GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 303

Iran Doesn’t Care

Might Strike First

We learn from an article from The Times Of Israel that Israel might not wait for Hezbollah to attack first:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening with security chiefs this evening, as Israel prepares for anticipated attacks by Iran and Hezbollah, but it does not yet have a “definitive picture” of the attacks it will be facing, Channel 12 reports.

It also says Israel’s security establishment is considering the possibility of “preventive actions or attacks” Israel could initiate, “including in Lebanon or perhaps in other places as necessitated.”

The IDF explains why it is waiting though:

Earlier this evening, when asked why Israel was not taking pre-emptive actions, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said, “We are watching our enemies on all fronts and certainly Hezbollah in Lebanon. We have very wide-ranging plans, we have a high readiness to act. Any instruction we get from the political echelon, we will carry out immediately.”

The uncertainty of what Hezbollah or Iran is planning is being felt by the US as well:

The TV report says that the US is also not certain what to expect from Iran and Hezbollah, but that a US-led international coalition to thwart any attacks has taken shape, and will be directed from CENTCOM in Qatar.

And Israel is being coy about what they are planning as well which is making a lot of countries tell its citizens abroad to return home:

Asked by numerous countries how it will respond to such attacks, and whether it is heading for war, Israel has been saying “very ambiguously” that it is “keeping all its options open,” the report says.

That ambiguous response is one of the reasons why many countries are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately, the report says.

The US is thinking about traveling to the area to for a variety of reasons:

It adds that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is considering visiting the region in the very near future, in light of US concern over a potential regional conflagration.

Channel 12 says the US has been reiterating that it has Israel’s back, and has asked Western nations to convey the message to Iran not to escalate and to warn Tehran that any significant attack will prompt a response.

Iran Doesn’t Care

If anyone should be concerned, it should be over Iran’s thinking about a strong attack:

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier today that Iran has told Arab diplomats “it didn’t care if the response triggered a war.”

Iran might be gearing up for more than one attack:

The Israeli TV report says there are indications that Iran is preparing for more than one round of attack and counterattack, as it seeks to recover from the humiliation of Wednesday morning’s strike in Tehran that killed Hamas terror group leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iran blames Israel for the killing; Israel has not claimed responsibility.

To many, the terrorist sponsor is going to be much more aggressive this time around:

Channel 12 says the indications from Iran are that it will strike more harshly than it did in April, when it launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel in an attack that was almost completely thwarted.

Hezbollah and Iran want to know how Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr were so easily taken out:

In addition to the dozens of arrests Iran has been making as it tries to establish how Haniyeh was so precisely targeted, Channel 12 says that Hezbollah has been making dozens of arrests, as it investigates Tuesday night’s Israeli strike that killed its military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

We must always keep in mind that the Middle Eastern thinking on these assassinations is to save face with its people and the world. This is why diplomatic overtures to these terrorists are just so much smoke and mirrors. Israel understands the way they think and isn’t fooled by any hint of Iran and Hezbollah deciding to back down just because a diplomat urges them to. Things are getting more and more tense as this waiting game continues. Rest assured there will be attacks leveled and soon. Usually 24-48 hours are when things heat up but the conventional wisdom may not fit the narrative this time around.

Massive Tunnel Found

As Israel and Egypt are in talks about the border between Gaza and Egypt, the IDF discovered a huge tunnel as we are told in a report from The Jerusalem Post:

The IDF located on Sunday dozens of underground Hamas tunnel routes in the area by the Philadelphi Corridor, including one that goes three meters high.

That’s at least 10 feet tall, large enough for a small truck to go through. One can only imagine how it’s been used, but it wasn’t built for sightseeing. More tunnels are being found:

Soldiers are investigating and neutralizing discovered tunnel routes. They have said that they will destroy all underground routes in the area and work to prevent more of them from being constructed in the future.

The IDF is finding more and more tunnels all over Gaza and must destroy all they find:

The reports of the tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor come more than a week after the IDF destroyed a kilometer-long tunnel in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

The tunnels are not just for travel, either:

Other reports of discovered tunnels last month include one that stored weapons underneath a children's bedroom, which was found by IDF combat teams of Battalion 932 in the 401st Brigade.

The corridor is home to quite a few tunnels:

The last report of tunnels located near the Philadelphi corridor was in late May when about 20 were discovered.

The Philadelphi Corridor was taken over by the IDF in early June.

Why is Egypt wanting Israel to leave this corridor? It is most likely because the IDF will find how much their country is aiding and abetting Hamas and have been doing so all along. While I can’t prove that assertion, unless I hear a better one it makes sense. Israel for its part must continue to adhere to the tried and true statement by President Ronald Reagan and trust but verify what Egypt is telling them. It would be nice if Egypt could be trusted, but they’ve allowed weapons to be smuggled in before through these tunnels and there’s no reason that couldn’t happen again if they left as requested. Personally these Arab nations want nothing more than to see Israel wiped off the map and have stated as such in the past. Pray that Israel’s leaders have the discernment to know when they are being lied to and then to have the steel spine to call out such thinking. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem specifically on this issues and many more.