Israel SitRep: August 21, 2024

Today’s Issue: | IAF Strikes Hezbollah Weapons Depots for Second Consecutive Night | IDF Continues Operations in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Netzarim Corridor, IAF Strikes Some 30 Targets | IAF Uses Precision Strikes Against Hamas Command and Control Room Established in School | Israeli Defense Ministry Signs $23 Million Deal with Israeli Supplier of Armored Vehicle Components | Latest FDD Analysis

IAF Strikes Hezbollah Weapons Depots for Second Consecutive Night: Last night, the Israeli Air Force struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, as well as a compound used by Hezbollah’s air defense unit in the Beqaa area. The IAF also carried out several additional strikes in southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah operative in the area of Hamoul, hitting a rocket launcher in Abu Shash that was used in an attack on moshav Ya’ara in northern Israel, and striking buildings used by Hezbollah in Tallouseh, Ramyeh, and Ayta Al-Shab. This was the second night in a row that the IDF attacked Hezbollah weapons depots in the Beqaa Valley, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the border with Israel, where numerous Hezbollah weapons warehouses are located. On Wednesday morning, Hezbollah fired some 50 rockets at the Israeli city of Katzrin in the Golan Heights, causing heavy damage and moderately wounding one man. Also on Wednesday morning, the IAF eliminated a high-ranking member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Khalil Al-Maqdah, in a strike on the Mieh Mieh refugee camp, located near Sidon, which is 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Beirut. According to the IDF, he and his brother Mounir were connected with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and directed weapons and money smuggling for terrorist activity in the West Bank.

IDF Continues Operations in Rafah, Khan Younis, and Netzarim Corridor, IAF Strikes Some 30 Targets: The IDF is continuing operations in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in southern Gaza, where troops from the 162nd Division have eliminated dozens of gunmen; found a large quantity of weapons, including AK-47 rifles, explosive devices, and grenades; and destroyed terrorist infrastructures. In Khan Younis and the Deir al-Balah area, soldiers from the 98th Division killed dozens of terrorists, conducted raids against terror targets, and destroyed military compounds. In addition, the troops directed an Israeli Air Force strike that eliminated several terrorists in an area from which several rockets were launched toward Gaza envelope communities. In the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, troops from the 252nd Division struck buildings used by Hamas to attack IDF troops. The IAF has struck some 30 targets in Gaza in the past day, including gunmen, observation posts, tunnel shafts, and launch sites.

IAF Uses Precision Strikes Against Hamas Command and Control Room Established in School: The IDF on Wednesday announced that Israeli Air Force fighter jets launched a precision strike on Hamas operatives in Gaza City who had set up a command and control room in the Salahadin school. The attack was launched with intelligence from the Shin Bet, Aman military intelligence, and the IDF Southern Command. According to the IDF, Hamas terrorists used this building for planning and carrying out attacks on IDF troops and against Israel. The announcement notes that the army took “many steps” to reduce the chances of harm to civilians, including aerial surveillance and precision weapons, adding that Hamas “systematically violates international law” and “exploits civilian institutions as well as the population as human shields.”

Israeli Defense Ministry Signs $23 Million Deal with Israeli Supplier of Armored Vehicle Components: The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that it has signed a $23 million (86.4 million shekel) deal with Ashot Ashkelon, a company that produces “unique components for armored vehicles.” The move is part of the ministry’s larger initiative “to enhance the capabilities of Israel’s armored vehicles,” including the Namer APC and Merkava tank, which the ministry says have shown their effectiveness during the current war. Under the terms of the deal, Ashot Ashkelon will supply 1,200 and 1,500 horsepower transmissions, drive systems, and suspensions for the Namer and the Merkava. It will also supply spare parts and restore “advanced systems.” The announcement adds that the deal is “one of several strategic moves” the ministry is making “to ensure the IDF’s operational needs are consistently met, both now and in the future.” The ministry recently signed two deals with Israeli defense technology company Elbit Systems, part of a drive to increase domestic production of weaponry for the IDF.

Latest FDD Analysis:

“FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Seth Frantzman, FDD Event

“Hezbollah’s escalation strategy: Threats without full-scale war,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Ceasefire sticking points indicate Hamas’s plans to return to power,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Ceasefire sticking points indicate Hamas’s plans to return to power,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Terrorists suffering from Premature Detonation (PD),” Bill Roggio and Joe Truzman, Generation Jihad (by FDD’s Long War Journal)

“Hamas and Islamic Jihad claim responsibility for botched Tel Aviv bombing,” Joe Truzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Israeli forces recover the bodies of six hostages in Gaza,” Seth J. Frantzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“IDF Recovers Remains of Six Hostages in Khan Younis Operation,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Iran Could Declare Itself Nuclear Weapons State by Year’s End, Top U.S. Lawmaker Says,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Destroys Hezbollah Weapons Storage, Drawing Rocket and Drone Barrage in Response,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Lethal Mines Supplied to Terrorist Organizations in West Bank,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief