🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 352, 2023 - September 22, 2024 🎗️

  

🎗️Day 352 that 101 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!!!”

We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.

#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope

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

‎אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית

There is a new section at the end -Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages - A collection of short essays by influential people in Israel today - by the Forum for Life - Saving Israeli Hostages

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

*7:35pm yesterday-north-  rockets- Kiryat Shemona

*7:40pm yesterday- north- hostile aircraft-Dishon, Lev Hahula, Yiftach, Malik’s, Ramot Naftali, Mevo’ot Hermon
*8:45pm yesterday- north- hostile aircraft- Meron, Meron Glili, Safsufa, Kfar Hosgen, Bar Yochai, Or Haganoz

*1:10am - north - rockets - Yokneam, Emek Yizreel, Nazereth, Yaarot Hacarmel, Beit Lehem Haglilit, Tivon, Nof Hagalil, Afula, Tzipori, Raina, Kfar manda, Yodfat
Shrapnel from an intercepted rocket reportedly landed in the Nazareth area.  Video
video of intercepted rockets over Haifa Bay
*3:35am - north - rockets - Dovev
*3:55am - north - hostile aircraft - Ramat Magshimim, Haspin, Nov
*4:50am - north - rockets - Ein Hashofet, Ramat Hashofet, Yoknean, Hazorea, Kfar Yehoshua, Mnshit Zevda, Nahalal, Ramat Yishai, Kfar Baruch, Emek Yizreel, Entire Galil area, Wadi Ara

      

*5:10am- north - rockets - Golan, Galilee regions, Northern Haifa

*6:25am - north - rockets - Aablin, Mitzpeh Aviv, Kfar Manda, Shtula, Caocav Abu Alhigia, Even Menahem, Schenia
*6:30am - north - rockets - Schenia, Kiryat Bialik, Kiryat Motzkin, Kiryat Bialik, Shear Naaman, Kfar Masryk, Ein Hamifratz, Acre Cemetery, Tamra, Beit Lehem Haglilit, Givat Ele, Hasolelim, Harduf, Zarzir, Emek Yizreel, Galilee Regions, Kfar Baruch Train Station, north of Haifa, Batzet, Shlomi, Mizra, Taipori

Kiryat Bialik - north of Haifa

*6:35am - north - rockets - Beer Ora
*6:50am - north - Hof Golan, Tzalon, Hof Kinar, Doga, Dogit, Almanor, Hof Amnon, Hof Corsi, Kfar Nahum, Maaleh Gamla, Ramot, Golan Heights, Galilee regions

A rocket launched in this morning’s Hezbollah attack on northern Israel struck a home in the Lower Galilee community of Moreshet. There were no injuries. Hezbollah claimed to have targeted a Rafael defense firm facility in the Haifa area in its barrage, more than 15 kilometers west of Moreshet.

*7:00am - north - rockets - North of Haifa, Galilee regions, Golan, Haifa, Acre, Shomera, Arab al Aramsha

Some 85 rockets were launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon at northern Israel this morning, according to the IDF. This follows several barrages overnight. The military says that some of the rockets were intercepted, while some impacted Kiryat Bialik, near Haifa, and Moreshet, a community in the Lower Galilee. A rocket impact in Kiryat Bialik injured three people and caused damage. Hezbollah claimed to have targeted a Rafael defense firm facility in the Haifa area.

*7:15am- south- A suspected drone heading toward Israel from the eastern direction was shot down by air defenses, the military says. Sirens had sounded in Be’er Ora, close to Eilat, amid the incident. According to the IDF, the apparent drone was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. Earlier this morning, two drones launched at Israel from Iraq were intercepted by air defenses.

*9:55am - north - rockets - Metzer, Afik, Naot Golan, Bene Yehuda, Givat Yoav

*10:00am - north -  hostile aircraft - Afik, Neot Golan, Bene Ydhuda, Givat Yoav
*12:15pm -north -  hostile aircraft - Manar, Margaliot, Kiryat Shemona, Tel Hai, Kfar Giladi, Kfar Yuval, Metulla, Maayan Baruch, Misgav Am, Lev Hahula, Dishon, Yiftach, Malkia, Mevo'ot Hermon, Ramot Naftali
*5:50pm north - rockets - Maayan Baruch

Hostage Updates 

• I tell you again: Hamas agrees to the three-week deal: the end of the war, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an agreed release of the number and names of Palestinian prisoners, and the return of all the hostages  - all in a three-week timeframe.  I even have it in writing from Hamas.  The paper is with Netanyahu and with the entire negotiating team.  The paper is with Biden, with the Emir of Qatar and with the head of Egyptian intelligence.  All of the hostages can be returned within three weeks.  (Gershon Baskin September 21, 2024)

• Video shows police picking up and removing former IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz from among a group of protesters sitting on a road near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea. Video

  Meanwhile, demonstrators — including Labor MK Gilad Kariv — surround a police cruiser in Tel Aviv and block it from moving after officers arrest a nephew of slain hostage Avraham Munder. Video

  
  

• Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv and across Israel on Saturday night, in support of a hostage-ceasefire deal to enable the release of hostages held captive by the Hamas terror group in Gaza since October 7 and amid the threat of a major assault from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
  

  Organizers claimed there were hundreds of thousands at the Tel Aviv protests and tens of thousands more nationwide, though there were no official figures on the turnout.

  The protests came amid escalating fightingwith the Hezbollah terror group on Israel’s northern border, as the Israel Defense Forces conducted a wave of airstrikes in Lebanon on Saturday afternoon and evening to thwart what it said were imminent rocket attacks, as the terror group sought to respond to the assassination of two of its top commanders on Friday.
  

  “Despite the tensions in the north, hundreds of thousands are taking part” in the Tel Aviv demonstrations, the Hostage Families Forum said in a statement on Saturday evening.

  “The people of Israel are voting with their feet in favor of the return of the hostages by way of a deal — the living hostages to rehabilitation and the dead to an appropriate burial in their land.”

  Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan Zangaukerwas kidnapped from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and is still held captive in Gaza, said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, faced with the choice of agreeing to a deal for the return of the hostages or escalating the fighting with Hezbollah, has chosen “regional escalation, and decided to sacrifice the hostages on the altar of keeping his seat.” “Just as Netanyahu nurtured Hamas for years, now he’s collaborating with Sinwar, by giving him what he wants: a regional war,” she said. “The price is being paid, and will be paid, by the hostages, and all the citizens of Israel.”

  Protests calling for a hostage deal have been held every Saturday night since the first weeks of the ongoing war against Hamas, steadily growing in numbers.
  

  For months, they were held alongside separate, anti-government protests, but the two demonstrations joined together three weeks ago, after the Israeli military recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages who had been murdered days earlier, sparking outrage across the country.

  Eli Albag, whose daughter Liri was abducted from the IDF’s Nahal Oz base on October 7, told the Tel Aviv rally on Saturday that far-right ministers in the coalition have been intentionally preventing a deal. “It’s clear to us all that Hamas is to blame, but throughout the year there were opportunities for a deal, and you [the government] didn’t take them.” He pleaded with all 120 Knesset members to raise their voices in support of a deal, saying he and the other families have never forgotten all those who were murdered by Hamas on October 7, “or the soldiers who have been fighting every day, every hour, for a year.”

  Albag also denounced the government for only now tackling the Hezbollah attacks in the north: “A year has passed, and now you remember to deal with the north? Where have you been for a year, while the north has burned? he asked. “They’ve been battered by missiles every day.”

  Albag asked for his daughter’s forgiveness and that of the other hostages “that you are suffering in the tunnels. On Yom Kippur [next month], the entire nation will ask for your forgiveness.” The rally was also addressed by Shahar Mor, whose uncle Avraham Munder was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and died in Hamas captivity after not receiving vital medication. “In the name of false unity, we’ve been told to sacrifice our loved ones in silence. Anyone who doesn’t is slandered and attacked,” he said. “My uncle Avraham Munder was kidnapped alive, and survived between four and six months. It’s not Hamas anymore, his blood is on the hands of the government.”

  Police later arrested Mor, though it was not immediately clear why. Demonstrators — including Labor MK Gilad Kariv — surrounded a police cruiser in Tel Aviv and blocked it from moving immediately after the arrest.

  A statement from the police said Mor was arrested near the home of the defense minister, and that he would be released and summoned tomorrow for questioning.

  In Caesarea, where Haaretz estimated that about a thousand protesters gathered in front of Netanyahu’s private residence, demonstrators blocked traffic until they were forcibly dispersed by police. Videos

  Among those arrested was former IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz, whom police lifted by his arms and feet, as other demonstrators shouted at the officers, “Aren’t you ashamed?”

  Police also made arrests in Jerusalem, organizers said. 

  In Tel Aviv, the central protest dispersed around 10 p.m., though organizers said some thousands of people continued to demonstrate on Namir Road, where police put out a small bonfire.

  Also on Namir Road, on which a yellow ribbon was painted with the words, “Thou shalt not abandon,” cars burned in the October 7 attack were carried by other vehicles in a procession, covered in banners denouncing the government and calling for a hostage deal.

  A similar convoy of burned cars paraded through Caesarea. Full article

Gaza 

•  Two terrorists who likely murdered six Israeli hostages in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip last month were killed by Israeli troops, Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday.

  The bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat and Almog Sarusi were recovered from Gaza early on September 1, a short time after their murders.

  “A day after the murder of the hostages, forces with the 162nd Division identified two terrorists emerging from a nearby tunnel in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah, and killed them in an exchange of fire,” Hagari said in a press conference.  “After we investigated the findings from the tunnel and equipment from the terrorists, we found DNA and several items that belonged to the terrorists that we killed,” he continued.

  Hagari said that the findings revealed that the two terrorists were inside the tunnel where the six hostages were murdered during the killings.

  He said the military was continuing to investigate the matter.

  In a statement after the IDF announcement, the family of one of the six murdered hostages, Carmel Gat, said, “Israel’s victory will not be measured by how many terrorists we eliminate, but by how many hostages we bring home.”

  The family thanked IDF soldiers for “risking their lives in impossible conditions for 11 months,”  and added: “It would have made no difference to Carmel if those who murdered her, or murdered her mother [Kinneret at Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7], are alive or dead. She would have wanted to know that the hostages returned home alive.” “There is no comfort in revenge,” the family adds. “The answer to Carmel’s murder is not revenge against the murderers. The answer to death is not more death; it is life. The only response to the murder of Carmel must be a deal that brings the hostages home, and prevents regional escalation, before it is too late,” the family added. “That’s the difference between us and our enemies. They sanctify death. We sanctify life.”

  Israeli officials said upon recovering the bodies of the hostages that they had apparently been murdered in the previous 48 to 72 hours.

  The announcement sparked mass protests across Israel demanding a deal to release the hostages. Full article

  
  

Northern Israel - Lebanon/Hizbollah/Syria

• New wave of strikes in Lebanon as Israel braces for potential major Hezbollah attack - Home Front Command issues new guidelines for residents of Haifa and northward; IDF says it struck more than 400 rocket launchers Saturday, as Hezbollah fires nearly 100 at Israel

  The Israel Defense Forces carried out a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon Saturday night, with the army saying it had identified preparations by the terror group to launch major rocket attacks against Israel.

  The latest Israel strikes came after fighter jets struck some 180 targets in southern Lebanon on Saturday afternoon, taking out thousands of rocket launcher barrels that were primed for imminent attacks on Israel, according to the IDF.

  At the same time, officials issued new restrictions on residents of the Haifa area and northward as the country braced for the possibility of a large-scale assault by the Lebanese terror group in the coming hours, after it suffered heavy blows in multiple attacks in recent days. Over the course of the day, the IDF struck more than 400 Hezbollah rocket launchers, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday evening in a press conference. Amid the fighting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to hold security consultations with ministers and top defense officials on Saturday night. According to the new instructions for northern residents issued by the Home Front Command, work and educational activity will only be able to take place where an adequate shelter is nearby and can be reached in time.

• Each of the pagers that exploded on their Hezbollah owners across Lebanon on Tuesday, injuring thousands of the terror group’s operatives, was individually detonated, with the attackers knowing who was being targeted, where he was, and whether others were in close proximity, Channel 12 claims.

  In a lengthy report quoting Israeli and foreign sources, the TV channel says those behind the attack were determined to ensure that only the person carrying the pager would be hurt by the blast.

  “Each pager had its own arrangements. That’s how it was possible to control who was hit and who wasn’t,” it quotes an unnamed foreign security source saying.

  The report says: “They knew who he was with and where he was, so that the vegetable seller in the supermarket would not be hurt” when a pager exploded on a man alongside him. This is a reference to footage from the pager explosions in which a man is apparently blown up by his pager next to a fruit and vegetable stand. The TV report adds several other new details to what has been uncovered so far regarding the unprecedented attack, which Hezbollah has blamed on Israel and Israel has not officially confirmed.

  It quotes an unnamed foreign security saying “tens of thousands of pagers” were produced, and manufactured with the knowledge that the client would check them carefully. Therefore, the pagers had to work properly and betray no indication that they had been primed with explosives. Their appearance and weight had to be unchanged.

  Interviewed in the report, Ronen Bergman, an investigative reporter for The New York Times and Yedioth Ahronoth, says the whole scheme was dreamed up by a brilliant female intelligence operative, aged less than 30, somewhere in the Middle East.

  Whoever was responsible, the report says, decided to set up a factory to build the devices from scratch — so that “it won’t be a device that we will tamper with; it will be a device that we will produce.” The New York Times came to the same conclusion in a report on Thursday.

  The ability to supply the device to Hezbollah was helped by the fact that the terror group cannot make purchases on the open market, because of suppliers’ fears of US sanctions, and therefore must routinely work with intermediary suppliers.

  Channel 12’s report says that when, on October 10, the IDF and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had pressed for Israel to attack Hezbollah, rather than focus initially on Hamas after its October 7 invasion and massacre, “it is reasonable to assume” that buttons detonating these devices would have been pressed, and very heavy air strikes on Hezbollah would have followed.

  In the event, the IDF focused first on Gaza, and Hezbollah has been pounding northern Israel ever since.

  The report, which was approved by the Israeli military censor, says Hezbollah bought more pagers after its military chief Fuad Shukr was killed in a targeted IDF strike in Beirut in July, and thereafter used pagers even more widely because of its growing wariness about using mobile phones. Hezbollah, the report says, long assumed that Israel would be a threat to its cellphone communications in the event of a major escalation, and thus widely integrated the use of pagers.

  While Channel 12 repeats the widely reported assessment that the pagers were detonated this week because of a fear that the Trojan Horse devices were about to be exposed by Hezbollah, it also quotes a foreign security source saying this was not the case, and that Israel decided it needed to step up its actions against Hezbollah.

  Amos Yadlin, a former IDF intelligence chief, says more broadly that Israel’s goal is to cause Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah to realize that his attacks on the north “are costing him more than he’s gaining,” including in terms of support within Lebanon.

  The report says it was regarded as “preferable” that the large number of Hezbollah fighters whose devices exploded be badly injured rather than killed, in part because of the immense strain this placed on health services in Lebanon, and by extension the raised domestic pressure on Hezbollah.

  A foreign security source tells Channel 12 that the detonating pagers operation is by no means considered a strategic attack, and that Israel has much more dramatic capabilities.

  The source says Israel has spent years developing these far more extensive capabilities for use against Hezbollah and Iran, but not as regards to Hamas — apparently because it underestimated the danger posed by Hamas — and that this partly explains the failure to prevent the October 7 catastrophe. The capabilities used thus far in Lebanon are “relatively low-level,” the source says.

  Eyal Hulata, a former National Security Adviser, tells Channel 12 after the report airs that thousands of Israelis have been working for years to create capabilities to ensure security for Israel. “There are more capabilities like these,” he says, referencing the recent events in Lebanon. Given the collapse of public faith in the security establishment after the October 7 failure, it is important for Israelis to know this, says Hulata, who is also a former head of the Mossad’s technological branch. Link

• The death toll from an Israeli airstrike that targeted Hezbollah commanders in Beirut’s southern suburbs this week has risen to 45, Lebanon’s health ministry says.

  “The number of dead has risen to 45 people,” a ministry statement says, updating an earlier toll of 37 from the Friday attack. It says “work continues to remove the rubble for the third day in a row” and that DNA sampling would be used to determine the identities of some of the bodies.

  Hezbollah has confirmed that at least 16 of its members, including two of its most senior leaders, were killed in the strike while they were meeting in the basement of a Beirut apartment building.

• Thousands of rockets and cruise missiles: Hezbollah's arsenal of weapons

  Amid escalation and launches toward the Jezreel Valley and Krayot, the IDF is preparing for the possibility of the war expanding. N12 explains the threat from the north: from Hezbollah's enormous rocket stockpile to its drone arsenal. Dr. Eli Karmon: "Hezbollah is a militia trained like an army and equipped like a state"

  

  Since the beeper attack last Tuesday, a real escalation has developed in the confrontation with Hezbollah, unlike anything that has happened in almost a year, since the terrorist organization began firing at Israel on October 8. Now Israel is preparing for the possibility of an all-out war against the terrorist organization. Assessments are that such a war would bring an exchange of blows never before seen against Hezbollah. N12 explains with the help of experts what the terrorist organization's rocket arsenal looks like.

  "If Israel is extremely lucky, the Third Lebanon War will look to the Israeli home front like the Second Lebanon War - only much worse," claims Dr. Yagil Henkin, a fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. Dr. Eli Karmon, a researcher at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism and lecturer at Reichman University, points out that since the 2006 war, Iran has supplied Hezbollah with a huge arsenal of 100,000 to 150,000 missiles, which are not intended to defend Lebanon "but to deter Israel from attacking Iran's nuclear infrastructure and to allow Hezbollah to take over Lebanon."

  "Hezbollah's arming with an enormous number of long-range missiles and drones, along with strengthening its ground forces with tanks and modern anti-tank capabilities, proves that Iran sees Hezbollah's army as the only force capable of attacking Israel if the need arises," explains Dr. Karmon. "While Iran is far from Israel's borders, it still doesn't have an effective air force and its long-range missiles struggle to cope with Israel's missile defense system."

  According to data from Israel's Alma Research and Education Center, Hezbollah's missile and mortar arsenal includes about 5,000 long-range missiles (200 km and more), another 5,000 medium-range missiles and rockets (between 80 and 200 km) and about 65,000 short-range rockets and missiles (rockets up to 45 km, missiles up to 80 km). In addition, Hezbollah has about 145,000 mortars (up to 20 km). According to estimates, out of that missile stockpile, Hezbollah holds several hundred advanced conventional weapons - 70,000 medium and long-range missiles and rockets. The advanced conventional weapons arsenal includes the precision missiles already in the organization's possession, cruise missiles (apparently Iranian) and advanced coastal missiles (Yakhont and C-802).

  The Alma Center report also addressed Iranian assistance in upgrading Hezbollah's missiles in Syria and Lebanon, an issue of strategic importance from Israel's perspective. Alma Center's 2022 assessment is that contrary to Hassan Nasrallah's statements in his television appearances, Hezbollah is struggling greatly to advance the precision missile project on Lebanese soil and to independently convert missiles.

  Precision missiles are a completely different world, as they are equipped with navigation systems that help them hit targets with great accuracy. One of Hezbollah's main missiles is the M-600 ("Tishreen") which is manufactured in Syria and based on the Iranian Fateh-110 missile. It has many versions, reaches a range of 250 kilometers, can carry a half-ton warhead and its destruction dimensions are currently within a radius of tens of meters from the target.

  "The implication is that if Hezbollah targets the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv (the Kirya), the missile will hit anywhere - from the Azrieli Towers, Sarona Market, Ichilov Hospital and Ibn Gabirol Street," noted Dr. Karmon. "Hezbollah's rockets and missiles are scattered throughout Lebanon. Its short-range rockets are mainly stored in southern Lebanon, in the area close to the Israeli border, to maximize their range." The assessment before October 7 was that Hezbollah holds several dozen precision missiles, mainly medium-range Fateh 110 (M600) received directly from Iran, or missiles assembled on Syrian soil and transferred to Lebanon. According to Dr. Karmon, the missiles were hidden in houses in 230 Shiite villages, ready for instant activation. For now, it's unclear if and to what extent Israel has hit this arsenal over the past year.

  The rest of the missiles, produced by Iran and Syria, are scattered throughout the country. The longer their range, the further Hezbollah can store them from the border with Israel. This makes dealing with them much more complex for the security system.

  Missiles and Rockets

  According to an August 2021 report published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, Hezbollah's arsenal is mostly composed of small, mobile and unguided ground-to-ground artillery rockets. Although these rockets lack precision, their enormous number makes them an effective terror weapon.

  "Hezbollah is the most heavily armed non-state actor in the world, described as a 'militia trained like an army and equipped like a state'," emphasized Dr. Karmon. "This is especially true for its missile and rocket forces, which Hezbollah deploys in enormous quantities against Israel."

  UAVs and Drones

  The first flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) by Hezbollah into Israeli airspace for reconnaissance purposes occurred in November 2004, catching Israeli intelligence unprepared. A Mirsad-1 drone flew from Lebanon south to Israel, hovered over Nahariya for about 20 minutes and then returned to Lebanon - before the Air Force could intercept it. One report at the time was that Iran had supplied Hezbollah with eight such UAVs, and for two years about 30 Lebanese operatives underwent training at Iran's Revolutionary Guards bases near Isfahan to fly similar missions to Mirsad aircraft.

  The second UAV flight to Israel was a short 28 km invasion in April 2005, also by a Mirsad-1 drone, which evaded Israeli radar and returned to Lebanon before Israeli fighter jets could intercept it. A third type of drone carried out an attack mission during the Second Lebanon War. These were three small Ababil drones, each carrying a 40-50 kg warhead intended for strategic targets. This time they were shot down by Israeli F-16 planes, one on the outskirts of Haifa, another in the Western Galilee and the third near Tyre in Lebanon.

  The next appearance of a Hezbollah drone occurred on October 6, 2012. Dr. Karmon recalls that "it was a spectacular sortie that surprised Israel. An Iranian drone named 'Ayub' flew south from Lebanon over the Mediterranean Sea and into Israel via the Gaza Strip, moved west about 35 kilometers into the Negev and penetrated to a point near the city of Dimona, where Israel's nuclear compound is located. There it was shot down over a forest by Israeli aircraft. The UAV may have been able to transmit images of the nuclear research center." In April 2013, an unmanned aerial vehicle attributed to Hezbollah reached the coast near the city of Haifa, where it was shot down by an Israeli fighter jet, proving that these UAVs are still vulnerable to counter-attacks. During tense negotiations with Lebanon over the maritime border in February 2022, the IDF intercepted three unarmed UAVs launched by Hezbollah towards the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean Sea. Hezbollah's aircraft was a Hudhud-1 type, produced by Iran, or alternatively a UAV based on it and produced by Hezbollah in Lebanon. "It is known that Hezbollah can independently produce UAVs on Lebanese soil and has an arsenal of at least 2,000 drones," claims Dr. Karmon.

  In Hezbollah's showcase at the end of May 2023, "heavy" drones with eight engines (octocopters) were displayed, from an unknown manufacturer, which were equipped with improvised aerial ordnance (IADM). "Such UAVs are often used to hover over enemy positions and can drop the ordnance with exceptional precision," explains Dr. Karmon.

  According to him, the second UAV displayed was likely a Rased or Rased-1, an Iranian copy of the Chinese Skywalker drone. The UAV appears to be unarmed, indicating that it likely serves a surveillance role, although the model can also be used for combat purposes.
  In addition, Hezbollah unveiled two handheld anti-tank rifles of unknown models. Anti-drone weapons have become increasingly critical as small drones have proliferated in modern warfare. "They can disrupt the flight of smaller drones, which traditional air defense systems cannot detect, and neutralize them without causing physical damage, allowing for retrievable intelligence," says Dr. Karmon.
  

  Coastal-Sea Missiles and Naval Force

  "Hezbollah has developed three capabilities in the maritime arena: striking a platform defined as a very large static target, hitting vessels, and raiding Israeli coasts," explains Dr. Karmon. According to estimates before October 7, Hezbollah's naval unit numbered hundreds of soldiers out of an army of tens of thousands in regular service. Within the naval unit, there is a highly elite force, the spearhead of the 'Radwan Force', defined as naval commandos. The estimate is that this involves dozens of fighters.

  The purpose of the naval unit is to allow Hezbollah to operate using commando forces and dedicated weaponry, and it was established with the assistance and guidance of the Iranians and armed by them with weaponry, professional and technical knowledge, and training in Iran and Lebanon.

  In 2016, an unusual incident was recorded in the Navy's operational logs. After thorough investigation and examination of intelligence data, it became clear that divers from Hezbollah's elite force had reached the maritime border area at least once and crossed to the Israeli side to examine Israeli underwater technology. In another case that year, a buoy placed by the Navy at the border fell into their hands after drifting to the Lebanese side.

  "Hezbollah has dozens of speedboats. It also uses fishing boats as a disguise for intelligence gathering," says Dr. Karmon. "According to Israeli estimates, they have 'dwarf submarines' for transporting commando fighters and small transport vehicles, which would allow for a raid on Haifa or the Betzet area, for example. An attempt to take over a Dvora-class patrol boat and hit the Karish platform are also possibilities within the equation."

  Thanks to Dr. Eli Karmon for assistance in preparing this article  link

West Bank and Jerusalem and Terror attacks within Israel

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Politics and the War (general news)

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The Region and the World

• An Iraqi coalition of pro-Iran armed groups claim a drone attack at Israel.

  Earlier, the IDF said it had intercepted “multiple suspicious aerial targets” coming from Iraq overnight.

  “The fighters of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq targeted on Sunday morning a strategic location in the occupied territories using drones,” says the Iraqi coalition in a statement on Telegram, referring to Israel, and adding it was carried out “in support of our people in Gaza.”   

Personal Stories

"Trauma is like any other disability, perhaps even more difficult"

The long hours in the bomb shelter, messages from the son at Erez Crossing surrounded by terrorists, the sister hiding with her children in a closet, the army that didn't arrive for many hours. Yoel Kedar talks about the trauma of October 7th, seeking mental health support, and how the high-tech courses of the "Equal in Employment" project he participated in helped his rehabilitation process: "It built my self-confidence and reminded me what I'm capable of." The project is conducted in collaboration with Mifal HaPais.

This year is hard to describe in words. We experienced loss of friends; terrorist attacks; wars; being uprooted from a destroyed home and losing 20 friends from the community - it's a big tear that will take time to heal.

I'm Yoel Kedar. A man of the South. When I was three, we moved to Netiv HaAsara, which was in Sinai at the time and moved to the Gaza envelope in 1982. Since then, except for a few missions in Cairo, I've lived there almost my whole life. The place flows in my blood. These are the roots that were uprooted, strengthened in a new place - and now uprooted again.

I'm a retiree of the security service, and before the war broke out, I grew vegetable seeds in greenhouses in the moshav, which we currently can't access. After more than ten months in Herzliya, where we arrived hurt and wounded, we recently decided we want to get closer back to the South, and today we live in Kibbutz Bror Hayil. We still don't feel safe returning to Netiv HaAsara.

It all started at six-thirty in the morning of that terrible Saturday. We quickly realized this wasn't the tension we've been used to for decades. We got up and ran with half-open eyes to the shelter, which is one of my daughters' room. We thought we'd return to bed to sleep soon, but it didn't end. And continues. And I get a message from my son: "Flee the house." My son is at Erez Crossing and sees dozens of vehicles with terrorists. He's hiding with four other civilian workers in an unprotected room and starts updating. They're in terrible distress. There's an enormous number of terrorists in the compound, and he's crying out for us to help him with the army. Meanwhile, my sister, who also lives in Netiv HaAsara, tells me there are terrorists in her house. Her family is hiding in a closet. They're 700 meters from me. It's heartbreaking. According to a WhatsApp message I received, the terrorists are all over the settlement. We don't know what's happening around us, throughout the Gaza envelope.

The day passes, and the army doesn't arrive. We're informed of more and more casualties from the settlement. My son contacts intermittently, and it's clear to me he's going to be kidnapped because in every scenario I ran in my head - the terrorists reach him. Thankfully, the terrorists didn't find my sister and the children. The closet saved their lives. After more than ten hours, army forces also rescue my son, and he's alive. From that Saturday until today, we're in uncertainty. Many sacred cows I had, like "home is home," were shaken. For me, this event was a trauma I'm still inside.

For years I dealt with security, experienced difficult things there, but October 7th was my red flag, and I turned to a psychiatrist. He told me I arrived in time. That it's still treatable. I underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy, committed to treatments, and understood that anything that could help - I'd take. It's not easy. Dealing with trauma is like dealing with any other disability. Some people say it's even harder, and I, as someone who works with disabled people, can relate to that. When the difficulty is physical, you see it, understand there's a problem. With trauma, you don't see it, and when you talk about it - you deal with a label.

My condition has improved greatly since I started treatments. How did I tell the therapist? It brought me from 30 percent of what I was to 60 percent, which is double. It's a lot, but there's still 40 percent that I need to see how I complete, and it's clear to me it won't be at the same pace.

Enrolling in the high-tech courses offered as part of the "Equal in Employment" project surprised even me. In all the paths I've taken in life, it was never in the world of technology. I saw the publications about this amazing project, initiated by Mifal HaPais in collaboration with Cisco Israel, Ichilov Medical Center, "Yedioth Ahronoth," Ynet, and the "Shavim" website, which offers courses and training in high-tech for war victims, and I signed up.

Then there was hesitation, at first I decided I wasn't doing it, and then Avi from COB College called me and asked what was happening. I shared with him. I shared everything with him. I told him about my cognitive state and what it does to me. I said I was afraid of making a mistake. Avi reassured me. He said: "Listen, there's no way there will be a lesson and something in it isn't clear. You can always call, and if you need another lesson to help you complete material, we'll arrange it. We're here for you." This convinced me, and I found myself enrolling in two courses: User Experience Design and Sales and Influence.

The support I received really helped me. The lecturers accompanied us hand in hand, I really feel they chose lecturers who are therapeutic. They worked with us amazingly. I saw that the studies are really accessible. Wounded soldiers, even a soldier who lost his sight, can study here. It wasn't easy, but I saw that I even enjoy it, manage to participate and manage to learn. I felt it was really rehabilitative, building self-confidence and reminding me what I'm capable of doing. The courses provide routine, commitment, and it helps a lot in the rehabilitation process.

What do I hope will happen in the future? I wish for our country that we understand we must be together. It's important to bring back the hostages as quickly as possible, defeat Hamas, let the guys in the north return home, and end the threats from there. link

Dark Legacy - The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages

A Personal Letter to

Benjamin Netanyahu

Carmit Palty Katzir

The sister of Elad Katzir, who was murdered in captivity. Her mother, Hana, was released after 49 days in captivity. Her father, Rami, was murdered in his home in Nir Oz.

 

I have no illusions that you will read this letter, for correspondence from citizens is rarely your preferred genre - unless, of course, it's a thank you note coupled with a photo opportunity for your press relations team.

Perhaps you think I should be extending my gratitude. After all, I, the privileged one, have had two family members returned to me: a mother, barely alive, from Gaza, and a brother in a coffin. My father was brutally murdered in his shelter in Nir Oz during that dreadful event, to which you religiously avoid having your name attached.

On that horrific day on October 7th, my family, my kibbutz, were left defenseless. The local emergency squad, valiant as lions, were the only ones who fought. The Israel Defense Forces did not come to Nir Oz. I am seething with anger over the blatant neglect of an entire community - murdered, taken hostage, stolen. I am writing to you because you, more than anyone else, have held the reins of this nation for so many years. You, briefed regularly by the IDF and security forces, cannot claim ignorance.

We have met more than once, and I know you are armed with your familiar justification: “I didn’t know.” But this time, you did know. You admitted it in a speech on June 29, 2023, during a ceremony for the fallen soldiers in Operation Protective Edge. You said, “We knew there were scores of terror tunnels… we knew about plans to mobilize hundreds of terrorists… to enter our villages and cities… to kidnap soldiers and civilians, and to kill and slip back.” You promised, “We are arming up and enhancing our capabilities against anyone who threatens us with destruction.” Those were your words. You knew, but you were not prepared. You did not protect us.

Nine months have passed since October 7th. In nine months, new lives are conceived and brought into the world. For us, however, it has been the reverse. Death permeates, infiltrates, and overwhelms. More and more hostages perish in captivity. Elad, my dear brother, voted for you. He trusted you. Can you grasp that? He was taken hostage, alive and well, held in Gaza with women from our kibbutz. We heard reports about him.

He was filmed twice, alive, well, and speaking.

Initially, I thought perhaps our priorities differed. From the first day, I cried out, insisting that rescuing the hostages must come before everything. But I now understand that reality is far more dreadful. You care nothing for the hostages. There are no priorities, no ethical codes. To you, only one sacred value remains: maintaining your position as Mr. Prime Minister.

Therefore, you refuse to end the war. Therefore, you thwart every deal to free the hostages, time and time again.

I want you to know that the Israeli public sees this. This is how history will remember you - as the only prime minister who knowingly sacrificed his citizens.

You are unworthy of us. You were unworthy of my brother's trust - a brother who lived by his principles, who loved and worked the land of this country.

  

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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