Dear friends, the last time I wrote I focused on messages to be drawn from Chanukah, promising to catch up on news in the next posting. I will look at the news here. But there are other Chanukah thoughts that merit sharing first.
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Journalist and author Nadav Shragai compares today’s Israelis to the Maccabees (emphasis added):
“More and more tales of valor have emerged since Oct. 7, 2023, alongside an increasing number of… IDF announcements of fallen soldiers that wrench both heart and soul. This Hanukkah, we can also tell of the Maccabees of our own time: Aner Shapira, who with his bare hands repeatedly threw back out the grenades that Hamas terrorists hurled into the shelter, protecting those inside until he was finally struck down; Shifra Buchris, who maintained her composure while evacuating hundreds from the Nova festival; the Klamenson team, who rescued numerous kibbutz Be’eri residents under heavy fire; the heroes of the civilian response teams, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice; Adar Ben-Simon, who confronted terrorists in the Zikim Base, neutralizing many before falling in battle herself; Yissachar Nathan, who saved families in Kfar Aza and fell fighting in northern Gaza…
“This war marks the renaissance of heroism, spanning across society, from diverse sectors and age groups: adherents of Religious Zionism, settlement residents, kibbutz members, city dwellers, and those from peripheral regions. Each contributed chapters to the epic of Iron Swords’ valor. ‘Who can recall the heroism of Israel, who can count them? For in every generation, a hero arises who redeems the nation,’ wrote Menashe Ravina in 1935, unaware of how his words would resonate with the Maccabees of 2024.”
https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/12/29/maccabees-of-2024/
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Then from Rabbi Moshe Taragin of Yeshivat Har Etzion (emphasis added):
“The Seleucid army [with which the Maccabees did battle]…stood as one of the Hellenistic periods’ most powerful expansive forces. It could marshal tens of thousands of soldiers…for battle – with infantry, cavalry and even fearsome war elephants…It was against this seemingly insurmountable force that the small band of Maccabean warriors dared to stand. The few who defended Jerusalem and ultimately triumphed were astonishingly small in number…
“The world around us has descended into moral confusion – and bloodthirsty murder against Jews. We will always be outnumbered at protests and be the minority on social media. Being among the few and holding our ground is part of being Jewish…
“Comparisons with other people distract and deflate. There is greater glory in belonging to the few.”
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-834985
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As we turn to the news, the bottom line is that we have come very far in our battle for survival and security, but there is much work still to be done.
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In Gaza, we have decimated Hamas but not taken this terror group out completely. Without our vigilance and renewed battle as necessary, they will reinvigorate themselves in order to attack once more. On Shabbat, Hamas launched two rockets towards the center of Israel and the Negev. They came from the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza – where a military operation of considerable dimensions was on-going – and were taken out.
Overnight, IAF fighter jets targeted the launchers involved in Saturday’s rocket attack.
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By Saturday night, an operation to destroy a Hamas terrorist headquarters embedded within the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza city of Jabaliya had been completed. More than 240 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists were arrested…
According to the IDF, “Several terrorists tried to disguise themselves as patients and medical staff, and a number of them also tried to escape in ambulances.
“Among the detainees who were transferred for investigation was the hospital director who is suspected of being a Hamas activist, along with Hamas anti-tank missile and engineering saboteurs, and about 15 saboteurs who participated in the October 7 massacre.”
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Yesterday (Sunday) terrorists in the north of Gaza Strip fired five rockets at Israeli communities in the “Gaza Envelope.” Two were intercepted and three fell in open areas.
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As to efforts to secure the release of hostages, the news is horrendous.
In spite of the reports about a deal being close, to date this has not been achieved and likely will not be. Israel has demanded from Hamas a list of the live hostages that will be released as part of the deal. Hamas has responded that a ceasefire must be in place for a while first, so that the hostages – held in a variety of places – can be located. According to i24, “those who conduct the negotiations on behalf of Hamas do not necessarily control the happening on the ground.” This creates an impossible situation.
Additionally, in a change of position, Hamas now apparently refuses to release wounded hostages as part of the humanitarian list and is attempting to secure special compensation for them.
US National Security Advisor John Kirby had this to say about the negotiations (emphasis added):
“I would just add again that Hamas is the obstacle. As you get down towards what you believe is a conclusion of a negotiation, which we believe we are close to, it’s the specific details that become the issues over which the sides barter…And it is because of Hamas throwing up obstacles or refusing to move on any of these details that we are still not at a conclusion.”
What makes all of this more painful is that the Israeli Ministry of Health has submitted to the UN a report on the suffering endured by those who were in Hamas captivity and no longer are. We can assume that those still held by Hamas are being treated at least as badly and perhaps worse than those who are out.
According to Uriel Busso, Minister of Health: “The report…is a harrowing testimony to the brutal experiences suffered by the hostages in Hamas captivity—cruel violence, psychological abuse, physical torment, and unfathomable acts of horror.” (Emphasis added)
https://www.gov.il/en/pages/28122024-01
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In Lebanon, what is transpiring is hardly unexpected: Israel is the force to be reconned with. The IDF, which is operating in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire, continues to take out Hezbollah terrorist sites. Daily, arms pointed at Israel are uncovered. I note two here two IDF discoveries of importance:
“Israeli military forces have uncovered — and dismantled — a subterranean Hezbollah terrorist tunnel and attack base in southern Lebanon.
“The 100 meter (330 feet)-long tunnel route led to a hideout for elite Hezbollah Radwan commando forces, as well as a Hezbollah command center containing rocket launchers used to fire at Israel during the war, along with a large number of explosives.
“The Yahalom Unit investigated and cleared the tunnel route of explosives and threats, and assisted troops who located rifles, machine guns, anti-tank missiles, and observation systems inside the tunnel.
“All the uncovered equipment was confiscated and destroyed, as well as the underground tunnel route itself.
“Near the tunnel, Israeli forces also discovered an anti-tank missile stockpile and heavy machine gun positions aimed at IDF posts.”
Among IDF discoveries was the presence of Hezbollah bases designed to look like villages. “Those aren’t villages with some military infrastructure— this is a military base disguised as a civilian area,” reported Sarit Zahavi, president of the Alma Research Center.
Zehavi further notes that Hezbollah appears to be preparing for the next phase of conflict – “the group is already coordinating reconstruction efforts through its organization, ‘Jihad al-Bina’.
“They’ve set up a command center in southern Lebanon to map damages, assist residents, and rebuild infrastructure.”
It is apparent that Hezbollah is using the current lull in hostilities to strengthen its military capabilities. Would we expect anything else?
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By the end of the two-month ceasefire that began on November 27, Israel is supposed to be withdrawn from southern Lebanon. But there is very serious doubt that this will happen because the deployment of the Lebanese army – which is supposed to replace the IDF (a joke) – is moving very slowly. One of the reasons being considered is that Hezbollah may be pressuring the Lebanese Army to avoid taking positions in Southern Lebanon, leaving a vacuum for Hezbollah to exploit later.
In light of the failure of the Lebanese Army to promptly and effectively deploy, as well as the fact that military installations, with weaponry facing Israel, are still being discovered – military installations that only Israel will take out – it would be madness for the IDF to pull out.
https://www.jns.org/delays-in-lebanese-army-deployment-could-force-idf-to-stay/
All of this was predictable. Watch now when voices are raised in protest because of claims that Israel is not honoring the ceasefire. It is in situations such as this that Israeli determination and strength are all-important. Only the IDF can provide security for Israel’s north.
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I will mention Syria briefly here, as much is still in flux. Abu Mohammad al-Julani – head of the rebel group that is in control of major parts of Syria now and has established an interim government – is making the right noises in terms of expressing a desire to be peaceful. He claims that he has only good intentions towards Israel and wants to be part of the Arab world.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-834357
Israel, however, is not buying it. Al-Julani calls for Israel to withdraw from the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan and the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, saying it is not necessary for Israel to be there. Israel’s response is that we will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights. For this reason, Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border and will remain there until security can be guaranteed.
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This action on the part of Israel is wise.
“In a confidential meeting held this week at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, two high-ranking Military Intelligence Service officers said that as far as they were concerned, al-Julani’s goodwill offensive was a show, and sooner or later the new regime would turn against Israel.
“’Our working assumption is that his attitude towards Israel is that of an enemy and that ultimately the rebel regime will be hostile toward us,’ the intelligence officers told the committee.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told the Committee (emphasis added): “Had we not destroyed the Syrian army’s weapons systems, they would have fallen into the hands of jihadist forces…
“The new government in Damascus is a carbon copy of the government in Idlib [an area in northwest Syria that was controlled by these rebels]; it does not include all the groups in Syria. There are extremist Islamists in this government. They market themselves to the West as moderates and Western countries have an interest in accepting their whitewashing because they want to return the refugees staying in their territories to Syria.
“…In the current state of uncertainty, we cannot move from the points we have captured in Syria. We must prevent the creation of a threat on our border with Syria…”
Already there are signs that the Syrian government will not be moderate; I will follow with much more.
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A major issue now confronting Israel is that of the attacks by the Houthis in Yemen.
With Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah seriously crippled by the IDF, Iran looks to the Houthis to carry more of the responsibility for carrying the “resistance” forward. And so, Houthi launching of ballistic missiles towards Israel has increased in number. This past Wednesday morning, a ballistic missile was fired by the Houthis; it was the fourth missile in the course of a week.
This is hardly the rate at which Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel’s north. But it is seriously disruptive to the nation as sirens are sounded over a wide swath of Israel, sending people into shelters to avoid being hit by shrapnel when the missile is intercepted.
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Last Thursday, Israel attacked in Yemen, hitting multiple targets including Sanaa International Airport, as well as military infrastructure at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Kanatib and two power stations. And Prime Minister Netanyahu says we are just getting started.
Taking down the Houthis will be a difficult task, however. This is in part because of the distance to be crossed to reach Yemen from Israel – some 2,2000 kilometers (1,366 miles) – and the fact that the Houthis are proudly independent, not necessarily acting on Iran’s orders. Analysts say that the sites hit by Israel are not sufficient, there must be a targeting of Houthi leadership.
The considered thought is that Israel requires a coalition of allies – the US, the UAE, the Saudis – to work with us on taking down the Houthis.
Says Danny Citrinowicz, research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, “We need to pause, sit with the Americans and wait for the Trump administration.”
Many of us are holding our breath and counting the days until January 20, on several scores.
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As for current American assistance, the THAAD missile defense system battery was utilized recently to take down a Houthi ballistic missile. The missile, launched over a distance of more than 1,000 miles, has a higher trajectory than missiles launched by Hezbollah and the Iron Dome cannot contend with this.
Stay tuned…
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Please, pray with a full heart…
[] for the safety of the Jewish People everywhere,
[] for the continued strength and courage of Israel’s leaders as they make the hard decisions,
[] for the safety of our soldiers in battle as they fight a righteous war,
[] and for the rescue of the hostages.
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©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
