Hearing the initial report of a 21-day ceasefire, Israelis went as ballistic as the missiles being fired at them from every direction.

Ruthie Blum

(JNS)

It was a great relief when the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a denial of the rumor, cited on Thursday morning as a fait accompli, that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to a three-week ceasefire—to go into effect “within the next few hours.”

Not only that. Certain pundits asserted that the P.M. had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to slacken off on striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. This caused most Israelis to go as ballistic as the missiles that have been fired at them from every direction for the past year.

“The report about a ceasefire is incorrect,” the PMO clarified. “This is an American-French proposal that the prime minister has not even responded to.”

Furthermore, it added, “the report about the purported directive to ease up on the fighting in the north is the opposite of the truth. The prime minister has directed the IDF to continue fighting with full force, according to the plan that was presented to him. The fighting in Gaza will also continue until all the objectives of the war have been achieved.”

The PMO announcement came as Netanyahu was en route to New York to address the U.N. General Assembly on Friday. It was necessitated by the brouhaha stirred shortly after he boarded the official state plane, “Wing of Zion,” late Wednesday night.

This was when the leaders of the United States and France put forth a ceasefire proposal, which was quickly endorsed by Australia, Canada, the European Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Qatar. In a joint statement, the above countries spelled out their objectives. In so doing, they exposed their inexcusable inversion and equation of victim and perpetrator.

“The situation between Lebanon and Israel since Oct. 8, 2023, is intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation,” they wrote. “This is in nobody’s interest, neither of the people of Israel nor of the people of Lebanon. It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety.”

No mention of Hezbollah, which launched and has continued to carry out an unprovoked military assault on Israel, in solidarity with its Hamas brothers. Not a word about Iran, the head of the octopus whose proxies are solely responsible for any and all bloodshed in Gaza and Lebanon. And nary a hint of the plight of the 101 hostages, among them American citizens, still held in brutal captivity since the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

“It is time to conclude a diplomatic settlement that enables civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes in safety,” the statement continued. “Diplomacy, however, cannot succeed amid an escalation of this conflict. Thus, we call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement consistent with UNSCR 1701, and the implementation of UNSCR 2735 regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.”

They forgot to mention, of course, that the United Nations never honored these resolutions in the first place.

“We call on all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately consistent with UNSCR 1701 during this period, and to give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement. We are then prepared to fully support all diplomatic efforts to conclude an agreement between Lebanon and Israel within this period, building on efforts over the last months, that ends this crisis altogether.”

Crisis? That’s what they’re calling a multi-front war that Israel neither initiated nor wanted, and shockingly didn’t anticipate?

Omitting the culprits is outrageous enough. But talking about Lebanon as though it’s a functioning, rather than collapsing, country with the authority to reach agreements on Hezbollah’s behalf is not merely ridiculous; it’s as insane as the idea that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was prepared at some point to negotiate “in good faith.”

Upon landing late Thursday afternoon in the Big Apple, Netanyahu reiterated: “My policy, our policy, is clear: We continue to strike Hezbollah with full force. We will not stop until we achieve all our goals, foremost among them the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes. This is the policy and no one should mistake it.”

Despite his unwavering stance, residents and mayors of northern Israel are understandably skeptical about his ability to withstand pressure, in the form of blackmail, from the White House. Yes, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is up to its maneuver of withholding crucial weaponry from the ally whose “right to defend itself” is supposedly iron-clad.

And it’s not Bibi who’s saying so. This time, it’s Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

In a letter to Biden on Wednesday, they “strongly condemn[ed] [his] administration’s continued delay in providing critical military equipment and weapons to our ally Israel in the midst of an existential war.”

This, “compounded by statements by administration officials blaming Israel for escalation, undercut Israel’s efforts to restore deterrence by emboldening the Iranian-backed terrorists,” they stressed, going on to list MK-84 bombs, Apache attack helicopters and Caterpillar D9 tractor as the materiel in question.

“Further delays will endanger Israeli lives, increase the likelihood that the conflict will escalate further and harm American national security interests,” Cotton and McConnell concluded. “It’s far past time to transfer to Israel the capabilities it needs to win.”

Herein lies the problem: The Biden-Kamala Harris crew doesn’t want Israel to achieve victory. It wishes for the Jewish state to settle for defeat disguised as a diplomatic accomplishment.

Netanyahu has been illustrating that he has no intention of fulfilling such a desire. Israelis must learn to take a deep breath before falling prey to premature “scoops,” especially those that run counter to common sense.

Image: U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron at the 80th Anniversary of D-Day ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Normandy, France, June 6, 2024. Credit: Benjamin Applebaum/U.S. Department of Defense.

“In our estimation, ‘Oct. 7’ is expected to be a significant landmark for the terrorist groups,” the agency said.

(JNS)

Threats by terror groups against Jewish and Israeli targets across the globe are expected to increase as the anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre draws near, Israel’s National Security Council warned Wednesday.

“In our estimation, ‘October 7’ (the anniversary of the ‘Iron Swords’ War) is expected to be a significant landmark for the terrorist groups (with an emphasis on Hamas and elements of global jihad),” the agency, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office, stated in a travel warning.

“During this time, an increase in efforts to carry out terror attacks against Israeli/Jewish targets abroad is expected, both through planned actions and through local initiatives/individual threats,” the NSC said.

Citing public threats by the leaders of Iran and its Hezbollah terrorist proxy in Lebanon to attack in retaliation for Israeli military actions, the agency urged citizens to follow the recommendations posted on its website.

“We wish to emphasize the dangers of sharing or posting on social media (Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, TikTok, et cetera) anything that could identify you as being a member of or active in Israel’s security forces,” the warning said.

Pointing at the risk of kidnapping, the NSC warned Israelis to avoid “anyone unfamiliar who tries to make any type of contact with you, especially online and for those who do most of their business abroad.”

The agency also stressed the “real life-threatening danger” in visiting Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Syria and Lebanon—where travel is banned by Israeli law—as well as Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey.

The advisory instructs tourists who encounter a perceived terrorist threat to first notify local security forces before contacting the National Security Council’s hotline (972-26667444).

In its annual report published in March, the NSC noted that dozens of attacks against Israeli targets worldwide had been foiled over the past months, rating the potential for threats against Jews as “extremely high.”

Image: Travelers at the arrival hall of Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, on April 11, 2018. Photo by Moshe Shai/Flash90.

“We are preparing to strike terror targets in the Beqaa Valley in the near future,” the IDF spokesperson announced.

(JNS)

The Israeli Air Force is preparing another round of extensive strikes against Hezbollah, this time in eastern Lebanon’s predominantly Shi’ite Bekaa Valley, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari announced on Monday afternoon.

“This is a targeted warning to the residents of the Bekaa Valley. Residents who are near buildings or inside homes where missiles and weapons are stored: Distance yourselves from them immediately,” he said in a statement around 3 p.m.

“We are preparing to strike terror targets in the Beqaa Valley in the near future,” Hagari told reporters at the briefing in Tel Aviv. “Hezbollah stores strategic weapons there, in civilian buildings, and uses the population as a human shield and knowingly puts it in danger.”

On this morning’s strikes in Southern Lebanon, which targeted more than 400 Hezbollah sites, Hagari said that every building hit by IAF fighter jets was used by the Iran-backed terrorist group to store weapons.

“The sights that are now seen in Southern Lebanon are Hezbollah’s weapons exploding inside houses,” he declared, adding that inside “every home we struck, there are rockets, drones, missiles, which were intended to murder Israeli civilians.”

In an Arabic-language warning issued concurrently with Hagari’s remarks, the IDF gave Lebanese noncombatants across the Bekaa Valley a two-hour ultimatum to distance themselves from all Hezbollah infrastructure.

“Urgent warning to the residents of the villages of the Bekaa region in Lebanon. Hezbollah operations force the IDF to act against terrorist infrastructure in your villages,” the message stated.

“The IDF is not interested in harming you. If you are inside or near a house containing Hezbollah weapons, you must leave it and move away from it within two hours to a distance of no less than 1,000 meters [3,280 feet],” the military added. “Anyone who is near Hezbollah facilities and weapons is putting his life and the lives of his family members at risk.”

On Monday morning, IAF fighter jets conducted massive airstrikes on Hezbollah targets to stop cross-border rocket attacks, targeting more than 400 Hezbollah sites mainly in the southern part of Lebanon.

Hagari warned that strikes would continue in the immediate time frame and criticized Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, accusing him of “dragging Lebanon and the entire region into escalation.”

The IDF sent thousands of text messages to civilians in Southern Lebanon on Monday, warning them to steer clear of Hezbollah sites. According to local reports, the Israeli army also hijacked a popular Lebanese radio station to deliver warnings to noncombatants.

Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly daily since Oct. 8, 2023, firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones. The attacks have killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians remain internally displaced due to the violence.

Air-raid sirens were heard in the Safed area of the Upper Galilee on Monday morning, with many blasts heard and dozens of interceptions reported. A large barrage was also reported deep into the Lower Galilee.

The Magen David Adom emergency response group said two Israelis sustained light wounds when a rocket hit in the area of the Golani Junction, located in the Lower Galilee between Tiberias and Nazareth.

The male victims, aged 25 and 59, were evacuated to Poria Medical Center (Baruch Padeh Medical Center) near Tiberias for treatment.

In Giv’at Avni, located adjacent to the Sea of Galilee, a fire broke out after a rocket scored a direct hit on a house. The residents had barricaded themselves in their communal bomb shelter and emerged unharmed following the attacks.

Image: Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, Sept. 23, 2024. Photo by David Cohen/Flash90.