GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War Day 624

In It For The Long Haul

Diplomacy With A Catch

Iran says they will agree to a deal concerning their nuclear program with one caveat as we read in a report from The Times Of Israel:

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis, three diplomats told Reuters.

The caveat? It’s pretty predictable since Hamas used it before in their hostage talks:

According to the diplomats, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, Araghchi said Tehran would not return to negotiations over its nuclear program unless Israel stopped the attacks, which began June 13 and triggered deadly Iranian missile attacks across Israel.

Iran is still not willing to stop their uranium enrichment program:

The diplomats said the talks between Araghchi and Witkoff included a brief discussion of Washington’s proposal given to Tehran at the end of May. Tehran has so far rejected the offer, which aims to create a regional consortium that would enrich uranium outside of Iran.

These talks may be why Trump hasn’t pulled the trigger to help Israel. Iran hints at compromising but only if Israel quits attacking them:

A regional diplomat close to Tehran said Araghchi had told Witkoff that Tehran “could show flexibility in the nuclear issue” if Washington pressured Israel to end the war.

A European diplomat said: “Araghchi told Witkoff Iran was ready to come back to nuclear talks, but it could not if Israel continued its bombing.”

The uranium enrichment program is and will remain the reason a deal won’t be reached:

US President Donald Trump wants Tehran to end uranium enrichment on its soil, while Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Tehran’s right to enrichment is non-negotiable.

The other problem should be obvious to anyone listening the Iran and its proxies:

Iran, whose leaders are sworn to destroy Israel, publicly rejects nuclear weapons, but has stockpiled uranium enriched to 60% — far beyond what is needed for civilian use, and a short step from weapons-grade.

In another set of brief articles Trump disagreed with both Netanyahu and his Director of National Intelligence when he said that Israel can’t take out Iran’s nuclear sites alone and that Tulsi Gabbard is wrong when she says there is no evidence of Iran wanting nuclear weapons:

Trump indicates that Israel wouldn’t be able to take out Iran’s Fordo underground nuclear facility on its own. “They really have a very limited capacity. They could break through a little section, but they can’t go down very deep. They don’t have that capacity.”

Pressed again on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s March assessment that Iran has not made a decision to build a nuclear weapon, Trump reiterates that “she’s wrong.”

I still believe Netanyahu over Trump on the IDF’s abilities and I think Gabbard is right for her job, but she needs to consult with her boss more on military intelligence.

It Could Take Time

We’re told in an article from The Times Of Israel that Israelis need to be ready for a longer fight:

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Friday that Israelis must prepare for a “prolonged campaign” against Iran to “eliminate a threat of this magnitude,” indicating that a quick end to the campaign was unlikely.

Zamir went on to detail how we got to this point:

In a video statement, Zamir said Iran had been “building for years a clear plan to destroy the State of Israel” and that in recent months, “the plan reached the point of no return, where the capabilities reached operational capability.”

Zamir said Israel launched its opening attack on Iran knowing that “Iran possessed around 2,500 surface-to-surface missiles, with a high production rate, such that within approximately two years, they were expected to possess around 8,000 missiles.”

He said that Israel had no choice but to strike when it did:

Iran’s ballistic missile efforts, nuclear advances and regional terror proxies “compelled us to strike and deliver a preemptive blow,” said the general.

“The IDF will not stand by and watch as threats develop,” he said. “As part of an emerging doctrine, we will act proactively and in advance to prevent an existential threat and to face any challenge.”

This offensive was planned for some time and not just in the last few months as some think:

According to Zamir, the IDF “prepared for this operation for years” and launched it “thanks to the convergence of operational and strategic conditions.”

“Had we delayed, there was a risk of losing these conditions and entering the campaign in the future from a position of clear disadvantage,” he said. “We understood that history would not forgive us if we failed to act now to defend the existence of the Jewish people in the State of Israel.” The IDF’s opening “surprise” strikes on Iran “achieved extraordinary results,” said Zamir.

He stated all the accomplishments and then spoke to the citizens of Israel to hunker down:

“Dear citizens of Israel, he continued. “Alongside the offensive operations, the defense of the home front continues. This is a different challenge from what we have known until now. The enemy, in its weakness, deliberately targets civilians, as we have experienced once again in the recent barrage. Our enemies do not understand that the Israeli home front is the source of the IDF’s strength, not its weakness.”

“We are preparing for a range of possible developments. We have embarked on the most complex campaign in our history. We launched this campaign in order to eliminate a threat of this magnitude, against such an enemy, which requires readiness for a prolonged campaign,” said Zamir.

“The IDF is prepared for this. With each passing day, our freedom of action is expanding, and the enemy’s is shrinking,” he said. “The campaign is not over. While we have achieved significant results, challenging days still lie ahead, and we must remain alert and united until the mission is complete.”

“I am confident that together, we will finish this campaign with Israel’s hand on top,” added Zamir.

Pray that it will end sooner, but also pray that it ends exactly the way God intends for it to end.