LIVE UPDATES — FROM JULY 13TH – 19TH
Israel At War: Week Forty-One Coverage
TRUSTED ANALYSIS
Day 287 — Friday, July 19
Houthis Claim Credit For Drone Attack On Tel Aviv; One Killed, Ten Wounded In Explosion
A drone attack was allegedly carried out on Ben Yehuda Street on the corner of Shalom Aleichem near the US Consulate after loud explosions were heard in Tel Aviv early Friday morning. The Yemeni Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack on their personal channel.
During searches by emergency services, the body of a lifeless man in his 50s with shrapnel marks on his body was found in an apartment near the location of the explosion. Ten people were taken to hospital with minor wounds, according to Israeli media.
Police, fire, and rescue services were deployed to the area and told Israeli media that there was no fire. The source of the explosion is not yet known.
An IDF spokesperson announced that a preliminary investigation shows that the explosion in Tel Aviv “was caused by the fall of an aerial target, which did not trigger a warning.”
According to the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya/al-Hadath channel, the United States intercepted a ballistic missile and three drones launched by the Houthis at Israel on Friday night, but the fourth managed to hit Tel Aviv.
The IDF is continuing to investigate the explosion.
Residents who live near the place of the explosion say that objects were shattered in their houses as a result of the blast.
Soon after the attack, a leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Hezam al-Asad, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Tel Aviv” with a burning emoji. No official statement has been made by Israel regarding this connection.
The spokesman of Yemen’s Houthis, Yahya Sarie, said on X that the group will reveal details about a military operation that targeted Tel Aviv.
Magen David Adom reported that a 37-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were slightly injured, and they are fully conscious and were taken to the Ichilov Hospital with shrapnel injuries to their limbs and shoulder. In addition, four were being treated for shock at the scene.
MDA Spokesperson Zaki Heller later said, “Following a search of the area, an unconscious male was found in one of the nearby buildings with penetrating injuries. EMTs and Paramedics treated eight casualties, including four with shrapnel and blast injuries, and four with anxiety symptoms.”
The police said: “A short time ago, a report was received at the police headquarters about hearing an explosion in a building in Tel Aviv. Large forces of the Tel Aviv District Police and police engineers arrived at the scene.”
The Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, posted on X: “The Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo is on heightened alert in light of the severe UAV incident tonight, in which one person was killed and others were injured. The war is still here, and it is hard and painful. The municipal forces arrived at the spot quickly and dealt with the incident, and we are prepared for developments, if any. I call on the public to obey gov’t instructions.”
The head of the Golan Regional Council, Ori Kallner, according to Ynet, commented on the explosion in Tel Aviv and said that “there is no difference between a drone strike in the heart of Tel Aviv and incessant firing on the north of the country. The State of Israel must restore deterrence in the north, south and center.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch said: “The war we embarked on was forced upon us by the monsters of Hamas and brought out the metastases of Iran from their hiding places.”
Day 286 — Thursday, July 18
Civilian Authorities In Northern Israel Carry Out Drills, Prepare For All-Out War With Hezbollah
Although an Israeli security official has publicly played down the possibility of any imminent full-scale war with Hezbollah, civilian, electrical and medical facilities in northern Israel are preparing for any scenario.
The mayor of Haifa, Israel’s northern port city, has recommended that bomb shelters be prepared, as a huge barrage of around 100 rockets was fired by the Hezbollah forces towards northern Israel on Tuesday night. There was damage caused in Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee, but no injuries were reported.
Hezbollah began attacking northern Israel on Oct. 8, following the Hamas invasion and terror attack on Israel’s southern border communities near Gaza on Oct. 7.
Despite the mass evacuation of 80,000 civilians from their homes, several people have been killed, including one couple who was driving home with their children on the Golan Heights.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav told Israeli local radio on Monday that his city is preparing for a potential all-out war with Hezbollah forces. Haifa is only 45 km (28 miles) from the border with Lebanon.
“We’re doing everything so that the city itself and the residents are safe and know what to do in the case of falling missiles – and they are more accurate missiles than those of 2006,” Yahav said.
“We are now changing the entire method of building parking lots. We’re preparing them for a long stay because according to estimates, we’ll be sitting in shelters and parking lots for at least four consecutive days. That requires preparation – for example, installing bathrooms. We issued instructions to build them in places where new buildings are being constructed.”
The city of Haifa is reportedly preparing 16 underground parking lots to serve as bomb shelters during a large conflict. The local underground train system will reportedly be used as a massive shelter, and city schools will be converted into temporary housing if residential buildings are struck by missiles.
On Tuesday, the Israel Electric Company began a 10-day drill simulating power outages in the event of an escalation, Ynet News reported. The large-scale exercise will prepare for scenarios like Hezbollah rockets hitting power lines and gas rigs.
On July 9, Sky News reported that Haifa was working on converting of a subterranean car park into a massive blood bank and hospital. This coverage followed an Israeli Channel 12 news report that Haifa’s Rambam Hospital has been preparing for an extreme scenario involving missile attacks every four minutes for 50-60 consecutive days.
The Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital was first opened in 2014. After the brutal Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel, the hospital quickly set up the facility, which can treat 2,000 patients and has 24 operating rooms.
According to hospital director, Prof. Michael Halberthal, the entire medical center can relocate underground within eight hours. Additionally, a dedicated train would be ready to transfer the wounded to central Israeli hospitals in the event of mass casualties.
In January, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant conducted a comprehensive civilian situational assessment in the north, i24 News reported at the time.
Both Gallant and IDF Chief-of-Staff Herzi Halevi have increasingly been discussing military readiness to address Hezbollah attacks.
“We are in high-intensity combat in the north,” Halevi said in a statement on Sunday. “Along with increasing achievements in degrading Hezbollah, we do not forget for a moment the plight of the residents of the north in the last nine months; we grieve at all times for the dead and injured from Hezbollah attacks.
“In the last few days, I was in one of the communities close to the border, of course not for the first time. I saw the damage, I met with the leadership there, I heard difficult things from them – we translate this difficulty into determination in combat, and later into real solutions and the return of the residents in security to their homes. We are ready and preparing for the next stage in Lebanon.”
Speaking with i24 News on Tuesday evening, security expert Shiri Fein-Grossman said that the current focus remains on Gaza, with the military goals in the territory reaching a “critical point” and the morale of the soldiers very high, determined to locate hostages. She said she does not believe a war with Hezbollah was imminent.
Her comments came as Israeli officials publicly stated that one of Hamas leaders who orchestrated the Oct. 7 massacre, Mohammed Deif, was likely assassinated in a precision strike on Saturday. His death remains unconfirmed at this point.
Day 285 — Wednesday, July 17
Netanyahu Vows To Eliminate 'Neo-Nazi Regime' In Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke during a Knesset debate on Wednesday about the IDF’s progress in destroying Hamas’s “neo-Nazi regime” in Gaza. He told opposition lawmakers that, if it were up to them, they “would have given up a long time ago.”
“You would end the war without eliminating commanders, without control of Rafah and the Philadelphi [Corridor], and [Hamas “military” leader] Mohammed Deif would walk around as a winner,” Netanyahu said. “Instead of dropping a bomb on him, you would give him a gas agreement in Gaza, just like you gave to [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah in Lebanon.”
Netanyahu stated his remaining objectives, saying, “This is what we are going to do: Eliminate this neo-Nazi regime in Gaza. We are coming to eliminate the governmental and military capabilities of Hamas, and we are making progress towards this goal. … We are determined to win the war. We are determined to return all our hostages. The key is pressure, pressure and more pressure. And I want to share two secrets with you: One, pressure should be directed at [Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya] Sinwar and not at the Israeli prime minister. Two, pressure on me will not work.”
Netanyahu understandably sounds fed up with the continuing war and the resulting pressure he faces. Though stated somewhat forcefully, Netanyahu’s instruction to his political opponents to apply pressure to Hamas rather than himself is an important message. It was readily accepted in October but is a needed reminder nine months into the war, as it has become easier for the prime minister’s opponents to drift away from unity. But Netanyahu is correct: Let’s not waste time in completing Israel’s objectives to end this war. The IDF’s accomplishments are impressive, but it’s time to finish the job and completely dismantle the terrorist organization that provides an existential threat to the only Jewish nation in the world.
Day 285 — Wednesday, July 17
'An Enormous Campaign For Our Very Existence': Netanyahu Says Israel Must Adopt New ‘Operative Concept’ To Confront Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed on Tuesday the need to adopt a new approach to the threat posed by the mullahs in Tehran.
“The monstrous massacre on Oct. 7 reshuffled the deck. It requires a very different operative concept that takes into account Iran’s efforts to strangle us in a chokehold on seven fronts,” said Netanyahu.
“Today more than ever, we are in the midst of an enormous campaign for our very existence. On one side is the fanatic Iranian regime which threatens to destroy us, as a step toward taking over the Middle East, from where it will be able to threaten the entire world. On the other side is the democratic and free Israel that is determined to defend its home,” he said.
“We have no intention of losing this confrontation. We will continue to rebuff the efforts to harm us by Iran and its proxies. We will continue to strike—with uncompromising force—those who rise up to destroy us. We will settle accounts with all those who are carrying out this terrorist assault, down to the last of them. We will bring down Hamas’s regime of evil. We will thwart every future threat to the State of Israel from Gaza. We will return home all of our hostages,” added the premier.
Netanyahu was speaking at a state ceremony on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem to commemorate the IDF soldiers who fell in battle during “Operation Protective Edge,” the 50-day war against Hamas in 2014.
Earlier on Tuesday, interim Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said that Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis had shifted the balance of power in the Middle East “in favor of the resistance.”
The “axis of resistance” includes Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria.
Bagheri Kani told Newsweek that the Jewish state “should face serious resistance in the region by these resistance groups and also by the nations and peoples in the region.”
On Monday, Iran was front and center when U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer at the White House for a U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group meeting.
The American and Israeli leaders “were joined by senior representatives from their respective foreign policy, defense and intelligence agencies” for a discussion about countering the Iranian threat, the White House said.
The group also addressed “developments with respect to Iran’s nuclear program and discussed mutual coordination on a series of measures to ensure that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon,” according to the U.S. readout of the meeting.
Last week, Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for action against the Islamic Republic in meetings with international leaders at the opening of the NATO summit in Washington.
“Our enemy is also your enemy. The Iranian missiles and UAVs that threaten us are being sent to Russia and threaten you too. Crippling sanctions must be imposed on Iran, and the [Islamic] Revolutionary Guards must be declared a terrorist organization,” said Katz.
Day 284 — Tuesday, July 16
'An Attack On All The Democracies': Israel Responds to the Assassination Attempt Of Fmr. President Trump
Moments after the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went to social media posting that he and his wife Sarah “were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump. We pray for his safety and speedy recovery.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid also wrote, “Political violence is an existential threat to democratic systems. I extend my wishes for a speedy recovery to the former president.”
Israeli president Isaac Herzog also commented on social media, saying, “On behalf of all the Israeli people, I wish former President Donald Trump a speedy recovery, and condemn utterly and unequivocally the attempt on his life. From Jerusalem we wish him well. Our thoughts are with all those injured, and the family of the spectator killed.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich shared, “praying from the holy land for President Trump.”
In a video post, Netanyahu shared even more; he said, “Like all Israelis, my wife Sara and I were shocked by the horrific assassination attempt on the life of President Donald Trump. This wasn’t just an attack on Donald Trump. This was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This was an attack on America. It was an attack on democracy, it was an attack on all the democracies.”
I’d like you to please pray. I want to encourage you to pray for the soul of our country, that we would turn as a nation to our Heavenly Father for His guidance, and His wisdom in these very difficult and trying times.
Day 284 — Tuesday, July 16
COGAT: UNRWA Is Simply Trying To Evade Responsibility For Actively Participating In Hamas Terrorist Activity
Major General Ghassan Alian, head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) tweeted on Monday to express harsh criticism of the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, who professed himself shocked by the IDF attacks on the agency’s compounds in the Gaza Strip.
“These are the things that should shock you,” Alian began. “You allowed Hamas to develop a terrorist infrastructure almost in all the agency’s facilities, and paid for years to Hamas terrorists who are employed in the UNRWA agency.”
“Hamas stole your fuel and equipment over the years, and worst of all, even after we informed you of Hamas’s deep involvement in UNRWA prior to October 7th, you did nothing with all that information,” he accused.
“That is what is shocking. All your other statements are just an attempt to evade your own and the organization’s responsibility,” Alian concluded.
Earlier on Monday, IDF forces completed another raid in Gaza City, focusing on a humanitarian complex run by UNRWA.
The activity took place between the Al-Sabra neighborhood and Tel Al-Hawa. The commando brigade that raided the complex found renewed workshops for the production of UAVs and many weapons.
They also found a recruitment office for terror operatives and rockets and explosive devices hidden in food warehouses.
The humanitarian complex was taken by Hamas and turned into food warehouses. Hamas used the warehosues to distribute food to the displaced and thus gained control over the area.
Day 284 — Tuesday, July 16
US-Sanctioned Syrian Businessman Dies In Alleged Israeli Strike
A businessman with close ties to the Syrian regime was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle on the Damascus-Beirut Highway on Monday afternoon, according to Syrian opposition sources.
“Two people were killed in an Israeli drone attack that targeted a car with Lebanese license plates near the Al-Masnaa’ Crossing on the Lebanese-Syrian border,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor aligned with the country’s opposition.
The group identified one of the men killed in the targeted attack as Muhammad al-Qatirji, a close associate of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose trucking company plays a central role in the regime’s business dealings with the Islamic State terrorist group. The Syrian had been sanctioned by the United States and Britain, the report said.
The Qatirji Company has also shipped weapons from Iraq to Syria, according to the U.S. State Department. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Qatirji “finances a local militia numbering in the thousands to protect his interests and serve the regime” and financed Syrian attempts to “liberate” the Golan Heights from Israeli control.
The second casualty in the attack was not immediately identified, though the U.K. war monitor initially reported that one of the two men was a member of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
Arabic-language news reports claimed al-Qatirji had been “in contact with pro-Iranian militias and Hezbollah.”
On July 9, Yasser Nimr Qarnabsh, a former aide to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed when the Israel Defense Forces targeted his car near a checkpoint on the Damascus-Beirut Highway.
Qarnabsh was part of an elite Hezbollah unit responsible for transferring terrorists and weaponry from Syria to Lebanon and previously served as Nasrallah’s personal bodyguard, according to local media reports.
Overnight Saturday, the IDF struck a command center, air defense system and other military infrastructure belonging to the Syrian Armed Forces. The attack came in response to the launch of two suicide drones from Syria towards Eilat earlier in the day, according to Israel.
Israel has attacked hundreds of terrorist targets in Syria in recent years, as part of an effort to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in the country. However, Jerusalem rarely acknowledges these incidents.
Day 283 — Monday, July 15
Ramming Attack In Central Israel Injures 4 IDF Soldiers After Hamas Calls Palestinians To ‘Escalate Clashes’
Four IDF soldiers were injured on Sunday afternoon in a combined vehicular and shooting attack at the Nir Tzvi junction near Tzrifin in central Israel.
According to reports from Magen David Adom emergency services, two of the injured are in critical condition, while the other two sustained moderate and minor injuries. The wounded were taken to Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh Hospital) in Be’er Ya’akov.
The IDF later confirmed that the wounded were an IDF officer and three soldiers.
Preliminary reports indicate that a white Toyota vehicle, driven by the terrorist, hit two of the wounded who were waiting at a bus stop. The attacker then continued driving to a second bus stop along the same road, where he struck another two Israelis waiting for a bus.
At least one of the injured was reported to have a weapon and engaged the assailant. Police who arrived on the scene seconds after the ramming attack shot and killed the attacker, who is described as a resident of East Jerusalem.
Central District Police Commander Avi Bitton spoke to Ynet News from the scene.
“The attacker ran over a number of Israelis at the bus station, continued for several hundred meters and carried out another vehicular attack,” he said. “A Border Police force engaged in routine security here identified the terrorist, strove for contact, and neutralized him while he was still sitting in the car.”
Bitton added: “It is our mission to check whether he is a lone terrorist.”
Shortly after the attack, the terrorist was identified by his Israeli identity card as Muhammad Shihab (27) from Kfar ‘Aqab in East Jerusalem.
Three reserve Border Police soldiers, on regular duty in the area, were driving by the scene of the attack while it took place.
One of the soldiers told Ynet: “We heard a loud noise and the crew driver shouted, ‘Wow.’ The crew commander noticed the vehicle running over [people] at the bus stop, and the reserve force took command of the scene because more forces were arriving. The team responded by shooting at the terrorist and neutralizing him. [The commander] then went to the window of the terrorist’s car, recognized that he was neutralized, secured the scene, and treated the wounded with MDA forces.”
The incident took place against the backdrop of yesterday’s attempted assassination of the head of Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, Mohammed Deif, and the terrorist organization’s calls on Palestinians to “escalate the resistance.”
On Saturday, Hamas released a statement calling on “the masses of our Palestinian people in the West Bank and Jerusalem to go out in mass demonstrations… and to escalate clashes with them in defense of our land, our holy sites and our right to freedom and independence.”
Day 282 — Sunday, July 14
‘Reckless, Irresponsible’ Biden Remarks On Israel To Press, Critics Say
U.S. President Joe Biden drew rebukes for comments about the Jewish state during a nationally televised press conference on Thursday night, in which he assured the American public that he intends to remain in the presidential race.
While fielding questions from reporters for nearly an hour, Biden referred to the Israeli war cabinet as “one of the most conservative” in the Jewish state’s history. Contrary to polling, he also claimed that Hamas is increasingly unpopular in Judea and Samaria and that “my numbers are better in Israel than they are here. But, then again, they’re better than a lot of other people here, too.”
“His tone toward Israel seems to reflect his view that Israel and Hamas equally share blame for the situation,” Alan Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, told JNS.
Morton Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, told JNS that “it is reckless and irresponsible for Biden to undermine the security of Israel and America by protecting the Iran-backed, Islamist, Hamas Arabs from being destroyed by Israel.”
“Biden also recklessly promotes a Palestinian state, which 85% of the Israelis oppose, knowing it will become a larger Hamas-Iran terrorist regime,” Klein added.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote that “Biden’s criticism of Israel—without even mentioning the hostages—was disgraceful.”
“Biden bragged about not providing Israel with weapons to destroy Hamas, who is holding American citizens captive,” wrote Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). “Meanwhile, he failed to even mention those hostages.”
Abraham Foxman, the former national director of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote that he admires and appreciates the president’s accomplishments. “But to put the blame on Israel for lack of progress in bringing peace to Gaza on ‘a conservative war cabinet’ and not Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, is outrageous,” he wrote.
Day 281 — Saturday, July 13
In Support Of Israel, Argentina Officially Designates Hamas As An International Terrorist Organization
Argentina has officially designated Hamas as a terrorist organization on Friday, the Office of President Javier Milei announced.
“The Hamas group has been declared by the Argentinian state as a international terrorist organization,” the statement reads. “Furthermore, in recent years, its link with the Islamic Republic of Iran has been revealed – whose leadership was found responsible for the attacks against the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association by the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation on April 11. These attacks cost the lives of more than 100 Argentinian civilians.
“President Javier Milei has an unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorist for what they are.
“This government has reiterated on multiple occasions its convictions that Argentina once against align itself with Western civilization, respectful of individual rights and its institutions. For this reason, it must be acknowledged that those who attack such values are declared for what they are: terrorists.”
The Associated Press reported that the official designation was made as a show of support for Israel, while also stating that Argentina, which also holds the largest Jewish diaspora in Latin America, has “ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group.”
Milei arrived to Israel earlier this year to show support for its war against Hamas, and stated that he would move the Argentinian embassy to Jerusalem.
Day 287 — Friday, July 19
Houthis Claim Credit For Drone Attack On Tel Aviv; One Killed, Ten Wounded In Explosion
A drone attack was allegedly carried out on Ben Yehuda Street on the corner of Shalom Aleichem near the US Consulate after loud explosions were heard in Tel Aviv early Friday morning. The Yemeni Houthis have claimed responsibility for the attack on their personal channel.
During searches by emergency services, the body of a lifeless man in his 50s with shrapnel marks on his body was found in an apartment near the location of the explosion. Ten people were taken to hospital with minor wounds, according to Israeli media.
Police, fire, and rescue services were deployed to the area and told Israeli media that there was no fire. The source of the explosion is not yet known.
An IDF spokesperson announced that a preliminary investigation shows that the explosion in Tel Aviv “was caused by the fall of an aerial target, which did not trigger a warning.”
According to the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya/al-Hadath channel, the United States intercepted a ballistic missile and three drones launched by the Houthis at Israel on Friday night, but the fourth managed to hit Tel Aviv.
The IDF is continuing to investigate the explosion.
Residents who live near the place of the explosion say that objects were shattered in their houses as a result of the blast.
Soon after the attack, a leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Hezam al-Asad, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Tel Aviv” with a burning emoji. No official statement has been made by Israel regarding this connection.
The spokesman of Yemen’s Houthis, Yahya Sarie, said on X that the group will reveal details about a military operation that targeted Tel Aviv.
Magen David Adom reported that a 37-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were slightly injured, and they are fully conscious and were taken to the Ichilov Hospital with shrapnel injuries to their limbs and shoulder. In addition, four were being treated for shock at the scene.
MDA Spokesperson Zaki Heller later said, “Following a search of the area, an unconscious male was found in one of the nearby buildings with penetrating injuries. EMTs and Paramedics treated eight casualties, including four with shrapnel and blast injuries, and four with anxiety symptoms.”
The police said: “A short time ago, a report was received at the police headquarters about hearing an explosion in a building in Tel Aviv. Large forces of the Tel Aviv District Police and police engineers arrived at the scene.”
The Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, posted on X: “The Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo is on heightened alert in light of the severe UAV incident tonight, in which one person was killed and others were injured. The war is still here, and it is hard and painful. The municipal forces arrived at the spot quickly and dealt with the incident, and we are prepared for developments, if any. I call on the public to obey gov’t instructions.”
The head of the Golan Regional Council, Ori Kallner, according to Ynet, commented on the explosion in Tel Aviv and said that “there is no difference between a drone strike in the heart of Tel Aviv and incessant firing on the north of the country. The State of Israel must restore deterrence in the north, south and center.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch said: “The war we embarked on was forced upon us by the monsters of Hamas and brought out the metastases of Iran from their hiding places.”
Day 286 — Thursday, July 18
Civilian Authorities In Northern Israel Carry Out Drills, Prepare For All-Out War With Hezbollah
Although an Israeli security official has publicly played down the possibility of any imminent full-scale war with Hezbollah, civilian, electrical and medical facilities in northern Israel are preparing for any scenario.
The mayor of Haifa, Israel’s northern port city, has recommended that bomb shelters be prepared, as a huge barrage of around 100 rockets was fired by the Hezbollah forces towards northern Israel on Tuesday night. There was damage caused in Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee, but no injuries were reported.
Hezbollah began attacking northern Israel on Oct. 8, following the Hamas invasion and terror attack on Israel’s southern border communities near Gaza on Oct. 7.
Despite the mass evacuation of 80,000 civilians from their homes, several people have been killed, including one couple who was driving home with their children on the Golan Heights.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav told Israeli local radio on Monday that his city is preparing for a potential all-out war with Hezbollah forces. Haifa is only 45 km (28 miles) from the border with Lebanon.
“We’re doing everything so that the city itself and the residents are safe and know what to do in the case of falling missiles – and they are more accurate missiles than those of 2006,” Yahav said.
“We are now changing the entire method of building parking lots. We’re preparing them for a long stay because according to estimates, we’ll be sitting in shelters and parking lots for at least four consecutive days. That requires preparation – for example, installing bathrooms. We issued instructions to build them in places where new buildings are being constructed.”
The city of Haifa is reportedly preparing 16 underground parking lots to serve as bomb shelters during a large conflict. The local underground train system will reportedly be used as a massive shelter, and city schools will be converted into temporary housing if residential buildings are struck by missiles.
On Tuesday, the Israel Electric Company began a 10-day drill simulating power outages in the event of an escalation, Ynet News reported. The large-scale exercise will prepare for scenarios like Hezbollah rockets hitting power lines and gas rigs.
On July 9, Sky News reported that Haifa was working on converting of a subterranean car park into a massive blood bank and hospital. This coverage followed an Israeli Channel 12 news report that Haifa’s Rambam Hospital has been preparing for an extreme scenario involving missile attacks every four minutes for 50-60 consecutive days.
The Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital was first opened in 2014. After the brutal Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel, the hospital quickly set up the facility, which can treat 2,000 patients and has 24 operating rooms.
According to hospital director, Prof. Michael Halberthal, the entire medical center can relocate underground within eight hours. Additionally, a dedicated train would be ready to transfer the wounded to central Israeli hospitals in the event of mass casualties.
In January, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant conducted a comprehensive civilian situational assessment in the north, i24 News reported at the time.
Both Gallant and IDF Chief-of-Staff Herzi Halevi have increasingly been discussing military readiness to address Hezbollah attacks.
“We are in high-intensity combat in the north,” Halevi said in a statement on Sunday. “Along with increasing achievements in degrading Hezbollah, we do not forget for a moment the plight of the residents of the north in the last nine months; we grieve at all times for the dead and injured from Hezbollah attacks.
“In the last few days, I was in one of the communities close to the border, of course not for the first time. I saw the damage, I met with the leadership there, I heard difficult things from them – we translate this difficulty into determination in combat, and later into real solutions and the return of the residents in security to their homes. We are ready and preparing for the next stage in Lebanon.”
Speaking with i24 News on Tuesday evening, security expert Shiri Fein-Grossman said that the current focus remains on Gaza, with the military goals in the territory reaching a “critical point” and the morale of the soldiers very high, determined to locate hostages. She said she does not believe a war with Hezbollah was imminent.
Her comments came as Israeli officials publicly stated that one of Hamas leaders who orchestrated the Oct. 7 massacre, Mohammed Deif, was likely assassinated in a precision strike on Saturday. His death remains unconfirmed at this point.
Day 285 — Wednesday, July 17
Netanyahu Vows To Eliminate 'Neo-Nazi Regime' In Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke during a Knesset debate on Wednesday about the IDF’s progress in destroying Hamas’s “neo-Nazi regime” in Gaza. He told opposition lawmakers that, if it were up to them, they “would have given up a long time ago.”
“You would end the war without eliminating commanders, without control of Rafah and the Philadelphi [Corridor], and [Hamas “military” leader] Mohammed Deif would walk around as a winner,” Netanyahu said. “Instead of dropping a bomb on him, you would give him a gas agreement in Gaza, just like you gave to [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah in Lebanon.”
Netanyahu stated his remaining objectives, saying, “This is what we are going to do: Eliminate this neo-Nazi regime in Gaza. We are coming to eliminate the governmental and military capabilities of Hamas, and we are making progress towards this goal. … We are determined to win the war. We are determined to return all our hostages. The key is pressure, pressure and more pressure. And I want to share two secrets with you: One, pressure should be directed at [Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya] Sinwar and not at the Israeli prime minister. Two, pressure on me will not work.”
Netanyahu understandably sounds fed up with the continuing war and the resulting pressure he faces. Though stated somewhat forcefully, Netanyahu’s instruction to his political opponents to apply pressure to Hamas rather than himself is an important message. It was readily accepted in October but is a needed reminder nine months into the war, as it has become easier for the prime minister’s opponents to drift away from unity. But Netanyahu is correct: Let’s not waste time in completing Israel’s objectives to end this war. The IDF’s accomplishments are impressive, but it’s time to finish the job and completely dismantle the terrorist organization that provides an existential threat to the only Jewish nation in the world.
Day 285 — Wednesday, July 17
'An Enormous Campaign For Our Very Existence': Netanyahu Says Israel Must Adopt New ‘Operative Concept’ To Confront Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed on Tuesday the need to adopt a new approach to the threat posed by the mullahs in Tehran.
“The monstrous massacre on Oct. 7 reshuffled the deck. It requires a very different operative concept that takes into account Iran’s efforts to strangle us in a chokehold on seven fronts,” said Netanyahu.
“Today more than ever, we are in the midst of an enormous campaign for our very existence. On one side is the fanatic Iranian regime which threatens to destroy us, as a step toward taking over the Middle East, from where it will be able to threaten the entire world. On the other side is the democratic and free Israel that is determined to defend its home,” he said.
“We have no intention of losing this confrontation. We will continue to rebuff the efforts to harm us by Iran and its proxies. We will continue to strike—with uncompromising force—those who rise up to destroy us. We will settle accounts with all those who are carrying out this terrorist assault, down to the last of them. We will bring down Hamas’s regime of evil. We will thwart every future threat to the State of Israel from Gaza. We will return home all of our hostages,” added the premier.
Netanyahu was speaking at a state ceremony on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem to commemorate the IDF soldiers who fell in battle during “Operation Protective Edge,” the 50-day war against Hamas in 2014.
Earlier on Tuesday, interim Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said that Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis had shifted the balance of power in the Middle East “in favor of the resistance.”
The “axis of resistance” includes Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria.
Bagheri Kani told Newsweek that the Jewish state “should face serious resistance in the region by these resistance groups and also by the nations and peoples in the region.”
On Monday, Iran was front and center when U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer at the White House for a U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group meeting.
The American and Israeli leaders “were joined by senior representatives from their respective foreign policy, defense and intelligence agencies” for a discussion about countering the Iranian threat, the White House said.
The group also addressed “developments with respect to Iran’s nuclear program and discussed mutual coordination on a series of measures to ensure that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon,” according to the U.S. readout of the meeting.
Last week, Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for action against the Islamic Republic in meetings with international leaders at the opening of the NATO summit in Washington.
“Our enemy is also your enemy. The Iranian missiles and UAVs that threaten us are being sent to Russia and threaten you too. Crippling sanctions must be imposed on Iran, and the [Islamic] Revolutionary Guards must be declared a terrorist organization,” said Katz.
Day 284 — Tuesday, July 16
'An Attack On All The Democracies': Israel Responds to the Assassination Attempt Of Fmr. President Trump
Moments after the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went to social media posting that he and his wife Sarah “were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump. We pray for his safety and speedy recovery.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid also wrote, “Political violence is an existential threat to democratic systems. I extend my wishes for a speedy recovery to the former president.”
Israeli president Isaac Herzog also commented on social media, saying, “On behalf of all the Israeli people, I wish former President Donald Trump a speedy recovery, and condemn utterly and unequivocally the attempt on his life. From Jerusalem we wish him well. Our thoughts are with all those injured, and the family of the spectator killed.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich shared, “praying from the holy land for President Trump.”
In a video post, Netanyahu shared even more; he said, “Like all Israelis, my wife Sara and I were shocked by the horrific assassination attempt on the life of President Donald Trump. This wasn’t just an attack on Donald Trump. This was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This was an attack on America. It was an attack on democracy, it was an attack on all the democracies.”
I’d like you to please pray. I want to encourage you to pray for the soul of our country, that we would turn as a nation to our Heavenly Father for His guidance, and His wisdom in these very difficult and trying times.
Day 284 — Tuesday, July 16
COGAT: UNRWA Is Simply Trying To Evade Responsibility For Actively Participating In Hamas Terrorist Activity
Major General Ghassan Alian, head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) tweeted on Monday to express harsh criticism of the head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, who professed himself shocked by the IDF attacks on the agency’s compounds in the Gaza Strip.
“These are the things that should shock you,” Alian began. “You allowed Hamas to develop a terrorist infrastructure almost in all the agency’s facilities, and paid for years to Hamas terrorists who are employed in the UNRWA agency.”
“Hamas stole your fuel and equipment over the years, and worst of all, even after we informed you of Hamas’s deep involvement in UNRWA prior to October 7th, you did nothing with all that information,” he accused.
“That is what is shocking. All your other statements are just an attempt to evade your own and the organization’s responsibility,” Alian concluded.
Earlier on Monday, IDF forces completed another raid in Gaza City, focusing on a humanitarian complex run by UNRWA.
The activity took place between the Al-Sabra neighborhood and Tel Al-Hawa. The commando brigade that raided the complex found renewed workshops for the production of UAVs and many weapons.
They also found a recruitment office for terror operatives and rockets and explosive devices hidden in food warehouses.
The humanitarian complex was taken by Hamas and turned into food warehouses. Hamas used the warehosues to distribute food to the displaced and thus gained control over the area.
Day 284 — Tuesday, July 16
US-Sanctioned Syrian Businessman Dies In Alleged Israeli Strike
A businessman with close ties to the Syrian regime was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle on the Damascus-Beirut Highway on Monday afternoon, according to Syrian opposition sources.
“Two people were killed in an Israeli drone attack that targeted a car with Lebanese license plates near the Al-Masnaa’ Crossing on the Lebanese-Syrian border,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor aligned with the country’s opposition.
The group identified one of the men killed in the targeted attack as Muhammad al-Qatirji, a close associate of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose trucking company plays a central role in the regime’s business dealings with the Islamic State terrorist group. The Syrian had been sanctioned by the United States and Britain, the report said.
The Qatirji Company has also shipped weapons from Iraq to Syria, according to the U.S. State Department. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Qatirji “finances a local militia numbering in the thousands to protect his interests and serve the regime” and financed Syrian attempts to “liberate” the Golan Heights from Israeli control.
The second casualty in the attack was not immediately identified, though the U.K. war monitor initially reported that one of the two men was a member of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
Arabic-language news reports claimed al-Qatirji had been “in contact with pro-Iranian militias and Hezbollah.”
On July 9, Yasser Nimr Qarnabsh, a former aide to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed when the Israel Defense Forces targeted his car near a checkpoint on the Damascus-Beirut Highway.
Qarnabsh was part of an elite Hezbollah unit responsible for transferring terrorists and weaponry from Syria to Lebanon and previously served as Nasrallah’s personal bodyguard, according to local media reports.
Overnight Saturday, the IDF struck a command center, air defense system and other military infrastructure belonging to the Syrian Armed Forces. The attack came in response to the launch of two suicide drones from Syria towards Eilat earlier in the day, according to Israel.
Israel has attacked hundreds of terrorist targets in Syria in recent years, as part of an effort to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in the country. However, Jerusalem rarely acknowledges these incidents.
Day 283 — Monday, July 15
Ramming Attack In Central Israel Injures 4 IDF Soldiers After Hamas Calls Palestinians To ‘Escalate Clashes’
Four IDF soldiers were injured on Sunday afternoon in a combined vehicular and shooting attack at the Nir Tzvi junction near Tzrifin in central Israel.
According to reports from Magen David Adom emergency services, two of the injured are in critical condition, while the other two sustained moderate and minor injuries. The wounded were taken to Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh Hospital) in Be’er Ya’akov.
The IDF later confirmed that the wounded were an IDF officer and three soldiers.
Preliminary reports indicate that a white Toyota vehicle, driven by the terrorist, hit two of the wounded who were waiting at a bus stop. The attacker then continued driving to a second bus stop along the same road, where he struck another two Israelis waiting for a bus.
At least one of the injured was reported to have a weapon and engaged the assailant. Police who arrived on the scene seconds after the ramming attack shot and killed the attacker, who is described as a resident of East Jerusalem.
Central District Police Commander Avi Bitton spoke to Ynet News from the scene.
“The attacker ran over a number of Israelis at the bus station, continued for several hundred meters and carried out another vehicular attack,” he said. “A Border Police force engaged in routine security here identified the terrorist, strove for contact, and neutralized him while he was still sitting in the car.”
Bitton added: “It is our mission to check whether he is a lone terrorist.”
Shortly after the attack, the terrorist was identified by his Israeli identity card as Muhammad Shihab (27) from Kfar ‘Aqab in East Jerusalem.
Three reserve Border Police soldiers, on regular duty in the area, were driving by the scene of the attack while it took place.
One of the soldiers told Ynet: “We heard a loud noise and the crew driver shouted, ‘Wow.’ The crew commander noticed the vehicle running over [people] at the bus stop, and the reserve force took command of the scene because more forces were arriving. The team responded by shooting at the terrorist and neutralizing him. [The commander] then went to the window of the terrorist’s car, recognized that he was neutralized, secured the scene, and treated the wounded with MDA forces.”
The incident took place against the backdrop of yesterday’s attempted assassination of the head of Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, Mohammed Deif, and the terrorist organization’s calls on Palestinians to “escalate the resistance.”
On Saturday, Hamas released a statement calling on “the masses of our Palestinian people in the West Bank and Jerusalem to go out in mass demonstrations… and to escalate clashes with them in defense of our land, our holy sites and our right to freedom and independence.”
Day 282 — Sunday, July 14
‘Reckless, Irresponsible’ Biden Remarks On Israel To Press, Critics Say
U.S. President Joe Biden drew rebukes for comments about the Jewish state during a nationally televised press conference on Thursday night, in which he assured the American public that he intends to remain in the presidential race.
While fielding questions from reporters for nearly an hour, Biden referred to the Israeli war cabinet as “one of the most conservative” in the Jewish state’s history. Contrary to polling, he also claimed that Hamas is increasingly unpopular in Judea and Samaria and that “my numbers are better in Israel than they are here. But, then again, they’re better than a lot of other people here, too.”
“His tone toward Israel seems to reflect his view that Israel and Hamas equally share blame for the situation,” Alan Dershowitz, professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, told JNS.
Morton Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, told JNS that “it is reckless and irresponsible for Biden to undermine the security of Israel and America by protecting the Iran-backed, Islamist, Hamas Arabs from being destroyed by Israel.”
“Biden also recklessly promotes a Palestinian state, which 85% of the Israelis oppose, knowing it will become a larger Hamas-Iran terrorist regime,” Klein added.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote that “Biden’s criticism of Israel—without even mentioning the hostages—was disgraceful.”
“Biden bragged about not providing Israel with weapons to destroy Hamas, who is holding American citizens captive,” wrote Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). “Meanwhile, he failed to even mention those hostages.”
Abraham Foxman, the former national director of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote that he admires and appreciates the president’s accomplishments. “But to put the blame on Israel for lack of progress in bringing peace to Gaza on ‘a conservative war cabinet’ and not Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, is outrageous,” he wrote.
Day 281 — Saturday, July 13
In Support Of Israel, Argentina Officially Designates Hamas As An International Terrorist Organization
Argentina has officially designated Hamas as a terrorist organization on Friday, the Office of President Javier Milei announced.
“The Hamas group has been declared by the Argentinian state as a international terrorist organization,” the statement reads. “Furthermore, in recent years, its link with the Islamic Republic of Iran has been revealed – whose leadership was found responsible for the attacks against the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association by the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation on April 11. These attacks cost the lives of more than 100 Argentinian civilians.
“President Javier Milei has an unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorist for what they are.
“This government has reiterated on multiple occasions its convictions that Argentina once against align itself with Western civilization, respectful of individual rights and its institutions. For this reason, it must be acknowledged that those who attack such values are declared for what they are: terrorists.”
The Associated Press reported that the official designation was made as a show of support for Israel, while also stating that Argentina, which also holds the largest Jewish diaspora in Latin America, has “ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group.”
Milei arrived to Israel earlier this year to show support for its war against Hamas, and stated that he would move the Argentinian embassy to Jerusalem.
