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Eyeing Iraq and Syra, the IDF is preparing to fight in Lebanon – analysis

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Eyeing Iraq and Syra, the IDF is preparing to fight in Lebanon – analysis



The cherry season is at its peak but there is little traffic in the orchards and the fruits are rotting on the branches.

Israelis, unlike every year, are avoiding a pilgrimage north to the self-harvesting orchards in Odem, Merom Golan, Kela, and Elrom. The winds of war gripped the Golan Heights this week with intensity.

Dozens of forest and pasture fires broke out in the northern plateau near Katzrin and up to the western slopes above Kibbutz Gadot.

Hezbollah has been hit in recent weeks by IDF operations. Their desire to respond, to take revenge burns inside them.

Therefore, they chose to increase the range of fire for military targets in the Golan Heights. This is how Hezbollah broadcasts that it is looking for revenge in addition to preparing the fighting space for the day when Israel will make a significant move in Lebanon.

Israeli soldiers from the Golani brigade take part in a military drill in the Golan Heights, northern Israel, May 22, 2024 (credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)

Under new management

A month and a half ago, Col. Benny Kata assumed the position of commander of the 474th Brigade, the brigade that defends the Golan Heights area.

Ostensibly, he should have turned his attention to the east, towards Syria and even deeper into Iraq, but already in the process of taking over the role, he realized that he must also be ready for missiles and UAVs also from the northern theater in Lebanon.

In the weeks he has been in office, almost every day, Hezbollah fired rockets or launched anti-aircraft missiles into the Golan Heights from Lebanon.

80 percent of the forces in the Golan Heights are combat-reserve units. The previous times that the reserve army was in the Golan Heights in such numbers were during the Yom Kippur War and both the first and second Lebanon Wars.

The eastern border with Syria is a fake border. On the one hand, the Separation of Forces Agreement was maintained even during the civil war in Syria during the Arab Spring.

UNDOF forces, entrusted with maintaining the armistice agreement and the separation of forces, act with respectable assertiveness, unlike the UNIFIL forces on the Lebanese border. On the other hand, beneath the false silence, unrest is taking place. Even binoculars for viewing from a distance will not reveal what is taking place.

The Iranians managed to take control of considerable areas in Syria during the days of the civil war.

They sacrificed their lives to save the rule of Assad Jr. 

Thousands of Shiite Iranians migrated from northern and western Iran to Syria. In the world media, they are called “pro-Iranian militias”. In practice, they are Iranian fighters under the operation of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

“The Iranian proxy was in our eastern arena. We know what the capabilities of Iran and Hezbollah are, and they exist among these militias in Syria and in Iraq as well,” said one military official.

This is the reason why Col. Benny Kata and his soldiers work around the clock. On the one hand, the IDF is improving readiness in the Golan Heights, through more training and improving the means for both attacks and warning, as well as improving the line of fortifications and carrying out engineering operations.

The IDF says that the goal is to damage the capabilities of the Iranian militias deep in Syria and even in Iraq. To this end, the army was deployed not only on the Israeli side of the border but also in the security area, which is a section of hundreds of meters, defined as Israeli territory, but it is east of the perimeter fence.

According to foreign publications, the IDF operates every few days in much deeper ranges, both in the outskirts of Damascus, Homs, Quneitra and more.

“We are not evacuating the residents of the Golan. Our defense activity is in the space beyond the fence,” says a military official. But in the 747th division, they don’t take any risks after October 7.

Along with the offensive defense plans, they are strengthening rear defense systems, including refreshing and strengthening all the standby classes in the settlements. The IDF increased the classes, trained the fighters, and even provided combat equipment that would allow dealing with forces’ infiltration into the Golan Heights area.

The decision on whether to go for a ground maneuver in Lebanon may be made at the political level soon.

This is, of course, if we judge by the level of statements and threats heard in recent days. The IDF understands that such a move will open at least one more fighting front in the Golan.





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IDF forces demolish home of terrorist who murdered 14-year-old West Bank shepherd

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IDF forces demolish home of terrorist who murdered 14-year-old West Bank shepherd



IDF forces began demolishing the house of Ahmed Duabsha, a terrorist from the village of Duma, according to Ynet reported on Tuesday night. 

Duabsha had been responsible for the murder of Binyamin Achimair, a 14-year-old shepherd, in April.

The terrorist was arrested on April 12 by The IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police during an overnight operation.

Duabsha admitted during interrogation to assaulting the teenager, which resulted in his death.

About Binyamin Achimair

Achimair had been missing for 24 hours before his body was discovered on April 13.

Binyamin Achimair, Missing 14-year-old boy from Samaria, Police are requesting help in searching, April 12, 2024. (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)

Achimair had left Gal farm in the Samaria region of the West Bank on the morning of April 12 to allow his sheep to graze, and after several hours, the herd returned without him.

After news of Achimair’s body being found, a few violent incidents – including setting cars on fire – happened in the village Duma, and one person was killed by settler gunfire according to Palestinian reports, Walla reported at the time.

YUVAL BARNEA contributed to this report.





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IDF strikes West Bank terror cell as they plant explosive devices

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IDF strikes West Bank terror cell as they plant explosive devices



Aircrafts carried out a targeted strike on Tuesday night on the Nur Shams camp, in the West Bank, eliminating a terror cell as they placed explosives, Israeli media reported. The IDF surrounded the squad and attacked it from the air while it was placing the devices. 

Maariv, citing Palestinian reports, claimed that 5 people were killed in the strike. The report indicated that only one of the 5 killed were terrorists and that several others were wounded. The Palestinian Health Ministry placed the number of casualties at 4, according to Reuters.

The attack took place near an incident in Jenin in which 22-year-old Captain Alon Sacgiu was killed after his vehicle hit one of the explosive devices.

Uptick in attacks in the area over the last 3 days

This is the third attack in the last three days and, since the outbreak of the war, more than 50 attacks have been carried out in the area. 

Sergeant-Major (Res.) Yehuda Geto, 22, from Pardess Hanna. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

The Palestinian Health Ministry claimed that Israeli fire, following a military vehicle hitting an explosive device, resulted in the death of a woman and a child. 

The ministry did not comment on the age of the child or whether those reportedly killed or wounded were engaged in attacks on the Israeli personnel operating in the area.

Sergeant-Major (Res.) Yehuda Geto, 22, was killed after hitting explosives.

The incident occurred during an operation to counter terrorism in the camp. According to the details of the initial investigation, a bomb exploded under a military vehicle where Geto, who served as a driver in the unit, and a commander were inside.

The IDF said that the military vehicle was in an area where there was no risk of explosives, therefore no searches were conducted for them, Israeli media reported.

 





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PFLP terrorist handbook to be taught at Brooklyn community center

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PFLP terrorist handbook to be taught at Brooklyn community center



A Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) book will be taught at a Brooklyn community center on Friday, according to the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network Telegram channel.

Samidoun will host a series of group study events on the PFLP document “Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine.”

The document outlines the organization, philosophies, and strategies of the PFLP, and describes its war objective as being “to destroy the state of Israel as a military, political, and economic establishment.”

‘Armed struggle is the only way’

PFLP insists in the book that its aims cannot be achieved “except through armed struggle and a protracted popular liberation war.”  

Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) carry banners and flags during a march marking the annual al-Quds Day, (Jerusalem Day), at Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon April 5, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

The event will be held at the Mayday Space community center in Bushwick.

Samidoun is listed by Israel as a subsidiary of the PFLP. The PFLP is designated by the US State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.





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