Flares against Netanyahu's house

...while Israeli army faces recruitment issues - Haredis' enlistment may mark the end of Israel Katz's appointment as Israeli "Defense" Minister. On the other hand Houthis and Hezbollah are undeterred

Note to readers: the article exceeds the length limits of the e-mail. To read it in its entirety, just click on the title to open the full online version.

---

While The Guardian resuscitates its Ukraine war live (blog) after ~1.5 month without any post, as if nothing happened (in reality Russia has conquered 478 square kilometres only in October!¹) and suspends its Middle East crisis live (blog) (don’t they have enough presstitutes?!), following the Russian missile barrage over Ukrainian energy grid, I will keep the focus on the Middle East, as some news are being un(der)reported by the Western mainstream media (MSM).

From Al Mayadeen.

As I was saying in my latest original article, pressure keeps increasing for Israel and its Prime Minister, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, in particular. What happened last weekend is quite indicative.

As reported by Al Mayadeen, on Saturday 16th November 2024 someone launched two flares against Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea, the same that was targeted with a drone by Hezbollah ~1 month ago (read my article on this here, in case you missed it). The Israeli President, Isaac Hertzog, said that it was an “extremely dangerous incident”, although no injuries or damage were reported, whereas Amir Buhbut, military correspondent for the Israeli on-line newspaper Walla!, described this incident as another security failure and a failure in Netanyahu’s protection.

Yesterday, Sunday 17th November 2024, three suspects, including a senior officer in the reserves, were arrested in connection with the incident. However, their identities have been disclosed, due to a gag order for the next ~30 days. Al Mayadeen quoted Israeli media as saying that the people in custody “had not been permitted to meet with legal counsel”… so much for “the only democracy in the Middle East”!

Amir Ohana, the speaker of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, accused anti-government protesters of being behind the incident, saying:

The writing was on the walls, on the streets, in incendiary messages and in demonstrations.

…whereas Benny Gantz, National Unity Party chairman, released the following statement:

This incident is a threat to our democracy and must be dealt with immediately.

If the suspicions are true and activists are behind the firing of flares at the premier's residence, it should be said clearly: this is not protest, this is terrorism.

Either way (protest or terrorism), this “incident” confirms what I have been telling in all my recent articles: that there is mounting pressure on Netanyahu and a split in Israeli society that may lead to the collapse of this artificial state. In fact, Avigdor Liberman, leader of the Yisrael Beytenu party, stated that this incident…

signifies an escalation in the attempt to harm the democratic institutions of the State of Israel.

…while the Israeli Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, labelled the incident a…

link in a chain of violent and anarchic actions.

The time has come for full support to be given to restore the justice system and law enforcement systems.

Anarchy and attempts to harm the Prime Minister must be stopped.

Israeli “Defense” Minister Israel Katz - from Al Mayadeen.

As if the above was not enough, Israel Katz, the new Israeli “Defense” Minister in place of Yoav Gallant, may soon lose his appointment due to his decision to issue 7,000 draft orders to Haredis, i.e. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, which I touched upon in my previous original article. Al Mayadeen quoted a senior figure from United Torah Judaism party, interviewed by the Israeli i24NEWS channel, as saying:

We knew Defense Minister Katz wanted to make history in his role, but it seems history will remember him only as the shortest-serving Defense Minister in the country.

However, it must be said that the opposition leader Yair Lapid supports Katz; in fact, he was quoted as saying:

I said in the Knesset that if you send the 7,000 draft orders to the ultra-Orthodox, soldiers and reservists will know that you are there for them. You did it without shying away.

In another Al Mayadeen article, Yair Lapid was quoted as stating the following to the Israeli Army Radio:

The recruitment of Haredim is a matter of values, and they must enlist. If they do not, they should not receive budgets, they should not get passports, and they should not be allowed to travel to Uman (Ukraine).

To understand the reason behind the decision to enlist the Haredis, it is worth reading this other Al Mayadeen article, which quotes Avi Ashkenazi, the military correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Maariv, as saying that reserve shortages are hindering efforts against Hezbollah:

Only 3% of Israelis serve in the reserves, and half of them are combat soldiers, meaning just over 1% of the population bears the burden of frontline duty as reserve fighters.

Just before launching the operation in Lebanon, the army mobilized four divisions, with the majority of the forces consisting of reserve units and soldiers.

As the fighting progressed, the army scaled back its presence in Lebanon and redeployed several reserve brigades to resume operations.

The same Al Mayadeen article cites the Israeli news channel i24 news, which reports that “the army plans to reduce the reserve battalion's operational service period from an average of 20 weeks in 2024 to just 9 weeks in 2025”, following a significant drop in enlistments; in particular:

The Operations Command has decided to consolidate the reserve service into one continuous period, rather than splitting it up, to reduce the pressure on reserve soldiers.

…while the Israli newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the military is concerned about a 15% to 25% decline in reserve service participation”.

From Al Mayadeen.

It is not surprising then that, according to poll by the Israeli Channel 12 quoted by Al Mayadeen, 69% of respondents prefer a prisoner-exchange deal over continuing the military campaign, whereas only 20% of settlers support the latter and 11% are undecided. Within Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, “46% back a deal to end the war, 36% prefer continuing the military operations, and 18% remain unsure”. This is quite remarkable, in my opinion, and it confirms once more that, while the enemies of Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel) unite within and among themselves, Israel fractures.

From Al Mayadeen.

In related news, it is also worth reporting the following statement on X (formerly Twitter) by the Iranian mission to the United Nations (also summarized in this Al Mayadeen article):

Unchecked Israeli Aggressions During U.S. Transition Risk Catastrophic Global Consequences

Israel constitutes a grave and immediate threat to regional and global peace and security. The regime is hell-bent on provoking a large-scale war across the region, and should it go unrestrained during the United States’ presidential transition period, the consequences will be catastrophic — not only for the Middle East but for the entire world. Over the past 76 years, during which the illegitimate and usurping Israeli entity has occupied the land of the Palestinian people, it has never faced such widespread hatred at the regional level, within the Islamic world, and across the international community. Nor has it ever imposed such significant costs on the United States as it does now.

But what is the main root cause of this hatred?

Well, in the briefest terms, the core element lies in the regime’s accumulation of crimes over seven decades, most notably over the past thirteen months. It has shown no respect for human rights — burning people alive; no regard for international law — committing one of history’s greatest genocides in a specific location and period; no adherence to the rulings of the International Court of Justice — persisting in war crimes; no compliance with Security Council and General Assembly resolutions; and no responsibility toward the United Nations — declaring the Secretary-General persona non grata, insulting UN bodies, violating the Charter’s principles, and literally shredding it during a General Assembly session.

If one had described the true nature of the regime, particularly its current rulers, in such terms a few years ago, it might have been difficult for those outside the Middle East, with less awareness of the regime’s savagery, to believe. However, what the people of the world have witnessed over the past thirteen months is unprecedented in history; few awakened consciences can indeed remain silent in the face of it or not feel shame at the suffering of the people of Gaza, and subsequently Lebanon.

As the current rulers of the regime perceive their survival in the expansion of war and directly dragging the United States into it, they are attempting to exploit the current political climate in the United States to pave the way for the formulation of a new crisis. This malevolent ambition, which will lead to further bloodshed, must not be allowed to materialize.

Without prosecuting and holding Netanyahu and his extremist, warmongering, and criminal cabinet accountable, security will not return to the region. If he is dethroned or restrained:

1. A ceasefire will be established in Gaza, humanitarian aid will reach all areas of Gaza, and the killing of the people in Gaza — whether through bombardment, famine and starvation — will cease;

2. The war on Lebanon will end, UNIFIL will continue its mandate, and Resolution 1701 will be fully implemented;

3. Maritime security and tranquility will return to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden;

4. With the cessation of the occupying regime’s adventurism, the shadow of war will be lifted from the countries of the region;

5. Hate speech against Jews and Muslims will cease, and the crimes of Zionism will no longer be attributed to the Jewish faith;

6. The political credibility of the U.S. government and the taxpayers’ money will no longer be further eroded in the course of supporting crimes against humanity; and

7. The hundreds of billions of dollars in war expenditures and the resulting damages will be redirected toward fostering growth and improving health, nutrition, and education for the people of the region.

YAF spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree - from Al Mayadeen.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) have been quite active recently, despite US-UK airstrikes on their territory:

• On Tuesday 12th November 2024 they carried out two operations “over an eight-hour period with missiles and drones, inflicting significant damage on American warships”, as reported by Al Mayadeen:

  • one targeting the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea with cruise missiles and drones,

  • the other one targeting two US destroyers in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones.

• On Saturday 16th November 2024 they conducted a drone attack against “a vital target in occupied Umm al-Rashrash [Eilat]” (source: Al Mayadeen).

• On Sunday 17th November 2024 they “executed a precise military operation targeting key military and strategic sites of the Israeli occupation in Yafa [Tel Aviv] and Askala [Ashkelon]” using multiple drones, as per Al Mayadeen.

Considering these operations and Ansar Allah’s capabilities, no wonder Bill LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment of the Outlaw US Empire, was amazed by them, as reported by Al Mayadeen, which quoted him as saying to Axios:

I'm an engineer and a physicist, and I've been around missiles my whole career.
What I've seen of what the Houthis have done in the last six months is something that — I'm just shocked.

The late Hezbollah Media Relations Chief Mohammad Afif - from Al Mayadeen.

On the Lebanese front, yesterday (Sunday 17th November 2024) Little Satan bombed a building belonging to the Baath Party in Beirut, killing Hezbollah Media Relations Chief Mohammad Afif (as reported in this Al Mayadeen article), whose speech on Hezbollah’s “Martyr’s Day” (12th November) I reported here, and 4 of his colleagues, “Martyr Hajj Mousa Haidar from Markaba, Martyr Hajj Mahmoud al-Sharqawi from Arzi, Martyr Hilal Termos from Talousa, and Martyr Hussein Ramadan from Armata”, according to this other Al Mayadeen article.

As mentioned by Ali Hijazi, Secretary-General of the Arab Socialist Baath Party in Lebanon, Mohammad Afif…

…did not lead a military unit in Hezbollah; rather, he was the head of a media unit.

You can read his eulogies here and here.

And in the last 24 hours Little Satan has launched 3 airstrikes just within Beirut, with the last one, without any forewarning, targeting the Zuqaq al-Blat area of the Lebanese capital, a densely populated residential area close to the UN headquarters, Parliament, the Prime Minister’s office and several embassies, as reported by Al Mayadeen and AP News.

Despite these airstrikes targeting civilians, Hezbollah maintains its capabilities and ground forces intact, as highlighted also by Israeli media cited by Al Mayadeen, such as Channel 12, whose northern correspondent, Adar Gitsis, interviewed Ayelet Frish, an Israeli strategic advisor, who was quoted as saying that Israel…

exhausted the operation in Lebanon, but this doesn’t mean that Hezbollah has been disarmed, as promised by the new Security Minister [Israel Katz].

It is time to close this chapter and begin returning northern residents, and I pray for the agreement to be signed soon.

There are positive indications that [US envoy] Amos Hochstein will arrive in Lebanon tomorrow. If all goes well, he will proceed directly to Israel, and we will see intensified political meetings.

Speaking of Amos Hochstein, he is supposed to arrive in Lebanon tomorrow, but his visit may be delayed, as reported by Al Mayadeen. I suppose he wants to make sure with Israel that it is safe to land in Beirut and meet with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, since its air force keeps bombing Beirut and, more specifically, the Zuqaq al-Blat area with governmental buildings and embassies!

In any case, I would not hold my breath about US-mediated negotiations, since those between Hamas and Israel have been failing miserably for more than one year now! After all, as reported last week by Mohammad Afif and Raed Berro, member of the Lebanese Partliament and of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party, Lebanon has not yet received an official proposal for a ceasefire and deemed the Israeli demand for military intervention in the country unacceptable (which sovereign country would allow it?!), with Benjamin Netanyahu doubling down today with the following statement, as reported by Al Mayadeen:

The most important thing is not (the deal that) will be laid on paper... We will be forced to ensure our security in the north (of Israel) and to systematically carry out operations against Hezbollah's attacks... even after a ceasefire.

The impact of a Hezbollah missile in Tel Aviv - from Al Mayadeen.

Getting back to Hezbollah’s capabilities, these are being demonstrated daily, with the latest just tonight, as covered in this Al Mayadeen article. I will conclude this article with a few videos recently posted by Hezbollah on its Telegram channel:

• the first one is a video showing the specific of the Fajr-5 missile:

Weapons Card | Fajr-5

00:12: Specifications
- Diameter: 333 mm
- Warhead weight: 175 Kg
- Range: 75 Km
- Total weight: 915 Kg
- Length: 6.5 m

00:20: Surface to Surface tactical missile, used in area bombardment.

00:25:
- Used to strike places of gathering and reinforcement behind the front-lines.
- Can be fired from static or mobile platforms.
- Double base solid fuel propellant.

00:32: Entered service in the July War in 2006

• the second one shows the attack on Israeli military bases in Haifa and Carmel on 16th November 2024 with Nasr-1 and Fajr-5 missiles:

• the third video, titled “Flash | This Gathering Will Be Shattered By God”, shows some statistics:

• the fourth and last one is titled “Flash | Lebanon Stands in a Position of Strength...With Its Army, Its People, and Its Resistance”:

---

---

P.S.: Regarding the US strategy on Lebanon, I strongly recommend the following article by Craig Murray: USA Tries to Pound Lebanon Into Submission

1. According to an AFP analysis of data from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), quoted by Barron’s.