Day 462 — Friday, January 10

The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court to protest its decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israel’s campaign against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Lawmakers voted 243 to 140 in favor of the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” which would urge sanctions on any ICC official or entities backing The Hague who advance “any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.”

The sanctions include blocking or revoking visas and prohibiting US property transactions.

The legislation states that the US and Israel are not signatories to the Rome Statute that created the ICC, which accordingly has no jurisdiction over their conduct.

Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the bill. No Republicans voted against the measure, but Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie abstained, saying afterward that the House “should not get involved in disputes between other countries.”

The House vote, one of the first since the new Congress was seated last week, underscored strong support for Israel’s government among President-elect Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans, who now control both chambers in Congress.

Trump will be sworn in on January 20 for a second term as president.

“America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel,” Florida Republican Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a House speech before the vote.

The legislation still needs to be okayed in the Senate. Newly appointed Republican majority leader John Thune has promised swift consideration of the act so Trump can sign it into law shortly after taking office.

Times Of Israel

Day 462 — Friday, January 10

Terrorists attacked the Jewish state no fewer than 18,000 times in 2024, killing 134 innocent people and wounding another 1,277, according to data the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office released on Thursday.

Israeli civilians were attacked from seven fronts—Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Yemen and from within Israeli territory—18,365 times last year, revealed the report, which combined data from all security agencies and the country’s emergency response groups.

Some 16,400 rockets and missiles were fired into Israel, of which approximately 15,400 were launched by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and 700 from the Gaza Strip. October saw the most launches, with more than 6,900 attacks reported.

At the same time, terrorists sent at least 399 drones toward Israeli territory, the vast majority of which came from Lebanon.

Seventy-one people, including 14 children, were murdered in aerial assaults, and 892 more people sustained wounds. In addition, the rocket, missile and drone attacks sparked more than 600 wildfires, burning 92,417 acres managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and more than 42,749 acres of grazing land.

An additional 1,900 terrorist incidents were reported in 2024, including stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails, car rammings, shootings, stabbings and bombings. November was the quietest month, with 109 terrorist incidents reported, while July saw the most violence in Israel—37 people were murdered and another 394 were wounded that month.

The most common type of terrorist attack recorded in 2024 was stone-throwing, with 1,248 incidents reported, followed by “throwing objects, arson and tire burning” (162), attacks with Molotov cocktails (14), shootings (132) and the use of explosive devices (89).

According to the annual report published by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Dec. 31, Jerusalem thwarted more than 1,000 significant terrorist attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem in 2024.

Most of the attacks involved firearms (689) and explosive devices (326), with others being stabbings, rammings, bombings and abductions.

JNS

Day 462 — Friday, January 10

The Polish government adopted a resolution on Thursday vowing to ensure the free and safe participation of the highest representatives of Israel — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who chose to attend commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau later this month.

Netanyahu became an internationally wanted suspect last year after the International Criminal Court, the world’s top war crimes court, issued an arrest warrant for him and others in connection with the war in Gaza, accusing them of crimes against humanity.

“The Polish government treats the safe participation of the leaders of Israel in the commemorations on January 27, 2025, as part of paying tribute to the Jewish nation, millions of whose daughters and sons became victims of the Holocaust carried out by the Third Reich,” read the resolution published by the office of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

The government published the statement after Polish President Andrzej Duda asked Tusk to ensure that Netanyahu can attend without the risk of being arrested.

German forces occupied Poland at the start of World War II and set up a system of ghettos and death camps where they killed millions of Jews and others.

The commemoration will be attended by international officials and elderly survivors. It is to take place in Oswiecim, a town that was under German occupation during the war.

Fox News

Day 461 — Thursday, January 9

Israel Defense Forces and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday evening announced that the bodies of Youssef and Hamza Ziyadne, who were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, were found in the southern Gaza Strip.

Notably, the army’s statement only confirmed the death of Youssef, while adding there were “serious concerns” for the life of his son Hamza (23). Katz’s statement explicitly said that Hamza had also been found dead.

According to the IDF, its troops, together with the Shin Bet, “located and recovered the body of the hostage Youssef Ziyadne from an underground tunnel in the area of Rafah in Gaza and returned his body to Israel.”

“In addition, as part of the operation, findings were located related to Youssef’s son, Hamza Ziyadne, who was also abducted on October 7, which raise serious concerns for his life,” the military added.

The Ziyadne family is a member of the Israeli Bedouin community and residents of the town of Rahat, near Beersheva. Youssef was 53 years old, the father of 19 children, and was abducted from Kibbutz Holit while working on a farm, together with his children Hamza, Bilal and Aisha.

Bilal and Aisha were returned to Israel during the first ceasefire deal with Hamas at the end of November 2023.

Youssef’s brother Ali told Israeli media outlets, “We were informed that the bodies of Youssef and his son Hamza were found. Our hearts ache. We wanted them [returned] to the family alive – but unfortunately, they returned dead.”

“Aisha and her brother Bilal were waiting to hug them. This is a terrible and shocking disaster.”

According to Army Radio, Youssef’s body was discovered during a special operation conducted by the IDF and Shin Bet forces in Rafah, after receiving intelligence that led them to a hidden tunnel in an area where Israeli troops had searched before.

Next to Youssef’s body, the soldiers found the bodies of two or three terrorists, who had apparently held them captive.

The tunnel is not part of the underground network where fellow Israeli Bedouin hostage Farhan al-Qadi was rescued, and the bodies of six other hostages were found last year.

The report provided no additional information about the cause of death of the hostages or the terrorists, noting that the IDF is not sure how Youssef died, but estimates it was some time ago.

Israeli soldiers continued to search the area where the bodies were found.

Katz sent his condolences to the family, noting that during his tenure as foreign minister, he had “accompanied the brave family during difficult moments.”

“I became especially attached to Ali, Youssef’s brother and Hamza’s uncle, who accompanied me on many of my trips and political meetings, and told the story of Youssef and Hamza to many leaders,” he added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog also expressed their sorrow and condolences to the family.

“We hoped and worked for the safe return of the four family members from Hamas captivity,” said Netanyahu. “We returned the children Bilal and Aisha on November 23, and we wanted to return Yosef and Hamza as well. I send my heartfelt condolences to the family.”

“They have endured 460 days of worry, hope, and endless longing, during which Youssef’s children, Aisha and Bilal, were released in a hostage exchange,” Herzog stated.

“Time is running out. Youssef was abducted alive! Our hostages are in immediate life-threatening danger. We must continue to do everything possible to urgently return 99 of our brothers and sisters – the living to their families and the fallen and murdered to be laid to rest in dignity.”

All Israel News 

Day 461 — Thursday, January 9

Three Israeli soldiers were killed fighting in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the army announced. First Sergeant Matityahu Ya’akov Perel (22), First Sergeant Kenew Kasa (22), and First Sergeant Nevo Fisher (20) all served in the 46th Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade. An officer was also seriously wounded as a land mine exploded in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza.

Fierce fighting is still taking place in northern Gaza, especially in Beit Hanoun, from which many Hamas militants have been seen fleeing to from other nearby areas.

Meanwhile, the military continues operations in the Netzarim Corridor, which cuts the Palestinian enclave in half, and the Philadelphi Corridor near Rafah.

i24 News

Day 460 — Wednesday, January 8

Officials of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency meet “routinely” with Lebanese and Gazan terror groups, “mutually praise each other for ‘cooperation’ and describe each other as ‘partners.‘”

That’s according to the December 2024 report “The Unholy Alliance: UNRWA, Hamas and Islamic Jihad” from UN Watch, based in Geneva.

Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA commissioner-general, “and his colleagues knowingly allow Hamas and other terrorist groups to infiltrate UNRWA’s employee base, indoctrinate impressionable Palestinian children to pursue a path of terrorism against Israelis and Jews and install military infrastructure underneath or next to UNRWA facilities,” per the report.

The report noted that more than 10% of UNRWA’s senior educators in Gaza are members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Israel has said hundreds of UNRWA’s 13,000 Gazan staff members, including teachers, are active Hamas terrorists.

The cooperation between UNRWA and terror groups involves the U.N. agency complying with the demands of the terror organizations, according to the report.

“This secret relationship allows the terrorist organizations to significantly influence the policies and practices of a U.N. agency with 30,000 employees, and a $1.5 billion annual budget that is funded primarily by Western states,” the report states.

One of many examples that the report cites is a deal that Lazzarini made with Islamic terror groups in May 2024 at a meeting in Beirut. “UNRWA allowed Hamas leader Fathi al-Sharif to remain as principal of a major UNRWA school, and as the head of the UNRWA Teachers Union,” per the report. “For years, al-Sharif had openly glorified Hamas terrorist attacks, including on his Facebook page, and published photos of his fraternization with heads of terrorist organizations.”

“Contrary to its claims of robust neutrality mechanisms, UNRWA for years allowed al-Sharif to occupy a senior position overseeing thousands of UNRWA teachers and students,” it adds. “Only when a formal complaint was made to UNRWA by a government, in early 2024, did the agency give al-Sharif a slap on the wrist by suspending him.”

Israel killed al-Sharif on Sept. 30, 2024. “Hamas announced that indeed he had been their leader in Lebanon, and eulogized the senior UNRWA figure for his ‘Jihadi education,’” the report adds.

Another example in the report is Leni Stenseth, a former UNRWA deputy commissioner-general, going to Gaza in June 2021 “to kowtow before Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas terror chief who masterminded the Oct. 7 massacre.”

“Hamas had been angry with UNRWA after its then Gaza director Matthias Schmale, an ardent supporter of the Palestinian narrative, unwittingly admitted in a TV interview that Israeli strikes on Hamas, during the May 2021 war, were ‘very precise,’” per the report. “The interview was widely shared by supporters of Israel. Outraged, Hamas declared Schmale a persona non grata, and orchestrated mob protests to threaten him.”

“Stenseth obediently removed Schmale from his post, throwing him under the bus to appease Sinwar, and called Schmale’s interview ‘indefensible,’” the report states. “She went to visit Sinwar in Gaza to personally thank him ‘for his positivity and desire to continue cooperation in facilitating the agency’s work in the Gaza Strip.‘”

The Israeli government has long criticized UNRWA’s operations in the Gaza Strip and said that they are controlled by Hamas. That criticism sharpened after Oct. 7 and revelations that UNRWA employees took part in the mass slaughter. 

Israel terminated relations with UNRWA on Nov. 3, a week after the Israeli parliament voted 92 to 10 to pass legislation on Oct. 28 banning the organization’s operations in the Jewish state’s territory.

JNS

Day 460 — Wednesday, January 8

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday visited the scene of Monday’s shooting attack in Samaria.

“The despicable, murderous attack that occurred here yesterday is an act of war in every sense and will be responded to accordingly,” Katz said. “We will strike at the terrorists and those who sent them, and will act forcefully against places from which the terrorists emerged. We will not tolerate Palestinian terrorism and Jewish blood will not be in vain.”

The attack happened on Monday morning in the Palestinian village of al-Funduk, near the Israeli community of Kedumim.

Katz met Ami Barber, the civilian who opened fire at the terrorists, and thanked him for his heroism that likely saved additional lived. Despite his quick action, three Israelis were killed as the terrorists opened fire on Israeli vehicles and a bus.

i24 News

Day 459 — Tuesday, January 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israelis against fake news circulating about a potential hostage deal with Hamas, after a false list of hostages to be freed was reported by Israel’s channel 12 and circulated widely.

There was intense interest in the list, which was originally published by a Saudi media outlet. It included the two Bibas family children — and excluded many of those still being held by Hamas. But Israel said it was not authentic.

In a statement published by the Government Press Office and translated from Hebrew, Netanyahu said:

The list of hostages that has been published in the media was not provided to Israel by Hamas but was originally given by Israel to the mediators in July 2024.

As yet, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment by Hamas regarding the status of the hostages appearing on the list.

Israel will continue to act relentlessly for the return of all of our hostages.

In a briefing with reporters on Monday, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said that journalists should not be so quick to believe claims made by Hamas. They should, instead, trust statements by the Israeli government, which “are the statements of a democratic government” that is ultimately accountable to the voters.

To date, Mencer added, “Hamas have not shared with us who is alive, who is dead, or indeed the names” of hostages it proposes to release.

He mocked the idea that Hamas needed a temporary ceasefire to determine the location and condition of the hostages, claiming that Hamas knows exactly where the hostages are, and noting that Gaza is not a large place.

Breitbart

Day 459 — Tuesday, January 7

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and four others were seriously wounded in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces announced.

The slain soldiers were named as Maj. Dvir Zion Revah, 28, from Jerusalem, and Cpt. Eitan Israel Shiknazi, 24, from Eli.

Both served in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion. Revah was a company commander and Shiknazi was his deputy.

The two officers were killed and two other soldiers of the 932nd Battalion were seriously wounded in the same incident in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun.

The military did not immediately provide further details on the circumstances of the incident.

Their deaths brought Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip to 397.

In a separate incident on Monday, two other soldiers with the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance unit were seriously wounded in fighting in northern Gaza. They were evacuated to Israel for treatment.

Times Of Israel

Day 458 — Monday, January 6

Two women in their 60s and a man in his 40s were killed and seven others were wounded in a shooting terror attack near Kedumim in [Samaria, often referred to as the West Bank], Israel’s emergency medical response service, Magen David Adom (MDA) said on Monday. 

MDA added that its paramedic were providing treatment to the 63-year-old bus driver who sustained serious wounds, a woman in her 60s in moderate condition, and five people who suffered from light wounds. They were transferred to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva and the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. 

The IDF said that terrorists had opened fire at a bus and vehicles in the area. Security forces were searching for the terrorists, setting up roadblocks in the area and encircling nearby towns. 

MDA paramedic Avichai Ben Zuria noted, “”This was a severe attack that spread across multiple scenes where vehicles and a bus were hit by gunfire.

He recounted what he saw upon arrival at the scene. “During our initial searches for casualties, we found 2 women around 60 years old in a vehicle, unconscious without pulse or breathing, with gunshot wounds. About 150 meters away, there was an unconscious driver who also suffered gunshot wounds. After medical assessments, unfortunately, their injuries were severe, and we had to pronounce them deceased.”

ZAKA chief of operations, Chaim Weingarten said ZAKA teams in the area were “on their way to the scene to treat the deceased with respect and handle the difficult findings.”

Jerusalem Post

Day 458 — Monday, January 6

An Israeli visiting Brazil has become the subject of an investigation by the Brazilian government for alleged war crimes.

The Israeli now under investigation served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a combat soldier in Gaza after surviving Hamas’ massacre of Israelis at the Nova festival on Oct. 7, Ynet reported.

The Brazilian federal court that ordered the investigation did so on the basis of a criminal complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF).

The HRF accused the IDF soldier of “participating in massive demolitions of civilian homes in Gaza during a systematic campaign of destruction.”

It further said that the soldier’s actions were “part of a broader effort to impose unbearable living conditions on Palestinian civilians, constituting genocide and crimes against humanity under international law.”

Despite the criminal investigation, the accused Israeli was able to return to Israel.

Several Israeli politicians strongly criticized the Brazilian government for the decision.

“I am embarrassed for Brazil and its government for capitulating to pro-Palestinian legal terrorism,” said Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein. 

Edelstein announced that the committee would meet on Monday to address the issue, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Defense Minister, criticized the Brazilian leadership, noting that “antisemitic president Lula accused Israel of genocide at the very start of the war and claimed that the IDF’s actions were akin to those of the Nazis.”

All Israel News

Day 457 — Sunday, January 5

The Israeli military said Saturday that its troops had in recent days demolished a residential complex in northern Gaza, close to Beit Hanoun, which had been used as a hideout and command center by senior Hamas commanders.

The military said the “officers’ neighborhood” had high-rise buildings overlooking the Sderot area of southern Israel and served as a “central terror complex” with anti-tank firing positions, booby traps, tunnels and rocket launchers aimed at Israel.

The complex overlooks the Israeli community of Netiv Ha’asara and was considered a threat to the rail line to Sderot, which hasn’t operated since Oct. 7, 2023.

The IDF said combat engineers destroyed the entire complex and the terror infrastructure it housed over the past week.

On Saturday evening a rocket launched from the northern Gaza Strip struck the Erez Border Crossing, the military said:

Following the projectile that fell in the area of the Erez Crossing of the Ministry of Defense’s Crossings Authority, hits that caused damage both to the area of the crossing and adjacent to the humanitarian truck compound were identified.

We emphasize that since the beginning of December, over 1,200 humanitarian aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing of the Israel Ministry of Defense Crossing Points Authority (CPA), containing food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment.

The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law, while exploiting civilian infrastructure and the Gazan population as human shields for terrorist activity.

The IDF, through COGAT [Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories], will continue to act in accordance with international law to enable and facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip. 

The rocket impact caused damage to the crossing and an area adjacent to an aid truck compound. There were no reports of injuries.

It marked the ninth day in a row of rocket fire from Gaza. Sirens had sounded in nearby Netiv Ha’asara during the attack.

The crossing, which in the past facilitated people’s movement between Gaza and Israel, is being used to bring aid into Gaza.

Times Of Israel 

Day 456 — Saturday, January 4

“War in Court,” a Dutch project, released nearly half a million names of suspected wartime Nazi collaborators on Thursday after a law restricting public access to the archive expired on New Year’s Day.

The 32-million-page archive covers 425,000 mostly Dutch people investigated for collaboration with occupying German forces during World War II, Reuters reported.

Only one-fifth of those listed ever appeared before a court. Most cases involved “lesser offenses such as being a member of the Nationalist Socialist movement,” the news outlet said.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects personal data, but it doesn’t apply to dead people, which includes most of those listed in the archive.

At first, scanned files were to be available starting on Thursday with dossiers of suspects including victims and witnesses.

However, after a warning from the Dutch Data Protection Authority, a decision was made to publish only names and postpone the more detailed data release.

According to Yad Vashem’s website, 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands when Germany invaded in May 1940.

In the summer of 1942, the deportation to the death camps began. Transports left the transit camps of Westerbork and Vught, mostly for Auschwitz and Sobibor.

A total of 107,000 Jews had been deported to the extermination camps by September 1944. Only 5,200 of them returned after the war, with more than 75% of Dutch Jews perishing in the Holocaust.

JNS

Day 456 — Saturday, January 4

Unconfirmed reports in September first drew the world’s attention to the possibility that the Israeli army had conducted an incredibly dangerous and complex operation approximately 200 km (125 miles) north of the nation’s borders, deep within Syrian territory.

After confirming earlier this week that Israeli forces were responsible for the raid, the IDF has now released a slew of detailed information explaining how its troops were able to infiltrate the secret factory hidden under a mountain.

The daring operation was conducted at a highly sensitive point in the war – before the fall of the Assad regime, and just before the IDF began decapitating and decimating Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

The site belonged to CERS, a research and production institute tasked with developing advanced weaponry, which, in recent years, had been increasingly taken over by Iran’s IRGC and Hezbollah, and used for their purposes.

The Iranian regime intended to shift its focus from carrying out weapons transfers using overland truck convoys through Syria and Iraq – which Israel has struck numerous times – towards producing weapons in secure facilities near the Lebanese border in Syria, and transferring weapons to Hezbollah from there.

This is why the site near the town of Masyaf, close to the Lebanese border, was selected, with construction beginning in 2017. The decision to build a production line deep beneath a mountain was intended to prevent Israeli interference, while the short distance to Lebanon was expected to further limit opportunities to target the shipments.

Israel estimates that once operational, the factory would be capable of producing up to 300 missiles per year, including heavy ballistic and precision-guided missiles. Despite four Israeli attempts over the years to disrupt the construction with airstrikes, the factory produced its first prototypes in August, just one month before the “Many Roads” operation.

Israel assessed that once construction was completed and production began, security at the site would be significantly heightened. Consequently, Israeli intelligence recognized a window of opportunity for the IDF to destroy the nearly-operational factory, along with its critical and expensive infrastructure already inside, while it remained only lightly guarded.

“If we had waited a little longer with the execution – it might have already been too late, or the whole operation would have looked completely different,” an IDF source told Army Radio.

After training for around two months, 120 elite fighters of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) Shaldag commando and the 669th Brigade search and rescue units, boarded four CH-53 “Yasour” helicopters and headed for the coast. They were accompanied by a force of around 70 aircraft, including helicopter gunships, fighter jets, and drones, as well as transport, intelligence and refueling planes.

After flying for 90 minutes over the Mediterranean Sea, the helicopters infiltrated the Syrian coast, flying only about 18 meters (60 feet) above the waves to evade the heavy concentration of radar systems in the area. “The helicopters skimmed the surface of the sea,” a senior IAF official told Army Radio.

After 18 minutes, the force arrived near Masyaf, “a hermetically protected area,” according to an IDF intelligence officer involved in the planning. “The Syrians defined it as the second most important defense area after Damascus. Since we were flying low, not only surface-to-air missiles were a threat, but also anti-tank missiles that could be launched at us from the ground,” he explained.

The helicopters landed near the site, amid a heavy wave of airstrikes meant to convince the Syrians and Iranians that this was “just another” wave of Israeli strikes in the area.

“We saw the explosions from the air when we were above the mountains on the way to land,” recounted one of the commanders who participated in the operation. The strikes also cut off access routes to prevent reinforcements from attacking the Israeli forces.

From that moment, the clock was ticking. “We did everything on the run, we realized that we had to be quick because there is not much time,” said one of the commanders.

“Intelligence estimated that within two and a half hours, an entire Syrian division, hundreds of fighters, could arrive at the scene. Therefore, the time allocated for us to be on the ground was two and a half hours at the most.”

Israeli forces were divided into four squads: The first squad was tasked to secure the surroundings; the second to break into the factory; the third squad to sabotage it; and the fourth squad, consisting of 669 fighters stayed with the helicopters and prepared to rescue and treat potential casualties.

The first squad of some 50 fighters fanned out to isolate the area and quickly neutralize threats, enabling the second team to infiltrate the factory.

The factory was guarded by only around 30 Syrian soldiers, who were quickly eliminated. The first team then took up a post on a hill overlooking the area and launched a drone to observe and secure the space.

The second team had to break down the three large and locked factory entrances before the sabotage squad, weighed down by the heavy explosives and other equipment, arrived.

After almost 50 minutes, the second squad managed to open the administrative entrance before approaching the two industrial gates from the inside and breaking them down as well. For this task, they used forklifts that were already inside the factory.

Israeli intelligence had learned about the forklifts beforehand, prompting Shaldag troops to obtain forklift certifications specifically as part of the preparations for the operation.

“I felt right at home,” one of the IDF soldiers later told the intelligence officer in charge of the operation. “Just like you told me, I knew what the place looked like, where the mixers were and where to place the charges.”

They began placing explosives throughout the factory, especially on the three “planetary mixers,” which are critical components used for the production of missile fuel. For this, they used a small ATV they had brought in the helicopters to expedite the process of placing the charges around the factory.

Along the way, they also collected sensitive intelligence material. After completing their tasks, the soldiers departed the area quickly, and Shaldag’s head saboteur detonated the factory while they were still on the ground.

“We saw the explosion with our eyes, we felt it like a small earthquake,” said one of the commanders. Approximately one ton of explosive material was detonated in an earth-shaking blast, which included explosives that already existed in the factory.

After about one and a half hours on the ground, the forces took off again, without losing a single soldier. Almost an hour later, hundreds of Syrian soldiers arrived at the site, highlighting the potential danger to the small commando unit.

The operation was led on the ground by the commander of the IAF special forces wing, an officer at the rank of colonel, as well as the commander of Shaldag, Lt.-Col. B.

According to the IDF, it took the Syrians and the Iranians several days to understand what had happened at their secret facility inside the mountain in Masyaf.

After the IDF’s aerial campaigns in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran in recent months, Israel estimates that there are no advanced missile production capabilities left in Syria and Lebanon at all, while Iran’s capabilities were significantly damaged.

“The action of the Shaldag unit deep in Syria joins a series of daring actions that the IDF has carried out in recent months from the Gaza Strip, to Dahiyeh in Beirut and to Iran, with the aim of destroying the missile production capabilities of the Iranian axis,” stated IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi.

“Iran established for years a ring of fire and missiles on the borders of the State of Israel, and we hit both the ring and the head,” he added.

Some of these capabilities still exist among Houthi terrorists in Yemen, but a senior IDF officer asserted, “We will get there, too.”

All Israel News

Day 462 — Friday, January 10

The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court to protest its decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israel’s campaign against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Lawmakers voted 243 to 140 in favor of the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” which would urge sanctions on any ICC official or entities backing The Hague who advance “any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.”

The sanctions include blocking or revoking visas and prohibiting US property transactions.

The legislation states that the US and Israel are not signatories to the Rome Statute that created the ICC, which accordingly has no jurisdiction over their conduct.

Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the bill. No Republicans voted against the measure, but Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie abstained, saying afterward that the House “should not get involved in disputes between other countries.”

The House vote, one of the first since the new Congress was seated last week, underscored strong support for Israel’s government among President-elect Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans, who now control both chambers in Congress.

Trump will be sworn in on January 20 for a second term as president.

“America is passing this law because a kangaroo court is seeking to arrest the prime minister of our great ally, Israel,” Florida Republican Brian Mast, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a House speech before the vote.

The legislation still needs to be okayed in the Senate. Newly appointed Republican majority leader John Thune has promised swift consideration of the act so Trump can sign it into law shortly after taking office.

Times Of Israel

Day 462 — Friday, January 10

Terrorists attacked the Jewish state no fewer than 18,000 times in 2024, killing 134 innocent people and wounding another 1,277, according to data the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office released on Thursday.

Israeli civilians were attacked from seven fronts—Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Yemen and from within Israeli territory—18,365 times last year, revealed the report, which combined data from all security agencies and the country’s emergency response groups.

Some 16,400 rockets and missiles were fired into Israel, of which approximately 15,400 were launched by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and 700 from the Gaza Strip. October saw the most launches, with more than 6,900 attacks reported.

At the same time, terrorists sent at least 399 drones toward Israeli territory, the vast majority of which came from Lebanon.

Seventy-one people, including 14 children, were murdered in aerial assaults, and 892 more people sustained wounds. In addition, the rocket, missile and drone attacks sparked more than 600 wildfires, burning 92,417 acres managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and more than 42,749 acres of grazing land.

An additional 1,900 terrorist incidents were reported in 2024, including stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails, car rammings, shootings, stabbings and bombings. November was the quietest month, with 109 terrorist incidents reported, while July saw the most violence in Israel—37 people were murdered and another 394 were wounded that month.

The most common type of terrorist attack recorded in 2024 was stone-throwing, with 1,248 incidents reported, followed by “throwing objects, arson and tire burning” (162), attacks with Molotov cocktails (14), shootings (132) and the use of explosive devices (89).

According to the annual report published by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Dec. 31, Jerusalem thwarted more than 1,000 significant terrorist attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem in 2024.

Most of the attacks involved firearms (689) and explosive devices (326), with others being stabbings, rammings, bombings and abductions.

JNS

Day 462 — Friday, January 10

The Polish government adopted a resolution on Thursday vowing to ensure the free and safe participation of the highest representatives of Israel — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who chose to attend commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau later this month.

Netanyahu became an internationally wanted suspect last year after the International Criminal Court, the world’s top war crimes court, issued an arrest warrant for him and others in connection with the war in Gaza, accusing them of crimes against humanity.

“The Polish government treats the safe participation of the leaders of Israel in the commemorations on January 27, 2025, as part of paying tribute to the Jewish nation, millions of whose daughters and sons became victims of the Holocaust carried out by the Third Reich,” read the resolution published by the office of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

The government published the statement after Polish President Andrzej Duda asked Tusk to ensure that Netanyahu can attend without the risk of being arrested.

German forces occupied Poland at the start of World War II and set up a system of ghettos and death camps where they killed millions of Jews and others.

The commemoration will be attended by international officials and elderly survivors. It is to take place in Oswiecim, a town that was under German occupation during the war.

Fox News

Day 461 — Thursday, January 9

Israel Defense Forces and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday evening announced that the bodies of Youssef and Hamza Ziyadne, who were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, were found in the southern Gaza Strip.

Notably, the army’s statement only confirmed the death of Youssef, while adding there were “serious concerns” for the life of his son Hamza (23). Katz’s statement explicitly said that Hamza had also been found dead.

According to the IDF, its troops, together with the Shin Bet, “located and recovered the body of the hostage Youssef Ziyadne from an underground tunnel in the area of Rafah in Gaza and returned his body to Israel.”

“In addition, as part of the operation, findings were located related to Youssef’s son, Hamza Ziyadne, who was also abducted on October 7, which raise serious concerns for his life,” the military added.

The Ziyadne family is a member of the Israeli Bedouin community and residents of the town of Rahat, near Beersheva. Youssef was 53 years old, the father of 19 children, and was abducted from Kibbutz Holit while working on a farm, together with his children Hamza, Bilal and Aisha.

Bilal and Aisha were returned to Israel during the first ceasefire deal with Hamas at the end of November 2023.

Youssef’s brother Ali told Israeli media outlets, “We were informed that the bodies of Youssef and his son Hamza were found. Our hearts ache. We wanted them [returned] to the family alive – but unfortunately, they returned dead.”

“Aisha and her brother Bilal were waiting to hug them. This is a terrible and shocking disaster.”

According to Army Radio, Youssef’s body was discovered during a special operation conducted by the IDF and Shin Bet forces in Rafah, after receiving intelligence that led them to a hidden tunnel in an area where Israeli troops had searched before.

Next to Youssef’s body, the soldiers found the bodies of two or three terrorists, who had apparently held them captive.

The tunnel is not part of the underground network where fellow Israeli Bedouin hostage Farhan al-Qadi was rescued, and the bodies of six other hostages were found last year.

The report provided no additional information about the cause of death of the hostages or the terrorists, noting that the IDF is not sure how Youssef died, but estimates it was some time ago.

Israeli soldiers continued to search the area where the bodies were found.

Katz sent his condolences to the family, noting that during his tenure as foreign minister, he had “accompanied the brave family during difficult moments.”

“I became especially attached to Ali, Youssef’s brother and Hamza’s uncle, who accompanied me on many of my trips and political meetings, and told the story of Youssef and Hamza to many leaders,” he added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog also expressed their sorrow and condolences to the family.

“We hoped and worked for the safe return of the four family members from Hamas captivity,” said Netanyahu. “We returned the children Bilal and Aisha on November 23, and we wanted to return Yosef and Hamza as well. I send my heartfelt condolences to the family.”

“They have endured 460 days of worry, hope, and endless longing, during which Youssef’s children, Aisha and Bilal, were released in a hostage exchange,” Herzog stated.

“Time is running out. Youssef was abducted alive! Our hostages are in immediate life-threatening danger. We must continue to do everything possible to urgently return 99 of our brothers and sisters – the living to their families and the fallen and murdered to be laid to rest in dignity.”

All Israel News 

Day 461 — Thursday, January 9

Three Israeli soldiers were killed fighting in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the army announced. First Sergeant Matityahu Ya’akov Perel (22), First Sergeant Kenew Kasa (22), and First Sergeant Nevo Fisher (20) all served in the 46th Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade. An officer was also seriously wounded as a land mine exploded in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza.

Fierce fighting is still taking place in northern Gaza, especially in Beit Hanoun, from which many Hamas militants have been seen fleeing to from other nearby areas.

Meanwhile, the military continues operations in the Netzarim Corridor, which cuts the Palestinian enclave in half, and the Philadelphi Corridor near Rafah.

i24 News

Day 460 — Wednesday, January 8

Officials of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency meet “routinely” with Lebanese and Gazan terror groups, “mutually praise each other for ‘cooperation’ and describe each other as ‘partners.‘”

That’s according to the December 2024 report “The Unholy Alliance: UNRWA, Hamas and Islamic Jihad” from UN Watch, based in Geneva.

Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA commissioner-general, “and his colleagues knowingly allow Hamas and other terrorist groups to infiltrate UNRWA’s employee base, indoctrinate impressionable Palestinian children to pursue a path of terrorism against Israelis and Jews and install military infrastructure underneath or next to UNRWA facilities,” per the report.

The report noted that more than 10% of UNRWA’s senior educators in Gaza are members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Israel has said hundreds of UNRWA’s 13,000 Gazan staff members, including teachers, are active Hamas terrorists.

The cooperation between UNRWA and terror groups involves the U.N. agency complying with the demands of the terror organizations, according to the report.

“This secret relationship allows the terrorist organizations to significantly influence the policies and practices of a U.N. agency with 30,000 employees, and a $1.5 billion annual budget that is funded primarily by Western states,” the report states.

One of many examples that the report cites is a deal that Lazzarini made with Islamic terror groups in May 2024 at a meeting in Beirut. “UNRWA allowed Hamas leader Fathi al-Sharif to remain as principal of a major UNRWA school, and as the head of the UNRWA Teachers Union,” per the report. “For years, al-Sharif had openly glorified Hamas terrorist attacks, including on his Facebook page, and published photos of his fraternization with heads of terrorist organizations.”

“Contrary to its claims of robust neutrality mechanisms, UNRWA for years allowed al-Sharif to occupy a senior position overseeing thousands of UNRWA teachers and students,” it adds. “Only when a formal complaint was made to UNRWA by a government, in early 2024, did the agency give al-Sharif a slap on the wrist by suspending him.”

Israel killed al-Sharif on Sept. 30, 2024. “Hamas announced that indeed he had been their leader in Lebanon, and eulogized the senior UNRWA figure for his ‘Jihadi education,’” the report adds.

Another example in the report is Leni Stenseth, a former UNRWA deputy commissioner-general, going to Gaza in June 2021 “to kowtow before Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas terror chief who masterminded the Oct. 7 massacre.”

“Hamas had been angry with UNRWA after its then Gaza director Matthias Schmale, an ardent supporter of the Palestinian narrative, unwittingly admitted in a TV interview that Israeli strikes on Hamas, during the May 2021 war, were ‘very precise,’” per the report. “The interview was widely shared by supporters of Israel. Outraged, Hamas declared Schmale a persona non grata, and orchestrated mob protests to threaten him.”

“Stenseth obediently removed Schmale from his post, throwing him under the bus to appease Sinwar, and called Schmale’s interview ‘indefensible,’” the report states. “She went to visit Sinwar in Gaza to personally thank him ‘for his positivity and desire to continue cooperation in facilitating the agency’s work in the Gaza Strip.‘”

The Israeli government has long criticized UNRWA’s operations in the Gaza Strip and said that they are controlled by Hamas. That criticism sharpened after Oct. 7 and revelations that UNRWA employees took part in the mass slaughter. 

Israel terminated relations with UNRWA on Nov. 3, a week after the Israeli parliament voted 92 to 10 to pass legislation on Oct. 28 banning the organization’s operations in the Jewish state’s territory.

JNS

Day 460 — Wednesday, January 8

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday visited the scene of Monday’s shooting attack in Samaria.

“The despicable, murderous attack that occurred here yesterday is an act of war in every sense and will be responded to accordingly,” Katz said. “We will strike at the terrorists and those who sent them, and will act forcefully against places from which the terrorists emerged. We will not tolerate Palestinian terrorism and Jewish blood will not be in vain.”

The attack happened on Monday morning in the Palestinian village of al-Funduk, near the Israeli community of Kedumim.

Katz met Ami Barber, the civilian who opened fire at the terrorists, and thanked him for his heroism that likely saved additional lived. Despite his quick action, three Israelis were killed as the terrorists opened fire on Israeli vehicles and a bus.

i24 News

Day 459 — Tuesday, January 7

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israelis against fake news circulating about a potential hostage deal with Hamas, after a false list of hostages to be freed was reported by Israel’s channel 12 and circulated widely.

There was intense interest in the list, which was originally published by a Saudi media outlet. It included the two Bibas family children — and excluded many of those still being held by Hamas. But Israel said it was not authentic.

In a statement published by the Government Press Office and translated from Hebrew, Netanyahu said:

The list of hostages that has been published in the media was not provided to Israel by Hamas but was originally given by Israel to the mediators in July 2024.

As yet, Israel has not received any confirmation or comment by Hamas regarding the status of the hostages appearing on the list.

Israel will continue to act relentlessly for the return of all of our hostages.

In a briefing with reporters on Monday, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said that journalists should not be so quick to believe claims made by Hamas. They should, instead, trust statements by the Israeli government, which “are the statements of a democratic government” that is ultimately accountable to the voters.

To date, Mencer added, “Hamas have not shared with us who is alive, who is dead, or indeed the names” of hostages it proposes to release.

He mocked the idea that Hamas needed a temporary ceasefire to determine the location and condition of the hostages, claiming that Hamas knows exactly where the hostages are, and noting that Gaza is not a large place.

Breitbart

Day 459 — Tuesday, January 7

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and four others were seriously wounded in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces announced.

The slain soldiers were named as Maj. Dvir Zion Revah, 28, from Jerusalem, and Cpt. Eitan Israel Shiknazi, 24, from Eli.

Both served in the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion. Revah was a company commander and Shiknazi was his deputy.

The two officers were killed and two other soldiers of the 932nd Battalion were seriously wounded in the same incident in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun.

The military did not immediately provide further details on the circumstances of the incident.

Their deaths brought Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip to 397.

In a separate incident on Monday, two other soldiers with the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance unit were seriously wounded in fighting in northern Gaza. They were evacuated to Israel for treatment.

Times Of Israel

Day 458 — Monday, January 6

Two women in their 60s and a man in his 40s were killed and seven others were wounded in a shooting terror attack near Kedumim in [Samaria, often referred to as the West Bank], Israel’s emergency medical response service, Magen David Adom (MDA) said on Monday. 

MDA added that its paramedic were providing treatment to the 63-year-old bus driver who sustained serious wounds, a woman in her 60s in moderate condition, and five people who suffered from light wounds. They were transferred to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva and the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba. 

The IDF said that terrorists had opened fire at a bus and vehicles in the area. Security forces were searching for the terrorists, setting up roadblocks in the area and encircling nearby towns. 

MDA paramedic Avichai Ben Zuria noted, “”This was a severe attack that spread across multiple scenes where vehicles and a bus were hit by gunfire.

He recounted what he saw upon arrival at the scene. “During our initial searches for casualties, we found 2 women around 60 years old in a vehicle, unconscious without pulse or breathing, with gunshot wounds. About 150 meters away, there was an unconscious driver who also suffered gunshot wounds. After medical assessments, unfortunately, their injuries were severe, and we had to pronounce them deceased.”

ZAKA chief of operations, Chaim Weingarten said ZAKA teams in the area were “on their way to the scene to treat the deceased with respect and handle the difficult findings.”

Jerusalem Post

Day 458 — Monday, January 6

An Israeli visiting Brazil has become the subject of an investigation by the Brazilian government for alleged war crimes.

The Israeli now under investigation served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a combat soldier in Gaza after surviving Hamas’ massacre of Israelis at the Nova festival on Oct. 7, Ynet reported.

The Brazilian federal court that ordered the investigation did so on the basis of a criminal complaint filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF).

The HRF accused the IDF soldier of “participating in massive demolitions of civilian homes in Gaza during a systematic campaign of destruction.”

It further said that the soldier’s actions were “part of a broader effort to impose unbearable living conditions on Palestinian civilians, constituting genocide and crimes against humanity under international law.”

Despite the criminal investigation, the accused Israeli was able to return to Israel.

Several Israeli politicians strongly criticized the Brazilian government for the decision.

“I am embarrassed for Brazil and its government for capitulating to pro-Palestinian legal terrorism,” said Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein. 

Edelstein announced that the committee would meet on Monday to address the issue, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Defense Minister, criticized the Brazilian leadership, noting that “antisemitic president Lula accused Israel of genocide at the very start of the war and claimed that the IDF’s actions were akin to those of the Nazis.”

All Israel News

Day 457 — Sunday, January 5

The Israeli military said Saturday that its troops had in recent days demolished a residential complex in northern Gaza, close to Beit Hanoun, which had been used as a hideout and command center by senior Hamas commanders.

The military said the “officers’ neighborhood” had high-rise buildings overlooking the Sderot area of southern Israel and served as a “central terror complex” with anti-tank firing positions, booby traps, tunnels and rocket launchers aimed at Israel.

The complex overlooks the Israeli community of Netiv Ha’asara and was considered a threat to the rail line to Sderot, which hasn’t operated since Oct. 7, 2023.

The IDF said combat engineers destroyed the entire complex and the terror infrastructure it housed over the past week.

On Saturday evening a rocket launched from the northern Gaza Strip struck the Erez Border Crossing, the military said:

Following the projectile that fell in the area of the Erez Crossing of the Ministry of Defense’s Crossings Authority, hits that caused damage both to the area of the crossing and adjacent to the humanitarian truck compound were identified.

We emphasize that since the beginning of December, over 1,200 humanitarian aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing of the Israel Ministry of Defense Crossing Points Authority (CPA), containing food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment.

The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law, while exploiting civilian infrastructure and the Gazan population as human shields for terrorist activity.

The IDF, through COGAT [Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories], will continue to act in accordance with international law to enable and facilitate the transfer of humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip. 

The rocket impact caused damage to the crossing and an area adjacent to an aid truck compound. There were no reports of injuries.

It marked the ninth day in a row of rocket fire from Gaza. Sirens had sounded in nearby Netiv Ha’asara during the attack.

The crossing, which in the past facilitated people’s movement between Gaza and Israel, is being used to bring aid into Gaza.

Times Of Israel 

Day 456 — Saturday, January 4

“War in Court,” a Dutch project, released nearly half a million names of suspected wartime Nazi collaborators on Thursday after a law restricting public access to the archive expired on New Year’s Day.

The 32-million-page archive covers 425,000 mostly Dutch people investigated for collaboration with occupying German forces during World War II, Reuters reported.

Only one-fifth of those listed ever appeared before a court. Most cases involved “lesser offenses such as being a member of the Nationalist Socialist movement,” the news outlet said.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects personal data, but it doesn’t apply to dead people, which includes most of those listed in the archive.

At first, scanned files were to be available starting on Thursday with dossiers of suspects including victims and witnesses.

However, after a warning from the Dutch Data Protection Authority, a decision was made to publish only names and postpone the more detailed data release.

According to Yad Vashem’s website, 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands when Germany invaded in May 1940.

In the summer of 1942, the deportation to the death camps began. Transports left the transit camps of Westerbork and Vught, mostly for Auschwitz and Sobibor.

A total of 107,000 Jews had been deported to the extermination camps by September 1944. Only 5,200 of them returned after the war, with more than 75% of Dutch Jews perishing in the Holocaust.

JNS

Day 456 — Saturday, January 4

Unconfirmed reports in September first drew the world’s attention to the possibility that the Israeli army had conducted an incredibly dangerous and complex operation approximately 200 km (125 miles) north of the nation’s borders, deep within Syrian territory.

After confirming earlier this week that Israeli forces were responsible for the raid, the IDF has now released a slew of detailed information explaining how its troops were able to infiltrate the secret factory hidden under a mountain.

The daring operation was conducted at a highly sensitive point in the war – before the fall of the Assad regime, and just before the IDF began decapitating and decimating Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

The site belonged to CERS, a research and production institute tasked with developing advanced weaponry, which, in recent years, had been increasingly taken over by Iran’s IRGC and Hezbollah, and used for their purposes.

The Iranian regime intended to shift its focus from carrying out weapons transfers using overland truck convoys through Syria and Iraq – which Israel has struck numerous times – towards producing weapons in secure facilities near the Lebanese border in Syria, and transferring weapons to Hezbollah from there.

This is why the site near the town of Masyaf, close to the Lebanese border, was selected, with construction beginning in 2017. The decision to build a production line deep beneath a mountain was intended to prevent Israeli interference, while the short distance to Lebanon was expected to further limit opportunities to target the shipments.

Israel estimates that once operational, the factory would be capable of producing up to 300 missiles per year, including heavy ballistic and precision-guided missiles. Despite four Israeli attempts over the years to disrupt the construction with airstrikes, the factory produced its first prototypes in August, just one month before the “Many Roads” operation.

Israel assessed that once construction was completed and production began, security at the site would be significantly heightened. Consequently, Israeli intelligence recognized a window of opportunity for the IDF to destroy the nearly-operational factory, along with its critical and expensive infrastructure already inside, while it remained only lightly guarded.

“If we had waited a little longer with the execution – it might have already been too late, or the whole operation would have looked completely different,” an IDF source told Army Radio.

After training for around two months, 120 elite fighters of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) Shaldag commando and the 669th Brigade search and rescue units, boarded four CH-53 “Yasour” helicopters and headed for the coast. They were accompanied by a force of around 70 aircraft, including helicopter gunships, fighter jets, and drones, as well as transport, intelligence and refueling planes.

After flying for 90 minutes over the Mediterranean Sea, the helicopters infiltrated the Syrian coast, flying only about 18 meters (60 feet) above the waves to evade the heavy concentration of radar systems in the area. “The helicopters skimmed the surface of the sea,” a senior IAF official told Army Radio.

After 18 minutes, the force arrived near Masyaf, “a hermetically protected area,” according to an IDF intelligence officer involved in the planning. “The Syrians defined it as the second most important defense area after Damascus. Since we were flying low, not only surface-to-air missiles were a threat, but also anti-tank missiles that could be launched at us from the ground,” he explained.

The helicopters landed near the site, amid a heavy wave of airstrikes meant to convince the Syrians and Iranians that this was “just another” wave of Israeli strikes in the area.

“We saw the explosions from the air when we were above the mountains on the way to land,” recounted one of the commanders who participated in the operation. The strikes also cut off access routes to prevent reinforcements from attacking the Israeli forces.

From that moment, the clock was ticking. “We did everything on the run, we realized that we had to be quick because there is not much time,” said one of the commanders.

“Intelligence estimated that within two and a half hours, an entire Syrian division, hundreds of fighters, could arrive at the scene. Therefore, the time allocated for us to be on the ground was two and a half hours at the most.”

Israeli forces were divided into four squads: The first squad was tasked to secure the surroundings; the second to break into the factory; the third squad to sabotage it; and the fourth squad, consisting of 669 fighters stayed with the helicopters and prepared to rescue and treat potential casualties.

The first squad of some 50 fighters fanned out to isolate the area and quickly neutralize threats, enabling the second team to infiltrate the factory.

The factory was guarded by only around 30 Syrian soldiers, who were quickly eliminated. The first team then took up a post on a hill overlooking the area and launched a drone to observe and secure the space.

The second team had to break down the three large and locked factory entrances before the sabotage squad, weighed down by the heavy explosives and other equipment, arrived.

After almost 50 minutes, the second squad managed to open the administrative entrance before approaching the two industrial gates from the inside and breaking them down as well. For this task, they used forklifts that were already inside the factory.

Israeli intelligence had learned about the forklifts beforehand, prompting Shaldag troops to obtain forklift certifications specifically as part of the preparations for the operation.

“I felt right at home,” one of the IDF soldiers later told the intelligence officer in charge of the operation. “Just like you told me, I knew what the place looked like, where the mixers were and where to place the charges.”

They began placing explosives throughout the factory, especially on the three “planetary mixers,” which are critical components used for the production of missile fuel. For this, they used a small ATV they had brought in the helicopters to expedite the process of placing the charges around the factory.

Along the way, they also collected sensitive intelligence material. After completing their tasks, the soldiers departed the area quickly, and Shaldag’s head saboteur detonated the factory while they were still on the ground.

“We saw the explosion with our eyes, we felt it like a small earthquake,” said one of the commanders. Approximately one ton of explosive material was detonated in an earth-shaking blast, which included explosives that already existed in the factory.

After about one and a half hours on the ground, the forces took off again, without losing a single soldier. Almost an hour later, hundreds of Syrian soldiers arrived at the site, highlighting the potential danger to the small commando unit.

The operation was led on the ground by the commander of the IAF special forces wing, an officer at the rank of colonel, as well as the commander of Shaldag, Lt.-Col. B.

According to the IDF, it took the Syrians and the Iranians several days to understand what had happened at their secret facility inside the mountain in Masyaf.

After the IDF’s aerial campaigns in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran in recent months, Israel estimates that there are no advanced missile production capabilities left in Syria and Lebanon at all, while Iran’s capabilities were significantly damaged.

“The action of the Shaldag unit deep in Syria joins a series of daring actions that the IDF has carried out in recent months from the Gaza Strip, to Dahiyeh in Beirut and to Iran, with the aim of destroying the missile production capabilities of the Iranian axis,” stated IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi.

“Iran established for years a ring of fire and missiles on the borders of the State of Israel, and we hit both the ring and the head,” he added.

Some of these capabilities still exist among Houthi terrorists in Yemen, but a senior IDF officer asserted, “We will get there, too.”

All Israel News