GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 352

Messages Sent

Is Sinwar Dead?

Rumors are flying around that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar has died as we read in a report from The Jerusalem Post:

The IDF stated on Sunday that they can neither confirm nor deny reports on the possible death of Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar.

Is it just a rumor? Some dismissed it:

Among sources consulted by The Jerusalem Post, a top source poured cold water on the notion, another source – who would be expected to have information – said they had no real information on it, while others noted disagreements within the defense establishment.

No one is giving specifics, though:

No sources referred to any kind of specific assassination operation that the IDF had carried out to kill him.

The thought of Sinwar pushing up daisies does have some merit:

Rather, part of the debate may surround the idea that he has been out of touch with his middlemen who handled hostage negotiations and messaging – who have been out of touch for a longer period than usual.

But it could be a military ruse:

It is also possible that some Israeli officials are trying to use psychological warfare against mid-level Hamas commanders to get them to cut some of their own deals for immunity if they return Israeli hostages in their custody.

We’ve been down this road before, though:

In December, numerous reports leaked that Sinwar was dead or wounded, had fled to Sinai, or was otherwise cut off from his network and no longer in command.

It later turned out that he simply had been out of touch as part of his hiding tactics, or that all of the rumors were psychological warfare trying to get Hamas to crack after Khan Yunis started to fall to the IDF.

We’ll see if Sinwar is still alive at some point, but right now if he is deceased, the remaining Hamas leaders wouldn’t leak that information if they had a choice. Simply put we don’t know. But the longer he doesn’t show his face to prove otherwise, these rumors will continue to crop up.

Hitting Back

Hezbollah strikes back further into Israel, but Israel hit right back as we see in an article from The Times Of Israel:

Hezbollah fired 24 rockets at the Jezreel Valley early Sunday morning, marking the terror group’s deepest rocket fire into Israel since the beginning of the war in October, after Israel Defense Forces jets carried out a series of strikes in southern Lebanon throughout Saturday afternoon and evening.

The IDF rebuffed them:

According to the Israel Defense Forces, all 24 rockets Hezbollah were intercepted by air defenses.

Large pieces of shrapnel fell in the Jezreel Valley following the interceptions, causing damage to a barn in one area and slightly wounding a man in another.

The IDF said there were no direct rocket impacts in the attacks, which were claimed by Hezbollah.

More details were given:

The first barrage at around 1 a.m. comprised seven rockets, a bigger barrage of 12 rockets came shortly before 5 a.m., and a third, five-rocket barrage came after 5 a.m., according to the IDF.

One man in his 60s was very lightly injured by shrapnel following an interception, according to medics.

Hezbollah said it was them:

Hezbollah took responsibility for the barrage, claiming to have targeted the Israeli Air Force’s Ramat David Airbase, located some 50 kilometers from the Lebanon border, with dozens of rockets.

And then the IDF struck back:

On Saturday, the IDF carried out a wave of airstrikes against some 400 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including rocket launchers, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday evening in a press conference, with the army saying it had identified preparations by the terror group to launch major rocket attacks against Israel.

It was not just a response, though:

The military said that its large waves of airstrikes likely foiled the majority of Hezbollah’s planned rocket launches.

In all, thousands of rocket launcher barrels were hit in the strikes, the IDF said, while vowing to continue striking Hezbollah to “dismantle and degrade” the terror group’s capabilities.

Until They Understand

We’re told in an article from The Times Of Israel that Israel will hit Hezbollah until they get the message:

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi vows that Israel will return displaced northern residents to their homes, while lauding the killing in Beirut on Friday of top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil and other terror leaders.

That assassination that also took 15 other terrorists really hurt Hezbollah’s future plans:

In a video statement recorded at Israeli Air Force’s Tel Hanof base in central Israel, standing in front of an F-15 fighter jet, Halevi says Aquil’s assassination would “shake up” the group, and notes that the terror leader and his commanders had “planned for years to occupy the Galilee, they are responsible for the murder of many Israelis, including soldiers, over the years.”

Echoing comments by President Isaac Herzog earlier today, Herzog says the terror leaders were “planning how to carry out the next attack — this may be what they were dealing with in that meeting on Friday afternoon — how to infiltrate the State of Israel, murder civilians, kidnap IDF soldiers.”

Halevi get’s down to business about he signals they are sending to Hezbollah:

He says that the strike sends a “clear message” to Hezbollah that Israel has the capabilities to “reach anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel.”

“The price that Hezbollah is paying has increased, our attacks will increase,” he vows, noting that IDF fighter jets targeted hundreds of terror sites in Lebanon in the past few days.

He then promised to how the IDF will make the area safe to live in again:

“We will safely return the residents to their homes, and if Hezbollah has not understood this yet, it will get another blow and another blow – until the organization understands,” he vows.

The IDF chief also warns that Israel has “many more capabilities that we have not yet activated” and says the country is “at a very high level of readiness both in attack and defense.”

Halevi mentioned that the IDF will also get the remaining living hostages back home at the same time:

He also mentions efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, which he calls “an urgent task, even when we are fighting in the north.”

I’m not sure how long these strikes and counterstrikes will go on before one side or the other decides to make a big strike. What I do know is that Israel’s leadership is committed to winning in both Gaza and the north. And I see this attack fitting right in with Bible prophecy.