GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 300

Israel On High Alert

Deif Is Dead

There seems to be run on terrorist leaders killed with the final confirmation that Mohammed Deif, the number two for Hamas was taken out on July 13th as suspected as we read in a report from i24news.tv:

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that the military and Shin Bet security agency had confirmed that Hamas commander Mohammed Deif had been killed in an airstrike in July.

Fighter jets struck the site in Khan Yunis to eliminate the senior leader. After an intelligence assessment, his death was confirmed.

Israel Defense Minister Gallant stated that Deif was indeed taken out:

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised the announcement, calling him the "Bin Laden of Gaza" in an X post. The elimination "is a big step on the way to eradicating Hamas as a military and governmental organization, and to achieving the goals of the war we set. The high-quality and precise operation that was carried out made possible the optimal cooperation between the IDF and the Shin Bet and those who head them. The results of the operation make it clear that Hamas is an organization in disintegration, and that the terrorists must choose between surrender and death."

“The security system will pursue the Hamas terrorists - from the planners of the massacre to the perpetrators, and will not rest until the mission is completed.”

An IDF spokesperson reminded us just who was eliminated:

"Mohammed Deif was the Commander of Hamas' Military Wing, and second in command of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip," the IDF spokesperson's unit said in a statement. "Deif initiated, planned, and executed the October 7th Massacre, in which 1,200 people were killed in southern Israel and 251 hostages abducted into the Gaza Strip."

Deif was killed along with Rafa'a Salameh, the Khan Yunis Brigade commander for the terror organization. The latter's death was confirmed shortly after the strike, with other terrorists killed in the attack

The IDF made sure that everyone realizes just how big of a blow this was for Hamas:

"Over the years, Deif directed, planned, and carried out numerous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel," the IDF continued. "Deif operated side-by-side with Yahya Sinwar, and during the war, he commanded Hamas' terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip by issuing commands and instructions to senior members of Hamas' Military Wing."

Deif was a member of Hamas since the First Intifada, which lasted from 1987 to 1991. He was responsible for numerous suicide bombings that killed Israeli civilians, as well as other terrorist attacks and the strengthening of Hamas in the West Bank.

The most likely reason it was difficult to confirm the death of Deif has a lot to do with the belief that his death was the last nail in the coffin of the terrorist group. While it is true that there is always someone to replace these terrorists, as we’ve seen, Deif’s experience cannot be easily filled and almost impossible given the state of disarray in Hamas now.

A Red Line Was Crossed

That’s what the leader of Hezbollah is saying about why they will avenge the death of Fuad Shukr who was their number 2 in command. We learn more from an article from The Times Of Israel:

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday that Israel had “crossed red lines” in the killing of Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, and must expect “rage and revenge on all the fronts supporting Gaza.”

Claiming the fighting had entered “a new phase,” he said Israelis “will weep terribly” in the days ahead.

Israel will now be facing not just one but two attacks for all these assassinations:

Nasrallah spoke as Israel braced for Hezbollah’s response as well as for Iranian retaliation in the wake of Hamas political chief Haniyeh’s death in Tehran early Wednesday. Jerusalem has not taken responsibility for the latter, but has been blamed by Tehran and Hamas.

The article goes on to note how devastating Shukr’s death was:

Shukr’s killing on Tuesday evening was the most serious blow to the Iran-backed terror group in nearly two decades and threatened to push the tit-for-tat exchanges across the Israel-Lebanon border in parallel with the Gaza war into a full-blown regional conflict.

Nasrallah says that their job of supporting Hamas may be over and now they are looking at war against Israel alone:

In a televised address at Shukr’s funeral, Nasrallah said Hezbollah was “paying the price for its support for Gaza and the Palestinian people” but said that the group was now beyond the support phase, declaring an “open battle on all fronts.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu reminded his nation that they’ve been preparing for that change:

Speaking at the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for any “aggression” against it.

“Israel is very prepared for any scenario — both defensively and offensively,” he said. “We will exact a very heavy price for any act of aggression against us from any arena.”

Hezbollah’s head was defiant in supporting Hamas, but also in denying they attacked Israel last Saturday:

Nasrallah said he had ordered Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon to curb the fighting on Wednesday and Thursday but that they would resume with higher intensity on Friday, reiterating that the only way to end the war on the Lebanese front was for Israel to stop its “aggression” in Gaza.

Nasrallah repeated Hezbollah’s claim — rejected by Israel and the US — that the terror group was not behind the Saturday rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights in which 12 children were killed.

He is trying to make the assassination strike look like an act of war since they continue to assert that they didn’t attack the playground in the first place:

He claimed Hezbollah would have admitted if it had made a mistake and killed civilians, and suggested it could have been an Israeli interceptor that hit Majdal Shams. Weapons experts have said all evidence points to a rocket from Lebanon hitting the soccer field and killing the children.

The Hezbollah leader argued Shukr’s assassination was not actually a response to the Majdal Shams incident but rather an act of war.

Israel Will Weep

Apparently there is international pressure for them to tone down their response:

Nasrallah said unnamed countries had asked his group to retaliate in an “acceptable” way — or not at all. But he said it would be “impossible” for the group not to respond. “There is no discussion on this point. The only things lying between us and you are the days, the nights and the battlefield,” Nasrallah added in a threat to Israel.

The terrorist leader went on to state that it’s not a matter of if, but when they will strike back:

“I’m not saying we reserve the right to respond at the appropriate time and place,” said Nasrallah. “Absolutely not. We will respond. That’s final.”

He assured his troops that others are ready to step up to replace Shukr:

Shukr was considered second only to Nasrallah in importance in Hezbollah, but the terror chief minimized the impact his assassination would have on the functioning of the organization.

“When one of our commanders becomes a martyr, he is swiftly replaced. We have an excellent new generation of commanders,” he said.

Nasrallah denies that Israel’s military will make them surrender at all:

He further denied that military pressure on Hamas, Hezbollah or other Iran-backed groups would cause them to surrender.

“The aspiration of Benjamin Netanyahu is that Hamas will tell him: ‘Come, here are the hostages and the weapons.’ This will not happen. We will not surrender, neither in Gaza, nor in Lebanon, nor in Yemen.”

Nasrallah said that Iran in in the mix now:

Nasrallah predicted that Israelis “will weep terribly, because you do not know which red lines you have crossed.”

He also said that Iran considers Haniyeh’s assassination, while he was being hosted in Tehran during the regime’s presidential inauguration events, to constitute “an attack on its national security and sovereignty.”

Netanyahu confirmed that Deif is dead as we stated earlier adding that Israel isn’t done yet:

In his comments, meanwhile, Netanyahu highlighted Israel’s confirmation that it had killed Hamas military chief Muhammad Deif.

“Deif was responsible for the terrible massacre of October 7 and also for many murderous attacks against the citizens of Israel. He was Israel’s number one wanted man for years,” Netanyahu said at the end of a briefing by IDF Homefront Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and Yoram Laredo, director of the National Emergency Management Authority.

Netanyahu declared that Deif’s elimination “reinforces a simple principle that we have established: Whoever hurts us, we hurt them.”

Israel in on high alert, but the IDF is ready:

At a press conference on Thursday night, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military would know how to handle any threat.

“Since the beginning of the war. we have faced various threats that have come from far and near,” he said. “We have proven recently that the State of Israel knows how to deal with threats in defense, and to respond with a mighty attack.”