The Israel Defense Forces continue to operate in parts of Gaza. Fighting in recent weeks has become less intense with the IDF searching for Hamas terrorists in neighborhoods such as Khan Younis, Zaytun and central Gaza. With hostage talks ongoing and discussion of an Israeli operation in Rafah looming, the IDF is now operating at some of its lowest intensity in almost five months of war in Gaza.
Hezbollah fired barrages of rockets at Israel on February 27, targeting a sensitive IDF military site on Mount Meron. One missile did strike the site, and the IDF retaliated. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited northern Israel and vowed that the IDF would operate against the ongoing threats.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a ‘day after’ plan to Israel’s security cabinet which aims to demilitarize Gaza and enable locals to control civil affairs. Meanwhile inside Gaza, Israeli forces have created a security corridor south of Gaza City.
The Israel Defense Forces continue to redeploy reserve units from Gaza after months of war, with several reserve brigades having been withdrawn in the last two weeks. With fighting in Gaza reduced, these reservists are able to return home. In Gaza, the IDF has increased its ability to respond to rocket fire and eliminate perpetrators of rocket launches and other types of attacks.
While the IDF is in control of most of Khan Younis, the area surrounding Nasser Hospital remains a focal point of IDF operations. In the northern Gaza city of Shati, the IDF re-entered an area that it had previously taken control of from Hamas in November and continued to conduct sweeps for terrorist infrastructure.
Rockets fired from Lebanon at the northern Israeli city of Safed killed one soldier and wounded eight others. The attack is an escalation, and the Israel Defense Forces launched numerous airstrikes in retaliation. Israel’s Chief of Staff told members of northern communities who remain evacuated that the IDF would enable them to return to their homes.
Israeli farmers return to plow fields near the border of Gaza with fighting reduced in many areas and with almost no rocket fire. Israel’s Chief of Staff spoke at length about the successes and challenges the IDF faces in Gaza. This includes the need to return to areas they already took from Hamas to eliminate more terrorists. The Israeli Ministry of Defense purchased 200 new security vehicles for border communities.
Israeli special forces rescued two hostages from Rafah in southern Gaza along the border with Egypt on February 12. The successful operation follows failed attempts by the IDF to rescue hostages being held in tunnels in Khan Younis.
The Israeli Prime Minister said Israel will draft a plan “for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions” in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the last major area held by Hamas in Gaza. IDF forces have continued to uncover weapons in Khan Younis, and they also operated in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
Russian forces have pushed into northern Avdiivka, which now seems likely to fall. But Russia stands little chance of making major gains unless the U.S. cuts aid.
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited northern Gaza to meet with key Israeli commanders and discuss Israel’s new raids into areas wherein the IDF defeated Hamas in November and December. Israel continues to find tunnels in Khan Younis and target Hamas members throughout Gaza.
Israel’s war cabinet members — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Minister Benny Gantz — spoke today and yesterday about the next steps in Gaza on the path to success and victory over Hamas. Israel’s Chief of Staff also discussed the IDF’s upcoming investigation into the attacks on October 7, 2023. Meanwhile in Gaza, Israeli forces continued to sweep northern Gaza and target members of Hamas.
Hezbollah continued to fire rockets at Israel on February 4 and 5, as Israel’s Minister of Defense warned that Israel’s air force is “pointing” north and as the Israel Defense Forces released new data on strikes against Hezbollah. US envoy Amos Hochstein was in Israel at the same time France’s Foreign Minister visited Jerusalem.
IDF forces operated in northern Gaza against terror threats as concerns emerged over whether Hamas seeks to infiltrate northern Gaza to reconstitute its influence. In Khan Younis, Israeli operations focused on western Khan Younis near the Mawasi humanitarian zone.
Rockets from Lebanon targeted the northern Israeli community of Arab al-Aramshe. Israel’s Defense Minister visited Haifa and warned about a potential conflict in the north. Israel’s Chief of Staff visited the Gaza border and met with a reserve battalion that had suffered losses in Gaza. The IDF also revealed more details about its operations using water in Gaza tunnels.
While ISKP claimed responsibility for the Kerman twin suicide bombings, Iranian state media and officials are downplaying the Afghanistan connection and are instead pointing fingers at Israel. Despite internal crackdowns and heightened security measures, Iran treads carefully to avoid straining relations with the Taliban amid escalating tensions in the region.
Bill and Joe are joined by their FDD colleague Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power, to discuss yesterday’s tragic news of three U.S. service members killed in Jordan.
The IDF continues to degrade Hamas forces in Khan Younis, with Israel estimating that more than half of Hamas battalions in the city have been eliminated. Nonetheless, Israel’s Defense Minister met with a unit of IDF artillery to discuss the long war ahead that Israel still faces.
The IDF continues to fight Hamas in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Israeli forces uncovered another 200 tunnel shafts. Along the border, the IDF is creating a buffer zone as part of a larger process to secure Israel’s borders with Gaza as well as Lebanon.
Israel responded to Hezbollah drone attacks with increased strikes inside Lebanon, wherein the depth of Israeli strikes has increased in the last week. One such strike in Lebanon targeted a military airstrip that Israel says was built by Iran for Hezbollah. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi HaLevi visited Khan Younis to assess IDF operations against Hamas.
Rocket fire from Hamas in Gaza decreased significantly between January 21 and 24. In Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces continued to increase pressure on Hamas in the southern city of Khan Younis. Israeli forces also found a tunnel near the Israeli border in central Gaza.
24 Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza on January 22, the worst single day of casualties for Israel since ground operations in Gaza began on October 27. While continuing work to secure the border region and dismantle terrorist infrastructure, an IDF unit involved in this operation suffered the loss of 21 of its soldiers when an RPG impacted and caused an explosion which led to the collapse of nearby buildings on the soldiers.
The youngest Israeli hostage in Gaza turned one year old this week, bringing into focus the lives of the remaining 136 hostages still held by Hamas inside Gaza, where Israeli forces have continued to uncover and dismantle terrorist infrastructure, including weapons and machines for making munitions.
On December 28, sirens sounded near Haifa as a Hezbollah drone infiltrated Israeli airspace and was intercepted in northern Israel. Additionally, Hezbollah fired rockets and anti-tank missiles at numerous communities in northern Israel. The IDF also released findings from the investigation into its mistaken shooting of the three hostages earlier this month.
Iran has described Razi Mousavi as “a veteran advisor of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps” and a one of “the companions of the assassinated general Qassem Soleimani.”
Bill is joined by Friday co-host Behnam Ben Taleblu to check in on the U.S.-led coalition formed earlier this week in response to increased maritime aggression from the Iran-backed Houthis. Spoiler: France seems to already be backing out. They examine countries noticeably absent from the bloc, like Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. They also ponder the strategic nature of Operation Prosperity Guardian — is it only defensive? How about going on the offensive to prevent Houthi attacks in the first place? Bill thinks he’s seen this movie before. It’s the one where they ignore the core of the issue.
In a slight detour from our Israel coverage, Bill and Caleb are joined by counterterrorism expert Sara Harmouch to discuss her recent article that sounds like it was written for Long War Journal but was actually written for War on the Rocks, called “Al-Qaeda: A Defeated Threat? Think Again.”
They debunk the latest example of President Biden’s insistence that al Qaeda no longer has a presence in Afghanistan and discuss how U.S. rejection of intelligence is neither new nor at odds with its dangerous habit of disconnecting dots pertaining not least of all to al Qaeda.
As the IDF continues to eliminate Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, Hebzollah continues to keep the Lebanon-Israel border active.
Where in the world might the next state collapse into failure?
Hosts Bill and Caleb ultimately narrowed it down to two options: Somalia or Mali.