August 23, 2024 | Israel at War Situation Report

Israel SitRep: August 23, 2024

August 23, 2024 Israel at War Situation Report

Israel SitRep: August 23, 2024

Today’s Issue: | IAF Kills at Least Six Hezbollah Operatives in Four Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon | IDF Operations Continue in Southern and Central Gaza; IAF Strikes Some 30 Targets in Past Day | IDF Launches Precision Strike on Hamas Command and Control Center in Gaza | Two Israeli Arabs Arrested in Separate Cases for Islamic State Activity | Latest FDD Analysis

IAF Kills at Least Six Hezbollah Operatives in Four Airstrikes in Southern Lebanon: Four Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Friday killed at least six Hezbollah operatives. In the Tayr Harfa area, an Israeli Air Force drone killed a terror squad that was preparing to launch rockets at Israel after troops from the 146th Division spotted the men. Hezbollah later announced that three of its members were killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its standard term for operatives killed in Israeli strikes. Two of the three were paramedics for the Islamic Health Organization, a Hezbollah institution. In Ayta Al-Jabal, an Israeli drone strike killed Hezbollah operative Muhammad Najam, an important member of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit. In Mays Al-Jabal, an IAF airstrike killed a Hezbollah operative who fired rockets on Friday at Kibbutz Yiftah in northern Israel. A strike in the Lebanese village of Aitaroun killed a Hezbollah operative who had fired rockets toward Kibbutz Malkia, located near the border. Also on Friday morning, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a missile strike targeting the IDF’s base on Mount Meron, near the Lebanese border. The IDF says that there were no injuries.

IDF Operations Continue in Southern and Central Gaza; IAF Strikes Some 30 Targets in Past Day: The IDF on Friday reported on activity in Gaza, where in the past day, troops from the 98th Division killed dozens of terrorists and destroyed dozens of terrorist infrastructures on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and the center of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Strikes were also carried out against areas from which rockets were fired at Gaza envelope communities during the past week. In addition, troops from the 162nd Division are continuing operations in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in southern Gaza, and working with the Israeli Air Force, have killed dozens of terrorists in the past day. In the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, soldiers from the 252nd Division killed a terrorist who was carrying explosives and posed a threat to them. They also attacked a launch position used to fire at troops in the area. Also in the past day, the Israeli Air Force has struck some 30 targets in Gaza, including military compounds, weapons depots, and launch sites in Khan Younis.

IDF Launches Precision Strike on Hamas Command Center in Gaza: On Friday, the IDF reported that Israeli Air Force fighter jets launched a precision strike on a Hamas command center in the Gaza City neighborhood of Zeitoun. According to the military, Hamas used the compound, located in a building that previously housed the Jaafer Ali Bin Abu Taleb school, to store a large quantity of weapons and organize terrorist activity in the area. The IDF says that prior to the strike, which was based on intelligence from the Shin Bet, Aman military intelligence, and the 252nd Division, the military took “numerous steps” to avoid harming civilians, including the use of precision weaponry and aerial surveillance. The IDF added that Hamas “systematically violates international law” by turning the population and civilian infrastructure into “human shields for terrorist activity.”

Two Israeli Arabs Arrested in Separate Cases for Islamic State Activity: The Israeli police on Thursday announced the arrest of two Israeli Arabs in separate cases for activity on behalf of the Islamic State. Dr. Muhammad Azzam, 34, who worked at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, was arrested about a month ago. According to the indictment against him, Azzam has been interested in the Islamic State for the past 10 years and frequently viewed the group’s content. After October 7, he decided to join the organization and pledged allegiance to its leader. The Shin Bet found videos of beheadings and mutilated bodies on his phone as well as materials on poisons and explosives. In a separate case, a 16-year-old living in Jerusalem’s French Hill neighborhood was arrested in early August on suspicion of membership in the Islamic State and recruiting for the organization. According to the police, the youth attempted to spread the group’s ideology among his classmates and recruit them. Police found violent content on his cellphone, including a video explaining how to prepare explosive devices. They also discovered files about Islamic laws concerning suicide bombings and murder. His arrest has been extended and an indictment is being prepared.

Latest FDD Analysis:

“FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Andrew Fox, FDD Event

“Why a Cease-fire Deal With Hezbollah Now Is Bad for Israel,” David Daoud, Haaretz

“Will a United Nations Cybercrime Treaty Help Russia, Communist China, and Iran Control the Internet?” Ivana Stradner, New York Sun

“Turkey’s Threat to Block NATO Cooperation with Israel,” Sinan Ciddi, The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune

“Swift U.S. Response Needed to Contain Mpox Outbreak in Africa,” Anthony Ruggiero, FDD Policy Brief

“Hezbollah targets the Israeli town of Katzrin in the Golan Heights,” Seth J. Frantzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“IDF Strikes Terror Targets in Lebanon After Hezbollah Escalation,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“U.S. Carrier Strike Group Arrives in the Middle East,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israel SitRep: August 21, 2024,” FDD Experts, FDD Israel at War Situation Report

Issues:

Issues:

Israel Israel at War

Topics:

Topics:

Iran Israel Middle East Hamas Hezbollah Islam Lebanon United Nations Gaza Strip Turkey Israel Defense Forces Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Gaza City Jerusalem Jonathan Schanzer Africa Rafah Israeli Air Force Shin Bet Golan Heights Khan Yunis 98th Paratroopers Division 162nd Division Arab citizens of Israel Haaretz Deir al-Balah Beersheba The New York Sun Mount Meron Southern Lebanon Aitaroun Tall as-Sultan camp le menteur fou Tayr Harfa Carrier strike group Yiftah