Tag Archives: Hezbollah

It Really Is Time For This To End

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According to Townhall, the Iranians have walked out on negotiations in Switzerland. Other sources say the talks are ongoing. The supposed  walkout is in objection to Israel defending itself from Hezbollah attacks. The article also noted that Qatar’s intermediary ignored Vance’s attempt to shake hands with him, more than suggesting that Qatar is acting on behalf of Iran at this stage. That shouldn’t come as a surprise–if Iran is the number one sponsor of world terrorism, then Qatar is the number two sponsor. There are also varying reports on whether or not Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz. I will say that President Trump has a whole lot more patience than I do.

On Saturday, The Independent Journal Review reported:

Iran announced Saturday it will close the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Israel of launching strikes in Lebanon in violation of a ceasefire which had just taken effect.

The Israeli strikes took place hours after the ceasefire with the Hezbollah terror group took effect Friday at 4:00 p.m. local time, Reuters reported, citing Lebanese Civil Defense. The strikes preceded an announcement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that ships should not attempt to cross the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media outlet Seraph News reported.

Iran claimed the Israeli strikes violated the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, which called for an immediate halt to hostilities between Iran, Lebanon, the United States, and U.S. allies.

Israel, meanwhile, claimed Hezbollah fired more than 50 projectiles at Israeli forces in southern Lebanon overnight, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed Israeli military official.

“Israel wants to attack Hezbollah, and they also are happy to screw up the ceasefire,” Defense Priorities Policy Director Benjamin Friedman told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF). “They pushed us into the war, and they want us to continue it, even if it tanks the global economy.”

The strikes killed 16 people and injured 12 others, the Lebanese Civil Defense wrote in a Saturday post to X.

It really is time to turn the bombers loose and totally defeat Iran. Peace is not possible any other way.

Confronting Fake News

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On Tuesday, Townhall posted an article about President Trump’s debunking some recent fake news.

The article reports:

President Donald Trump went scorched earth on reports that the Iranian regime cut off contact with the U.S. over Israel’s recent military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In a post on Truth Social, the president wrote, “Fake News Reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the U.S.A., stopped speaking a few days ago are false and erroneous.”

This is what the President posted on Truth Social:

The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today. Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, “It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!”

The Iranian state media has claimed that Iran suspended the talks because of Israel’s activities in Lebanon.

The article notes:

However, he (President Trump) also stressed that he had not heard this directly from the regime and posited that the reports were meant for media outlets to pick up. Trump on Tuesday said he believes Washington and Tehran could come to an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while pushing Iran toward giving up its nuclear program.

…Trump has consistently demanded that Iran abandon its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, material that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. Iran has rejected full concessions on the nuclear matter, but expressed willingness to draw down its program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and other demands.

Meanwhile, Americans are dealing with heightened gas prices as a result of Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which it started shortly after the war started.

It really is time for this to be over, one way or the other.

Finding And Plugging The Leaks

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On Thursday, Just the News posted an article about the investigation into possible leaks of classified information by Democrats or their staffs on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The article reports:

The NSA made the referral last summer concerning reports, including one in The New York Times, earlier that year during Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation process that quoted information from an intercept of two Hezbollah terrorist figures who claimed Gabbard, during a 2017 trip to Syria, had met with the “big guy.”

The Times suggested the reference was taken by some to mean Gabbard had met with a top Hezbollah terrorist leader, a claim she adamantly denied.

NSA concluded the leak accurately contained information from one of its intercepts but that Gabbard had not in fact met with Hezbollah leaders.

…Over the last 15 months, that crackdown has led to major indictments by the Justice Department of figures ranging from former National Security Advisor John Bolton to a former Army employee accused last month of leaking to a journalist.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has been the focus of past major leaks probes, including a case in 2018 that eventually led its former security chief James Wolfe to plead guilty to lying to the FBI about his leaks of nonpublic information to a reporter.

Unfortunately, there are people in our government agencies that truly believe it’s okay to do anything as long as it damages President Trump. That idea forms the basis for many of the bogus claims against the President that frequently show up on Fake News.

It we are going to move forward as a country, we need to stop playing silly games and learn to support each other.

Negotiating With The People Who Want Peace

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Just as Iran has become a county led by tyrants that do not represent the population, Lebanon in many ways has been taken over by Hezbollah. With the funding of Hezbollah by Iran at least temporarily cut off, this is the time to free Lebanon from their terrorist grip.

On Friday, Ed Morrissey posted an article at Hot Air about the negotiations for peace between Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah was not included in those negotiations.

The article reports:

The Wall Street Journal raises the question of the Rabid Dog That Was Not Allowed to Bark In DC in its analysis of the ceasefire brokered by Marco Rubio between Israel and Lebanon. Reporters Omar Abdel-Baqui and Dov Lieber concede that the pact engineered by the Secretary of State comes as a “historic step” between the two countries, especially since Lebanon has never recognized Israel’s status as a state. However, they wonder just how these negotiations can take place in the absence of “one of the main belligerents”:

The article quotes The Wall Street Journal:

Without Hezbollah at the negotiating table, the cease-fire and the possibility of a successful Israel-Lebanon peace agreement would be on shaky ground.

…In 1983, the countries signed a peace agreement, which fell apart after Hezbollah and other factions opposed it. Another U.S.-backed peace effort in 1993 broke down, owing to opposition from Syria, which then dominated Lebanon, and the impossibility of security guarantees with Hezbollah. A November 2024 deal was supposed to lead to the Lebanese government’s demilitarizing Hezbollah, and Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and halting strikes on Lebanon. None of those objectives were achieved.

…Meeting a group of Lebanese lawmakers, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun endorses continued direct negotiations with Israel and says that his country is working to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, to bring back Lebanese citizens held by Israel and to solve border disputes.

Aoun says “direct negotiations are crucial… and the gateway to advancing the negotiations” with Israel.

The Lebanese Armed Forces “will play a fundamental role after the withdrawal of Israeli forces,” Aoun says, promising they will deploy to the Israeli border and will reassure residents of southern Lebanon, “after their return to their villages and towns, that there will be no armed forces other than the army and the legitimate security forces.”

The article at Hot Air concludes:

That’s why Hezbollah was not invited to participate in the talks. It’s also why Israel is not constrained by the ceasefire if Hezbollah violates it. Hezbollah did not get a seat at the table because Iran doesn’t get to dictate terms in Lebanon any longer. The IRGC regime may not get to dictate terms in Iran for much longer, for that matter. So why invite its terror proxies to discuss their own destruction?

I think the Lebanese are tired of living in a country held hostage by a terrorist organization.

Changing The Face Of The Middle East

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The Lebanese civil war began in 1975 and ended in 1990. Up until that civil war, Lebanon was the garden spot of the Middle East and was a major tourist destination. After a clash between Jordan and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the 1970’s, many of the PLO members moved to Lebanon. The PLO and other organizations like them did not exist peacefully in Lebanon. After the Iranian revolution in 1979, Hezbollah began aligning itself with Iran and was responsible for terrorist attacks and car bombings in Lebanon. In 1983, Hezbollah carried out a terrorist attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut. Today, Hezbollah operates a terrorist stronghold in southern Lebanon which sends rockets into Israel on a regular basis. The major part of the funding of Hezbollah comes from Iran. Hezbollah does not represent the Lebanese government, but they have a lot of influence. They essentially hold parts of Lebanon hostage.

On Thursday, The New York Post reported:

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day cease-fire beginning at 5 p.m. ET, President Trump announced Thursday.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had settled on the pause “in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries.”

“On Tuesday, the two Countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our Great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,” he added on Truth Social.

However, there are a few obstacles:

A Hezbollah official previously told NBC News that “if Israel is fully committed to a complete cessation of hostilities … then this matter would be subject to consideration” by the terror group. Trump insisted to reporters as he left the White House Thursday “they’re going to be having a ceasefire, and that will include Hezbollah.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the pact in a social media post, noting that the pause in fighting “is a central Lebanese demand we have pursued since the first day of the war.”

Netanyahu confirmed in a video statement that Israel had agreed to the cease-fire but isn’t withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon yet. 

“We are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,” Netanyahu said, citing the “danger of an invasion.”

During trilateral cease-fire talks between Rubio, Lebanon’s ambassador, and Israel’s ambassador, Beruit acknowledged that Hezbollah is a mutual problem for both nations, a White House official said.

How much funding has Hezbollah lost because of the current situation in Iran?

Whatever happens with this ceasefire, I think we are watching some major power shifts in the Middle East. I am sure the Lebanese would like to see Hezbollah either destroyed or removed from their country.

Be Wary When The Lobster Shows Up

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On Saturday, Ed Morrissey posted an article at Hot Air about the rising tensions with Iran.

The article notes:

What will happen next in the standoff with Iran? Donald Trump drew a red line nearly two months ago, and the regime brutally crossed it. Trump acknowledged this yesterday, announcing that US intelligence estimates the mullahs murdered more than 32,000 Iranian protesters last month:

…Since those massacres, Trump has assembled one of the largest naval and air armadas the Middle East has ever seen. He has demanded that Ali Khamenei stop all uranium enrichment activities, put serious limits on its ballistic-missile systems, and end support for terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Iran keeps trying to offer a sequel to the deal the mullahs cut with Barack Obama, a JCPOA-Lite that only addresses their nuclear-weapons development – and that only for the next three to five years. 

The article notes:

Taking Khamenei and his princeling off the chessboard would be satisfying, but it would change very little. They are not the only mullahs in the clique that runs the theocracy in Iran. The other mullahs are almost certainly not living in close connection to each other, either, likely housed in residential districts where civilian collateral deaths would be almost a certainty. A decapitation strike would have to be timed for a plenary meeting of the mullahs, and the Iranian regime would be idiotic to call one at this time. This option might take the Khameneis out, but another mullah will take their place, and so on. It would end nothing. 

So what’s next? Whatever it is, it may come quickly. The Times of Israel reports today that an “unbridgeable impasse” has emerged in the indirect talks between the US and Iran, likely over Trump’s demand for a full-spectrum retreat by Iran. It’s bad enough that the Iranians are refusing to read US proposals on missile limits:

On Sunday, MSN reported the following:

While there is no official confirmation, a common belief suggests the US military serves its troops a ‘last meal’ with a fancy menu including steak, lobster, and pie, before sending them on a war front. Some link the hearty meal to a dangerous deployment or an extended mission. The theory has circulated on social media for years and often resurfaces during periods of geopolitical tensions. …

Last year, in June, similar reports surfaced on social media on June 18 after military soldier Antonia Lopez posted a lavish meal video that went viral on social media. The day also coincided with the US Army’s birthday. In the clip, Lopez showed that she was given steak, lobster, caprese salad, asparagus, hush puppies, a baked potato, shrimp cocktail, fruit salad, garlic bread, cake, and pecan pie in the meal.

Days after the video was posted, the United States carried out military strikes on Iranian targets on June 22.

Hang on to your hats–the road ahead is going to be bumpy for a little while!

Why? Why Now?

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On January 3rd, The Epoch Times posted an article about the indictment of Nicolás Maduro and his wife. This story is just breaking, so there will be updates in the future.

The article reports:

Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were indicted in the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced early on Jan. 3.

“Nicolás Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States,” Bondi said on X. “They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”
Bondi issued the statement hours after Maduro and Flores were captured and extracted by U.S. armed forces in Caracas in the early hours of Jan. 3.

The article notes:

In 2020, Maduro and 14 other Venezuelan officials were charged with narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking and other charges in New York City, Miami, and Washington, D.C.

“The scope and magnitude of the drug trafficking alleged was made possible only because Maduro and others corrupted the institutions of Venezuela and provided political and military protection for the rampant narco-terrorism crimes described in our charges,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in the 2020 press release. “As alleged, Maduro and the other defendants expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and wellbeing of our nation. Maduro very deliberately deployed cocaine as a weapon.”

So what is this actually about, and why now?

Venezuela has been a center for Hezbollah operations in South America for years. Iran has poured money into the country. Iran had money during the Obama administration the Biden administration–sanctions on Iranian oil were either withdrawn or not enforced. During the Obama administration roughly $150 billion of frozen Iranian assets was released. In essence, America was funding the terrorism used against our troops in the area. Under President Trump, Iran is going broke. The people are staging a revolution. They are not in a position to help Venezuela. This is the time to strike. The taking of Maduro and his wife is part of a battle against drug cartels and worldwide terrorism. Hopefully, Venezuela can now return to the thriving democracy it once was.

This Really Is Not A Surprise

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On Monday, The Washington Free Beacon reported that a group claiming to be working against war crimes that happens to have filed complaints against over one thousand Israeli soldiers has ties to Hezbollah.

The article reports:

An obscure Belgian nonprofit that has single-handedly filed more than 1,000 complaints against Israeli soldiers at the International Criminal Court (ICC) bills itself as a neutral legal entity crusading against “war crimes and human rights violations perpetrated by the Israeli state.” According to a new watchdog report, though, one of its co-founders has openly identified himself as a former Hezbollah terrorist, and the organization itself is entrenched within Hezbollah’s financing network across multiple continents.

Lebanese-Belgian activist Dyab Abou Jahjah, who co-founded the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) in late 2024, described himself in a 2003 New York Times profile as a “very proud” former Hezbollah member. He was arrested by Belgian authorities in 2002 for inciting Arab riots in Antwerp, and has repeatedly pledged his allegiance to Hezbollah and Hamas on social media. One of Europe’s leading anti-Israel activists, Abou Jahjah allegedly remains “linked to organizations associated with U.S.-designated terrorist groups” like Hezbollah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the report states.

The HRF does not publicly disclose its funding structure, but the watchdog report identifies it as “part of Hezbollah’s extensive business networks tied to families and local diaspora connections across Europe, Latin America, and Africa.” These networks, the report states, “are known to support front companies, informal trade, and layered laundering operations” through “used car exports, counterfeit goods, and commodity trades, facilitated through relatives or friendly businessmen.”

The article concludes:

An HRF spokesman denied any affiliations with Hezbollah and described the watchdog report as “false, defamatory, and politically motivated.”

“We have no ties—financial, operational, or organizational—to Hezbollah, Hamas, or any other group designated as a terrorist organization,” the organization said. “HRF operates transparently under Belgian and EU law, and is entirely funded by small public donations.”

The sole specific piece of information the HRF spokesman disputed in an email exchange with the Free Beacon was the report’s characterization of Hassoun as “Lebanese-Belgian,” stating that “both parents of Mr Hassoun Morrocan-Belgians [sic].” Though the spokesman said the report had misrepresented Hassoun’s origins, both Israeli news outlet Ynet and the Anti-Defamation League have also described Hassoun as Lebanese-Belgian.

The Trump administration may disagree with the spokesman’s claims. A second senior U.S. official tracking the matter told the Free Beacon  the watchdog group’s findings “are another example of the dangerous precedent being set by the ICC. We’ve been clear that the United States will actively oppose actions that threaten our national interests and infringe on our sovereignty and that of our allies.”

Keep in mind that the Islamic concept of taqiyya allows Muslims to lie to non-Muslims if the purpose of the lie is to advance the cause of Islam. Also remember that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has never supported the State of Israel.

Stating The Obvious

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War is a horrible thing, but sometimes it is necessary. The Bible notes that there is, “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” I am not sure that this is the time for peace in the Middle East, and evidently I am not the only person feeling that way.

On June 16th, John Hinderaker posted the following at Power Line Blog:

With respect to Israel and Iran, talk of peace is in the air. We are beset with calls from various quarters to “de-escalate” the situation there, lest wider war break out. President Trump, who partnered with Israel in deceiving Iran prior to Israel’s preemptive strike, is now talking about making another deal with Iran.

I hope he doesn’t mean it. The last thing Israel, or anyone else, should be thinking about is another agreement with the mullahs. Israel now controls the skies, has largely degraded Iran’s missile capability, and can do pretty much anything it wants, militarily. It was delightful to see that Israel wiped out the regime’s state broadcaster.

So this is a golden opportunity, almost certainly the best one Israel ever has had, or ever will have, to bring about regime change in Iran. The mullahocracy needs to go. Neither Israel nor the rest of the world will ever be safe, as long as Islamic extremists control Iran. Israel has already demolished Iran’s proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, and, to a lesser extent, the Houthis. But if Iran’s regime is allowed to stay in place, it will readily rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, just as it will eventually rebuild its nuclear capability.

I agree with the idea of removing the Iranian theocracy, but I am concerned about what will replace it. First of all, America, covertly or openly, should not be involved in any regime change in Iran. Our track record there is not good–we installed the Shah, and that did not turn out well. I am not sure that we ever fomented a color revolution anywhere that actually turned out well. The Iranians need to be free to choose their own future without outside interference.

They Didn’t Do Their Job; Their Mandate Will Not Be Renewed

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The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was established by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426. Their mission was to confirm Hezbollah demilitarization, support Lebanese army operations against insurgents and weapon smuggling, and confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, in order to ensure that the government of Lebanon would restore its effective authority in the area. Obviously, the demilitarization of Lebanon never happened. UNIFIL was an expert at ignoring Hezbollah hiding rocket launchers in houses and firing rockets at Israel.

On Sunday, Breitbart reported:

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will leave southern Lebanon later this year after the United States votes against renewing its mandate in an upcoming United Nations Security Council vote.

The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday:

The United States and Israel agreed that  United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) must cease its operations in southern Lebanon, The Jerusalem Post confirmed Sunday, following reports.

The American administration has decided not to renew UNIFIL’s mandate, and Israel reportedly “did not try to convince them otherwise.”

The vote on the mandate in the United Nations Security Council is expected to occur within a few months.

UNIFIL, which has operated in the area for nearly half a century, was notorious for ignoring willful violations of ceasefires with Israel by Hezbollah terrorists, who turned southern Lebanon into a launchpad for attacks.

During the recent war between Israel and Lebanon, Israel published evidence that Hezbollah operated near UNIFIL posts, knowing that Israel would be condemned if it fired back and caused damage to UN facilities.Given the proximity and brazenness with which Hezbollah operated near UNIFIL posts, it was impossible to believe that the United Nations forces did not know about, and tacitly agree to, Hezbollah’s activities there.

It has been obvious for years that the United Nations is not a friend of Israel. One of the major voting blocs in the United Nations is the The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Wikipedia (a source I don’t generally recommend) describes this organization as an intergovernmental organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states, primarily Muslim-majority countries. It aims to represent the collective voice of the Muslim world and safeguard the interests of Muslims while promoting international peace and harmony.

They do not promote international peace and harmony–their goal is to institute worldwide Sharia Law. They would like to destroy Israel along the way. That is one of many reasons that UNIFIL was not inclined to fulfill its stated mission.

As Iranian Military Might In The Middle East Shrinks, China’s Grows

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On January 6th, The National Interest reported the following:

Amid Iranian defeats across the Middle East, the Houthi rebels in Yemen are increasingly turning to China for missile components to use against the West.

The Yemen-based Houthi rebels have found a new backer: the People’s Republic of China. In a recent report published by i24 News, U.S. intelligence sources detail the undercover collaboration between Beijing and the Iranian-backed terror group which has perpetuated the ongoing instability in the Red Sea. While the Houthis have indiscriminately carried out attacks targeting warships and shipping vessels alike in these waters for years, the rebel group’s maritime strikes have escalated following the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel. According to the Israel-based news outlet, the Houthis are now using Chinese-designed weapons in their attacks. In exchange, the terror group will cease attacks on ships flying the Chinese flag. With a shared mutual contempt for the West, Beijing and Tehran’s collaboration in the region makes sense.

 Iran has suffered significant blows over the last year. From the decimation of Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon to the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, Tehran’s clout in the Middle East is rapidly deteriorating. Lacking the resources and weapons needed to continue its asymmetric objectives in the region, the regime has relied on China and Russia for support. The rogue allies are largely isolated from the international community and therefore lean on each other for arms, funds and even training at times.

The article concludes:

The Chinese-Iranian collaboration on this front coincides with the allies’ determination to establish a new international order based on their own rules. Beijing, Tehran, Moscow and even Pyongyang are increasingly working together to undermine the U.S. and Western power. The People’s Republic of China has also allegedly interfered in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine by providing drones to Moscow. Now that U.S. intelligence services have uncovered China’s material support for a group perpetuating attacks against Israel, the U.S. and other Western nations, the depth of this collaboration is even more alarming.

Diplomacy in the Middle East is going to be very complicated in the coming years. China is not fighting the west directly–it is just supplying weapons to countries that will not be able to stop its rise to world domination in the future. The idea is that these countries will use the weapons against countries that might actually be able to compete with China. If China can significantly weaken the major western countries without being directly involved, there will be no barriers to China become the sole superpower of the world.

That Didn’t Last Long

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In Islam there is a concept called “hudna.” Hudna represents a truce made because Islamists have found themselves in a state of temporary weakness due to lack of numbers or lack of material. I suspect that the recent truce in Lebanon would fall into that category.

On December 2nd, Breitbart reported:

The ceasefire in Lebanon, barely five days old, is near collapse as of Monday after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, following the Biden-Harris administration’s erroneous claim that Israeli surveillance drones violated the agreement.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported Monday that two Hezbollah rockets had been fired at Har (Mount) Dov, a strategic mountain that Breitbart News visited last Thursday and which Hezbollah claims, wrongly, is Lebanese.

No international authority recognizes Hezbollah’s claim, but the Iranian-backed terror group wants Israel to give up the mountain, which commands all of northern Israel below. Before Israel went on the offensive in the war, the Biden -Harris administration tried to convince Israel to comply with Hezbollah’s demands and withdraw from Har Dov.

Hezbollah’s rocket fire followed the Biden-Harris administration’s claim that Israel had violated the ceasefire by flying surveillance drones over Beirut. As Breitbart News noted earlier Monday, nothing in the text of the ceasefire agreement prevents that, and the deal explicitly states that each side may engage in legitimate self-defense activity.

The article concludes:

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said: “We will respond decisively to Hezbollah’s severe violation of the ceasefire — and will continue to do so. We have plans and targets ready to be carried out and at any given moment.”

Despite the breakdown, the Pentagon reportedly said that the ceasefire agreement is still in effect in Lebanon.

Update: In a statement Monday evening, the IDF said:

A short while ago, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] struck Hezbollah terrorists, dozens of launchers, and terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon. Additionally, the IAF struck the Hezbollah launcher in the area of Berghoz in southern Lebanon shortly after the launch of the two projectiles toward Mount Dov.

Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfill their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory. The State of Israel remains obligated to the fulfillment of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.

The IDF is prepared to continue operating wherever necessary and will continue to operate to defend Israeli civilians.

Until America gets an administration that supports Israel, the ceasefire in Lebanon will not hold. Any time Hezbollah feels that it has enough weapons to launch an attack on northern Israel, they will probably launch that attack, knowing there will be no consequences from America. We can expect that to change on January 20th.

The High Ground Is Always A Strategic Asset

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On Saturday, Breitbart posted an article about a recent discovery by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) 810th Alpine (or Mountain) Brigade.

The article reports:

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) 810th Alpine (or Mountain) Brigade announced Saturday that it had found weaponry manufactured by Iran on the slopes of Har (Mount) Dov, one of two strategic mountains on the border near Israel.

Breitbart News visited the Alpine Brigade on Thursday and toured the Har Dov area, before the discovery of Iranian weaponry was announced. The newly-formed brigade was deemed necessary because of the potential for infiltration into Israel through the unfenced mountain slopes of Har Dov and Mount Hermon, the highest peak in the region.

As Breitbart News reported on location on Thursday:

Har Dov is near the Shebaa Farms, an area that Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror organization, claims for Lebanon, but which Israel seized from Syria during the Six Day War in 1967. The United Nations, normally hostile to Israel, actually agrees with Israel that Lebanon has no legal claim to the farms or Har Dov.

In recent years, Hezbollah has attempted to encroach on the area. It has also used the Har Dov issue in its effort to persuade Lebanon’s people of the need for war against Israel, rather than admitting that the Iranian regime has been using war for its own narrow interests.

Rather than dismiss Hezbollah’s claims, the Biden-Harris administration took them at face value, and attempted to persuade Israel to withdraw its forces from the Har Dov area as a condition of the ceasefire deal it wanted to impose after Hezbollah had fired missiles, rockets, and drones at Israel for nearly a year, starting in October 2023.

But Israel could not accept such a deal, primarily because Har Dov has a commanding view of almost all of the upper Galilee, making it a key strategic location.

Israel lives in a very dangerous neighborhood. It is to their advantage to maintain control of the high ground that surrounds their nation. Any effort by America or any other country to force them to surrender that high ground is a request for Israel to disappear as a county as it would be overrun by its enemies.

When ‘Peacemakers’ Plant The Seeds Of War

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On Sunday, The New York Post posted an article about the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. The article reminds us that United Nations Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war, was meant to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its stockpile of weapons aimed at Israel. Unfortunately, the Resolution was never implemented, and Hezbollah has been stockpiling weapons and digging tunnels ever since.

The article reports:

Since 2006, Iran is believed to have gathered some 160,000 long- and short-range rockets in position in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has been firing them since Oct. 8 of last year, forcing tens of thousands of Israelis out of their homes in the north of the country.

On Sunday, I saw with my own eyes how this had happened. A short way inside Lebanon, the IDF showed me two Hezbollah tunnels — right near the Israeli border.

These had been built in the hope of carrying out a Hamas-style Oct. 7 attack on Israel. And also to store and fire rockets into northern Israel.

The ground in Lebanon is rocky — not sandy like Gaza — and these are serious, deep tunnels. But the tunnel shafts opened not much more than 100 meters away from a giant UN peacekeeping base and observation point.

How is it possible that the kind of heavy digging needed to create these tunnels could have happened literally right under the noses of the UN? Were they not looking? Did they even care?

The answer seems to be a very obvious “no.” They decided not to look. The international peacekeeping force has been a joke for years.

After all, what Irish or Sri Lankan soldier is going to put their lives at risk to enforce a mere UN resolution? Or do anything to protect the State of Israel from Iran-backed terrorists?

These tunnels go deep into the ground and connect with each other — just as Hamas’ terror tunnels do in Gaza. But these have an even more deadly potential.

The article also notes:

And in the middle of the forest we come across one of many Hezbollah hiding places, complete with arms dump.

The station has been recently abandoned, but it was an area that a cell of perhaps 10 Hezbollah terrorists were recently bunkering down in. They left much of their kit on the way out.

…This includes not just Hezbollah uniforms and vests, but all of the group’s other necessities. There are mines — including ones that are used to blow open walls.

Now that we know that Hezbollah was planning an Oct. 7-style attack from the north, it is clear that this was one of their ways to break into Israel, just like their friends in Hamas broke in from the south.

The Hezbollah terrorists who recently left this camp left other things behind, too: pipe bombs, other explosives, many rounds of bullets.

America paid for this lack of peacekeeping. It’s time for America to leave the United Nations and for the United Nations to leave America.

Wanting A Cease-Fire So They Can Re-Arm

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On Tuesday, The New York Post reported the following:

Hezbollah said Tuesday it is now ready to engage in cease-fire talks with Israel, after suffering serious blows to its leadership and ranks in recent months.

The terror group in Lebanon made the announcement after firing more than 100 rockets at the Jewish state hours earlier.

Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, Naim Qassem, publicly endorsed a truce with Israel, the first such time the terror group has proposed a cease-fire not conditioned on the war in Gaza.

We need to remember that the only time the Arabs or the United Nations call for a cease-fire in the Middle East is when Israel is winning and the Arabs involved need time to re-arm. You can bet if the terrorists were winning they would be avoiding talks for a cease-fire.

The article concludes:

It remains unclear if Israel would accept a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that the operations in Lebanon would not end until he is assured the terror group will no longer pose an active threat to northern Israel.

The US and France have repeatedly urged for the two sides to engage in a truce over fears the conflict would spark an all-out war in the Middle East.

The only was to deal with terrorists is to defeat them totally. Otherwise October 7, 2023, will be an event that happens periodically. America understood that in World War II. If we don’t remember it, we will be on our way to World War III.

The Numbers Tell The Story

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The media tells us that Israel is unmercifully killing civilian Palestinians, but is that really the truth? First of all, Israel invites the civilians to leave an area before it attacks. It recommends safe zones for them to go. Secondly, there are very few Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank who do not support Hamas.

On Monday, Pamela Geller reported the following on the Geller Report:

Don’t say “Hamas’ massacre.” Say “the Palestinian massacre.” That’s the way Palestinians see Oct. 7.

Every poll of Palestinians since October 7, 2023, by both AWRAD – Arab World for Research and Development, and PSR – Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, shows that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians supported and continue to support the rapes, torture, beheadings, and murder of more than 1,100 people in southern Israel led by Hamas, and their kidnapping of 250 hostages.

Significantly, the polls found that the support in the West Bank was higher than the that the Gaza Strip. Asked if they supported the attack on Oct 7, the first poll in November 2023 found West Bank support at 83%. Half a year later, in June 2024, after the destruction in Gaza, 73% still said that the decision to attack Israel was correct. In the Gaza Strip, two months into the war support had already dropped to 63% and continued to fall to only 31% in March 2024, saying it was correct to attack. Astonishingly, the joy over the rape, torture, beheadings, and murder of Israelis was so great that even after much of Gaza was in rubble following Israel’s counter attack, for West Bank Arabs that one day of horror inflicted on Israelis, made the destruction of Gaza an acceptable price to pay.

Israel did not start this war. They did not wantonly murder innocent women and children. From what I have read, the October 7th invasion by Hamas was supposed to happen at a later date simultaneously with an invasion in the north of Israel by Hezbollah. Thank God that Hamas got impatient and started without Hezbollah. The only path to peace in the Middle East is through the elimination of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the leaders of their sponsor nation, Iran. A regime change in Iran will begin to bring peace to the region.

Another Terrorist Who Worked For UNRWA

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The United Nations is going to have a hard time recruiting workers in the Middle East if Israel keeps killing the ones who work as terrorists in their spare time. On Monday, Breitbart posted an article about the latest terrorist to be killed by Israel.

The article reports:

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) announced Monday that they had killed Fateh Sherif, who led Hamas in Lebanon. He was also a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employee.

In a joint statement, the IDF and ISA said:

Overnight, during a joint IDF and ISA intelligence-based activity, the IAF struck and eliminated the terrorist Fateh Sherif, Head of the Lebanon Branch in the Hamas terrorist organization.

Sherif was responsible for coordinating Hamas’ terror activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives. He was also responsible for Hamas’ efforts in Lebanon to recruit operatives and acquire weapons.

He led the Hamas terrorist organization’s force build-up efforts in Lebanon and operated to advance Hamas’ interests in Lebanon, both politically and militarily.

The IDF and the ISA will to continue to operate against anyone who poses a threat to the civilians of the State of Israel.

UNRWA acknowledged that Fateh Sherif had been the principal of one of its schools, the Times of Israel reported:

Sherif was killed today in an airstrike on the al-Bass refugee camp in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, along with his wife and children. Reports indicate he had been the principal of the UNRWA-run Deir Yassin Secondary School in al-Bass.

“Fateh Al Sharif was an UNRWA employee who was put on administrative leave without pay in March, and was undergoing an investigation following allegations that UNRWA received about his political activities,” UNRWA says in response to a Times of Israel query.

The article concludes:

In a statement, the IDF and ISA said they had killed Nidal Abdel-Aal, head of the PFLP’s Lebanon branch, as well as Imad Odeh, the head of the PFLP’s military office in Lebanon. They added that Abdel-Aal had directed terror attacks on Israelis in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), including a bus bombing and a shooting attack, both in 2023.

Israel is make the entire world a safer place while minimizing the number of innocent civilians killed. We should all be celebrating.

Wisdom From Someone Who Executed Successful Middle East Policy

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On Sunday, Legal Insurrection posted an article about the recent events in the Middle East.

The article reports:

Former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, had some wise words yesterday about Israel.

Israel has to finish the job. Now. She cannot stop.

People have responded, “I don’t agree with you politically at all, but this is true!”

Kushner wrote:

September 27th is the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough.

I have spent countless hours studying Hezbollah and there is not an expert on earth who thought that what Israel has done to decapitate and degrade them was possible.

This is significant because Iran is now fully exposed. The reason why their nuclear facilities have not been destroyed, despite weak air defense systems, is because Hezbollah has been a loaded gun pointed at Israel. Iran spent the last forty years building this capability as its deterrent.

President Trump would often say, “Iran has never won a war but never lost a negotiation.” The Islamic Republic’s regime is much tougher when risking Hamas, Hezbollah, Syrian and Houthi lives than when risking their own. Their foolish efforts to assassinate President Trump and hack his campaign reek of desperation and are hardening a large coalition against them.

Iranian leadership is stuck in the old Middle East, while their neighbors in the GCC are sprinting toward the future by investing in their populations and infrastructure. They are becoming dynamic magnets for talent and investment while Iran falls further behind. As the Iranian proxies and threats dissipate, regional security and prosperity will rise for Christians, Muslims and Jews alike

The article concludes with more of Jared Kushner’s statement:

The philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy wrote on X, “I keep reading everywhere that Lebanon is ‘on the brink of collapse.’ No. It is on the brink of relief and deliverance.”
Moments like this come once in a generation, if they even come at all.

The Middle East is too often a solid where little changes. Today, it is a liquid and the ability to reshape is unlimited. Do not squander this moment.

Let’s all pray for success, for peace and for the good judgement of our leaders.

Lebanon used to be the garden spot of the Middle East. I pray that someday it will again be the beautiful, free land it once was.

 

I Really Can’t Mourn This Man’s Death

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On September 28th, The Washington Free Beacon reported that Israel Defense Forces killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on the Iran-backed terrorist group’s Beirut headquarters.

The article reports:

“Last night, in a precise strike on Hezbollah’s terrorist headquarters in the neighborhood in Beirut, the IDF eliminated the leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, Hassan Nasrallah,” IDF international spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told reporters in a briefing. “I can now confirm this to you.”

“Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world,” the IDF said on X.

The Israeli airstrike on Friday also eliminated Ali Karaki, Hezbollah’s Southern Front commander, and other leaders of the group, according to the IDF.

“The strike was conducted while Hezbollah’s senior chain of command, what’s left of it, were operating from the headquarters and advancing terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel,” Shoshani said.

Hezbollah confirmed the death of Nasrallah on Saturday.

Shoshani said the Hezbollah headquarters were located underground, beneath a residential building in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, in keeping with the group’s strategy “to hide behind civilians.” He said the IDF always takes precautions to avoid civilian deaths, but he was not prepared to speak to the specifics of Friday’s airstrike, including the types of munitions that were used or the extent of the collateral damage.

If the terrorists are going to hide among civilians, civilians are going to be killed. I am just grateful that the IDF makes very surgical strikes when taking out terrorists.

The article also notes:

The Biden administration, which failed to impose a ceasefire on Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday, distanced itself from the strike against Nasrallah.

“The United States was not involved in this operation, and we had no advanced warning,” a Pentagon spokeswoman said on Friday.

A terrorist is killed and the Biden administration doesn’t even celebrate! They had no advanced warning because they cannot be trusted. There are too many people in the Biden administration who support Iran instead of Israel.

Don’t Mess With Israel

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Israel has not yet taken responsibility for this event, but most sources are suggesting that Israel is behind the event.

On September 17th, The New York Post reported:

Hundreds of Hezbollah terrorists were seriously wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they used to communicate exploded around their belts and pockets – with officials claiming a hacking attack by Israel triggered the blasts.

Hezbollah officials confirmed the wide-range attack on its operatives, including fighters and medics, with one member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, calling it the “biggest security breach” since it began its daily attacks on Israel on Oct. 8.

Videos uploaded to social media show several incidents where seemingly unaware men had devices in their pockets blow up, with the victims crying in pain as bystanders ran away.

…The devices that detonated were all the latest models acquired by Hezbollah in recent months and distributed to its members, with the devices suspected of being tampered with, three security sources told Reuters. 

Through the use of malware, the devices could see their lithium batteries overheat and explode. 

One Hezbollah official told the Wall Street Journal that some members felt their pagers heat up and disposed of them before they detonated.     

The terror groups’ leader, Hassan Nasrallah had previously warned his fighters not to carry cell phones or pagers, telling them they could be used to track their movements or carry out some kind of targeted strike. 

The exact cause of why the pagers exploded have yet to be revealed. 

Reuters journalists witnessed ambulances rushing through Beirut with the wounded terrorists amid widespread panic over the explosions. 

The article concludes:

Although Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said no deaths have been reported as of Tuesday morning, he expects several casualties given the wide range attack.

Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in near daily attacks over the border since the terror group began attacking the Jewish state in solidarity with Hamas.

There are many ways to fight a war.

Sometimes The Truth Isn’t Pretty

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On Monday, Hot Air posted an article about the internal conflict taking place in Israel about the conduct of the war against Hamas. Obviously, Israelis want the hostages home safely and the war over, but in their quest for peace, many are overlooking the basic character of Hamas. Meanwhile, President Biden is sitting on a beach in Delaware playing armchair quarterback to the Netanyahu government. President Biden has never been a friend of Netanyahu and part of the problem in the war against Hamas–not part of the solution.

The article reports:

Benjamin Netanyahu stuck to his guns in his effort to remove the incentives for hostaging by Hamas. But it got a lot more difficult after the terrorists murdered six of them over the last few days. And even though Netanyahu won this round in his own Cabinet, that victory may not last. Especially not if Joe Biden gets his way. 

The fight in the Cabinet came from Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant, an ally-of-sorts for Netanyahu most times, who objects to Netanyahu’s plan to keep control of the Gaza-Egypt border. Netanyahu has made clear that he does not want Hamas to get resupplied or to escape out to the Sinai, especially with the hostages. Gallant considers the policy both unnecessary and provocative, and accused Netanyahu of prioritizing the land over the hostages:

He again turned to the premier and asked: “If Sinwar presents you with the dilemma: Either you leave Philadelphi or you return the hostages, what do you do?”

Netanyahu responded that the imperative to keep the IDF at the corridor was of crucial importance to the state.

Gallant said that was all well and good if it was a decision taking in isolation. But, he asked, “What about when 30 lives are at stake? What do you do?”

The prime minister said: “I stay on the Philadelphi. Only resolute negotiations will force [Sinwar] to fold.”

Netanyahu then demanded an immediate vote on his policy. Only Gallant voted to oppose it, although he grumbled afterward that the Cabinet would eventually come around to his position. 

President Biden has stated that he believes Prime Minister Netanyahu is not doing enough to secure the release of the hostages. Somehow I doubt Netanyahu is the problem.

The article concludes:

Ahem. Which side has executed hostages? In fact, which side takes hostages as a war strategy in the first place? And which side started the war on October 7 — while breaking a US-negotiated cease fire? 

There was a time when the world knew that harming an American abroad meant dire consequences for the perps. Now Hamas has demonstrated that killing Americans will put them closer to a strategic victory in separating the US from Israel, with no consequences at all from this administration. What kind of incentives do we think this sets for Hezbollah, Iran, and every other terrorist state and non-state terror networks?

It’s one thing for the Israelis to debate cooperation in hostage strategy. It’s another thing entirely for the US to hand Hamas a strategic victory with our own pusillanimity.  

The Biden administration is encouraging terrorism.

 

 

Good News From Israel

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On August 27th, Townhall reported that Israeli forces have rescued a hostage taken on October 7th. The rescue took place near Rafah–a place where the Biden administration asked them not to go.

The article reports:

“Today, the IDF and ISA rescued the hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi, aged 52, from Rahat, who was abducted by the Hamas terrorist organization into Gaza on October 7,” IDF posted on X. “He is in a stable medical condition and is being transferred for medical checks at a hospital. His family has been updated with the details, and the IDF is accompanying them.Israeli security forces will continue to operate with all means to bring home the hostages.”

The article also notes that there are still eight Americans being held as hostages. It is believed that five of them are still alive.

The Israeli Defense Forces posted the following on Twitter:

Today, the IDF and ISA rescued the hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi, aged 52, from Rahat, who was abducted by the Hamas terrorist organization into Gaza on October 7. He is in a stable medical condition and is being transferred for medical checks at a hospital. His family has been updated with the details, and the IDF is accompanying them. Israeli security forces will continue to operate with all means to bring home the hostages.

Peace in the Middle East will not come as long as Iran is able to fund Hamas and Hezbollah. A peace treaty with Iran, Hamas, or Hezbollah would not be worth the paper it was written on.

 

Are We Getting Ready To Redo The “Summer of Love”?

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On Monday, The New York Post posted an article about a recent riot in Manhattan.

The article reports:

A mob of anti-Israel protesters chanted “Long live the Intifada” during a depraved celebration Monday night outside a downtown Manhattan exhibit that memorializes the murder and rape victims of the Oct. 7 Nova Music Festival, where 364 people were killed by Hamas terrorists.

The deranged pro-terror crowd lit flares and waved a flag associated with the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah in front of the Nova Music Festival Exhibition on Wall Street during what was billed by organizers as a “citywide day of rage for Gaza,” according to video from the scene.

The protesters also yelled “Israel go to hell” and clashed with police during the gathering that drew swift backlash from Israel supporters.

The demonstration, organized by pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, began in Union Square, where some protesters unfurled a “Long live October 7th” banner, according to social media footage.

The article notes:

One of the exhibit’s organizers, music mogul Scooter Braun, condemned the demonstration in front of the venue late Monday in a social media post.

“I don’t understand why protesting a memorial for innocent music lovers who were raped and butchered and kidnapped helps,” he said in an Instagram Story. “Go see the @novaexhibition and see the truth instead of standing outside listening to yourself.”

Others offered sharper words for the protesters.

“How utterly evil do you have to be to protest outside a site that memorializes the 1,200 victims of October 7?” former speechwriter for the Israeli government Aviva Klompas tweeted.

“Tonight’s vicious targeting of the exhibition is not pro-peace. It is repulsive and vile,” added Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine in a post on X. “I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

I think it’s time to realize that demonstrators such as these are not pro-Palestinian–they are anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. We need to remember that some of the Palestinians who committed the atrocities on October 7th were people the Israelis had given jobs to and helped in other ways. The mentality of the Palestinians to think that raping and killing unarmed civilians at a music festival is acceptable is beyond my understanding. That kind of thinking is truly incompatible with a civilized society. I really think we should relocate everyone who thinks killing and raping innocent civilians is okay to a remote island somewhere and let them create their own society. Good luck.

Supporting Israel Publicly While Undermining Israel Privately

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On Monday, Breitbart posted an article about the Biden administration’s efforts to undermine the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle of the war on Hamas.

The article reports>

U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly attempting to force the “collapse” of the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the middle of a war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza and a potential war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Biden has been increasingly hostile to Netanyahu in his public remarks, recently saying that Netanyahu is “hurting” Israel more than he is helping it through his conduct of the war. (Netanyahu fired back, saying that Biden was “wrong.”)

Now, New York Magazine reports that the Biden Administration is actively looking for ways to force Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition, which has been remarkably unified, to fall apart, which would bring about early elections. It reported (original emphasis):

One Israeli expert frequently consulted by American officials says, “I have been asked by a serious administration figure what it is that will force the Netanyahu coalition to collapse. They were interested in the mechanics, what can we demand which will collapse his coalition.”

In the event the new American position over Netanyahu remained unclear, Vice-President Kamala Harris left no doubts in a Friday interview with CBS News, which asked “Are the Israelis at risk of losing U.S. aid if this continues?” Harris replied: “I think it’s important for us to distinguish or at least not conflate the Israeli government with the Israeli people.”

In other words: Israelis, we’re with you. Netanyahu, be gone.

I don’t understand how anyone can want a cease=fire and an end to the war after October 7. Israel did nothing to provoke that attack, yet Israel is being criticized for retaliating. That is simply upside down.

Now That They Know The Truth, Will It Matter?

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One of the lessons supposedly learned from the Holocaust was that it is easier to ignore the unthinkable than to deal with it. Unfortunately, the attack on Israel and the world’s response to that attack illustrate the fact that we have not learned that lesson.

On March 5th, CBN reported the following:

For the first time in nearly five months, a United Nations mission is recognizing Israel’s claims of Hamas brutality toward Israeli women and men on October 7th. Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah unleashed more rockets on northern Israel from southern Lebanon.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the U.N. report issued by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, acknowledging that Hamas and other terrorist organizations committed sexual crimes in the attack last October.

Posting on X, the mission stated, “The UN also recognizes that the crimes were committed simultaneously in different locations and point to a pattern of rape, torture and sexual abuse. The report also acknowledges the existence of ongoing sexual crimes against the Israeli women and men being held hostage by Hamas and calls for the immediate release of the hostages.”

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan called on the Secretary-General and Security Council to join the mission in condemning Hamas.

He had earlier challenged the international body, saying, “In the future, you won’t be able to claim that you didn’t know, just as the world claimed after the Holocaust that you were not exposed to the suffering and horrors. Those who remain indifferent are complicit in the crimes themselves.”

Erdan held up a tablet and played testimonies of women brutalized by Hamas, charging the U.N. with apathy and indifference.

A spokesperson for one freed hostage on the tablet was telling of her ordeal, saying, “And she went into the shower and while she was there one of the terrorists went inside, took his clothes off, with a gun towards her head told her to do everything he wanted.”

The IDF also declassified a call it intercepted from a Hamas terrorist, who is also a UNWRA-employee, and U.N. elementary school teacher.

The article also notes:

In the U.S., the State Department defended its meeting with war cabinet minister Benny Gantz who was invited to Washington without the authorization of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Spokesman Matthew Miller stated, “He (Gantz) has a critical voice in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. He’s an important figure in the sitting government of Israel. And so that’s why we engage with him.”

Miller added, “Our goal is clear to establish a comprehensive aid strategy that includes air, land, and sea routes to maximize the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and ensure that aid is distributed to everyone in Gaza who needs it.”

This is an effort to undermine Israel’s war effort. The world has seen the horrors of Hamas and Hezbollah and their war on innocent civilians, yet it choses to criticize Israel for wanting to live in peace and safety.