GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 380

Many Moving Pieces

Hitting Them Where It Hurts

According to a report from The Times Of Israel the IDF will strike Hezbollah in interesting areas:

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military will soon issue evacuation orders to civilians in Lebanon to distance themselves from Hezbollah banks and other finance-related sites used by the terror group, ahead of airstrikes.

It was already thought that Hezbollah could run out of money and it appears that the IDF wants to accelerate that time:

“In a few minutes, we will issue early evacuation warnings to residents of Lebanon in Beirut and other areas, to evacuate from sites used to finance Hezbollah’s terror activity,” Hagari says.

The IDF is telling anyone near these areas to evacuate:

“I stress here, that whoever is near the sites that are used to finance Hezbollah’s terror activity is required to distance themselves from them immediately,” he says.

Soldiers will let civilians know about the strikes as they normally do:

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says the military will soon issue evacuation orders to civilians in Lebanon to distance themselves from Hezbollah banks and other finance-related sites used by the terror group, ahead of airstrikes.

“In a few minutes, we will issue early evacuation warnings to residents of Lebanon in Beirut and other areas, to evacuate from sites used to finance Hezbollah’s terror activity,” Hagari says.

“I stress here, that whoever is near the sites that are used to finance Hezbollah’s terror activity is required to distance themselves from them immediately,” he says.

Once they are done they hope to expose how Iran funds Hezbollah:

“We will strike many sites in the coming hours, and more sites overnight. In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran finances Hezbollah’s terror activity using civilian institutions and associations as a cover,” Hagari continues.

They fully intend to ferret out more evidence about the funding:

“We will strike them tonight, and update with the results in the coming days,” he adds.

The strikes will hit known terrorists banks:

The strikes will target Al-Qard al-Hasan sites, an association known to be used by Hezbollah as a quasi-bank.

Hamas May Kill Hostages

Now that their leader is dead, those still alive may murder the remaining hostages as revenge for Sinwar’s killing as we read in another report from The Times Of Israel:

Israel is concerned Hamas could kill hostages to avenge the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar, Hebrew media reported Friday.

According to Channel 12, security consultations convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv Friday focused on efforts to prevent revenge killings of hostages. The network said Israel has sent “very harsh” warnings that the hostages should not be harmed, but did not elaborate to whom or how the message was sent.

Some believe that Hamas will not see this as a time for revenge since the strike that killed Sinwar wasn’t a targeted assassination:

The report said it was hoped that the fact that Sinwar was killed in a random clash with troops and not in a planned assassination could reduce the motivation of Hamas operatives to harm the hostages.

Still some see the terrorist group as wanting retribution:

Israel is concerned Hamas could kill hostages to avenge the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar, Hebrew media reported Friday.

One source says that Israel is letting Hamas know in strongly worded communications:

According to Channel 12, security consultations convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv Friday focused on efforts to prevent revenge killings of hostages. The network said Israel has sent “very harsh” warnings that the hostages should not be harmed, but did not elaborate to whom or how the message was sent.

Sinwar’s death was thought to get a deal done quicker now:

The killing of Sinwar, who was seen as the major obstacle to a hostage deal, had sparked hopes that his death could provide an opportunity to restart and progress on long-stalled talks for a deal.

To get a good feel for what Hamas is thinking will most likely have to wait until new leaders are in place:

However, Israel will likely have to wait until Hamas chooses new leadership before renewing the talks to secure the hostages’ release and reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Channel 12 said, citing a senior Israeli official.

Using Sinwar’s Body

Since Israel still has Sinwar’s body they could use it as a bargaining chip:

Meanwhile, CNN cited Israeli officials as saying Jerusalem could use the terror chief’s body, which is being held in a secret location in Israel, as a “bargaining chip” in the long-stalled negotiations.

But giving Hamas his body could actually have the opposite affect:

The sources also told CNN that Israel fears that returning his body could rally his supporters and risk his grave site becoming a shrine. Nevertheless, Israel would be prepared to include his body in a deal for the hostages.

Another tactic could be just deal with factions of Hamas to get hostages back:

An Israeli official had told The Times of Israel on Friday that if the terror group is slow to elect a new central leadership, Israel would consider separate deals with disparate Hamas factions holding small numbers of hostages.

If Hamas selects Sinwar’s brother to lead them all bets are off:

The official warned that Muhammad Sinwar, the terror chief’s brother and possible successor, is as much a hardliner as his slain brother, whom Israel and Washington had accused of stonewalling on a hostage deal.

The PM offered a deal to Hamas if they want to take him up on it:

On Thursday, Netanyahu had said in a video statement formally announcing Yahya Sinwar’s death that Israel would spare the lives of Hamas operatives holding hostages if they laid down their arms and released their captives.

The US still sees an opportunity for a deal:

White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Friday that Sinwar’s death was an “inflection point” in reaching a truce-hostage deal, but added that talks are yet to be renewed.

Regardless, Israel is still focused on striking Iran:

Reporting on Netanyahu’s consultations Friday, Channel 12 also said Sinwar’s death has not altered Israel’s determination to respond to Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack.

Iran is still the puppet master:

Within the terror group’s leadership, Sinwar was seen as a partisan of Iran, and had reportedly sought the help of the Islamic Republic and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah in mounting the barbaric assault. Hezbollah began attacking Israeli border towns and military posts the day after the onslaught.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has been hit harder and Iran is ready to strike back after Israel hits them next:

Since September, Israel has intensified its attacks on Hezbollah, all but decimating its leadership. Amid the escalation, Iran launched its second-ever direct attack on Israel.

As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem we need to factor in all of these moving parts and ask God to allow Israel to be 4 or 5 steps ahead of them.