them every second. 

I’ve never met them,

but they are my family. 

BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”

There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!

‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements

*8:00pm last night - south - rockets - Ashkelon, Zikim, Carmia, Netiv Haasara

*8:00pm last night - north - hostile aircraft - Alkosh, Netua, Fassuta

*6:30am - north- rockets/missiles - Yiftach, Dishon, Malkia, Mevo'ot Hermon, Ramot Naftali - 2 anti tank shells hit Avivim, no injuries but a fire broke out

*7:05am - north - rockets/ missiles, Kiryat Shemona 

*8:45am - north - A short time ago, a number of anti-tank missiles were detected at Metola in the Galilee. As a result, there were electrical disturbances in the area. No casualties are known.

*9:25am - north - A number of anti-tank missiles are fired at the northern city of Metulla from Lebanon, according to Hebrew media reports.

There are no immediate reports of casualties, though posts on social media say a building was damaged by one of the missiles, sparking a fire.  Warning sirens do not sound, as anti-tank missiles do not have a predictable trajectory. They are also fired at short range, meaning there isn’t enough time to take shelter before impact.
*11:00am- north - rockets/missiles Kiryat Shemona, Beit Hillel, Kfar Giladi, Margaliot, Tel Hai, Kfar Szold, Misgav Am, Ajar, Hagoshrim, Shaar Hayeshuv  - The IDF says there were 35 rockets fired in this morning’s barrage from Lebanon on Kiryat Shmona and the nearby community of Kfar Szold.  Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack.  Several of the rockets were intercepted, the IDF says, while others impacted the area, causing damage in Kiryat Shmona and sparking a fire near Kfar Szold. In response, fighter jets hit several sites belonging to the terror group in Odaisseh and Kafr Kila, the military says. The IDF says it also shelled the launch sites with artillery.

*4:00pm North - rockets/ missiles Hanita, Yaara
*4:40pm - north - rockets/ missiles Margaliot
*5:50pm - north - rockets/ missiles Baram, Dovev, Yiron
*6:10pm - north - Rockets/ missiles Shtula
*6:45pm - north -rockets/missiles Metulla

Hostage Updates 

• Wednesday was Ariel Kunio's 27th birthday. Ariel Cunio is one of four Cunio brothers who was born and raised at Kibbutz Nir Oz. He lives there with his girlfriend, Arbel Yehud, another Nir Oz native and both were taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

  The kibbutz is where his grandmother, parents, three siblings and their families all live.

  Cunio’s brother David, his wife Sharon and their three-year-old twins, along with Sharon’s sister Danielle and her five-year-old, were also kidnapped. Cunio, his girlfriend Arbel were taken captive together. Arbel's brother, Dolev's remains were discovered on the kibbutz 2 weeks ago. It was believed that he was kidnapped together with Ariel and Arbel,

  There’s little that’s known of what happened there that morning, except for the message that Ariel sent to his brother, Eitan, which read: “We are in a horror film.” Ariel and Arbel had just returned to Nir Oz from an extended trip to South America and Central America and had adopted a puppy weeks earlier.

  
  
  

• The mother of Liri Albag, a 19-year-old female soldier abducted on October 7, shares information about her daughter that she received from Noa Argamani, who was rescued from captivity in Gaza last week.

  “Noa said that they were slaves, and so were the [female soldiers], including Liri,” Shira Albag says in a statement. “They cleaned the yard, did dishes and prepared food that they were not allowed to eat.”

  She says her daughter was held in a luxury villa and was only allowed to shower after a month in captivity. After 40 days, according to Shira Albag, Liri was moved into Hamas’s network of underground tunnels.

  “There it’s much worse, there’s no fresh water, and not much food,” she says, adding that the hostages have no clean clothes and no way to wash and dry their garments, “not even underwear.”  She says that hostages released in November in a weeklong truce had said the female hostages “cried on the 50th day that they miss their mothers.”

  “I don’t want to imagine what they’re going through now,” she adds.

  A video taken by Hamas terrorists’ body cameras of the abduction of five female soldiers from the Nahal Oz base on October 7, including Albag, was released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum last month.

  All five are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

• 
  

• Senior Hamas Official: "No One Knows How Many Hostages Are Still Alive"
  In an interview with CNN, Osama Hamdan - who is in Lebanon - refused to take any responsibility for the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and also denied that Sinwar said their deaths are a "necessary sacrifice." According to him, the terror organization does not know how many living hostages will be released in a deal. Also: The outrageous claims about the hostage rescue operation and their condition. 
  

  Senior Hamas Official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, said last night (between Thursday and Friday) in an interview with CNN that "no one has any idea" how many of the Israeli hostages are still alive. In the interview, he reiterated the demand that any hostage deal must include an absolute ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a full Israeli withdrawal from it. The current deal offered by Israel, presented by U.S. President Joe Biden, does not meet the organization's demands, according to Hamdan.

  In the interview, Hamdan repeated the organization's claim that three hostages were killed in the operation to rescue the hostages in Nuseirat - without providing any evidence for this, contrary to past statements by the organization. When asked about the tortures that Almog Meir Jan, Noa Argamani, Andrei Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv said they underwent in captivity, he blamed Israel. "If they have a mental problem - it's because of what it did in Gaza," he claimed. "No one can cope with what Israel is doing. They saw with their own eyes the killing of civilians, the killing of women and children." In a particularly outrageous manner, Hamdan also claimed that in their release photos, the hostages look "better" than they did eight months ago, and CNN emphasized that this is "a blatantly false claim."

  In the Gaza Strip, it should be noted, 120 Israeli hostages remain - and Israel demands to receive information on who among them is alive and set to be released in a deal. Hamas, for its part, has claimed in recent months that it does not have 33 living hostages who meet the category for the first stage of the deal - women, elderly, and sick - and therefore demands to release bodies in the first stage as well.

  Hamdan said that Hamas needs to receive a clear Israeli commitment to end the war and fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip, along with "giving Palestinians the opportunity to determine their own future." He emphasized that while the Americans say Israel has agreed to the proposal, Hamas is concerned that it has no intention to proceed to the second stage of the deal - which includes withdrawal from the Strip and a complete cessation of fighting. Senior Biden administration officials - and the President himself - have blamed the terror organization in recent days for delaying its response to the proposal, and then refusing it when raising additional demands. But in the interview, Hamdan claimed that it is Israel that is not accepting the conditions: "The Israelis want a six-week ceasefire and then return to war. The Americans, until now, have not convinced them to accept a permanent ceasefire."

  According to CNN, throughout the interview Hamdan was repeatedly asked about the October 7 massacre and his responsibility for the suffering of Gazans since. In response, he evaded giving an answer, claiming that the deadly surprise attack - in which hundreds of civilians were massacred - was a "response against the occupation." He expressed no remorse for the murderous action and took no responsibility for the lives of Palestinians in Gaza. He accused that "who is responsible for the situation in Gaza is the occupation. If you resist they will kill you, if you don't resist - they will kill you and expel you. So what are we supposed to do, wait?"

  Hamdan also rejected the revelation of correspondence by the organization's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, in which he said that the deaths of thousands of Palestinians are a "necessary sacrifice." He claimed, "These are fake messages written by someone who is not Palestinian, and sent to the Wall Street Journal as part of the pressure against Hamas and an attempt to provoke public opposition against the leader. No one can accept the killing of Palestinians, his own people." link The Israeli negotiating team has recognized for quite some time that there are no longer 33 living hostages that fit the 'humanitarian' definition for the 1st stage of any hostage release deal. During the Paris negotiations about 2 months ago, the Israeli team was still insisting on 40 living hostages for the first stage. Through multiple intelligence sources, data and evidence collected throughout the war, they eventually agreed to Hamas' number of 33 that fit the 'humanitarian' release, which will include bodies of hostages killed on October 7 and throughout the captivity. We will not know who is alive or dead until the actual release, if a deal ever gets made

• These are the 18 hostages who were murdered or killed in captivity in Gaza

  

  
  

  Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger, Haim Peri, and Nadav Popplewell are the latest names on the list of civilians and soldiers who were kidnapped by terrorist organizations in the October 7 massacre, and Israel has determined that they did not survive since then. Some were murdered by their captors, others were killed by IDF fire, and for some, the circumstances are still not known with certainty.

  
  

  The long and painful list

  
  

  **Amiram Cooper**, **Yoram Metzger**, **Haim Peri**, and **Nadav Popplewell** are the last four casualties added to the count of hostages murdered or killed in captivity by terrorist organizations in Gaza since they were abducted to the Gaza Strip during the October 7 massacre. Last week, the IDF spokesman announced that according to intelligence information, the four died together in Khan Yunis, and may have been killed by IDF fire. "I know there will be difficult questions," said Brigadier General Daniel Hagari. This brings to 18 the number of hostages who were taken alive, and Israel has determined that they were killed or murdered in captivity.

  
  

  According to data provided by the IDF spokesperson, out of all the October 7 hostages, the deaths of 60 have been determined, most of whom were killed or murdered on the day of the massacre. After rescuing 19 of them, 41 Israeli bodies remain in the Strip, in addition to Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, whose bodies have been held by Hamas since Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

  
  

  Cooper, Metzger, and Peri - founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz - were documented alive by Hamas in a video released in December. The partners of the first two - Nurit Cooper and Tami Metzger - were also abducted but have since been released. Popplewell was abducted from Kibbutz Nirim with his mother Hanna Peri, who has since been released, and his brother Roy was murdered during the October 7 massacre. Last month, Hamas released footage of Popplewell claiming he had been killed by IDF fire. 
  

  

  left to right - Haim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper, Nadav Popplewell

  
  

  The four mentioned above are the latest on the list that includes the hostages whose deaths in captivity have been reported to the public. The first was Corporal **Noa Marciano** (19) who was abducted from the Nahal Oz base, where she served as a lookout.

  

  
  During her captivity, Hamas released a video of her and claimed she was killed in an IDF bombing. Her body was recovered in early November near Shifa Hospital, and the IDF spokesman claimed: "According to medical findings, Noa was abducted to a hideout apartment near Shifa, and during IDF attacks in the area, the Hamas terrorist holding her was killed, and Noa was injured - but not life-threateningly." Apparently, she was taken to Shifa Hospital for medical treatment and was murdered there.

  
  

  On the same day, the death in captivity of **Aryeh Zalmanovich**, 85, the oldest among the hostages, who was also one of the founders of Nir Oz, the kibbutz where a quarter of its members were abducted or murdered, was also announced.

  

  
  During his captivity, Hamas released a video showing him dying in captivity, apparently due to lack of medications he needed. In early December, the kibbutz announced that he had died in captivity.

  
  

  **Guy Iluz** (26) from Ra'anana was a sound technician who worked with, among others, Shalom Hanoch, Matti Caspi, and the band Hayehudim. He participated in the Nova party and during his escape managed to report to his friends that he was injured.

  

  
  He was abducted to Gaza and at some point died from his wounds. The testimony that led to the determination of his death was from Maya Regev, a hostage who received medical treatment alongside him and has since been released.

  
  

  **Sergeant Ron Sherman (19) and Corporal Nick Beiser (19)** were abducted from the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration base. They were documented in a video released on the same day and could be seen being led out of the shelter at their base. On December 14, the IDF recovered their bodies from a tunnel in Jabalia along with the body of **Eliya Toledano** (28), who was abducted from the party in Re'im.

  

  
  Initially, the IDF announced that they were murdered by their captors, but in an investigation presented to the families, it was determined that it is impossible to know what killed the three, as there were no signs of injury or gunfire on their bodies. Ron's mother, Maayan Sherman, accused the IDF of causing her son's death: "We were told that one of the likely possibilities for the deaths of Ron, Nick, and Eliya is that they inhaled toxic gases resulting from IDF bombings." She added that during the shiva, a senior IDF officer told her: "They knew Ron and Nick's location at any given moment."

  
  

  **Alon Shamriz (26), Samer al-Talalka (25), and Yotam Haim (28)** were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and during their captivity, they apparently managed to escape from their captors and survive for several days in the heart of Shuja'iyya.

  

  
  Shamriz, a graduate of the Yahalom unit, identified a dog from the Oketz unit one day with a camera on it. He and his friends waved and shouted "Hostages, hostages." They also created a white flag on which they wrote "Help" and waved it towards the force. Despite all this, the three were shot by an IDF force.

  
  

  Another hostage from Be'eri, **Sahar Baruch** (25), was apparently killed during an attempted rescue operation by a special unit in early December.

  

  
  His brother Idan was murdered on the day of the massacre while the two were trying to escape and jumped from the window of their home. Their grandmother, Geula Bachar, was also murdered that morning.

  
  

  **Itai Svirsky** (38) was at his parents' home in Be'eri on October 7, where he had come to visit from Tel Aviv. They were murdered and he was abducted alive, until about three months later when his family was informed that he had been murdered in captivity. His sister Merav said that IDF representatives told her that the terrorist holding him murdered him by shooting while fleeing, moments after a nearby IDF shelling. Itai was in captivity with Moran Stella Yanai, who said after her release in November that she had promised to meet him in Tel Aviv.

  
  

  **Yossi Sharabi** (53), who was abducted from Be'eri with his daughter's partner, Ofir Engel, and with his brother Eli Sharabi who lived next door to him, was also murdered along with Svirsky.

  

  
  Eli's wife, as well as his daughters, were murdered in the attack on the kibbutz. The IDF clarified that following the investigation, lessons were learned regarding the processes preceding attacks.

  
  

  **Elad Katzir** (47) was abducted with his mother Hanna from Nir Oz, after his father Avraham was murdered in the kibbutz. During his captivity, Hamas released two videos of him alive - the first in December and the second in January. After 183 days, his body was recovered from Khan Yunis following intelligence information.

  

  
  His sister Carmit Palty-Katzir wrote about it: "He may be recognized as a victim of hostile actions, but the precise term is 'victim of abandonment actions'. He was abandoned on October 7, and abandoned for 183 days in captivity during which he could have been returned alive."

  
  

  **Tamir Adar** (38), from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was abducted with his grandmother Yaffa Adar - who was released in the hostage deal after 49 days. Tamir was an educator and farmer by profession.

  

  
  His death was determined after 91 days in captivity. When he was abducted, he was severely injured and apparently died from his wounds without proper treatment. Upon the announcement of his murder, his mother Yael said: "Tamir was severely injured while protecting his family and community, in the absence of protection for the settlement. Tamir was abducted while wounded and alive. Tamir was murdered in the absence of immediate medical treatment."

  link

Gaza 

• IDF troops locate, destroy explosives stockpiled by Hamas in Rafah: The Israeli military says its 162nd division is continuing operations in the Rafah area in southern Gaza, eliminating a number of terrorists and locating weapons and underground tunnel shafts.

• Troops from the Nahal Brigade also found and destroyed several explosives stockpiled by Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces says in a statement.

  Also in southern Gaza, Maglan commandoes called in an airstrike to down a drone they had identified moving towards them, the military adds.

  In the center of the Strip, troops from the IDF’s 99th division identified a number of Hamas operatives in a building in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, calling in an airstrike, according to the statement.

  The IDF says that artillery and aircraft also destroyed the sites from which several rockets were fired toward Israeli communities last night.

• The Israeli military releases footage showing how Hamas smashed holes in walls of homes in southern Gaza’s Rafah, to allow terror operatives to move between buildings to fight IDF troops.

  The IDF says troops of the Nahal Brigade found several such holes in dense neighborhoods of Rafah.

  The Nahal troops have also killed numerous gunmen and located many tunnel shafts and weapons in the Rafah area, the military says.

  Nahal forces also directed an airstrike on a booby-trapped building in the area. The military says it identified secondary blasts after the building was hit by a fighter jet, indicating explosives were hidden there.  video 

  
  
  
  

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah

• Lebanon’s official National News Agency reports that a woman was killed in a reported Israeli strike on a home outside of Tyre in southern Lebanon. Earlier reports on the fiery attack on a home on the outskirts of the village of Janata said at least seven people had been wounded in the strike.
  Massive explosion heard across south Lebanon. Initial reports indicate an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building in Janata, near Tyre. - Video of the aftermathideo of the aftermath

• Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday ruled out joining an initiative promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron in which France, the United States and Israel would form a contact group to work on defusing escalating tensions with Hezbollah on the northern border.

  “As we fight a just war, defending our people, France has adopted hostile policies against Israel,” Gallant said in a statement. “In doing so, France ignores the atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli children, women and men.”

  “Israel will not be a party to the trilateral framework proposed by France,” he wrote. Gallant’s remarks were made after Macron announced the three countries had agreed to work together to step up efforts to push forward a roadmap presented by Paris earlier this year to de-escalate the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which has been growing in intensity since the Lebanese terror group began attacking the north following Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel.

  The defense minister did not specify what prompted this stance, but his statement came after French authorities last month banned Israeli defense firms from exhibiting at one of the world’s largest defense fairs, amid growing calls to limit arms sales to the IDF and divest from Israeli defense companies on the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza.

  That decision came days after an Israeli strike targeting two top Hamas terrorists in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah sparked a fire in a complex housing displaced Palestinians, killing dozens of civilians and triggering international outrage and protests in France.  The comments by Gallant were denounced by senior Foreign Ministry officials, opening up a rare public spat between leading Israeli ministries.

  “We disapprove of Defense Minister Gallant’s attacks on France,” said the diplomats in an unsigned statement. “Beyond the existing disagreements between Israel and France, the statements against France are incorrect and inappropriate,” they said.

  The Foreign Ministry pointed out that France took “an active role” in defending Israel against Iran’s drone and missile attack in April.

  “From the start of the war,” the diplomats said, “France has taken a clear line of denunciation and sanctions against Hamas, and takes an aggressive line in everything having to do with sanctions in the EU against Iran and its missile and drone project, and was a partner in the IAEA Board of Governors decision to advance a sanctions process against Iran’s nuclear program.”

  They also insisted French authorities were vigorously fighting antisemitism and protecting Jews in France, which like other Western nations has seen surging antisemitism since October 7.

  “The Foreign Ministry will continue to fight to protect Israel’s interests on the northern border with all the relevant players,” the diplomats’ statement concluded pointedly.  link  Galant's statements are not the last word, I'm sure, but right now, all eyes look to be towards full scale war with Hizbollah/Lebanon. The General Staff has already been pushing to end the Rafah Operation and reach a hostage deal which would call for a pull back of all our forces from Gaza and an end of the war. The General Staff has stated that it is necessary so they can focus on the north. Hizbollah has stated that when the war in Gaza ends, the hostilities in the north will end as well. That may be as it was during the short period of pause of hostilities in Gaza during the hostage deal of November. However, a unilateral stop from Hizbollah doesn't change the situation in the north. Hizbollah would remain a major threat and their capabilities will be totally left standing and they will continue to work with Iran to enhance and strengthen those capabilities and increase the feeling of lack of security for all northern residents. As the situation in the north escalates every single day, there are all the indications that the banging of the war drums will actually become a war.

• The Biden administration will later today announce sanctions against a far-right Israeli group that has been behind attacks on humanitarian aid convoys en route to Gaza, a US official confirms to The Times of Israel.  The sanctions will target Tsav 9, a group with ties to Israeli army reservists and Israeli settlers over activities including blocking, harassing and damaging aid shipments.

  The financial sanctions will be imposed under an executive order on West Bank violence Biden signed in February, which was previously used to impose financial on violent settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians and Israeli peace activists. Today will be the fourth batch of sanctions issued under the executive order.

  “We’re using the authority to sanction an ever-broadening selection of actors, targeting individuals and entities that threaten the peace, security and stability of the West Bank regardless of religion, ethnicity or location,” Aaron Forsberg, director of the State Department’s office of sanctions policy and implementation, tells Reuters.

  On May 13, members of Tsav 9 looted and then set fire to two aid trucks near the West Bank city of Hebron.  Tsav 9 — Hebrew for Order 9, a reference to call-up orders for Israeli military reservists — said after the May 13 incident it acted to stop supplies from reaching Hamas and accused the Israeli government of giving “gifts” to the terror group.  full article

• In the past 72 hours, Hezbollah launched 16 explosive-laden drones from Lebanon at Israel, the military says. According to the IDF, 11 of the drones were shot down by air defenses. It publishes footage of some of the interceptions.  video

West Bank

•     The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group says two senior leaders of its Jenin branch were killed in an Israeli raid Thursday.

  The Jenin Battalion, an offshoot of the group’s al-Quds Brigade armed wing, says Mohammed Jaber Shalabi and Mohammed Asri Fayyad were killed in a clash with Israeli troops in Qabatiya, just south of Jenin. Both were members of the Jenin Brigade’s military council, it says, naming Shalabi as a close companion of Jenin Brigade’s founder Jamil al-Amouri, who was killed in a 2021 clash.

  The IDF said earlier that special forces commandos had killed two “senior” Palestinian gunmen in Qabatiya during a 13-hour raid in the city. One soldier was lightly hurt in the clashes. Several suspects were arrested in the Jenin area during the operation, and combat engineers uncovered explosive devices planted under roads, the army said.

Politics 

• Demonstrated in Caesarea after 180 days of reserve duty, arrested - and returned to Gaza: "We will not be deterred, we will continue to protest": The judge shortened the house arrest of aeronautical engineer Gal Doron so that he could return to the fighting. His father: "His friends waited for him with the convoy heading south. We will continue to demonstrate within the law."
  Gal Doron, an aeronautical engineer who has served over 180 days in the reserves since October 7, was arrested at a demonstration in Caesarea last Saturday night along with two other protesters by Hadera police station officers. He was sent to house arrest, and only in a hearing on Monday did District Judge Inas Salama agree to his request to shorten the house arrest so that he could return to Gaza.
  After approval was given, the brigade delayed the convoy for him, and this morning (Wednesday) Master Sergeant Gal left house arrest straight for the Gaza Strip. His comrades in the "Brothers in Arms" movement said, "We wish him to sleep better in a sleeping bag in Gaza than during a sleepless night at the station and another at Kishon." 
  Reserve Brigadier General Ofer Doron, father of the engineer who was arrested in the Caesarea protest and released, said that "my son was arrested on Saturday night along with two other activists who protested in Caesarea. He spent a night in detention and then was released to house arrest. This morning, when he explained the circumstances to the judge at the hearing, he returned to reserve duty with his fellow fighters in Gaza."
  "He explained to the judge when he was supposed to enter for continued active reserve service in Gaza - and his friends waited for him with the convoy southward to the Strip until he left Zichron Yaakov this morning." "He and I will not be deterred," the father added. "We will continue to demonstrate and protest within the law, of course, and we will not allow the police to stop allowing us to protest. My son left this morning proud to continue his active reserve service in Gaza with his comrades in the Strip. He received a lot of support and we will continue the protest calling for the replacement of the government as soon as possible and the release of the 120 hostages who are still held captive by Hamas." link



• National Unity chair Benny Gantz would beat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if elections were held today, according to a new poll released days after his party’s long-anticipated withdrawal from the government.
  The Maariv poll, which also comes on the backdrop of Israel’s rescue of four hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza last weekend, gave Gantz 41 percent to Netanyahu’s 35%, staying stable over the past week.
  Respondents also prefer Gantz as premier over Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman, with 42% to 21% respectively, according to the poll.
  However the gap between Netanyahu and Liberman, the poll finds, is only two percentage points, with 37% supporting the premier compared to 35% for the Yisrael Beytenu leader.
  The poll shows little movement in the overall blocs, giving 52 seats to Netanyahu’s ruling coalition and 58 to the opposition. This means that if elections were held today, neither bloc would be able to form a coalition without support from the Arab parties.
  Eight months into the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel, the survey finds that an overwhelming majority of Israelis believe the country has failed in global PR around the ongoing conflict.
  The Maariv poll was conducted yesterday by Panel4All and has a 4.4% margin of error.

The Region

• An Iran-backed militia in Iraq says it launched drones at the Ramat David air base in northern Israel.

  There are no reports of drone attacks on the base or warning sirens reported by the Israel Defense Forces Homefront Command.

  The Islamic Resistance in Iraq makes the claim, an umbrella group of militias allied with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The group claims attacks on Israeli targets on a near-nightly basis, though actual attacks are much rarer.

• UN leads calls for release of staffers detained by Houthis over alleged spy ring

The heads of six UN agencies and three international humanitarian organizations are issuing a joint appeal to Yemen’s Houthi rebels for the immediate release of 17 members of their staff who were recently detained along with many others also being held by the Iranian-backed group.

Their appeal is echoed by a statement from several dozen nations and the European Union ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Yemen where UN special envoy Hans Grundberg said the Houthis were holding all those detained in the crackdown incommunicado.

The statement calls their detentions “unprecedented — not only in Yemen but globally.”

They asked the Houthis to confirm the exact whereabouts of those detained and for immediate access, citing international humanitarian law which requires all parties to armed conflict to respect and protect humanitarian personnel.

“The targeting of humanitarian, human rights, and development workers in Yemen must stop,” the joint statement says. “All those detained must be immediately released.”

The Houthis said Monday they had arrested members of an “American-Israeli spy network,” days after detaining the staffers from the UN and aid organizations.

Maj. Gen. Abdulhakim al-Khayewani, head of the Houthis’ intelligence agency, announced the arrests, saying the spy network had first operated out of the US Embassy in the capital Sanaa. After it was closed in 2015 following the Houthi takeover of Sanaa and northern Yemen, he said, they continued “their subversive agenda under the cover of international and UN organizations.”

Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, strongly condemns the abuse and detention of current and former USAID staff as well as UN and NGO employees and demanded their immediate release,

“These detentions are an affront both to diplomatic norms and to the dedication the individuals have shown to supporting the people of Yemen,” she says in a statement. “The Houthis’ attempts to spread disinformation regarding the roles of USAID, the US government, the UN, and other international organizations working to improve the lives of the Yemeni people through the use of forced and fraudulent `confessions’ is deplorable.”

• June 13 U.S. Central Command Update: In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed one air defense sensor in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen.    Then, USCENTCOM forces successfully destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed surface vessel (USV) and two Houthi patrol boats in the Red Sea.   Separately, USCENTCOM forces successfully destroyed one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) launched from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen over the Red Sea.    It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. This action was taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.   Additionally, Iranian-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen into the Red Sea. There were no injuries or significant damage reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.   Later, M/V Verbena, a Palauan flagged, Ukrainian owned, Polish operated bulk cargo carrier, was struck for a second time in 24 hours, by one ASBM launched from Houthi controlled area of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden.   This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Houthis claim to be acting on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza and yet they are targeting and threatening the lives of third country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza. CENTCOM will continue to act with partners to hold the Houthis accountable and degrade their military capabilities.

Acronyms and Glossary

COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories

ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague

IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague

MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp

PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen

PMO- Prime Minister's Office

UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission

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