GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 169

War Against Hezbollah Updates

There’s Gonna Be War In The North

While Israel would prefer to not have to fight Hezbollah, many are saying that having peace in north Israel can’t occur without it as we read in an article from CBN.com:

While the U.S. and Israel negotiate an end to the war in Gaza, missiles are still flying on the northern border with Hezbollah. Many in this part of the world believe a larger war there is just a matter of time.

Recently, a Hezbollah rocket hit the building where Valentina and Valeri Shevzov live in Kiryat Shmona.

"The home went like this, yes?" Valentina said, making a shaking motion.

"We heard a loud explosion," Valeri added, "but we didn't expect it to be in our building."

The city's mayor, Avichai Stern, explained that while the rockets are manufactured in Lebanon, the technology is Iranian.

"We have 22 hits, direct hits of residential buildings, and peripheral damage is even bigger," Stern stated. "We have four kindergartens, three daycare centers, and two schools that were hit."

This city is very close to the Lebanon border and we need perspective to grasp the danger there:

Kiryat Shmona is about six miles away from the Lebanese border. Most of the residents have evacuated. They're some of the more than 80,000 Israelis who have evacuated along the length of the northern border.

Overlooking the Syrian border near Lebanon, Reserve Israeli Defense Forces Col. Marco Moreno tried to give Americans an idea of the threat to Israel.

"Imagine Florida. You will accept (that) 80,000 people will go because – I don't know – Mexico is shooting on you, or Cuba. Which country would accept that? he asked.

Moreno sees no other way to end this:

Col. Moreno believes war with Hezbollah is the only way out of a situation Israel can't endure.

"My suggestion – strategic, like in strategic level – we don't care what they think. We don't care how they think. We need to do the job. It's our interest as a country," Moreno told a group of reporters. "Guys, listen, it's crazy. Think about it. 80,000 people evacuated from their homes in the north," he added.

It’s A Matter Of Survival

And it’s a matter of sending a message:

Moreno calls it a fight for Israel's survival.

"This is the Independence War (of 1948). If we don't do it right, we are lost," he insisted. "All the neighbors are looking at us, all the Muslims – we'll see how the Israelis will react. If we don't say let's go crazy for us, it's done for us."

Meanwhile, the rumbling of war continues between Israel and Hezbollah. U.S. mediators such as Amos Hochstein are seeking a diplomatic solution by trying to convince Hezbollah to pull its forces away from the border.

Despite these efforts, Moreno still sees war as inevitable.

"The war will kickstart in the north," he cautioned. "Don't let anyone tell you stories. There's gonna be a war in the north. It will happen, I give you the signs for it."

Moreno believes that Rafah will come first and then Hezbollah will be the focus of the IDF:

Moreno continued," Once you see the volume is down in Rafah, in Gaza – when you see the volume is down, meaning the army is not, you know, very busy there, which means it's going up – all the good troops that (are) now deployed in Gaza will go up (to the northern border)."

Moreno adds that resupplying weaponry and the weather are also important factors.

"In the meanwhile, we are getting from our American brothers all we need for the Iron Dome and for (the) Air Force, and probably then the weather will be better because of the tanks – and I'm assuming around May, maybe after Passover."

For those still living there, few options remain:

As for the many empty homes in Kiryat Shmona, only about three thousand people remain, including Yehuda Albilya, a local resident.

"There's no other option, I need to work, I need to make a living, Albilya said. "No one else will come here and work instead of us. It doesn't mean that if (Hezbollah Sheik) Nasrallah shells us, we shouldn't stop working. This is the situation here at the moment, and, God willing, I hope all residents will come back here."

Shifa Hospital: “We’ll Stop When All Terrorists Are In Our Hands”

The operation to take back the Shifa Hospital complex is not on a time clock as we read in an article from The Jerusalem Post:

The Commanding Officer of the Southern Command said on Saturday in Shifa Hospital, "We will end this operation only when the last of the terrorists is in our hands - dead or alive."

The Southern Command Commanding Officer, Yaron Finkelman, held a situation assessment at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Friday with the Head of the Intelligence Directorate (J2), MG Aharon Haliva, the Commanding Officer of the 162nd Division, BG Itzik Cohen, and the Commanding Officer of Shayetet 13, Capt. A.

The raid is considerable:

Finkelman said, "The operation here in Shifa is significant. A daring, tricky, and most impressive operation so far. It struck hundreds of terrorists, apprehended hundreds of terrorists, and brought in significant operational and intelligence assets."

"We are continuing with this operation, the leadership of the commanders is excellent, and we will finish this operation only when the last terrorist is in our hands - alive or dead. Great appreciation for the soldiers, great appreciation for the commanders, keep moving forward, do not stop for a moment."

The results so far speak for themselves:

The Shifa Hospital operation began on Monday, and since then, more than 170 terrorists in the hospital and surrounding area have been eliminated, including senior Hamas officials.

These senior Hamas officials whom the IDF captured included Nablus terror leader Amad Atzida and Hamdala Hassan Ali, who has managed much of the terror in the Qalqilya area.

Mahmoud Kawasme, the last terrorist conspirer connected to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in 2014, has also been arrested in the area.

The troubling part is that Hamas regrouped there at all. Hopefully that won’t happen again.

IDF Warfare Shakes Iran, Hezbollah

As we read in a report from The Jerusalem Times, Israel is severely limiting Hezbollah and its military supplies from Iran. But Israel was surprised first:

Assad Awad, the military commentator from the Saudi channel Al-Hadath, appeared on the channel on Thursday. He addressed the situation in Israel’s North and analyzed the IDF's tactics in the region.

Awad addressed Israel’s conflict between Hezbollah and Iran. Speaking on the conflict, Awad suggested, "Israel was surprised by the extent of the tunnels in Gaza and the military methods [of Hamas,] and it has adopted a new strategy for regional deterrence," he said at the outset.

But in the north the IDF did damage of its own:

In the initial stage, according to Awad, "Israel severely hit Iranian shipment operations to the region and destroyed many weapon shipments that were on their way from Iran.

"In the next stage, warehouses in eastern Syria were attacked and destroyed. [The warehouses] contain[ed] weapons that could have been deployed to the border with Israel within hours. In fact, it undermined Iran's supply lines to Hezbollah and Iranian militias in the region.

Awad thinks the IDF can do even more damage next:

"All these actions may serve as a prelude to more significant activities, which may include the destruction of Hezbollah tunnels or at least disrupting the fortifications along the border with Lebanon, stretching over 79 kilometers, as well as in the Golan Heights area, which is expected to be much more challenging.”

Awad went on to clarify that "Geographically, the Golan Heights area – facing Shebaa Farms, is a tough terrain considered a Hezbollah stronghold. Israeli airstrikes will not be advantageous there, and Israel will need to show creativity in finding new operational tactics."

In his remarks, he referred to the Mountains Brigade, which will begin its operations in the coming weeks - at the height of the war, and will operate in the sectors of Mount Hermon and Mount Dov.

“Forces in the Mountains Brigade participated in the 2006 war and come with a deep familiarity with Hezbollah's tunnels,'" he said.

The IDF might need to attack quickly as they have an advantage now:

"In recent weeks, Hezbollah has begun building tunnels from Syria to Lebanon, aiming to transfer weapons from the arsenals, but at this stage, there is no benefit in tunnels. I estimate 70%-80% of the arsenals have been destroyed,” Awad theorized. “This is expected to delay any plan Hezbollah seeks to implement, and this may be Israel's opportunity.”

So much is unknown about both Hezbollah’s abilities or even Israel’s abilities, but one thing is certain, both will be tested sooner than later if what we’re hearing about all war fronts is accurate. Like a broken record I admonish us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and use all the information shared here for the specifics on that intercession.