Lebanese MP: Israel defeated Hezbollah, ‘it’s over’ for terror group

https://worldisraelnews.com/lebanese-mp-israel-defeated-hezbollah-its-over-for-terror-group/ 

 A Lebanese parliamentarian declared that Hezbollah has been defeated by Israel, adding that the terror group is no longer relevant as a political or military force in Lebanon.

Mark Daou, an independent Druze politician, recently spoke out about Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah on a Lebanese talk show.

“It appears now that Hezbollah, as a military force, is finished,” Daou said, according to a translation of his remarks by blogger Abu Ali Express.

He said that the success of the Israeli ground invasion of southern Lebanon demonstrated that Hezbollah had been defanged.

The fact that Hezbollah has failed to expel Israeli troops from the region demonstrates the terror group’s weakness, he said.

“We see the videos, how Israel brought in intensional reporters and showed them around Lebanese territory,” Daou continued.

The Israelis “hold territory so well that they’re already hosting guests,” he added.

Hezbollah “no longer exists as a military force,” the MP emphasized.

“As a regional power? Bye-bye, it’s over.”

Daou’s remarks come on the heels of a recent report that Hezbollah is struggling with mass desertions, following the slaying of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

According to Arabic-language news outlet Elaph, widespread defections have hindered Hezbollah’s ability to continue attacking Israel.

Some Hezbollah terrorists are fleeing to Syria with their families, while others are failing to report to their assigned stations.

Hezbollah is also struggling to recruit new terrorists to replace those killed or severely maimed in battle against IDF troops.

Due to the amount of Hezbollah terrorists who have abandoned their posts in southern Lebanon following the Israeli ground invasion, Hezbollah has been forced to send reinforcements to what was once a major stronghold for the group.

While the desertions are primarily concentrated to southern Lebanon, senior Hezbollah officials fear that the defections could spread to other parts of the country.

 

Can The IDF Reach Their Goals Before Tuesday’s US Election?

  written by David Mark October 30, 2024 

Although Israel’s war with Hezbollah appears to be moving far slower than many Israelis believed it would, the IDF has made some serious gains and are nAlthough Israel’s war with Hezbollah appears to be moving far slower than many Israelis believed it would, the IDF has made some serious gains and are now in near complete control of the border area. Their latest win was the capture of Hassan Aqil Jawed, the Hezbollah commander of the Ayta al-Shaab region along with three of his Radwan force soldiers. If the intelligence gained from Jawed’s capture and interrogation corroborates other assessments, his surrender will have very real implications on the IDF’s ability to achieve initial success up north before Tuesday’s US election.

His capture and the droves of intelligence he gave during his interrogation will not only save countless IDF lives, but change how the IDF moves forward from a tactical perspective. Given the need to move forward as fast they can, Hassan Aqil Jawad’s capture can be seen as a critical breakthrough.

The debate on IDF control of Lebanon post war is what many believe is slowing the soldiers on the ground up. One wing of the IDF leadership appears to believe that controlling Hezbollah’s direct line of site into Israel’s northern communities is enough. The other group believes that anywhere between 10km and the Litani River is necessary. Other options include a tiered system that incorporates control up to the Litani with local support from Druze and Christian communities and then mining anything within 4km of the border - creating a no-go zone.

Whatever the decision, it is clear, the consensus in the IDF and political echelon is that some sort of permanent IDF presence in Lebanon is necessary.

Caution Before The US Election

With the US election days away, a last ditch attempt by the Biden administration to get to a ceasefire in Lebanon appears to be underway as Amos Hochstein and others arrived this week from Washington and DC. Their claim that there is a deal on the table is merely spin, given Israel’s push northward. What is going on is that the IDF is strengthening its presence in areas it has captured while the US team is here.

If Trump does in fact win on Tuesday, expect the IDF to push ever farther north. Trump wants the war to be finished by the time he takes office, which means Israel three months to get it done. If Harris wins and Israel wants to keep up some sort o relationship with what many will consider to be the most antagonistic US administration ever to the Jewish State, Israel will have to make do with whatever territory it has gained.  If it is only what they have now – it may not be enough to prevent Hezbollah from directly attacking Israeli residents in the northern part of the country. 

This is why time is of the essence.

ow in near complete control of the border area. Their latest win was the capture of Hassan Aqil Jawed, the Hezbollah commander of the Ayta al-Shaab region along with three of his Radwan force soldiers. If the intelligence gained from Jawed’s capture and interrogation corroborates other assessments, his surrender will have very real implications on the IDF’s ability to achieve initial success up north before Tuesday’s US election.

His capture and the droves of intelligence he gave during his interrogation will not only save countless IDF lives, but change how the IDF moves forward from a tactical perspective. Given the need to move forward as fast they can, Hassan Aqil Jawad’s capture can be seen as a critical breakthrough.

The debate on IDF control of Lebanon post war is what many believe is slowing the soldiers on the ground up. One wing of the IDF leadership appears to believe that controlling Hezbollah’s direct line of site into Israel’s northern communities is enough. The other group believes that anywhere between 10km and the Litani River is necessary. Other options include a tiered system that incorporates control up to the Litani with local support from Druze and Christian communities and then mining anything within 4km of the border - creating a no-go zone.

Whatever the decision, it is clear, the consensus in the IDF and political echelon is that some sort of permanent IDF presence in Lebanon is necessary.

Caution Before The US Election

With the US election days away, a last ditch attempt by the Biden administration to get to a ceasefire in Lebanon appears to be underway as Amos Hochstein and others arrived this week from Washington and DC. Their claim that there is a deal on the table is merely spin, given Israel’s push northward. What is going on is that the IDF is strengthening its presence in areas it has captured while the US team is here.

If Trump does in fact win on Tuesday, expect the IDF to push ever farther north. Trump wants the war to be finished by the time he takes office, which means Israel three months to get it done. If Harris wins and Israel wants to keep up some sort o relationship with what many will consider to be the most antagonistic US administration ever to the Jewish State, Israel will have to make do with whatever territory it has gained.  If it is only what they have now – it may not be enough to prevent Hezbollah from directly attacking Israeli residents in the northern part of the country. 

This is why time is of the essence.

Sinwar's Last Thought

 (With thanks to Ben Herskowitz)

 

The Media Is Supporting Sinwar's Genocidal Strategy

Alan M. Dershowitz and Andrew Stein  •  October 29, 2024 at 5:00 am

• Although they could easily distinguish between combatant and non-combatant deaths, Hamas refuses to do so.
• They [Hamas] fail to acknowledge that many of these so-called children were also combatants.
• They do the same with women, conveying the impression that only men are terrorists.
• Without the support of the media, this strategy would not succeed.
• And useful ignoramuses on university campuses, along with bigots in international organizations, falsely accuse Israel of genocide, despite the successful efforts of the IDF to reduce civilian casualties to the minimum possible....
• In the absence of an honest accounting, the media will continue to do Sinwar's nefarious work in increasing Palestinian casualties in order to increase the pressure on Israel.

Sadly, the media's dangerous cooperation with terrorists tells us more about them than about the war about which they purport to be "reporting."

Captured terrorists admit: Hezbollah paid UNIFIL for use of their positions

 ) Israel National News   Oct 21, 2024 (

Recently-captured Hezbollah terrorists have testified that the terror group paid money to UNIFIL in exchange for use of their positions in southern Lebanon, Israel Hayom reported, quoting security sources.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Hezbollah took over UNIFIL cameras in areas near the Lebanon-Israel border, and made use of them.

The report added that in light of these revelations, any future agreement with Lebanon will demand more of a commitment from the Lebanese army and less from UNIFIL.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established in 1978 to confirm both Hezbollah and Israeli cooperation with several resolutions intended to bring an end to Operation Litani, an invasion of Lebanon targeting the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The force was made of troop contributions from multiple UN states.

UNIFIL claims that its original mandate was to "confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restore international peace and security, and assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area." It was also expected to encourage the disarmament of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Its mandate has been reaffirmed repeatedly by the UN following various Israeli offensives into Lebanon, and expanded to include the execution of humanitarian aid tasks.

Since the end of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, UNIFIL's role has focused on monitoring military activity of all parties between the Litani and the Blue Line. Its role allegedly includes preventing arms smuggling, and executing humanitarian tasks, including assisting the displaced and clearing unexploded ordnance. Hezbollah built up an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles during this period without interference from UNIFIL.

Iran’s oil revenues up 500% since 2020

 When former President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, critics decried the move as unnecessarily hawkish. Yet, an explosive new report by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) tells a compelling story.

Under the present US administration, Iran has seen a significant surge in its oil export revenues, with figures soaring to over $41 billion in 2023. The rise in Iran’s oil exports is striking when compared to the mere $8 billion recorded in 2020, during the final year of the Trump administration. According to OPEC data, Iran’s daily export volume of crude oil, condensates, and petroleum products averaged about 1.73 million barrels last year, which is a staggering two and a half times higher than when Biden assumed office.

Traditionally, Iran systematically diverts a portion of its oil revenues to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regional terror proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. However, Iran’s Supreme Audit Court announced on Sunday that the country has fallen short of its budgeted oil revenue targets by 26% despite increased exports.

 

From the Front Line - Haifa

 ( Written by Jeanine Hirschhorn)

At 09:35, I was walking down the stairs through a patch of Carmel forest next to my building pursuant to a doctor's visit.  When the siren sounded. Yet again.  I looked around and realized there was no place to run, no place to hide.  So I stood facing the wall of an apartment bloc that borders the forest patch.  And then I heard an explosion above my head.  Not high in the sky. But perhaps 30 meters above my head.  I looked up and saw the smoke from an exploded rocket/interceptor.  Then I watched as three more rockets/interceptors exploded above me.  I braced myself, waiting for the pain of shrapnel or the blow from falling pieces of metal.  But none of that  happened.  

I waited a few more minutes facing the building, looked up . . . and then continued on my way.  I'm alive.  I won. They lost.   

I'm alive, I won, they lost is very much the mentality of the region vis-a-vis conflict.  As long as you remain alive, you are considered to be a formidable leader, a successful warrior on the battlefield.  It doesn't matter that all around you is on fire and destroyed. It doesn't matter that your populace has fled, that your society is in chaos.  It doesn't matter, as in Bashar al Assad's case, that much of your country is destroyed, ungovernable and bankrupt. Bashar is alive, therefore a formidable leader, a winner.  And the more Syria is destroyed while he remains alive, the more he is considered a respected and honored winner.  

Therefore, it doesn't matter to Iran that there proxies in Lebanon and Gaza have been decimated, reduced to rubble and ruin. It doesn't matter that many of their senior proxy terrorists and terror combatants are dead.  It doesn't matter that their ability to arm and finance is, at the moment, extremely difficult to non-existent.  The only thing that matters is that they are alive and can still strike Israel at will. They are still formidable warriors.  They are winning this jihad against the Jews. The Muslim world and much of the West cheers their continued success, and lavishes them with great praise, respect, honor. And fear.  This fear is exhibited by the West in its incessant calls for "ceasefires" and "proportional responses", displaying an obeisance to the victorious mullahs and their terrorist allies.  Further confirmation that Iran's pursuit of jihad for power, control and concomitant submission against not only the West but the entire Near/Middle East is a crowning success beyond all expectations and dreams. The victors dictate rules of engagement both to the Gulf despots ("severe repercussions for any assistance to the Infidels") and the West ("We've taught you a lesson. Any escalation at your own peril"). The mullahs are well aware that no one in the world will deter them, let alone stop them, from achieving their goal of total domination.  As long as they remain alive. 

And Israel?  Israel is not only fighting Islam's latest Salah-al-Din, but also a West terrified of Iran and its axis partners Russia and China and indifferent to dead Jews.  Israel will soldier on because victory means severely weakening or destroying Iran.  Even if it has to climb over a West prostrate before Iran in protection and fear to accomplish it. 

(Editor comments - An amazing analysis from a regular citizen with the motivation to survive)

UNIFIL as Human Shields for Hezbollah

 

Every House is a Terror Base.

 IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari led a tour inside a Hezbollah terrorist 
stronghold in southern Lebanon, explaining that the terrorists 
were planning an attack on northern Israel larger than the October 7 massacre.

He showed weapons and gear stored in a residential home, noting 
that all the houses in the area contain such arms, requiring the IDF to raid 
each house to dismantle the threat.

He also noted that Hezbollah’s storage of arms in the area 
violates UN resolution 1701.

Sinwar, Dead or Alive?

 Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has renewed contacts with mediators in Qatar, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Monday, citing sources familiar with the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Sinwar is seeking a wider regional war and is not interested in reaching a truce with Jerusalem. 

The article noted that Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre and who is believed to be hiding in Gaza’s tunnels, believes that he won’t survive the war and has hardened his stances over the past weeks.

“Hamas has shown no desire at all to engage in talks in recent weeks, U.S. officials say. They suspect that Mr. Sinwar has grown more resigned as Israeli forces pursue him and talk about closing in on him,” per the Times.

The article noted that Israel has questioned whether Sinwar is still alive, with U.S. and Israeli officials acknowledging that there had been no sign of him for months. However, in the absence of hard evidence of his death, American officials believed he was still alive and in charge of Hamas.

Channel 12 said over the weekend that the Qatari officials involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas told family members of hostages that Sinwar has surrounded himself with captives and that despite his disappearance, there is no indication of his death.

“Sinwar is currently not communicating with us. He has disappeared from us as well and has not made contact. He stopped using phones because of the assassinations, and now he communicates using paper and pen, which makes things very difficult,” the Qataris reportedly said.

Israel's Enemies "Celebrate" October 7th

 As we enter the sombre atmosphere of October 7th, the whole country is warned to be extra alert.  All terror groups wish to ‘commemorate’ Oct. 7 with more blood.  Terror attempts and extra rocket attacks are possible.

Already there have been:-

a) INFILTRATION ATTACK (NORTH)!  6 terrorists entered Israel from Lebanon via a tunnel, all of them were eliminated.  Apparently planned a massacre for today, were exposed by the IDF and eliminated.

b) SUICIDE DRONES (2) at RISHON L’ZIYON this morning!  Intercepted - “from the east”, possibly from Houthis - Yemen or from Iranian Shia militias Iraq.

c) ROCKET STRIKE HAIFA - late night, restaurant hit! 4 injured.  13 year old boy, shrapnel injury to the head. Hezbollah: “We bombed an IDF base.”

d) ROCKET STRIKE TIBERIAS - late night, 1 injured.

e) HAMAS ATTEMPTS COMMEMORATION ATTACK!  The IDF thwarted an immediate threat, following preliminary preparation and the identification of an intention by the terrorist organization Hamas to fire at the territory of the State of Israel, attacking multiple launch positions and a tunnel route.

f) Propaganda is expected today from Hamas who are expected to publish videos of hostages or a special message from Hamas leader Sinwar today. This may not happen as Sinwar seems to have disappeared.

g) As of publishing this blog at 4pm, 4 rockets have been fired into Israel by Hamas and 90 by Hezbollah

Videos from Iran show the transport of large amounts of missiles throughout the country.  Experts are suggesting they are redistributing missiles to prevent Israeli targeting opportunities.

Defense Minister Yoav Galant has said to CNN: An Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is not ruled out. However there are persistent rumours from the US suggesting that American officials have offered Israel extensive diplomatic backing and additional military assistance if they refrain from attacking certain targets in Iran. (Most would refer to this as blackmail!)

SUMMARY. There have been 885 civilian casualties, of which 53 were children under the age of 18 and more than 70,000 refugees of hostilities, since the beginning of the war. There are now 923 orphans and 340,000 dunams (85,000 acres) of Israeli territory have been burned.

Hezbollah's Terror Tunnel

 A tour through a terror Tunnel built by Hezbollah

From the Front Line in Haifa

 (From the front line in Haifa - thanks to Jeanine Hirschhorn)

Israel is under siege from her enemies.  Iran's 180 . . . or 200 . . . or 300 . . . or 500 depending on which reportage you indulge . . .missile barrage fell on central/southern/eastern Israel. Plenty of Pulizer-worthy images of interceptors  lighting up Israel's evening skies from Beersheva to Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and Iran missiles sailing over the Kotel and Al Aqsa.  Except for the north, no one was spared. Even the West Bank took a direct hit, killing one Palestinian in a village near Jericho.  An irony no medium outside of Israel will report.

While the rest of Israel was under siege from Iran's missiles, the North was outside of Iran's kill zone and quiet.  Well, except for the terrorists who've been lobbing rockets - whose explosions I sometimes hear and have to do the bomb shelter dash due to constant missiles all over the north/far north of Israel for the past 10 days. Directly after Iran's ballistic missile barrage, the terrorists lobbed a few rockets into a couple of border towns. Just so we wouldn't feel left out, I guess.  

Other terrorists (from Hebron) murdered 6 and 7 were wounded - or murdered 8 and 17 were wounded depending on which reportage you indulge - at a light-rail station near Yaffo.  Terrorists walked off the train and began shooting.  The terrorists were shot dead.  

IDF tanks continue to roll north on the road to Beirut. They've done it so many times, no doubt they didn't even bother to access Google Maps.  I had hoped they'd finally eliminate the above-mentioned terrorists who've been lobbing rockets all over the north.  But nope, they're still lobbing, last lob was at 08:54.

The Gaza battle continues, largely muted by newer battles and fronts.  The fate of Israel's 101 Hamas captives fades in the press of more existential demands. 

Some of the more responsible media are finally calling this war what it has been all along; not Israel versus "Palestine" or Gaza or even Hezbollah, but Israel versus Iran and Iran's pursuit via jihad for regional power and control. 

Rosh Hashana, which begins in  a few hours, is going to be a bust this year. All public Rosh Hashana celebrations are cancelled. So are Yom Kippur commemorations.  But one can hope for something that passes for a festive atmosphere for the week of Sukkot.  Maybe.

 

Palestinians Can’t Even Agree Amongst Themselves

(From the Al Qabas newspaper, Kuwait, August 22)

 On February 8, 2007 Fatah and Hamas agreed to sign the Mecca Agreement. In this historic accord 4 pivotal agreements emerged from these discussions.

    a)     halting and preventing further bloodshed among Palestinians and unifying the stance against occupation through dialogue to resolve political differences.

    b)     forming a Palestinian unity government.

    c)     revitalizing and reforming the Palestine Liberation Organization, and accelerating the efforts of the Preparatory Committee in line with the Cairo and Damascus agreements.

    d)     upholding the principle of political partnership based on existing Palestinian Authority laws, emphasizing political pluralism.

      Only weeks later, Hamas staged a coup against the PA and seized control of the Gaza Strip, rendering the Mecca Agreement seemingly ineffective.

In 2009, There was an Egyptian mediation attempted to reconcile the factions, giving rise to the Egyptian Paper, followed by the Cairo Agreement in 2011. Yet, these efforts too yielded no meaningful results.

The Doha Agreement in 2012, facilitated by the former emir of Qatar, this was succeeded by the Beach Camp Agreement in 2014. This failed within 6 months.

In October 2017, the Cairo Agreement emerged yet again, and both parties agreed to empower the Government of National Accord. However, the division remained.

Now, in 2024, driven by urgency and the relentless war on Gaza the Palestinians are seeking to sign yet another agreement, the Beijing Declaration.

Neither the Mecca agreement nor the 13 subsequent agreements over the years were honoured. Will the Beijing Agreement be any different?

Bad News for Hezbollah

With thanks to www.benherskowitz.com