Day 322 — Friday, August 23

All six bodies of Israeli male hostages who were recovered from Gaza earlier this week had gunshot wounds, the IDF announced on Thursday. Initial autopsy findings indicated that the hostages were likely shot while in Hamas captivity. 

Four additional bodies that were found near the hostages in the same tunnel in Khan Younis are believed to be their captors. Their bodies showed no gunshot wounds. 

The investigation suggested that the terrorists were killed from suffocation when IDF forces were operating in the area six months ago and fire broke out inside the tunnel. The terrorists might have thought that IDF forces were on their way to rescue the hostages and decided to shoot them, the IDF estimates. 

The families of Alex Dancyg (75), Yagev Buchshtab (35), Chaim Peri (79), Yoram Metzger (80), Nadav Popplewell (51) and Avraham Munder (78) were informed about the preliminary conclusion from the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute. They buried their loved ones in recent days. 

In the past months, the IDF has recovered 18 bodies of hostages. Of them, Avraham Munder was the only one who was still thought to be alive. 

All Israel News

Day 322 — Friday, August 23

It could have been a different sort of week. On Sunday, a clean-shaven, very normal looking man, Jaafar Mona from Nablus, walked along Lehi Road in Tel Aviv. On his back was a backpack that looked like any other backpack. What was inside, though, had the potential to kill dozens, if not more.

While just ten minutes away from a crowded event at a stadium, the terrorist’s plot was thwarted when the explosive in his backpack prematurely blew up. He was immediately shredded to pieces, while just one bystander was moderately injured.

Hamas quickly took credit for the attempted bombing. As for the early detonation, I would also like to give credit where it is due.

Thank you, God, for protecting your people. This had all the makings for another horrible massacre. You didn’t allow it to happen. While we don’t know why You step in at times and hold Your hand back at others, we trust You knowing that You will always do what is best. So, all credit for the premature blast goes to You, Lord.

Day 322 — Friday, August 23

Not so long ago, conservatives applauded the Democrats’ announcement that Kamala Harris would replace Joe Biden as their presidential candidate. The reason conservatives cheered was due to a perceived handicap Harris brought to the ticket. Biden was demonstrably incoherent, but how was Harris any different? Her speeches, loosely called, were rambling sentences of nonsensical gobbledygook, littered with equally nonsensical Marxist catchphrases such as, “What can be, unburdened by what has been,” highlighted her stumping.

But Kamala Harris isn’t simply a politician with a long list of “gaffes,” her administration would be incredibly dangerous—especially for the nation of Israel.

Kamala Harris is many things. She is a political survivor and someone who understands how the game of politics works. It is helpful to have benefactors who will open doors along the way, and Harris has certainly availed herself of such. She has risen from a lowly state employee to a United States Senator at a meteoric rate not seen since a junior state senator from Illinois by the name of Barack Obama did the same.

Along the path to becoming Vice President, Harris has surrounded herself with advisors who hate Israel and the Jewish people. A case in point is Philip Gordon, Kamala Harris’ National Security Advisor and, if rumors are accurate, her future Secretary of State should she win the 2024 Presidential race. The problem with Mr. Gordon is that he is a long-standing hater of Israel and the Jewish people. His 2007 book, Winning the Right War, became a blueprint for the Obama administration in their handling of the Middle East tensions. A summary of Gordon’s advice to Obama then and Harris now is simply this: America and Israel are to blame for creating conditions that gave rise to Islamic terrorism.

Further, Gordon preaches that Muslim terrorists simply want freedom. In order to achieve that, Gordon advocates for the Biden administration to reverse the gains of the Trump administration in relation to political and economic improvements and normalized relationships with other Arab-Muslim nations. If none of this makes any sense, it is because you are looking at a world of Islamic Muslim deception writ large.

All of this should serve as a dire warning of impending disaster for Israel and the Jewish people. But this is only the beginning.

Day 321 — Thursday, August 22

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared on Wednesday during a visit to the Gaza-Egypt border that the IDF has achieved victory over Hamas’s Rafah brigade.

“I came here first and foremost to express my appreciation [to the soldiers]. The Rafah brigade was defeated by the IDF’s Division 162,” Gallant said at the Philadelphi Corridor, the 8.7-mile-long buffer zone captured by Israeli forces in May.

Since taking control of the area, the IDF has located and destroyed 150 terror tunnels, and Gallant instructed the forces to finish the destruction of the remaining tunnels, which Hamas used to smuggle weapons and materials from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into the Gaza Strip.

“Out of the 150 tunnels that were destroyed, around 100 tunnels are in fact trenches dug using engineering tools above ground and then covered with a meter or two of dirt,” the minister said.

“I gave an immediate directive to the IDF to destroy the remaining tunnels. It is critical to remember the goals of the war and to achieve them—regarding Hamas, regarding the hostages [held by Hamas], and we also understand why we are looking toward the north,” Gallant continued.

The Rafah brigade and its four battalions—Yabna (south), east Rafah, Tel Sultan (west) and Shaboura (north)—was the terror group’s final functioning brigade, according to Israel military assessments.

Its defeat marks a major milestone in the war that began on Oct. 7 with Hamas’s mass invasion of southern Israel.

The Rafah effort was led by the 162nd Division, under the command of Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen.

IDF troops have killed more than 17,000 terrorists in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari revealed on Aug. 15.

“IDF forces continue to fight in Gaza—maneuvering in Rafah, Khan Yunis, the central Strip and are attacking everywhere,” Hagari told reporters at a briefing. “So far, we have eliminated more than 17,000 terrorists. The significant combat and the ensuing high accomplishments impede Hamas’s ability to raise its head again and rebuild itself, and we are determined to keep this up,” the military spokesman added.

IDF forces entered Gaza on Oct. 27 after weeks of airstrikes in response to the Oct. 7 attacks, in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, wounded thousands more and abducted more than 250 others to Gaza.

JNS

Day 321 — Thursday, August 22

Police in multiple cities across Canada are responding to bomb threats that were sent to Jewish organizations, synagogues and some hospitals this morning.

B’nai Brith Canada says more than 100 Jewish institutions received an identical email at 5 a.m. ET threatening explosions including at their offices in Toronto and Montreal.

Synagogues, Jewish community centres and hospitals in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa are among those which confirmed they have received the threat.

The threats are “absolutely chilling,” said Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center President and CEO Michael Levitt in a statement.

“For many, many months, Canada’s Jewish community has raised alarm bells about the escalation of rampant Jew-hatred, as incitement and hateful rhetoric have become normalized online, on our city streets and on our university and college campuses,” he said.

“Repeated calls for violence against Jews and Jewish institutions are a stark reminder that extremism and radicalization are thriving in Canada and must be confronted before it’s too late. The time for our leaders to step up is now.”

He added that FSWC spoke to Toronto police, who confirmed that while there is no imminent threat, they are “continuing to address the possible impact in Toronto.”

“We are in contact with law enforcement and all indications point to these threats being nuisance emails designed to disrupt lives,” Eta Yudin, Vice President, Quebec, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said. “There is no imminent threat. Jewish Canadians will not be intimidated — we will continue to take part in Canadian society and Jewish life.

“We will stay vigilant, but we will never be intimidated.”

Ottawa police say they are on site at several hospitals in the capital but indicated the RCMP is taking the lead on the investigation.

A spokeswoman from the Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa said the police determined the situation was “low risk” but an extensive sweep had been carried out at the hospital and grounds.

National Post

Day 320 — Wednesday, August 21

When the United Nations marks International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to Victims of Terrorism on Wednesday, it will treat some victims as more equal than others, according to Gilad Erdan, the outgoing Israeli ambassador to the United Nations.

The Israeli envoy posted a video walkthrough—in Hebrew with English subtitles—of an exhibit about global terror victims at U.N. headquarters in New York, in a place where all visitors enter the building.

There are mentions of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001 and the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, as well as references to terror in Indonesia and Kenya. “But what’s missing?” Erdan asked.

“There’s not a single mention of any attack carried out by Palestinians against Israelis,” he said. “We are about to mark one year since the massacre and the largest terrorist attack against Jews and Israelis since the Holocaust. Yet the U.N. doesn’t think it needs to be displayed on its walls.”

There is a display of a “Palestinian victim,” which the U.N. exhibit identifies as occurring in “Palestine,” Erdan noted, “so that people might think she was harmed in Israel, but when you read the fine print, it turns out she was actually injured in an attack in New Zealand.”

The exhibit “Memories,” which is on view until Aug. 27, “aims to raise awareness about the human stories that lie at the heart of each victim and survivor of terrorism, as well as the long-lasting impact each terrorist attack has on its surviving victims,” per the U.N. website.

“It also seeks to highlight the commonalities that connect victims across the world and to emphasize the importance of preventing terrorist attacks and the emergence of new victims,” it adds. “It is in connection with the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism (Aug. 21).”

The Global Victims of Terrorism Support Programme of the Counter-Terrorism Center of the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism organized the show, which the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism also endorsed, according to the U.N. website.

“There is no place more corrupt and morally twisted than the U.N., and we must all unite to spread this message worldwide, demanding the closure and the dismantling of this organization, and the establishment of a new body that truly represents noble values,” the ambassador said.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗶𝘁‼️

Tomorrow marks the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

Soon, it will be a year since October 7th, the most horrific terror attack since the Holocaust. Yet, the disgraceful UN… pic.twitter.com/i2NdS21rHA

— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) August 20, 2024

JNS

Day 320 — Wednesday, August 21

Last week, I discussed praying for Israel as a major attack from Iran and Hezbollah seemed imminent. However, so far, at the time of this writing, that has not yet happened, nor has Israel made any preemptive strikes. I urged people to pray for Israel and her leaders to be wise to the schemes of those who wish them dead. I also prayed that, ultimately, God would intervene—as things in Israel could get very bad very quickly should an all-out war or attack happen on the Jewish State.

Not everyone on the internet liked what I had to say. Among the comments were “Free Palestine,” “I think I’m going to puke,” and others who labeled me as a “genocide reverend” and “enemy of God.”

Modern-day Israel is a miracle through which God is trying to get the attention of the world today. One of God’s greatest signatures outside of creation that proves His existence is Bible prophecy, where the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone predicts the future with 100% accuracy. Don’t believe me? Read God’s Word in Isaiah 42:9, where He says: “Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

About one-third of the Bible is prophetic in nature, with many prophecies already fulfilled literally. There are also many that are taking shape, and we can see the stage being set in our day for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled in the future. When it comes to Israel, God’s Word screams to the world that He is real and that His Word is trustworthy and true. The haters and others would see that if only they would read it and believe.

I think of Ezekiel 36. God scattered the Jewish people because of their disobedience to the four corners of the earth, and when they were scattered, they profaned His holy name. But God says, “I will sanctify My great name.” God made promises to Israel. He made promises in His Word; if He doesn’t keep those promises, then He is a liar—and that’s the crux of the matter. Satan is always trying to thwart God’s Word to prove God to be a liar.

But God says in Ezekiel 36:23-24, “‘I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.”

And this is how the Lord is going to do that: “I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.’”

God has a plan where he’s going to save them physically and spiritually one day, as it says in verses 25-26, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you… I will give you a new heart.” That is the new covenant promise we read in Jeremiah chapter 31.

God has made Bible Prophecy plain to see through the nation of Israel. He has gathered them out of all countries and is bringing them back into their own land. God has done this so that we will see it and come to know Him. Do you know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Day 320 — Wednesday, August 21

Hamas has sent threatening phone calls and messages to relatives of Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity, according to a report on Tuesday by N12.

The messages included warnings such as: “If you don’t fight the government, you won’t see your loved ones return.”

According to the report, the terror group sent ransom requests, claiming that without payment, the hostage families wouldn’t receive information about their loved ones.

The families have since passed the phone numbers to the Shin Bet.

An initial investigation suggests that those behind the threats are hostile actors, either of Iranian origin or affiliated with Hamas.

Jerusalem Post

Day 319 — Tuesday, August 20

The rows of hospital beds with adjacent oxygen units line the underground parking lot. Four operating rooms, a maternity ward and a dialysis center are among the facilities that Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus has set up three levels down in its parking garage.

The largest hospital in northern Israel has created the biggest underground hospital in the world, and is gearing up for what could be an all-out war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The three-floor, $140 million Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital was constructed following the Second Lebanon War with the terrorist organization in 2006, when the Iranian proxy fired about 70 missiles on this northern port city over a month, shaking the hospital in an era before the Iron Dome aerial-defense system was in place.

“We made a commitment that this scenario cannot happen again,” recalled hospital director Professor Michael Halberthal during a tour of the facility on Sunday.

Nearly two decades after the last major war with Hezbollah, the security threats have only grown, with the Shi’ite terrorist group, which has been raining down missiles on Israel almost daily since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre that triggered the war in Gaza, better trained and more heavily armed, with a missile stockpile experts estimate at 150,000 projectiles capable of striking virtually the entire country.

JNS

Day 319 — Tuesday, August 20

The bodies of Nadav Popplewell, Yagev Buchstab, Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry, Alex Dancyg, and Avraham Munder were retrieved Monday night from Gaza in an IDF operation.

All six were kidnapped to Gaza by terrorists during the October 7 massacre, and were murdered in captivity.

Popplewell, Metzger, and Perry were announced murdered in June, and Dancyg and Buchstab were reported murdered last month.

In a joint announcement, the IDF and ISA said, “On Monday night, in a joint IDF and ISA operation, the bodies of the hostages Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Haim Perry were rescued from the Khan Yunis area in the Gaza Strip.”

“The rescue operation was conducted under the command of the 98th Division and carried out by the Paratroopers Brigade, ‘Yahalom’ Unit, and the 75th Battalion, along with ISA forces.

“The operation was enabled by precise intelligence from the ISA, IDF intelligence units, and the IDF Intelligence Directorate Hostage Headquarters.

“Following an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, the IDF Manpower Directorate’s Hostage team, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, notified their families and communities today. The IDF and ISA send their heartfelt condolences to the families.

“The IDF and ISA are continuing to deploy all operational and intelligence means in order to fulfill the supreme national mission of bringing back all the hostages.”

On Tuesday morning, Kibbutz Nir Oz said, “With profound sorrow, Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the murder of Avraham Munder while held hostage in Gaza, after enduring months of physical and mental torture.”

“Avraham was 79 years old, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz. He worked at the Nirlat factory and was known for his warm nature and deep love of singing.

“Avraham was abducted along with his wife Ruti, his daughter Keren, and his only grandson, nine-year-old Ohad, who were released in a hostage deal.

“His son, Ro’ee Munder, was brutally murdered in the October 7th massacre.”

Ruti, Keren, and Ohad were released in a November 2023 prisoner swap deal, in which most civilian women and children were released in exchange for convicted terrorists.

The statement added, “We will forever remember Avraham for his clear voice, warm smile, and boundless love for his family and kibbutz. May his memory be a blessing.”

Munder’s body has been retrieved by Israel.

Munder’s nephew told Kan Reshet Bet: “The IDF told us that he was found in a tunnel in Khan Yunis. We are not yet sure what the cause of death is, but it did not happen recently – apparently around March. The news breaks us. The deal ended on the seventh day, when he was supposed to be included in the list for the next day. There were options, and we could have saved him.”

During the November deal, Hamas violated the ceasefire, as well as violating twice the terms of the prisoner swap. The terror group then abruptly ended the prisoner exchanges, though Israel was interested and willing to continue both the exchanges and the break in fighting.

The Tikva Forum for hostages’ families said, “This morning, we received the news that our loved ones who were murdered by the Hamas monsters will be brought for burial in Israel, thanks to the IDF’s operations last night.”

“We share the sorrow of the families of Haim Perry, Yoram Metzger, Avraham Munder, Nadav Popplewell, Alexander Dancyg, and Yagev Buchstab. Dear families, may you be comforted from Heaven. We send you an enormous embrace.

“The People of Israel thank the IDF soldiers and the security forces, who work constantly to bring back our loved ones, while endangering their own lives, out of mutual responsibility. We are all for us all, and we will enable those murdered and their families the last honor, which they deserve – to be buried in the Land of Israel.”

“We will all continue our efforts and prayers to bring all of the hostages back – quickly,” the Forum concluded.

Israel does not know how many hostages are still alive.

Arutz Sheva

Day 318 — Monday, August 19

The New York Times has taken disciplinary action against an employee who leaked the personal information of a group of Jewish business owners earlier this year.

Personal information belonging to hundreds of Australians in a private WhatsApp group chat for Jewish business professionals began appearing online early this year, with affected individuals reportedly receiving death threats and vandalism against their businesses.

The group of over 600 individuals was created following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack launched by Hamas last year. 

Natasha Frost, a NYT reporter based in Melbourne, Australia, is accused of leaking hundreds of pages of data from a private WhatsApp group for Jewish businesses in the area. 

Frost told The Wall Street Journal that she only shared the data with one other person [who was not named] before it was then released widely to anti-Israeli protesters. 

“It has been brought to our attention that a New York Times reporter inappropriately shared information with the subject of a story to assist the individual in a private matter, a clear violation of our ethics,” a spokeswoman for the New York Times said, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

“This was done without the knowledge or approval of The Times,” the spokeswoman clarified.

Mark Dreyfus, the Jewish attorney general of Australia, was inspired by the data leak and subsequent harassment to propose a law explicitly outlawing doxxing.

“The increasing use of online platforms to harm people through practices like doxxing, the malicious release of their personal information without their permission, is a deeply disturbing development,” said Dreyfus.

Fox News

Day 318 — Monday, August 19

Tectonic shifts are taking place in the Middle East. We see tectonic shifts politically, certainly militarily, but now we’re seeing tectonic shifts literally.

An earthquake in Syria this last week has profoundly affected Hezbollah and could be one of the reasons why Iran and the terror organization have delayed their invasion of Israel.

There’s an article in the Jerusalem Post about this fascinating development. The headline of the article says, “Heaven sent: Is Lebanon’s earthquake a testament to divine protection?“

Here is some intriguing information the article included:

Hezbollah’s underground ambitions may now lie buried, turned to ashes before they had any chance to harm us.

In our collective memory, Tisha B’Av has always been a solemn day, marked by the destruction of the First and Second Temples. This year, however, the day bore witness to what many of us view as a modern-day miracle—a testament to divine intervention that could not have come at a more crucial time.

Reports confirmed a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Lebanon, profoundly impacting the region. This was not just any seismic event; it may have served as an unanticipated yet divine act that thwarted a grave threat against the Jewish nation. Hezbollah, an established proxy of Iran, had been preparing to launch an attack on Israel—a direct affront planned deliberately for Tisha B’Av. Many of the group’s underground tunnels, teeming with armaments, may have been reduced to rubble by an act of God to protect His children, which could effectively halt Hezbollah’s nefarious plan before it could materialize.

It is hard to perceive it as mere coincidence that the earth shook on the very day Hezbollah had intended to send Israel into mourning once more. With tunnels collapsing and their arsenals buried, what could have been a devastating assault turned into a day of bewildering relief and gratitude.

Throughout history, Jews have faced adversaries who sought to dismantle our spirit and our faith. This recent event is yet another example that, irrespective of the gathered forces against us, divine protection remains steadfast. Tisha B’Av, usually a day of sorrow and reflection, was transformed into a moment where we could see the hand of God in action, turning our potential despair into potential reassurance.

It is possible that say that Iran and Hezbollah must now be reeling from this unforeseen disruption. 

We have previously discussed a number of reasons why Iran may be delaying this invasion. They may be trying to get more concessions out of the West. They may be waiting for air defense systems to come in from Russia. They may just be afraid. They don’t really want to escalate as the US is moving more assets into the area.

There is a multitude of reasons why they might be delaying, but one thing that has yet to be accounted for is that Iran may have had a plan for Tisha B’Av. This earthquake collapsed many Hezbollah tunnels, which may account for this further delay.

One thing is sure in all of this: God is in control of the timetable and the scope of any attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel. God controls the time, and God controls the extent of that attack.

Day 317 — Sunday, August 18

The Israeli Air Force targeted and bombed a Hezbollah military building and a weapons warehouse in the area of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon overnight, the IDF announced on Saturday morning.

In addition, Israeli forces used artillery fire against various Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon where the Iranian-backed terrorist group has a strong presence.

The Lebanese state news agency NNA claimed that 10 Syrian nationals were killed in the Israeli strikes. It is currently unclear whether the fatalities were civilians or armed militants.

Iran employs a considerable number of Syrian-based militants as an additional proxy force.

The Lebanese news outlet MTV complained that Hezbollah operatives prevented their journalists from reaching the impacted sites in southern Lebanon.

Later on Saturday, Hezbollah launched some 55 rockets against northern Israeli communities in what it described as a response to the lethal Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.

The rockets targeted the area of the Upper Galilee and the city of Safed. No casualties were reported but the impacts in open areas caused at least 10 wildfires in the area.

While Hezbollah officially claims that it mainly targets IDF military sites, part of the large Hezbollah barrage was directed against Ayelet HaShahar, a kibbutz located around 6 miles from the Lebanese border. The rural community has a population of over 1,000 people and has so far not been evacuated. About 60,000 Israelis have been evacuated from northern communities and become displaced due to the ongoing Hezbollah aggression against Israel.

In an earlier attack, an Israeli soldier was seriously wounded and another sustained light injuries after a Hezbollah drone exploded nearby in the area of Misgav Am, the IDF stated.

Shortly after the Hezbollah barrage against northern Israel, an Israeli Air Force (IAF) drone targeted and eliminated Hussein Ibrahim, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, while he was driving his motorcycle in the area of Tyre in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah quickly confirmed Ibrahim’s death but did not mention his rank or affiliation with the terrorist group’s Radwan unit.

The Radwan Force consists of about 2,500 highly-trained Hezbollah fighters who have received special training in cross-border raids and fighting behind enemy lines.

In December, Israel’s Alma Research and Education Center warned that Radwan units were ready to invade northern Israeli communities with short notice.

“Even if the majority of Hezbollah’s elite forces have distanced themselves from the border, there is no change to Hezbollah’s overall readiness,” the Alma report stated.

The rising tensions along the border between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon come amid international efforts in Doha, Qatar, to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.

For the past two weeks, Hezbollah and the Iranian regime have threatened a “revenge” attack on Israel for the assassination of a top Hezbollah and a top Hamas terrorist in Beirut and Tehran.

While the Iran-Hezbollah attack was believed to be “imminent,” Tehran and its Lebanese terrorist proxy have so far refrained from taking action. One likely reason is the growing U.S. military presence in the region, designed to deter Iran and its proxies from attacking Israel.

In addition, the Iranian regime is likely concerned that an attack against Israel could provoke a large-scale counter-attack against the Tehran regime, including its nuclear sites.

Reports on Friday suggested that Iran and Hezbollah had suspended their promised attack due to a “promising start” to the ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Doha, which began on Thursday.

All Israel News

Day 316 — Saturday, August 17

The IDF revealed on Saturday morning that Israeli air force fighter jets had struck a Hezbollah weapons warehouse and a military building belonging to the terror group in southern Lebanon overnight. 

The IDF said the fighter jets attacked Hezbollah’s military buildings in the areas of Hanin and Marun al-Ras in southern Lebanon and a weapons warehouse in the Nebatia area.

The IDF also said it fired artillery fire in the areas of Ramish, Lavona, Kfar Shoba and Aita al-Sha’ab in southern Lebanon.

An Israeli airstrike early Saturday had allegedly killed six people and wounded three others in the Nabatieh region in south Lebanon of the country, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

Al-Manar, one of Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated outlets, reported that some of those hit by the strike had Syrian citizenship.

Jerusalem Post

Day 316 — Saturday, August 17

Protesters stood outside the building with Palestinian flags, signs, and banners decrying the “oppression” and “genocide” they claimed were being perpetuated by the event inside. Attendees at the “Breakfast for Israel,” including myself, were met with a police presence, who kept close tabs on the zealous few outside who brimmed with hatred for the Jewish State.

Far from aiding in “genocide,” the event sought to raise funds for Kibbutz Kissufim in Israel—an agricultural community lying in ruins following the Hamas attack on October 7th, which massacred whole families and kidnapped residents from the Kibbutz. Clearly, all it took was for the protesters to hear the words “Jewish,” “Israel,” and “donation” for them to sprint to grab their keffiyehs and red paint.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the featured speaker at the JNF event held in London, Ontario, addressed the protesters and others who would like nothing more than the end of the Jewish State. “The people who attack Israel, the organizations, the Hamas leaders, the enemies of Israel, are enemies of Canada,” he underscored.

Since October 7th, university campuses and city streets across the globe have been rocked by protests, which regularly feature vicious antisemitic language and the burning of national flags. Harper didn’t mince words, underscoring that a lack of “moral leadership” among Western governments was to blame for the anti-Israel rhetoric flourishing in our countries.

“This kind of culture of smoke and outrage as opposed to facts, arguments, and trying to see points of view… goes really beyond social media,” Harper described, noting that many Western institutions, including in academia and our media, “have for a couple of generations now preach this kind of anti-Israel ideology.”

While governments today should be actively working to root out anti-Israel hatred, their foreign policy has placed them on crumbling ground as they “play both sides” of the war in Israel.

“I think it is outrageous what too many Western governments are doing,” Harper told the audience. “I think it is incumbent upon all of us to demand our leaders, in every level of government, display the correct moral leadership on an issue like [Israel]… If they don’t show that leadership, we need to support other people who will do so.”

“I have often been asked why I stood strongly for Israel [as Prime Minister]. While I was growing up, as a child in the ’60s and a teenager in the ’70s, you wouldn’t have asked a politician from a country like Canada why he supported Israel; you would have expected it,” Harper stressed.

While he was Prime Minister, Harper highlighted the criticism he faced for putting an “undo emphasis” on the nation of Israel. “If you don’t know why I was doing it, then hopefully you have figured [it] out now,” he said, adding that our ally Israel faces an “existential threat” to its existence.

Day 322 — Friday, August 23

All six bodies of Israeli male hostages who were recovered from Gaza earlier this week had gunshot wounds, the IDF announced on Thursday. Initial autopsy findings indicated that the hostages were likely shot while in Hamas captivity. 

Four additional bodies that were found near the hostages in the same tunnel in Khan Younis are believed to be their captors. Their bodies showed no gunshot wounds. 

The investigation suggested that the terrorists were killed from suffocation when IDF forces were operating in the area six months ago and fire broke out inside the tunnel. The terrorists might have thought that IDF forces were on their way to rescue the hostages and decided to shoot them, the IDF estimates. 

The families of Alex Dancyg (75), Yagev Buchshtab (35), Chaim Peri (79), Yoram Metzger (80), Nadav Popplewell (51) and Avraham Munder (78) were informed about the preliminary conclusion from the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute. They buried their loved ones in recent days. 

In the past months, the IDF has recovered 18 bodies of hostages. Of them, Avraham Munder was the only one who was still thought to be alive. 

All Israel News

Day 322 — Friday, August 23

It could have been a different sort of week. On Sunday, a clean-shaven, very normal looking man, Jaafar Mona from Nablus, walked along Lehi Road in Tel Aviv. On his back was a backpack that looked like any other backpack. What was inside, though, had the potential to kill dozens, if not more.

While just ten minutes away from a crowded event at a stadium, the terrorist’s plot was thwarted when the explosive in his backpack prematurely blew up. He was immediately shredded to pieces, while just one bystander was moderately injured.

Hamas quickly took credit for the attempted bombing. As for the early detonation, I would also like to give credit where it is due.

Thank you, God, for protecting your people. This had all the makings for another horrible massacre. You didn’t allow it to happen. While we don’t know why You step in at times and hold Your hand back at others, we trust You knowing that You will always do what is best. So, all credit for the premature blast goes to You, Lord.

Day 322 — Friday, August 23

Not so long ago, conservatives applauded the Democrats’ announcement that Kamala Harris would replace Joe Biden as their presidential candidate. The reason conservatives cheered was due to a perceived handicap Harris brought to the ticket. Biden was demonstrably incoherent, but how was Harris any different? Her speeches, loosely called, were rambling sentences of nonsensical gobbledygook, littered with equally nonsensical Marxist catchphrases such as, “What can be, unburdened by what has been,” highlighted her stumping.

But Kamala Harris isn’t simply a politician with a long list of “gaffes,” her administration would be incredibly dangerous—especially for the nation of Israel.

Kamala Harris is many things. She is a political survivor and someone who understands how the game of politics works. It is helpful to have benefactors who will open doors along the way, and Harris has certainly availed herself of such. She has risen from a lowly state employee to a United States Senator at a meteoric rate not seen since a junior state senator from Illinois by the name of Barack Obama did the same.

Along the path to becoming Vice President, Harris has surrounded herself with advisors who hate Israel and the Jewish people. A case in point is Philip Gordon, Kamala Harris’ National Security Advisor and, if rumors are accurate, her future Secretary of State should she win the 2024 Presidential race. The problem with Mr. Gordon is that he is a long-standing hater of Israel and the Jewish people. His 2007 book, Winning the Right War, became a blueprint for the Obama administration in their handling of the Middle East tensions. A summary of Gordon’s advice to Obama then and Harris now is simply this: America and Israel are to blame for creating conditions that gave rise to Islamic terrorism.

Further, Gordon preaches that Muslim terrorists simply want freedom. In order to achieve that, Gordon advocates for the Biden administration to reverse the gains of the Trump administration in relation to political and economic improvements and normalized relationships with other Arab-Muslim nations. If none of this makes any sense, it is because you are looking at a world of Islamic Muslim deception writ large.

All of this should serve as a dire warning of impending disaster for Israel and the Jewish people. But this is only the beginning.

Day 321 — Thursday, August 22

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared on Wednesday during a visit to the Gaza-Egypt border that the IDF has achieved victory over Hamas’s Rafah brigade.

“I came here first and foremost to express my appreciation [to the soldiers]. The Rafah brigade was defeated by the IDF’s Division 162,” Gallant said at the Philadelphi Corridor, the 8.7-mile-long buffer zone captured by Israeli forces in May.

Since taking control of the area, the IDF has located and destroyed 150 terror tunnels, and Gallant instructed the forces to finish the destruction of the remaining tunnels, which Hamas used to smuggle weapons and materials from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into the Gaza Strip.

“Out of the 150 tunnels that were destroyed, around 100 tunnels are in fact trenches dug using engineering tools above ground and then covered with a meter or two of dirt,” the minister said.

“I gave an immediate directive to the IDF to destroy the remaining tunnels. It is critical to remember the goals of the war and to achieve them—regarding Hamas, regarding the hostages [held by Hamas], and we also understand why we are looking toward the north,” Gallant continued.

The Rafah brigade and its four battalions—Yabna (south), east Rafah, Tel Sultan (west) and Shaboura (north)—was the terror group’s final functioning brigade, according to Israel military assessments.

Its defeat marks a major milestone in the war that began on Oct. 7 with Hamas’s mass invasion of southern Israel.

The Rafah effort was led by the 162nd Division, under the command of Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen.

IDF troops have killed more than 17,000 terrorists in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari revealed on Aug. 15.

“IDF forces continue to fight in Gaza—maneuvering in Rafah, Khan Yunis, the central Strip and are attacking everywhere,” Hagari told reporters at a briefing. “So far, we have eliminated more than 17,000 terrorists. The significant combat and the ensuing high accomplishments impede Hamas’s ability to raise its head again and rebuild itself, and we are determined to keep this up,” the military spokesman added.

IDF forces entered Gaza on Oct. 27 after weeks of airstrikes in response to the Oct. 7 attacks, in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, wounded thousands more and abducted more than 250 others to Gaza.

JNS

Day 321 — Thursday, August 22

Police in multiple cities across Canada are responding to bomb threats that were sent to Jewish organizations, synagogues and some hospitals this morning.

B’nai Brith Canada says more than 100 Jewish institutions received an identical email at 5 a.m. ET threatening explosions including at their offices in Toronto and Montreal.

Synagogues, Jewish community centres and hospitals in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa are among those which confirmed they have received the threat.

The threats are “absolutely chilling,” said Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center President and CEO Michael Levitt in a statement.

“For many, many months, Canada’s Jewish community has raised alarm bells about the escalation of rampant Jew-hatred, as incitement and hateful rhetoric have become normalized online, on our city streets and on our university and college campuses,” he said.

“Repeated calls for violence against Jews and Jewish institutions are a stark reminder that extremism and radicalization are thriving in Canada and must be confronted before it’s too late. The time for our leaders to step up is now.”

He added that FSWC spoke to Toronto police, who confirmed that while there is no imminent threat, they are “continuing to address the possible impact in Toronto.”

“We are in contact with law enforcement and all indications point to these threats being nuisance emails designed to disrupt lives,” Eta Yudin, Vice President, Quebec, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said. “There is no imminent threat. Jewish Canadians will not be intimidated — we will continue to take part in Canadian society and Jewish life.

“We will stay vigilant, but we will never be intimidated.”

Ottawa police say they are on site at several hospitals in the capital but indicated the RCMP is taking the lead on the investigation.

A spokeswoman from the Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa said the police determined the situation was “low risk” but an extensive sweep had been carried out at the hospital and grounds.

National Post

Day 320 — Wednesday, August 21

When the United Nations marks International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to Victims of Terrorism on Wednesday, it will treat some victims as more equal than others, according to Gilad Erdan, the outgoing Israeli ambassador to the United Nations.

The Israeli envoy posted a video walkthrough—in Hebrew with English subtitles—of an exhibit about global terror victims at U.N. headquarters in New York, in a place where all visitors enter the building.

There are mentions of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001 and the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, as well as references to terror in Indonesia and Kenya. “But what’s missing?” Erdan asked.

“There’s not a single mention of any attack carried out by Palestinians against Israelis,” he said. “We are about to mark one year since the massacre and the largest terrorist attack against Jews and Israelis since the Holocaust. Yet the U.N. doesn’t think it needs to be displayed on its walls.”

There is a display of a “Palestinian victim,” which the U.N. exhibit identifies as occurring in “Palestine,” Erdan noted, “so that people might think she was harmed in Israel, but when you read the fine print, it turns out she was actually injured in an attack in New Zealand.”

The exhibit “Memories,” which is on view until Aug. 27, “aims to raise awareness about the human stories that lie at the heart of each victim and survivor of terrorism, as well as the long-lasting impact each terrorist attack has on its surviving victims,” per the U.N. website.

“It also seeks to highlight the commonalities that connect victims across the world and to emphasize the importance of preventing terrorist attacks and the emergence of new victims,” it adds. “It is in connection with the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism (Aug. 21).”

The Global Victims of Terrorism Support Programme of the Counter-Terrorism Center of the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism organized the show, which the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism also endorsed, according to the U.N. website.

“There is no place more corrupt and morally twisted than the U.N., and we must all unite to spread this message worldwide, demanding the closure and the dismantling of this organization, and the establishment of a new body that truly represents noble values,” the ambassador said.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗶𝘁‼️

Tomorrow marks the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.

Soon, it will be a year since October 7th, the most horrific terror attack since the Holocaust. Yet, the disgraceful UN… pic.twitter.com/i2NdS21rHA

— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) August 20, 2024

JNS

Day 320 — Wednesday, August 21

Last week, I discussed praying for Israel as a major attack from Iran and Hezbollah seemed imminent. However, so far, at the time of this writing, that has not yet happened, nor has Israel made any preemptive strikes. I urged people to pray for Israel and her leaders to be wise to the schemes of those who wish them dead. I also prayed that, ultimately, God would intervene—as things in Israel could get very bad very quickly should an all-out war or attack happen on the Jewish State.

Not everyone on the internet liked what I had to say. Among the comments were “Free Palestine,” “I think I’m going to puke,” and others who labeled me as a “genocide reverend” and “enemy of God.”

Modern-day Israel is a miracle through which God is trying to get the attention of the world today. One of God’s greatest signatures outside of creation that proves His existence is Bible prophecy, where the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone predicts the future with 100% accuracy. Don’t believe me? Read God’s Word in Isaiah 42:9, where He says: “Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

About one-third of the Bible is prophetic in nature, with many prophecies already fulfilled literally. There are also many that are taking shape, and we can see the stage being set in our day for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled in the future. When it comes to Israel, God’s Word screams to the world that He is real and that His Word is trustworthy and true. The haters and others would see that if only they would read it and believe.

I think of Ezekiel 36. God scattered the Jewish people because of their disobedience to the four corners of the earth, and when they were scattered, they profaned His holy name. But God says, “I will sanctify My great name.” God made promises to Israel. He made promises in His Word; if He doesn’t keep those promises, then He is a liar—and that’s the crux of the matter. Satan is always trying to thwart God’s Word to prove God to be a liar.

But God says in Ezekiel 36:23-24, “‘I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.”

And this is how the Lord is going to do that: “I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.’”

God has a plan where he’s going to save them physically and spiritually one day, as it says in verses 25-26, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you… I will give you a new heart.” That is the new covenant promise we read in Jeremiah chapter 31.

God has made Bible Prophecy plain to see through the nation of Israel. He has gathered them out of all countries and is bringing them back into their own land. God has done this so that we will see it and come to know Him. Do you know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Day 320 — Wednesday, August 21

Hamas has sent threatening phone calls and messages to relatives of Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity, according to a report on Tuesday by N12.

The messages included warnings such as: “If you don’t fight the government, you won’t see your loved ones return.”

According to the report, the terror group sent ransom requests, claiming that without payment, the hostage families wouldn’t receive information about their loved ones.

The families have since passed the phone numbers to the Shin Bet.

An initial investigation suggests that those behind the threats are hostile actors, either of Iranian origin or affiliated with Hamas.

Jerusalem Post

Day 319 — Tuesday, August 20

The rows of hospital beds with adjacent oxygen units line the underground parking lot. Four operating rooms, a maternity ward and a dialysis center are among the facilities that Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus has set up three levels down in its parking garage.

The largest hospital in northern Israel has created the biggest underground hospital in the world, and is gearing up for what could be an all-out war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The three-floor, $140 million Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital was constructed following the Second Lebanon War with the terrorist organization in 2006, when the Iranian proxy fired about 70 missiles on this northern port city over a month, shaking the hospital in an era before the Iron Dome aerial-defense system was in place.

“We made a commitment that this scenario cannot happen again,” recalled hospital director Professor Michael Halberthal during a tour of the facility on Sunday.

Nearly two decades after the last major war with Hezbollah, the security threats have only grown, with the Shi’ite terrorist group, which has been raining down missiles on Israel almost daily since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre that triggered the war in Gaza, better trained and more heavily armed, with a missile stockpile experts estimate at 150,000 projectiles capable of striking virtually the entire country.

JNS

Day 319 — Tuesday, August 20

The bodies of Nadav Popplewell, Yagev Buchstab, Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry, Alex Dancyg, and Avraham Munder were retrieved Monday night from Gaza in an IDF operation.

All six were kidnapped to Gaza by terrorists during the October 7 massacre, and were murdered in captivity.

Popplewell, Metzger, and Perry were announced murdered in June, and Dancyg and Buchstab were reported murdered last month.

In a joint announcement, the IDF and ISA said, “On Monday night, in a joint IDF and ISA operation, the bodies of the hostages Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, and Haim Perry were rescued from the Khan Yunis area in the Gaza Strip.”

“The rescue operation was conducted under the command of the 98th Division and carried out by the Paratroopers Brigade, ‘Yahalom’ Unit, and the 75th Battalion, along with ISA forces.

“The operation was enabled by precise intelligence from the ISA, IDF intelligence units, and the IDF Intelligence Directorate Hostage Headquarters.

“Following an identification procedure carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, the IDF Manpower Directorate’s Hostage team, which is responsible for accompanying the families of the hostages, notified their families and communities today. The IDF and ISA send their heartfelt condolences to the families.

“The IDF and ISA are continuing to deploy all operational and intelligence means in order to fulfill the supreme national mission of bringing back all the hostages.”

On Tuesday morning, Kibbutz Nir Oz said, “With profound sorrow, Kibbutz Nir Oz announces the murder of Avraham Munder while held hostage in Gaza, after enduring months of physical and mental torture.”

“Avraham was 79 years old, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz. He worked at the Nirlat factory and was known for his warm nature and deep love of singing.

“Avraham was abducted along with his wife Ruti, his daughter Keren, and his only grandson, nine-year-old Ohad, who were released in a hostage deal.

“His son, Ro’ee Munder, was brutally murdered in the October 7th massacre.”

Ruti, Keren, and Ohad were released in a November 2023 prisoner swap deal, in which most civilian women and children were released in exchange for convicted terrorists.

The statement added, “We will forever remember Avraham for his clear voice, warm smile, and boundless love for his family and kibbutz. May his memory be a blessing.”

Munder’s body has been retrieved by Israel.

Munder’s nephew told Kan Reshet Bet: “The IDF told us that he was found in a tunnel in Khan Yunis. We are not yet sure what the cause of death is, but it did not happen recently – apparently around March. The news breaks us. The deal ended on the seventh day, when he was supposed to be included in the list for the next day. There were options, and we could have saved him.”

During the November deal, Hamas violated the ceasefire, as well as violating twice the terms of the prisoner swap. The terror group then abruptly ended the prisoner exchanges, though Israel was interested and willing to continue both the exchanges and the break in fighting.

The Tikva Forum for hostages’ families said, “This morning, we received the news that our loved ones who were murdered by the Hamas monsters will be brought for burial in Israel, thanks to the IDF’s operations last night.”

“We share the sorrow of the families of Haim Perry, Yoram Metzger, Avraham Munder, Nadav Popplewell, Alexander Dancyg, and Yagev Buchstab. Dear families, may you be comforted from Heaven. We send you an enormous embrace.

“The People of Israel thank the IDF soldiers and the security forces, who work constantly to bring back our loved ones, while endangering their own lives, out of mutual responsibility. We are all for us all, and we will enable those murdered and their families the last honor, which they deserve – to be buried in the Land of Israel.”

“We will all continue our efforts and prayers to bring all of the hostages back – quickly,” the Forum concluded.

Israel does not know how many hostages are still alive.

Arutz Sheva

Day 318 — Monday, August 19

The New York Times has taken disciplinary action against an employee who leaked the personal information of a group of Jewish business owners earlier this year.

Personal information belonging to hundreds of Australians in a private WhatsApp group chat for Jewish business professionals began appearing online early this year, with affected individuals reportedly receiving death threats and vandalism against their businesses.

The group of over 600 individuals was created following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack launched by Hamas last year. 

Natasha Frost, a NYT reporter based in Melbourne, Australia, is accused of leaking hundreds of pages of data from a private WhatsApp group for Jewish businesses in the area. 

Frost told The Wall Street Journal that she only shared the data with one other person [who was not named] before it was then released widely to anti-Israeli protesters. 

“It has been brought to our attention that a New York Times reporter inappropriately shared information with the subject of a story to assist the individual in a private matter, a clear violation of our ethics,” a spokeswoman for the New York Times said, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

“This was done without the knowledge or approval of The Times,” the spokeswoman clarified.

Mark Dreyfus, the Jewish attorney general of Australia, was inspired by the data leak and subsequent harassment to propose a law explicitly outlawing doxxing.

“The increasing use of online platforms to harm people through practices like doxxing, the malicious release of their personal information without their permission, is a deeply disturbing development,” said Dreyfus.

Fox News

Day 318 — Monday, August 19

Tectonic shifts are taking place in the Middle East. We see tectonic shifts politically, certainly militarily, but now we’re seeing tectonic shifts literally.

An earthquake in Syria this last week has profoundly affected Hezbollah and could be one of the reasons why Iran and the terror organization have delayed their invasion of Israel.

There’s an article in the Jerusalem Post about this fascinating development. The headline of the article says, “Heaven sent: Is Lebanon’s earthquake a testament to divine protection?“

Here is some intriguing information the article included:

Hezbollah’s underground ambitions may now lie buried, turned to ashes before they had any chance to harm us.

In our collective memory, Tisha B’Av has always been a solemn day, marked by the destruction of the First and Second Temples. This year, however, the day bore witness to what many of us view as a modern-day miracle—a testament to divine intervention that could not have come at a more crucial time.

Reports confirmed a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Lebanon, profoundly impacting the region. This was not just any seismic event; it may have served as an unanticipated yet divine act that thwarted a grave threat against the Jewish nation. Hezbollah, an established proxy of Iran, had been preparing to launch an attack on Israel—a direct affront planned deliberately for Tisha B’Av. Many of the group’s underground tunnels, teeming with armaments, may have been reduced to rubble by an act of God to protect His children, which could effectively halt Hezbollah’s nefarious plan before it could materialize.

It is hard to perceive it as mere coincidence that the earth shook on the very day Hezbollah had intended to send Israel into mourning once more. With tunnels collapsing and their arsenals buried, what could have been a devastating assault turned into a day of bewildering relief and gratitude.

Throughout history, Jews have faced adversaries who sought to dismantle our spirit and our faith. This recent event is yet another example that, irrespective of the gathered forces against us, divine protection remains steadfast. Tisha B’Av, usually a day of sorrow and reflection, was transformed into a moment where we could see the hand of God in action, turning our potential despair into potential reassurance.

It is possible that say that Iran and Hezbollah must now be reeling from this unforeseen disruption. 

We have previously discussed a number of reasons why Iran may be delaying this invasion. They may be trying to get more concessions out of the West. They may be waiting for air defense systems to come in from Russia. They may just be afraid. They don’t really want to escalate as the US is moving more assets into the area.

There is a multitude of reasons why they might be delaying, but one thing that has yet to be accounted for is that Iran may have had a plan for Tisha B’Av. This earthquake collapsed many Hezbollah tunnels, which may account for this further delay.

One thing is sure in all of this: God is in control of the timetable and the scope of any attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel. God controls the time, and God controls the extent of that attack.

Day 317 — Sunday, August 18

The Israeli Air Force targeted and bombed a Hezbollah military building and a weapons warehouse in the area of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon overnight, the IDF announced on Saturday morning.

In addition, Israeli forces used artillery fire against various Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon where the Iranian-backed terrorist group has a strong presence.

The Lebanese state news agency NNA claimed that 10 Syrian nationals were killed in the Israeli strikes. It is currently unclear whether the fatalities were civilians or armed militants.

Iran employs a considerable number of Syrian-based militants as an additional proxy force.

The Lebanese news outlet MTV complained that Hezbollah operatives prevented their journalists from reaching the impacted sites in southern Lebanon.

Later on Saturday, Hezbollah launched some 55 rockets against northern Israeli communities in what it described as a response to the lethal Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.

The rockets targeted the area of the Upper Galilee and the city of Safed. No casualties were reported but the impacts in open areas caused at least 10 wildfires in the area.

While Hezbollah officially claims that it mainly targets IDF military sites, part of the large Hezbollah barrage was directed against Ayelet HaShahar, a kibbutz located around 6 miles from the Lebanese border. The rural community has a population of over 1,000 people and has so far not been evacuated. About 60,000 Israelis have been evacuated from northern communities and become displaced due to the ongoing Hezbollah aggression against Israel.

In an earlier attack, an Israeli soldier was seriously wounded and another sustained light injuries after a Hezbollah drone exploded nearby in the area of Misgav Am, the IDF stated.

Shortly after the Hezbollah barrage against northern Israel, an Israeli Air Force (IAF) drone targeted and eliminated Hussein Ibrahim, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, while he was driving his motorcycle in the area of Tyre in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah quickly confirmed Ibrahim’s death but did not mention his rank or affiliation with the terrorist group’s Radwan unit.

The Radwan Force consists of about 2,500 highly-trained Hezbollah fighters who have received special training in cross-border raids and fighting behind enemy lines.

In December, Israel’s Alma Research and Education Center warned that Radwan units were ready to invade northern Israeli communities with short notice.

“Even if the majority of Hezbollah’s elite forces have distanced themselves from the border, there is no change to Hezbollah’s overall readiness,” the Alma report stated.

The rising tensions along the border between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon come amid international efforts in Doha, Qatar, to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.

For the past two weeks, Hezbollah and the Iranian regime have threatened a “revenge” attack on Israel for the assassination of a top Hezbollah and a top Hamas terrorist in Beirut and Tehran.

While the Iran-Hezbollah attack was believed to be “imminent,” Tehran and its Lebanese terrorist proxy have so far refrained from taking action. One likely reason is the growing U.S. military presence in the region, designed to deter Iran and its proxies from attacking Israel.

In addition, the Iranian regime is likely concerned that an attack against Israel could provoke a large-scale counter-attack against the Tehran regime, including its nuclear sites.

Reports on Friday suggested that Iran and Hezbollah had suspended their promised attack due to a “promising start” to the ceasefire and hostage negotiations in Doha, which began on Thursday.

All Israel News

Day 316 — Saturday, August 17

The IDF revealed on Saturday morning that Israeli air force fighter jets had struck a Hezbollah weapons warehouse and a military building belonging to the terror group in southern Lebanon overnight. 

The IDF said the fighter jets attacked Hezbollah’s military buildings in the areas of Hanin and Marun al-Ras in southern Lebanon and a weapons warehouse in the Nebatia area.

The IDF also said it fired artillery fire in the areas of Ramish, Lavona, Kfar Shoba and Aita al-Sha’ab in southern Lebanon.

An Israeli airstrike early Saturday had allegedly killed six people and wounded three others in the Nabatieh region in south Lebanon of the country, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

Al-Manar, one of Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated outlets, reported that some of those hit by the strike had Syrian citizenship.

Jerusalem Post

Day 316 — Saturday, August 17

Protesters stood outside the building with Palestinian flags, signs, and banners decrying the “oppression” and “genocide” they claimed were being perpetuated by the event inside. Attendees at the “Breakfast for Israel,” including myself, were met with a police presence, who kept close tabs on the zealous few outside who brimmed with hatred for the Jewish State.

Far from aiding in “genocide,” the event sought to raise funds for Kibbutz Kissufim in Israel—an agricultural community lying in ruins following the Hamas attack on October 7th, which massacred whole families and kidnapped residents from the Kibbutz. Clearly, all it took was for the protesters to hear the words “Jewish,” “Israel,” and “donation” for them to sprint to grab their keffiyehs and red paint.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the featured speaker at the JNF event held in London, Ontario, addressed the protesters and others who would like nothing more than the end of the Jewish State. “The people who attack Israel, the organizations, the Hamas leaders, the enemies of Israel, are enemies of Canada,” he underscored.

Since October 7th, university campuses and city streets across the globe have been rocked by protests, which regularly feature vicious antisemitic language and the burning of national flags. Harper didn’t mince words, underscoring that a lack of “moral leadership” among Western governments was to blame for the anti-Israel rhetoric flourishing in our countries.

“This kind of culture of smoke and outrage as opposed to facts, arguments, and trying to see points of view… goes really beyond social media,” Harper described, noting that many Western institutions, including in academia and our media, “have for a couple of generations now preach this kind of anti-Israel ideology.”

While governments today should be actively working to root out anti-Israel hatred, their foreign policy has placed them on crumbling ground as they “play both sides” of the war in Israel.

“I think it is outrageous what too many Western governments are doing,” Harper told the audience. “I think it is incumbent upon all of us to demand our leaders, in every level of government, display the correct moral leadership on an issue like [Israel]… If they don’t show that leadership, we need to support other people who will do so.”

“I have often been asked why I stood strongly for Israel [as Prime Minister]. While I was growing up, as a child in the ’60s and a teenager in the ’70s, you wouldn’t have asked a politician from a country like Canada why he supported Israel; you would have expected it,” Harper stressed.

While he was Prime Minister, Harper highlighted the criticism he faced for putting an “undo emphasis” on the nation of Israel. “If you don’t know why I was doing it, then hopefully you have figured [it] out now,” he said, adding that our ally Israel faces an “existential threat” to its existence.