GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 88

War With Hezbollah Is Coming

It’s On Now

I have said from the start that Lebanon and Hezbollah are going to be in the think of this war before it’s over and we may have seen the start of that offensive heat up with the death of the Deputy Head of the Hamas Political Bureau in Beirut as we read in this article from i24news.tv

On Tuesday evening, an explosion shook the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.

Hamas has confirmed the death of Salah Al-Arouri, Deputy Head of Hamas Political Bureau.

After the strike, Hamas also confirmed the death 2 more officials including the Hamas official responsible for its activities in south Lebanon.

While the circumstances surrounding the explosion are currently under investigation, initial reports from the Lebanese state news agency suggest that six other people were killed and several others wounded in in the blast.

This wasn’t a random attack as we read more on this:

According to local sources, the Hamas official was purportedly the target of the explosion. The Da'aheh district, where the incident occurred, is integral to Hezbollah's influence in the region, adding complexity to an already tense situation.

Authorities are diligently examining the incident as more details emerge, shedding light on this event in the center of Beirut.

There Will Be A Response

The question is where will the response come from? Will Hamas attack while it is being devastated on their own turf or will Hezbollah decide to come at Israel full bore from the north? We read from both Hamas and Hezbollah from a report found in The Times Of Israel:

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh mourns his deputy Saleh al-Arouri, who was allegedly assassinated by Israel earlier this evening outside of Beirut.

Haniyeh says the killing “is a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and an expansion of the circle of [Israel’s] aggression against our people.”

“The repercussions of this terrorist act are the responsibility of the Nazi-Zionist occupation, and it will not succeed in breaking the will, steadfastness and resistance of our people,” Haniyeh claims.

And he says that with a straight face after they called on Hamas operatives all over the world to attack Americans, Brits, and anyone supporting Israel. Hezbollah made statements of their own:

Hezbollah vows to respond to the alleged Israeli killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri outside of Beirut earlier this evening.

“We affirm that this crime will never pass without response and punishment,” the Lebanese terror group says in a statement, claiming its fighters are at heightened readiness in order to retaliate.

Not An Attack On Lebanon Or Hezbollah

That’s what was said in an interview with MSNBC as reported by an article in The Times Of Israel:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foreign media spokesman Mark Regev is asked during an MSNBC interview about the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon.

While stammering significantly in his answer, Regev stresses that the strike only targeted Hamas officials in an apparent attempt to coax Hezbollah into limiting its response.

“Obviously in Lebanon, there are many Hezbollah targets, but whoever did this strike was very surgical and went for a Hamas target because Israel is at war… Whoever did this has a gripe with Hamas,” Regev says.

To be fair, after I listened to the spokesperson and he appeared to be stuttering more from English not being his native language. He did go on to say this:

“Whoever did this, it’s not an attack on the Lebanese state. It’s not an attack on the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Whoever did this, it’s an attack on Hamas, that’s very clear,” he adds.

Will these terrorist organizations see it this way? They do call the man killed as a fallen brother.

One person on X did note this:

Saleh al-Arouri has been a key proponent of the "convergence of the arenas". This strategy aimed to break the divide between the West Bank and Gaza, by linking the two theaters. More broadly it also aim to increase Palestinian coordination with #Iranian proxies, including Hezbollah.

Despite these efforts, and while Iranian proxies including Hezbollah entered the fray after October 7, Iran and its proxies still stayed below the threshold of full-scale war.

But in death, al-Arouri may well trigger the strategy he promoted while still alive.

No Hostage Release – Hamas

In an article on i24news.tv we read that Hamas has demands that Israel will never meet if hostages are to be released again:

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has conveyed to Qatar and Egypt specific stipulations in regards to the return of Israeli hostages.

According to multiple sources, he said no hostages will be released until there is a complete ceasefire.

In his delivery on Hamas' position to Qatar and Egypt, Haniyeh emphasizing a requirement for "a complete cessation of the aggression" against the Palestinians, helping them and responding to their rightful demands.

The terrorist group continues to state that they are willing to have a national unity government in Gaza, but not one without Hamas.

Additionally, the group demands that a Palestinian state is created, with capital in Jerusalem, and right of return recognized.

While Hamas is being devastated, these demands appear to be a way to feel like they are still in strong and viable:

The condition tying hostage release to the terrorist group's terms underscores Hamas's determination to control the negotiation.

Taking Back Land

Conservative members of the Israel government called for settlements in Gaza along with taking back land in southern Lebanon to make sure that terrorists attacks are controlled. We read more on these comments in a report from The Times Of Israel:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s two senior far-right partners endorsed the rebuilding of settlements in the Gaza Strip and the encouraging of “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians on Monday, while hawkish opposition MK Avigdor Liberman called for Israel to reoccupy southern Lebanon.

Speaking during their parties’ respective faction meetings in the Knesset, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented the migration of Palestinian civilians as a solution to the long-running conflict and as a prerequisite for securing the stability necessary to allow residents of southern Israel to return to their homes.

The war presents an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza,” Ben Gvir told reporters and members of his far-right Otzma Yehudit party, calling such a policy “a correct, just, moral and humane solution…We cannot withdraw from any territory we are in in the Gaza Strip. Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, I believe it is also an important thing,” he said.

Leiberman offered this option:

Separately on Monday, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman called for Israel to reoccupy southern Lebanon, saying the country must “pay in territory” for damage caused by Hezbollah strikes on Israel’s northern towns.

The former defense minister, a member of the opposition, said Israel’s military must “close off” a swath of southern Lebanon and push the terror group north of the Litani River, even if it means occupying the area for 50 years.

It may be anathema to others outside of Israel, but Biblically, Israel is promised the lands mentioned and much more. How they get it back is more than just a tad complicated in today’s world.