Israel SitRep: April 26, 2024

Today’s Issue: U.S. Begins Construction of Gaza Pier | Missiles Fired From Lebanon Kill Israeli Civilian | IDF Arrests Two Men in West Bank With Axes and Knives | IDF Withdraws Nahal Brigade from Gaza | Latest FDD Analysis

U.S. Begins Construction of Gaza Pier: The Pentagon on Thursday announced that U.S. troops have started building a pier off Gaza’s coast in order to expedite the transfer of humanitarian aid. The pier, which is expected to be working in May, will be built using the U.S. Army’s temporary port system, JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore), and will handle 90 trucks a day at first and as many as 150 later on. The IDF announced on Thursday that it “has approved collaborative efforts” for JLOTS through coordination with COGAT, the Israeli entity coordinating humanitarian aid for Gaza, adding that “the initiative will create an enhanced ship to shore distribution system to increase the flow of aid into Gaza.” The IDF will provide “security and logistics support” for the initiative.

Missiles Fired From Lebanon Kill Israeli Civilian: Two anti-tank missiles were fired overnight from Lebanon toward Mount Dov on the Israel-Lebanon border, killing an Israeli civilian. IDF troops responded with artillery and tank fire at the sources of the launches. The victim of the attack was Sharif Suad, an IDF civilian contractor from the Bedouin village of Wadi Salama near Karmiel. Israeli Air Force fighter jets also struck Hezbollah terrorist targets in the Chebaa area of southern Lebanon overnight, including a weapons depot and a launcher. In addition, fighter jets attacked a Hezbollah infrastructure in the area of Kafr Shuba as well as a Hezbollah military building in the Ain al-Tineh area. Fighter jets also hit a Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure and a military building in the Markaba area of southern Lebanon.

IDF Arrests Two Men in West Bank With Axes and Knives: The IDF on Friday arrested two Palestinians at the illegal Makouk farming outpost in the Binyamin area of the West Bank who were planning to carry out a terrorist attack. According to the IDF, one of the men was carrying an axe, and a search of the area turned up additional axes and knives. One of the two is a resident of East Jerusalem, while the other is from the town of Al-Eizariya in the West Bank. Both men were handed over to security forces for further questioning, along with their weapons. This is the third infiltration of the farm since the war in Gaza began. The first incident took place on October 10, when three Palestinians broke into the farm armed with a gun, an axe, and knives.

IDF Withdraws Nahal Brigade from Gaza: The IDF on Thursday published a report on the 162nd Division, which has been fighting in the central Gaza Strip for the past three months. The Nahal Brigade, which is part of the division, carried out operations in the areas of Shati, Zeitun, Shifa, and Nuseirat, as well as an operation in the Netzarim corridor. The soldiers, in cooperation with the Yahalom combat engineering unit and engineering troops, destroyed more than 20 kilometers of tunnels, some of them crossing from northern Gaza to the south of the Strip. The Nahal Brigade has now been withdrawn from the Gaza Strip and is being replaced by the 2nd Carmeli Infantry Brigade and the 679th Yiftah Armored Brigade, both reserve brigades. Nahal Brigade soldiers will be allowed time for rest and will train for future operations.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), FDD Event

“Lidar: Another emerging technology brought to you by China,” RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Defense News

“America needs to treat ‘the cloud’ as critical infrastructure,” RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, The Hill

“Columbia must send the pro-Hamas protestors a clear message,” David May and Sabrina Soffer, The Hill

“How Universities Can Take Back the Quad,” David May and Antonette Bowman, The Dispatch

“Be skeptical of reports of Iran ‘withdrawing’ from Syria,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Hezbollah’s credibility dilemma amid escalation,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Iran’s president in Sri Lanka, as Argentina seeks arrest of Iran’s interior minister,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Hamas Releases Video of American-Israeli Hostage,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Iran Rebuffs Argentine Request for Extradition of Key Terrorist Mastermind,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief