One Kibbutz on Gaza Border Starts to Rebuild Lives

 

This kibbutz on the Gaza border shows hope, energy and resilience
at its best as the residents of Nirim start rebuilding their lives

Life on the Border - Haifa where it is not at all normal

 (From my friend in Haifa,  Forest Rain Marcia - Life on the Border)

Here’s a tiny snippet of Israeli reality that is not at all normal –

Today I am at home, working on my computer. As I work, the alerts of sirens elsewhere beep on my phone. Every beep a siren screaming at other Israelis to run for their lives.

I saw the pattern of the alerts and it was obvious that they were getting closer to my location. I thought to myself, “maybe I should get up and go pee before the sirens go off and I have to run for the shelter.”

I didn’t get up – and the sirens went off. I grabbed my phone, keys and ran down to the shelter.

The other neighbors who were at home came down too. The young parents worried about their baby in his daycare (elsewhere in Haifa). The young woman with her two little dogs. Other neighbors.

Then a stranger came running in, panting. She left her care in the middle of the road and wasn’t sure where to go for shelter. We calmed her down and told her to just focus on catching her breath. It’s better to worry about her car being in other people’s way than to go out to early and risk shrapnel.

We waited our 10 minutes, according to safety guidelines and everyone went back to what they were doing before.

And that was better than yesterday –

I was on the highway, in the center of Israel when the sirens went off. We were in the left lane and had to get to the right side of the road where there was a bit of a shoulder. The concept is to get as far away from the cars as possible and, if there is no shelter, to lie flat, as low as possible and pray that any shrapnel flies over your head and doesn’t pierce your body.

Just getting to the side of the road wasn’t easy. Some people, in panic, kept on driving and could have easily hit anyone crossing the highway. We managed it, climbed over the rail and discovered there was a ditch to lie in – better than nothing and certainly better than being on the same level as the cars. When there is a blast car windows can shatter and become piercing shrapnel

We found ourselves in the ditch with a mixture of other people. Those who haven’t seen the results of missile impact are less careful about following safety guidelines than those of us who have. It's important to lie down, not just kneel and to get as far away as possible from anything that can turn into shrapnel.

 

There was a young woman, perhaps 17 who was on the phone with her dad so he could tell her what to do. She was worried about leaving the car and didn’t know how to protect herself. We showed her how to lie down and explained why and then took pictures so she could show her dad that she implemented what he was trying to explain on the phone. A young mother was holding a little girl, perhaps 10, trying to pretend that everything was normal. People were going back to their cars too quickly so I reinforced what the mother was doing, telling the little girl that her mom was right, that it’s important to wait the full 10 minutes and that she was very brave. She told us her name and smiled. The mother who had a harder time smiling, told us that it was the second time in the same day they were having that experience.

The booms from the interceptions were very loud. Very close. They make little puff clouds in the sky that are not at all cute when you know that they are death interrupted.

At night we heard the news that a young man was killed by shrapnel when he got out of his car to lie down in a field, according to instructions. He was alone and the missile was too close, the shrapnel hit the wrong way and there was no one there to provide emergency care.

This is our reality and it’s not at all normal.

One Gazan Citizen, Two Jobs!

(With thanks to Ben Herskowitz)

 
               

Why The IDF Destroyed This Girl’s House In Lebanon

written by David Mark November 4, 2024 

The video below has been making the rounds on social media in the attempt of defaming the IDF and tricking viewers into believing that Israel blew up an “innocent Lebanese” home. 

While it’s true the IDF destroyed this girl’s home in Khiam, her video does not tell the truth. Khiam is a known Hezbollah stronghold. It has been used to target Metula with non-stop rocket and anti-tank fire since October 8th. It is also Hezbollah’s main position blocking the IDF from reaching the Christian city of Marjaayoun which rests on the southern side of the Litani River.

A Lebanese woman who lives outside of Lebanon identified the piano in her home (more like a palace...) in the city of Khiam in southern Lebanon in a video posted by IDF soldiers on social media. She published the "after" and then the "before". The piano survived.

 

This same house, with its piano is nothing other than a major command center for Hezbollah. 

 That’s right, Julia Ali’s house was not some sort of innocent upper middle class home with a beautiful piano. It was a major Hezbollah position used to fire cornet missiles at Israeli civilians in northern Israel. That means Julia and her family are more than likely Hezbollah operatives and due to their purposeful targeting of civilians they are guilty of war crimes.

So why is this important?

Villages like Khiam and others close to the border with Israel are not some peaceful towns that have nothing to do with the conflict. They serve as the forward bases for Hezbollah soldiers themselves. Often times, the families in these buildings are members of Hezbollah. In other instances, Hezbollah chased out the families and took over their houses.

All of this should be a reminder that Jihadists condone the use of “civilians” as part of their armed conflict against their enemies. For Jihadists there are no civilians, just soldiers with different roles.

 

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)