Military Threats and Responses
Israel remains on high alert for a major retaliation from Iran following last week’s assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr, senior leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah respectively. The US has moved fighter jets and warships, as well as an aircraft carrier, into the Middle East to help defend Israel in case of attack and in an attempt to prevent a wider regional war. There are signs that the intense diplomatic pressure that the US and other countries have brought to bear, along with the revelation Haniyeh was killed by a remote control bomb may lead Iran to limit the scope and intensity of its attack, since the circumstances of Haniyeh’s death suggest it did not involve violations of Iranian airspace. On the other hand, media reports from yesterday indicate that Hezbollah may attack Israel independently of what Iran does; this could even include a ground invasion from the north.
- Hezbollah's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, vowed in a televised address on Tuesday that the group would deliver a "strong and effective" response to recent Israeli attacks. Nasrallah stated that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, would act either on its own or in conjunction with its regional allies.
- Hamas announced Tuesday that Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7th attack, has been appointed head of its political office. Sinwar, who spent 20 years in Israeli prisons, is viewed by Israeli officials as a strategic thinker with a deep understanding of Israeli society. He has led Hamas in Gaza since 2017.
- Amidst heavy bombardments of northern Israel this week, 19 Israelis were injured by a barrage of drones launched by Hezbollah that struck near the city of Nahriya in the western Galilee on Tuesday. Israelis in the north are living in constant fear for their lives.
- On Tuesday, a 20-year-old female border police officer was stabbed with a screwdriver at a checkpoint on the Gush Etzion tunnel road near Jerusalem. Thankfully, her injuries were superficial. The terrorist, who was also armed with a knife, was killed at the scene.
- Seven Americans were wounded on Monday in a rocket attack on Ain al Asad Air Base in Iraq. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said that the US would “respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing.”
- The IDF reported that a Hezbollah commander involved in launching anti-tank guided missiles at northern Israel was killed in a drone strike. Hassan Fares Jeshi was targeted and killed in Jouaiyya, which is in southern Lebanon. In a separate operation, Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah-owned buildings in Aitaroun.
- Six more Hezbollah fighters were killed in border clashes with Israeli forces, the terrorist group reported on Tuesday. This brings the total number of terrorists killed to 400 since October.
- Israeli warplanes flew low over Beirut on Tuesday, creating a large sonic boom just before Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah spoke at the memorial service for Fuad Shukr.
- Iran advised civilian airlines to avoid flying through its airspace between 4 and 7 this morning so that the country could conduct “military exercises.”
- Russia has reportedly delivered advanced air defense systems to Iran.
Conscription for Haredi Jews
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A military representative reported to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that only 48 out of 900 Haredim with draft orders attended preliminary processing this week. The military plans to draft about 3,000 Haredim following a High Court ruling mandating their conscription.
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Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting against mandatory military service for their community broke into an army base near Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
- As protests against military service by the Haredi community continue, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee began deliberations around a bill that the Ministry of Defense is seeking to advance which would lengthen mandatory IDF service to 36 months. Read more here.
Hostages
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A new poll shows that more than half of Israelis now support a hostage deal to end the war in Gaza, with about one-third opposing such a move.
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Israel has not yet received a response from Sinwar regarding the deal that was proposed this week that adds new conditions, including that many of the terrorists, who are in jail for killing Israelis, be deported to Arab countries rather than being allowed to return to Gaza or the West Bank.
- The Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday that Bilha Yinon,75, the last remaining person whose fate from the October 7 Hamas attack was unknown, died in the attack, along with her husband, Yaakov, at their home in Netiv Haasara.
Others News from Israel
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The Knesset expanded compensation for businesses in northern Israel through the end of August. For the first time, businesses in the Upper Galilee will also qualify for this support.
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With Israel under high alert, multiple airlines have once again canceled flights. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been left stranded overseas or unable to complete planned travel as a result.
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Israelis are problem solving to address a wide range of potential scenarios that could result from a major retaliatory attack, including debating what to wear in public shelters.
International
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President Biden spoke with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Tuesday. The leaders agreed on the importance of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
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Turkey will submit a declaration of intervention today in South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
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Organizers of an international frisbee tournament in Gent, Belgium have announced that the Israeli team is banned from participating due to security concerns related to anti-Israel protests. This postponement came after anti-Israel activists spray-painted slogans at a tournament venue in the nearby village of De Pinte.
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The US and British ambassadors to Japan announced on Wednesday that they would not attend Nagasaki’s annual peace memorial ceremony this week due to Israel’s not being invited. The ceremony on Friday commemorates the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city and is set to include dignitaries from over 150 countries and territories.
- Concerned about a potential widening of the conflict, the Canadian government decided yesterday to evacuate children and guardians of diplomats from Israel.
Israel at the Summer Olympics
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Israel has now won a total of six medals at the Olympics.
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Israeli cyclist Mikhail Yakovlev briefly set a new Olympic record in the men’s sprint with a time of 9.152 seconds. However, his record was quickly surpassed by Australia’s Matthew Richardson, who set both an Olympic and world record at 9.091 seconds, followed shortly by the Netherlands’ Harrie Lavreysen with a time of 9.088 seconds. Yakovlev, 23, finished third overall.
- Israeli-American wrestler Amit Elor, who won a gold medal at the Olympics yesterday, shared a message in Hebrew for Israelis following her victory in Paris. Elor also wore a yellow pin as a tribute to the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
