GNITN – Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 14
Attacks On Two Fronts

Will Another Front From The North Come?

We talked about the belief that the attack from Hamas was supposed to be part of an assault on Israel from all sides, but Hamas went off script. Is it possible that there will still be attacks from other fronts? With the Houthis in Yemen sending attacks from their land and the continued rocket attacks from Lebanon, it appears that this may be the case. Here is how a report from The Times Of Israel details what is happening on the northern border of Israel now (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/fighting-continues-in-north-as-terror-groups-in-lebanon-fire-at-troops-launch-rockets/) :

There were renewed skirmishes on Israel’s border with Lebanon on Friday, with the Israeli military reporting that it had foiled plans by Hezbollah to carry out attacks, while a gunman possibly managed to infiltrate into Israel and open fire at forces, seriously wounding a soldier. A number of rockets and missiles were also launched at northern Israel from Lebanon, prompting Israeli artillery shelling in response.

Recent days have seen repeated clashes between the Israeli military and the Hezbollah terror group and allied Palestinian factions in southern Lebanon, amid fears a new front could be opened as Israel continues its war with Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

In the first incident Friday, the Israel Defense Forces said troops operating near the northern town of Margaliot, on the Lebanon border, came under fire. One reservist soldier was seriously wounded.

Israel Will Fight Yemen If Need Be

Yesterday a United States carrier near the Red Sea intercepted an attack from Yemen that they determined was heading for Israel. The Iran-backed Houthis are believed to be the perpetrators and this would be no surprise since the call for others to come against Israel was given almost from the start. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) says they are ready to respond if necessary according to this report from The Times Of Israel (see https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-ready-to-repel-houthi-attacks-is-striking-gaza-at-rate-not-seen-in-decades/) :

The Israeli Air Force is ready to repel attacks by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and is carrying out retaliatory airstrikes in the Gaza Strip “at a rate that has not been seen for decades,” IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Friday.

On Thursday, a US Navy ship intercepted a number of missiles and drones launched from Yemen, apparently toward Israel.

Hagari said that the Israeli military is prepared to protect against potential attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.

“This shows the defense capabilities of the US, and their ability to build a picture of the region,” Hagari said, noting the close relationship the IDF has with the US Central Command.

“Israel has some of the world’s best air defenses, and is prepared for threats like these,” he added.

US officials said Thursday that the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, was in the Red Sea and intercepted the three missiles. Unnamed Israeli officials told Hebrew-language media that the missiles were fired in the direction of Israel.

Ground Offense Getting Closer

According to military sources, Gaza is being struck at rates not seen in decades. And in an article from CBN.com they are ready to move in (see https://www2.cbn.com/news/israel/reserve-general-cbn-news-gaza-ground-invasion-imminent-now-everybody-praying) :

“Crush and conquer:" that's the stated goal for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, and one Israeli minister says the I.D.F. (Israeli Defense Forces) has the green light to move ahead, with the timing reportedly in the hands of the military.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops on the Golan Heights.

“I am here with Golani's fighters, they come from all parts of the country. They fought like lions, they will fight like lions," Netanyahu declared. "We are going to win with all our might. The entire nation of Israel stands behind you, and we will give the hard blow to our enemies so that we achieve victory – for victory!"

While some the timing as a delay, that isn’t the case as seen in this quote from the same article on CBN.com:

“There is no delay," he (Reserve Brigadier-General Amir Aviv) explained. "There is preparation. We have a schedule for preparing the troops. You have to remember that we have mobilized hundreds of thousands of reservists. We want to train them, equip them. They have to learn their mission. When we feel it is the right moment, we will go in. Anybody thinking maybe we are not going in, we (will) not operate, is not understanding what is going on. The ground operation is imminent.”

Weapons Found From Hamas Attack

The IDF revealed weapons left unused after the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas. The weaponry came from a variety of places with some home grown but some even from North Korea. In an article from Independent, a British news site, we read a short report (see https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/israel-hamas-weapons-idf-palestine-b2430044.html) concerning what they found:

The Israeli Defence Force revealed a huge arsenal of Hamas weapons after carrying out an enormous raid.

Standing in what appeared to be an empty factory in southern Israel, an IDF soldier presented the weapons to reporters during a live press conference.

Amongst the weapons, placed on the ground behind the soldier, a huge collection of landmines, rockets and ammunition supplies can be seen.

“I believe they have much more of this but there is nothing new here and we can deal with everything you can see here,” the soldier said.

According to the IDF, most of the weapons are a “local production”.

We turn to report from 24news.tv on more of what the IDF found which include documents about the attack itself:

Among the documents discovered are detailed attack orders concentrated on kibbutzim surrounding the Gaza Strip, shedding light on Hamas's intention to carry out terrorist attacks targeting both civilians and soldiers.

The trove also includes a brochure outlining the involved forces, coordinated actions, attack phases, and specific code words. Moreover, it details the treatment and handling of hostages within surrounding settlements.

Of particular significance, a Hamas terrorist in Israeli territory was found in possession of a comprehensive plan for a terrorist attack on Kibbutz Alumim, providing substantial evidence of the organization's role in planning and executing attacks against Israeli citizens.

They also found a great deal of medical supplies, food and other supplies indicating that Hamas was in this for the long haul if needed.

Two Hostages Released

Some good news was released today and that is two hostages were set free by Hamas. For more information on this, we go back to an article from CBN.com (see https://www2.cbn.com/news/us/developing-hamas-releases-2-us-hostages) :

Two American hostages kidnapped from Israel by Hamas terrorists were reportedly released into Israeli custody on Friday.

"In response to Qatari efforts, Al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens (a mother and her daughter) for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless," Hamas said in a statement, according to the Times of Israel.

U.S. and Israeli officials did not immediately comment on that statement, but Israel did confirm the release had taken place.

The pair have been identified as a mother and daughter, Judith and Natalie Raanan, who were taken by Hamas from the Nahal Oz kibbutz in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip, Fox News first reported.

Israel's Channel 12 said "Israeli sources" confirmed the release of the women who were set to arrive in Egypt shortly before 9 p.m. local time.

The women, from Illinois, were being released due to the mother's declining health. They are reportedly being treated at a Red Cross, CNN claimed.

Rabbi Meir Hecht told Israel 12 the mother and daughter were visiting Israel for a special trip to celebrate a relative's birthday and observe a Jewish holiday. "It feels like our community has been violated," Hecht said.

Regardless of who takes credit, this is a step in the right direction.

How Long Will This Last?

As always, I like to bring in a Biblical perspective and one such perspective is a prophetic word from Donna Rigney:

The Lord first spoke to me about a Tuesday morning, which this is what he said to me, October 10th. He said the war in Israel will be short-lived, which relieved me when I heard that. I think that we're all wondering how long is this going to go on, right? He said there will be much damage on both sides and much heartbreak. The cost will be high. Israel will react like an iron fist, slamming down with great force. When the Lord said that, I saw an iron fist in the spirit. It looked like a human hand but it was iron. It came slamming down. He said Israel is going to react like an iron fist coming slamming down. This will put a sudden stop to the carnage, and it will be my doing. When Israel reacts like this, God said this will be my doing. This is His leading. Israel to react like that. The wicked will run scrambling for cover to no avail, even under the cover of darkness, they will be found and held accountable. The Lord is totally aware of what's going on. He says it's not going to last long. Israel, at the leading of the Holy Spirit, at God's leading, is going to react and respond…What He was showing me was that He didn't want to wait until the prayers arose before His throne and came to His throne. He wanted those prayers quickly. And this is what He said immediately. "I am gathering my children's cries in this hour for peace and for Israel to be restored." He really stressed the word "immediately." So He used this encounter to show me His heart and that I could reveal it to everyone else. His heart is, "I want to get this thing resolved quickly. I do not want to see my people suffering who, yeah, at the hands of the wicked. I want my children rescued. I want to act quickly." … And so what God was doing was collecting them. He's like, "Father, this was Father doing this." He's like, "I'm going and getting these things because I want this thing to end fast."

Lord let this happen.