world news
Arab truck driver attacked by West Bank settlers who believed he was transporting aid to Gaza
In the late-night hours between May 16 and 17, Ibrahim al-Razm was working the night shift as a truck driver. While driving in the area of Kochav Hashahar in the Binyamin Mountains in the West Bank, al-Razm was attacked by settlers who believed he was transporting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported.
On Sunday, Ynet reported that al-Razm remained hospitalized throughout the weekend and continues to receive medical care at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. As a result of the attack, al-Razm suffered from fractured ribs, a broken nose, and pain throughout his entire body.
Israeli right-wing settlers attacked al-Razm by throwing stones and ransacking the truck, KAN reported. The settlers arrived at the scene to block humanitarian aid they believed to be en route to the Gaza Strip, setting tires on fire and blocking the truck. The truck, the report noted, was not carrying humanitarian aid to the Strip. His vehicle was instead carrying an unrelated load.
Incident among a string of other attacks
Such attacks and disruptions have become common as right-wing activists attempt to block humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, and this incident occurred days after aid trucks heading towards Gaza were ransacked by protesters, Reuters stated.
Al-Razm, in a statement made to Ynet, said “I am married and a father of three children, and have been working as a truck driver for more than ten years. I have never hurt anyone – and I have no such thoughts.”
Ynet also stated that his attackers clashed with security forces at the scene, with two officers and a soldier injured as a result.
Al-Razm, a resident of East Jerusalem, also told Ynet that “he encountered dozens of settlers who blocked my path. They started to take the goods off the truck and burn it, and then the truck as well. They thought it was aid to Gaza, even though I told them the goods were for my work, they took me off the truck and started beating me brutally all over my body.”
“They only did it because I was Arab,” Al-Razm continued. He also told Ynet that there were soldiers at the scene but were unable to control the settlers. He spoke on his fate, saying, “The truth is, at that moment I saw death. I still can’t believe I got out alive. They could have murdered me, and then I wouldn’t have returned to my family.”
Special forces killed four terrorists in a vehicle during an operation in Nablus in the West Bank, army radio reported on X/Twitter Wednesday evening.
They were seen armed moments before they were killed, footage published by army radio showed.
A source told Kan that the terrorists killed in Nablus were a squad of terrorists from the Balata Camp that were preparing to carry out an attack against Israelis.4 מחבלים חוסלו ברכב במהלך פעולה של כוחות מיוחדים בשכם, כך הם תועדו רגע לפני שנהרגו pic.twitter.com/mFUGTHFqYg
— הוד בראל Hod Barel (@hod_barel) October 9, 2024
Riots in Nablus
Riots broke out on Wednesday afternoon, during which the IDF killed four terrorists following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Maariv reported.
Commander of the Balata Battalion of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade (which is aligned with Fatah) Issam a-Salaj was allegedly eliminated in the operation, Walla noted.
This is a developing story.
Following Hezbollah’s success at striking the Haifa area on Tuesday, the IDF later Tuesday and early Wednesday significantly increased its pace of airstrikes to try to roll back the groups’ rocket attacks.
The IDF announced on Wednesday that it had upped its airstrikes over the last 24 hours to 185 targets across all of Lebanon.
This was a significant increase compared to days when the strikes were in the dozens or even from Monday when the air force struck around 120 targets, but almost exclusively in southern Lebanon.
IDF strikes in southern Lebanon (Credit: IDF’ Spokesperson’s Unit)
Also, the targets were once again more spread out as opposed to being focused on the south, which had been the trend since the IDF invasion started on September 30. These changes could also mark a shift in strategy as the IDF possibly moves into a third phase of its major moves against Hezbollah, which started in mid-September.
The phases in question
The first phase saw two days of Hezbollah operatives and communications being torn apart by beeper and walkie-walkie explosions. It also included the killing of Ibrahim Aqil and around 20 of his top sub-commanders of the Radwan special forces. On September 23, it included the air force hitting 1,300 targets in only one day. Finally, on September 27, it included the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah as well as a number of other top Hezbollah officials, like Ali Karaki.
IDF officials have said that the strategy for Phase I was to disable Hezbollah’s capability to harm the Israeli home front in a devastating way as well as to lay the groundwork for a potential invasion if needed.
Phase two saw the invasion of southern Lebanon to take apart Hezbollah’s Radwan potential invasion weapons, tunnels, and positions. The air force, likewise, since September 30, has focused much more on southern Lebanon, especially providing real-time support to maneuvering ground forces facing ambushes from Hezbollah.
Every few days, the IDF sent in an additional division: first Division 98, then Division 36, then Division 91, and on Tuesday, Division 143, with more increases expected. They have increased the pace of destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in certain southern Lebanon villages, such as Mavarchin.
However, in what might be Phase 3, Division 98 is already receiving new maneuvering orders and IDF sources have said that they believe some initial missions of clearing Hezbollah positions will soon be taken care of sufficiently to move on to additional missions.
In turn, the air force may be refocusing on wider rocket threats throughout Lebanon.
If by September 30, it was assumed that Hezbollah’s failure to fire deeper into Israel and cause serious damage had shown they were truly losing that capability, Tuesday’s attacks on the Haifa area may have convinced top defense officials to return to striking beyond southern Lebanon to cause greater damage to those long-range capabilities.
All of this could be a prelude to the IDF shifting its focus from merely clearing southern Lebanon of Hezbollah’s presence to also trying to truly get the longer-range rocket threat under control.
These new efforts come with as the military also faces increased time pressure to succeed in restoring security for 60,000 northern border residents as Lebanon’s mountainous winter and the November 5 US presidential election both bear down on the timing calculus.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. Announced on Tuesday that it will be showcasing its latest defense capabilities at the defense AUSA exhibition October 14-16 in Washington D.C., including a new Lite Beam laser-based interception system integrated into the Trophy multitasking defense platform.
While not as much of a watershed moment as when Israel can finally deploy its Iron Beam laser defense system, the Lite Beam is still a powerful example of Israel succeeding in using layers, at least for short-range defense.
Defense sources told the Jerusalem Post that the Lite Beam’s operational capabilities have been proven, though they declined to disclose exactly when and how the IDF has used such capabilities in the field in Gaza or Lebanon.
The implication was that the Lite Beam would be effective against drones and possibly against mortars but would not shoot down most rockets or long-range missiles, which Israel eventually hopes the Iron Beam will do.In general, laser defense technologies are viewed as a major part of future air defense because they would end the arms cost race in which Israel and other wealthy countries constantly waste huge amounts of money to protect themselves from weaker adversaries using low-attack cheap forms of threats.
The sources added that the Lite Beam has hard kill neutralization capabilities which can be integrated on any vehicular platform and operational capabilities, and that it also can be a component of the drone dome which utilizes both soft kill and jamming.
The advantage of Lite Beam
Rafael said that Lite Beam “offers advantages such as engagement at the speed of light, an unlimited magazine, and negligible cost per interception.”
Further, Rafael stated that its “latest modular C-UAS solutions for force protection can operate alongside the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) in a combat formation to enhance ground maneuver capabilities across the battlespace.”
Moreover, it said, “The C-UAS Drone Dome solution, with its laser interception capability, can be integrated on 4×4, 6×6, and 8×8 wheeled and tracked vehicles to support counter-drone missions as well as other force protection missions.”
As part of its display, Rafael will introduce a unique modular Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) concept, combining advanced detection and interception technologies.
One of the defense systems on this platform is the Lite Beam laser-based interception system, but it also includes “the Samson 30mm Remote Weapon Station (RWS), on a 4-wheeled platform. These solutions provide maneuvering forces with robust force protection and flexibility against a wide range of airborne threats, including UAVs.”
Also, the Trophy’s “cutting-edge technology is operational on over a dozen platforms worldwide, including Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), and Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). It has consistently demonstrated its adaptability and reliability in complex combat scenarios, providing comprehensive protection for vehicles and crews,” said Rafael.
“This latest presentation at AUSA highlights RAFAEL’s ongoing commitment to delivering advanced battlefield defense solutions. As global threats evolve, we continue to equip armed forces with cutting-edge technologies to ensure their operational superiority in diverse and challenging environments,” said Mr. Tzvi Marmor, EVP & General Manager of the Land & Naval Systems Division.
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