๐️Lonny's War Update- October 717, 2023 - September 22, 2025 ๐️
๐️Day 717 that 48 of our hostages are still in Hamas captivity๐️
Hostages forum condemns international recognition of Palestine before hostages are freed
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issues a statement condemning the UK, Canada and Australia for the “unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state while turning a blind eye to the fact that 48 hostages remain in Hamas captivity.”
“As families who deeply want peace in the region, we believe that any discussion about recognizing a Palestinian state must be contingent upon the immediate release of all hostages,” the forum says, calling it a “moral and humanitarian imperative.”
The forum urges other nations to “act responsibly and ensure that any ‘day after’ discussions occur only after our loved ones are brought home.”
“We seek an end to this war, the safe return of all hostages, and a sustainable peace that benefits both peoples,” it says, adding that any action otherwise “effectively enables terrorism while legitimizing the October 7th massacre.”
“Offering such significant political rewards without securing the return of all 48 of our loved ones represents a catastrophic failure of political, moral, and diplomatic leadership that will severely damage efforts to bring them all home,” the forum adds. link The hostage families' statement is very understandable and correct. While recognition of Palestine is overdue in order to move towards a peaceful settlement of our conflict, other nations should have taken similar and stronger measures as the UK did by instituting more sanctions against Hamas. But it should have been stronger. Every country that recognized Palestine should unequivocally condemn Hamas' actions of October 7 and their cruel rule of their own people for so long. The statement should read that recognition of the State of Palestine is a reward to lovers of peace and not to terrorists who perpetrated such atrocities as Hamas did. And the statement should emphasize that any other actions regarding a State of Palestine and relations with Israel must be contingent on releasing all hostages and cessation of the war in Gaza.
IDF deploys third division to Gaza City amid widening offensive against Hamas
The IDF says it has deployed a third division, the 36th, to Gaza City, as the offensive against Hamas there expands.
The ground operation, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots B,” began last Monday night with two divisions. The 36th Division was withdrawn from Khan Younis earlier this month, and its troops spent two weeks preparing for the Gaza City offensive.
The IDF says that in recent days, dozens of targets in Gaza City were struck to enable the 36th Division to enter the area.
Many drones penetrate from Egypt: "The army does not know how to deal with this"
The phenomenon of smuggling over the fence on the border of Egypt is expanding, and the residents in the area are afraid • the head of the regional council sent an urgent letter to the government: "a scenario of penetration of dozens of drones while at the same time a ground penetration is carried out is not implausible" • one of the residents: "it is about dozens a day. The noise does not stop, no one is handling the problem"One of the drones that penetrated from EgyptThe residents of the settlements adjacent to the border of Egypt in the Ramat Negev area describe lately an unbearable reality of dozens of drones that cross beyond the border, and fly above them. It is about drones that carry out various smuggling, also of drugs, and sometimes weapons. According to the residents lately the phenomenon increased, and the head of the regional council of Ramat Negev even warned about this in a letter to the government and to the IDF."Dozens of drones are circling, they come and go from the hours of the morning until the night," tells one of the residents in the area. "The noise does not stop, no one is handling the problem. The army does not know how to deal with this."
As said, the head of the regional council of Ramat Negev Eran Doron turned today in a sharp letter to the government and to the army and called to act immediately to find a solution. "In the last month there was a significant increase in the aerial traffic above the heads of the residents of Pit’hat Nitzana, among others in the settlements Kmehin, Kadesh Barnea, Be’er Milka and Nitzana," he warned. "A scenario of penetration of dozens of drones while at the same time a ground penetration is carried out to conquer the settlements of Pit’hat Nitzana and an attempt to free thousands of terrorists from the imprisonment facilities in the area is not implausible but a possible and tangible reality."
UAV that penetrated lately from Egypt"It is forbidden to normalize the phenomenon of the drones and the UAVs – such normalization of the Qassams to the Gaza envelope caused the conception that turned over on us on 7.10," he added. "This is not a local problem of Ramat Negev but a national problem. The drones bring in enormous quantities of weapons into Israel and this weapon arrives to the terror organizations and also to crime organizations."
He concluded: "I expect the government of Israel to action in several dimensions: in the military dimension – prevention of penetration. Closing the circle – with whoever receives the drones on the Israeli side, and strengthening the settlement. This is an opportunity of the government of Israel to come and strengthen the settlement by doubling the population that will influence on the security of food and the security of the western border of the State of Israel." link
Hamas-run ministry says 61 killed in Gaza over past day
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 61 Palestinians were killed and some 220 were wounded by Israeli fire in the Strip during the previous 24 hours.
Gaza authorities do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Deputy Hamas naval police chief, who participated in Oct. 7, killed in Gaza strike
The deputy commander of Hamas’s naval police, who participated in the October 7 onslaught, was killed in a recent airstrike in the central Gaza Strip, the military announces.
The strike killing Iyad Abu Yousef was carried out by the Israeli Air Force, following intelligence provided by the Naval Intelligence Division and the Military Intelligence Directorate.
The IDF says Abu Yousef invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and during the war, planned ambushes against Israeli troops and dealt with security for Hamas assets.
“His elimination constitutes a significant blow to the capabilities of Hamas’s naval police, which is used for gathering intelligence on our forces and enforcing maritime control for the organization’s military wing,” the military says.
The IDF releases footage showing the airstrike that killed Abu Yousef, along with a video showing the Israeli Navy’s 916th Patrol Squadron shelling a Hamas operative on the coast of northern Gaza earlier this week.
IDF destroys building used by Hamas to launch two rockets at Ashdod
A building used by Hamas to launch two rockets yesterday at the southern port city of Ashdod was destroyed in a strike, the military says, as troops push deeper into Gaza City.
The IDF says that during operations of the 162nd Division in Gaza City, the 215th Artillery Regiment struck the building from which Hamas operatives launched the rockets. Other forces of the division killed 15 gunmen identified near troops and demolished Hamas infrastructure, the military says.
Also in Gaza City, the IDF says the 98th Division directed an Israeli Air Force drone to strike a Hamas weapons manufacturing site. The division’s forces separately spotted a cell of operatives near troops and directed another drone strike that killed them.
In the Strip’s south, the IDF says the Gaza Division spotted several Hamas operatives in a building, which was then targeted in a drone strike.
Israel-Syria security agreement 99% done, says US official
An emerging security agreement between Israel and Syria is “99%” complete, with an announcement expected within the next two weeks, a senior official in the Trump administration tells The Times of Israel.
“We’re 99% the way there. I think in the next two weeks, we’ll have an announcement, if not at the end of the week,” the official says, adding that the main issues left to resolve are the precise timing of the announcement and domestic considerations in Syria.
“It’s really a question of timing and also the Syrians communicating it to their people,” the official says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene a meeting this evening to discuss a potential security agreement with Syria, one attendee’s office told The Times of Israel, with Damascus seeking to secure a halt to Israeli airstrikes and the withdrawal of Israeli troops who have pushed into southern Syria.
The sides held a US-brokered meeting in London on Wednesday that the Axios news site said lasted five hours, fueling anticipation that an agreement could be announced this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, which both Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be attending.
- In the heart of Dahieh: The daring Mossad operation that led to the assassination of Nasrallah
Israeli spies infiltrated the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut under fire, planting devices that guided airstrikes that killed Hassan Nasrallah, top commanders and hundreds of fighters, in an operation that reshaped the war in LebanonSome Israeli security officials say preparations for the covert pagers operation were simple compared with the planning that went into a different mission, carried out under fire and at grave risk to Mossad operatives.That mission unfolded in September 2024, as Israeli warplanes pounded Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahieh. Several operatives slipped into Haret Hreik, a densely built Shiite neighborhood, carrying carefully disguised packages. They knew full well that if Hezbollah men caught them, death was certain. And if the devices in their hands were discovered, Israel’s security would face a devastating blow.The Mossad team crept through narrow alleys, hugging walls, hoping their handler had coordinated with the IDF so the air force would not bomb the very path they were taking. Their destination was a high-rise apartment block. Beneath it sat Hezbollah’s most sensitive secret — the underground bunker serving as its main command headquarters.Intelligence delivered to Unit 8200 and Military Intelligence indicated that Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was scheduled to meet there with Iran’s Quds Force commander in Lebanon, Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan, and Hezbollah’s southern front chief, Ali Karaki, who was viewed as a possible successor to Nasrallah. Only a handful of Hezbollah’s security guards and inner circle knew the bunker even existed. The Mossad operatives were to place their devices at pre-planned points inside the building above the compound. They assessed their chances of survival at no better than 50-50. Even if Hezbollah’s men failed to spot them, they still risked being struck by shrapnel from Israeli bombs raining down nearby.The aftermath of the strike in Beirut (Photo: AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) Just hours before setting out, the agents held a tense discussion with their Mossad handler. They said they were prepared for the mission but demanded that the air force halt its heavy bombardments during their infiltration. The handler insisted the opposite: the raids would not only continue but intensify, forcing Hezbollah guards to take cover and giving the agents a chance to reach the bunker. Under the pounding of Israeli bombs, the Mossad team completed its mission. They planted the devices exactly where planned and slipped away undetected. What was hidden in the bunker The equipment they carried sounded like something out of science fiction. Completed in 2022, about a year before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, it was designed to allow precision strikes at varying depths underground. The Mossad had sought the technology not only for Lebanon but also for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear program. The project involved the Defense Ministry’s weapons development unit, intelligence and technology specialists, the air force, and defense companies Rafael and Elbit. Together they developed guidance systems and penetrating warheads for Israel’s bombs, ensuring they could strike precisely in rocky terrain. That precision was essential. Even a one-meter deviation could mean a bomb striking beside — rather than into — a tunnel. In that case, those inside might survive with only injuries.Nasrallah's funeral in Beirut (Photo: Anwar AMRO / AFP) On Sept. 27, 2024, at 6:20 p.m., 10 Israeli fighter jets dropped 83 one-ton bombs on the target. The strike involved F-15I Ra’am jets from Squadron 69, known as the Hammers, and F-16I Sufa jets. The bombs, U.S.-made BLU-109 bunker busters known in Israel as heavy hail, carried both GPS guidance and the specialized targeting system placed earlier by Mossad. Originally, the air force planned to use about half that number of bombs. But then–Defense Minister Yoav Gallant insisted the payload be doubled to ensure Nasrallah’s death. The strike killed Nasrallah, Karaki, Nilforoushan and some 300 others, mostly Hezbollah terrorists who were present. Israeli officials said the assassination marked the effective collapse of Hezbollah’s central command. Hezbollah retaliated with a barrage of rockets, drones and anti-tank missiles, naming its counteroffensive Operation Khaybar, after a 7th-century Muslim victory over Jewish tribes in Arabia. The group’s Shura Council quickly appointed Hashem Safieddine, head of its executive council, as Nasrallah’s replacement. But on Oct. 4, 2024 — just one week later — he too was killed in an Israeli strike using the same methods. Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, then took over. The letter from Mossad’s chief The success against Hezbollah was the result of both Israeli strategic decisions and critical mistakes made by Nasrallah after Oct. 7. But it almost did not happen. After Hamas’ attack, Gallant and then–Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi pressed for an immediate assault on Hezbollah to neutralize its arsenal of more than 130,000 rockets and drones. At the time, Hamas’ forces inside Gaza had been pushed back, while Hezbollah posed the greater long-term threat. But Mossad director David Barnea, joined by former IDF chiefs Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, argued Israel must first deal with Hamas, which still held 251 hostages and was firing rockets daily. They warned that striking Hezbollah could trigger direct Iranian involvement and a regional war. The Biden administration also urged restraint. Netanyahu ultimately canceled a strike on Hezbollah already in motion, with Israeli jets recalled at the last moment. Ten months later, in August 2024, Barnea sent Netanyahu a letter urging a full offensive in Lebanon before the November U.S. presidential election. He argued both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump would back Israel during campaign season, while after the vote — especially if Vice President Kamala Harris won — support might be weaker. Netanyahu approved the plan, shifting forces from Gaza to the north in September. Israel began dismantling Hezbollah’s senior command in July 2024. Fuad Shukr, Nasrallah’s top military adviser, was killed in late July, depriving Nasrallah of his main strategist. Israel then assassinated Hezbollah commanders one by one. By the time of Operation New Order, Hezbollah’s leadership was reeling. The IDF also crippled Hezbollah’s battlefield capabilities, systematically striking anti-tank squads and rocket launchers, and in mid-September carried out the pagers operation, which disabled Hezbollah communications and caused mass casualties among its terrorists. The pagers operation Israeli intelligence officials said Nasrallah failed to grasp the scale of Israel’s campaign. He still believed in his equation — that Israel would avoid escalation for fear of heavy losses. His conviction that Israel lacked the resolve for total war proved to be his fatal miscalculation. Even with intelligence pointing to Nasrallah’s planned meeting in the bunker, Israeli leaders remained divided. Gallant and Halevi favored alerting Washington to avoid escalation with Syria, Iran and beyond. Barnea and others argued Israel must act immediately, without U.S. coordination. Netanyahu initially hesitated. Then, while en route to the United Nations General Assembly, he received updated intelligence suggesting the opportunity might not return. He gave the order mid-flight. After a final phone consultation from his hotel in New York, the green light was given. The deception that brought down Nasrallah Another decisive factor was deception. Even after Mossad and the IDF crippled Hezbollah’s communications on Sept. 17-18, Nasrallah did not realize Israel had launched a total offensive. Israel staged its campaign in phases — first eliminating Shukr in July, then disabling communications in September, then striking rocket stockpiles in Operation Northern Arrows. Nasrallah, clinging to his spider web theory that Israel was weak-willed despite military strength, assumed Israel would not dare target him personally. But Oct. 7 had altered Israel’s national mindset. Security officials said the country’s post-Holocaust resolve — the instinct of “never again” — proved stronger than Nasrallah expected. Nasrallah’s death marked a turning point, but Israeli officials say Hezbollah remains a serious threat. Naim Qassem, its new leader, is seen as capable if less charismatic. The group has lost support among Lebanon’s Shiite population, which suffered from Israel’s strikes, and faces pressure to disarm. Yet Hezbollah retains precision rockets and drones north of the Litani River. Israeli officials warn the group still has the ability to strike Israel and destabilize Lebanon. “The story of Nasrallah has ended,” one senior intelligence officer said. “But the story of Hezbollah has not.” link Lebanese media says four killed, including children, in Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon
Lebanese media reports that four people were killed in an IDF drone strike in the Bint Jbeil area of southern Lebanon earlier today.
The Lebanese Health Ministry says there were children among the dead, but it doesn’t say how many.
The IDF has not yet commented on the reports
**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!!!”
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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UK, Canada, Australia formally announce recognition of Palestinian state
Ben Gvir says he will propose ‘immediate’ West Bank annexation in response to Western recognition of Palestine
Netanyahu: Israel will respond to Palestinian statehood moves within days; Palestine ‘would endanger our existence’Saudi Arabia said to warn Israel that West Bank annexation is red line as Jerusalem weighs next steps
The Saudis sent a message to Israel that there will be “great implications in all fields” if it annexes part of the West Bank, Channel 12 reports. They did not delineate what steps they might take, but they could declare normalization dead or once again close their airspace to Israeli flights, which they opened in 2022.
Saudi officials will discuss the war in Gaza with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week, along with leaders from the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting today to discuss possible responses to Western countries recognizing a Palestinian state this week. Responses include changing the classification of parts of the West Bank’s Area A to Area B, meaning from Palestinian security and civil control to Israeli security control and Palestinian civil control, and parts of Area B to become Area C, meaning under Israeli civil and security control.
Other responses could include closing the consulates of some countries that recognize an independent state of Palestine, particularly that of France.
In the meeting, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer stressed that no matter what, full coordination with the US must be maintained.
As such, no decision will be made until Netanyahu returns from his meeting with Trump next week, the prime minister said in a video statement earlier this evening Link. Recognition of a State of Palestine by many countries is a done deal. There will not be any retreat. Quite the opposite.. More and more countries will recognize Palestine while Netanyahu and his extremist government still believe that they have a veto. Israel, of course has the veto over the physical State of Palestine but not of the recognition of the State. This was been a shocking experience for Netanyahu and one he has brought on himself. For years, he has vetoed the recognition of Palestine and successfully sold the falsehood that he had to agree before any of our allies could make that fateful announcement. Netanyahu's behaviour in this war changed all that. His actions and statements have alienated just about every ally Israel has, the same allies that Netanyahu liked to say that only he had the standing in Israel to warrant such welcomes as his red carpet treatment in many capitals of the world. He, single-handedly has decimated that standing. He attacks the same world leaders that he prided himself about the close relationships they shared, he ignores their warnings and concerns and has turned the entire State of Israel into a pariah nation. His self proclaimed arbiter of the recognition of a State of Palestine evaporated before his eyes. So, he now is looking at his options of how he takes back power that he lost. His extreme messianic partners, of course see this as an opportunity to do something that they have pushed for years, the annexation of the West Bank. They want all of the West Bank but will settle for major parts of it because they know that once they have annexed parts, the rest will come far more easily.
As Netanyahu will be visiting with his BFF in the White House next week, he didn't want to make such a monumental decision that has major international impact without getting the green light from Trump. Based on his experience since Trump returned to the White House, Netanyahu has been almost totally successful in twisting Trump to his will. The one time that he couldn't was very shocking to Netanyahu, when Trump wouldn't budge on his tariffs. It appeared that Trump was developing a backbone to stand firm against Netanyahu but that backbone turned to limp pasta shortly after when it seemed clear to everyone including Netanyahu that Trump was going to impose and end of the war when Netanyahu was last at the White House. Surprising to everyone was the outcome of that trip. Instead of a single Oval Office meeting, Trump asked Netanyahu to stay for a few more days and several more meetings. Netanyahu left Washington with Trump wrapped around his little finger giving him the green light to do whatever he wanted.
Here again, Netanyahu is going to Washington planning to wrap Trump around his fingers but there may be a few surprised for him. Netanyahu wants Trump's agreement to annexation of a large part of the West Bank, despite the international ramifications, and to get Trump to back down from his calls to end the war immediately. The question of West Bank annexation is not so clear. Trump could go either way. He may accede to Netanyahu to annex a small part of the West Bank in order to pressure him on ending the war. The Saudis have made it very clear that annexation will be a game changer and will most likely remove any discussion or hope of normalization with Israel off the table. There are many other actions that they can take to hurt Israel as well as the impact with other countries that we have normalization or peace agreements with. Trump will have to ascertain if annexation will impact his plans with Saudi Arabia, mostly his financial and business plans. If they will not, he may give into Netanyahu about a smaller annexation but that will be coupled with ending the war immediately.
At another time (pre October 7), normalization with Saudi Arabia was one of the top priorities of Netanyahu to secure both his legacy and his premiership for a long time to come. The war and its ramifications to Netanyahu's future has changed all of that. He will do anything to keep his power and the prime minister's seat. If losing the chance of normalization with Saudi Arabia must be given up for his political survival, for him, it's a small price to pay. His ego probably is telling him that, because he is so great, he will be able to get Saudi Arabia back to the table. On all fronts, he is in for a rude awakening. The question is, how much more damage and irreversible damage will Netanyahu do to the State of Israel and the Jewish people before he is forever gone from the public eye?Report: PM briefing Likud lawmakers not to publicly push for West Bank annexation, fearing fallout
Facing mounting calls from the political right to advance the process of annexing the West Bank in response to Western nations recognizing a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has in recent days sought to ease the pressure by quietly briefing select Likud lawmakers and ministers, The Times of Israel has learned.
Earlier tonight, i24 News reported that the briefings came ahead of the expected announcements by countries recognizing Palestinian statehood, and urged participants not to press publicly for “sovereignty now,” with the PMO warning that “It causes damage, the prime minister said he knows when and how to act.”
The briefings were not given to the entire Likud faction, the report added, and appear to have had little effect, as many Likud MKs and ministers continue to push for annexation steps in the West Bank. Link
- The Region and the World
Acronyms and Glossary
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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