GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 443

Terrorists In The Crosshairs

Crushing Hezbollah’s Head

That’s what Israel Defense Minister Katz told his troops when talking about Hezbollah if they fail to honor the ceasefire as we read in a report from the Jewish News Syndicate:

The Israeli military will “crush Hezbollah’s head” if the Iranian-backed terrorist group violates the ceasefire agreement, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday during a visit to an IDF position in Southern Lebanon.

Katz was very pointed about what the IDF has accomplished so far:

“We defanged the snake, and if Hezbollah does not withdraw beyond the Litani [River] and tries to violate the ceasefire, we will crush its head,” Katz said in a statement.

“We will not allow Hezbollah to return to the southern [Lebanese] villages to reestablish the terror infrastructure that poses a threat to the northern [Israeli] communities,” he added.

“We will ensure the restoration of security to allow the residents of the north to return safely to their homes,” he said.

As the IDF works on leaving and handing off control of southern Lebanon to the Lebanese army, they are still taking out terrorist strongholds:

The IDF continues to destroy Hezbollah terrorist assets in Southern Lebanon, including what the army said on Sunday was a combat compound containing eight weapon storage facilities.

Engineering troops from the 91st Division’s 188th Brigade located the compound with the weapon storage facilities both above and below ground, connected by an underground infrastructure. Inside the compound, soldiers found communication and electrical equipment, anti-tank missiles, explosives and computers. The soldiers dismantled the compound and confiscated the weapons. Additionally, the troops located a firing position aimed at communities in northern Israel, which contained a weapons storage facilities.

Another brigade located a facility that was below ground:

Engineering troops from the 188th Brigade on Dec. 18 located and destroyed an underground command and control facility belonging to Hezbollah. The soldiers located a tunnel dozens of meters long that led to the command center, which according to the military was used by the Iranian proxy to plan attacks and direct rocket fire at Israeli communities in the Galilee over the past year. Weapons, surveillance systems and additional military equipment were confiscated during the operation. Nearby, several weapons storage facilities were located, including one embedded inside a mosque, where hundreds of explosives, rifles, grenades and additional military equipment were being stored.

The IDF’s current actions are being done to allow Lebanon to occupy the land:

On Monday, the IDF announced that after three months in Lebanon, its 98th Division was redeploying to the Gaza Strip. The division dismantled more than 300 Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, the army added.

US Attacks On Houthis

The Houthi rebels in Yemen may have poked the bear once too many time as we’re told in an article from The Jerusalem Post:

The US has decided to increase its activity against Yemen's Houthis, sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

The decision was made after current strikes failed to keep the Houthis from attacking ships:

The decision has been made in recent days, after the US policy and actions against the Houthis in the last year was deemed "insufficient."

The Red Sea is still considered dangerous:

The sources told the Post that "after the US has seen that international companies are still fearing from entering the Red Sea, and that the Houthis continue to fire against Israel and international ships - decisions had to be made."

The US and Israel have a common enemy and both are hitting the Yemeni terrorists:

The sources added that the US is cooperating with Israel on this issue.

In recent days, Israel has struck ports, which caused them to shut down, and several other targets in Sanaa.

Concurrently, there has been an increase in US activity in Yemen, including strikes against Houthi targets. On Saturday, the US conducted strikes on Houthi missile and storage facilities in Yemen's capital, Sana'a.

Israeli air force jets also struck Houthi targets in Sana'a in the early hours of Thursday morning, as Yemen fired a ballistic missile towards Israel.

If you’re looking for my opinion on these rebels in Yemen I’m sure Israel appreciates any help the US or any other nation give them in their fight with the Houthis. Up until now they have a dangerous nuisance compared to Iran and the other proxies. But I don’t see anyone totally taking them on and taking them out other than Israel. I’ve said this from the start and I still believe that they are being used by Iran to occupy Israel’s attention in the hopes they and the other proxies can deal Israel a knockout punch. Others in the Israel leadership seem to think there is a better way to stop them though.

Hit Iran Next

According to the head of Israel’s Mossad thinks that hitting Iran is the way to stop the Houthis as we see in a report from MSN.com:

Mossad Director David Barnea has recommended Israel launch direct strikes against Iran in response to a Houthi missile attack that hit Tel Aviv, senior security sources told Channel 13 on December 22.

He said this during a security meeting on the topic of the Yemini missile strike:

The recommendation came during high-level security consultations following a Yemeni ballistic missile strike that penetrated Israeli air defenses and exploded in central Tel Aviv, injuring 16 people including a three-year-old girl.

Barnea was pretty blunt about his reasoning:

'We need to target the head; striking only the Houthis won't be enough,' Barnea said during the meetings, according to the sources, suggesting that Iran, as the primary backer of Yemen's Houthi militia, should face direct consequences.

The attack was not effective, but it concerned Israel because it wasn’t stopped in the first place:

The missile strike occurred despite attempted interceptions, with dramatic footage showing two Israeli interceptor missiles failing to stop the incoming projectile.

The victims suffered minor injuries from shattered glass when the missile impacted, security officials said.

While Iran and it’s other proxies have their own concerns, the Houthi rebels are increasing their attacks:

The incident marked a significant escalation in the Houthis' capability to strike deep inside Israel and has prompted intense discussions within Israel's security establishment about appropriate responses.

Barnea certainly offered the most forceful opinion:

Senior Israeli defence officials have held several emergency meetings over the past 24 hours to discuss response options, with Barnea's recommendation representing one of the most aggressive proposals from Israel's security leadership.

The option comes on the heels of Iran’s leader saying they have no proxies:

The Mossad chief's position comes hours after a cryptic comment by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who said that Iran’s “partners” are not controlled by Tehran.

'They (the enemies) consistently say that the Islamic Republic has lost its regional proxies—this is yet another mistake! The Islamic Republic does not have any proxy forces,' Khamenei said during the gathering, marking a holiday celebrating women.

Khamenei went on to state this:

The Supreme Leader said that groups such as Yemen's Ansurallah Houthis, Lebanon's Hezbollah, and Palestinian organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad operate based on their own beliefs rather than Iranian direction.

'They are driven by their beliefs; they fight because of their convictions, not on our behalf,' he stated on December 22.

Is he just trying to keep from being attacked again by saying this, a sentiment no rational person would believe? It’s hard to understand the terrorist mind and trying to make us accept that Iran doesn’t pull these terrorist puppet strings is the longest of Middle East long shots. Khamenei can run but he can’t hide from the eventual strike his nation will take if they continue to try and stand up to an Israel that surprisingly hit them hard and by all accounts held back what they planned on doing. As we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, factor in this information as prayer points.