January 31, 2025 | Israel at War Situation Report

Israel SitRep: January 31, 2025

January 31, 2025 Israel at War Situation Report

Israel SitRep: January 31, 2025

Today’s Issue: | IAF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Beqaa Valley; IDF: Yesterday’s Hezbollah Surveillance Drone Violates Ceasefire Agreement | IDF Eliminates Gunmen Who Killed Soldier in Jenin; Soldiers Fire at Individuals Throwing Firebombs Near Bethlehem | American Security Personnel Overseeing Netzarim Corridor Inspections Stop Vehicle With Fraudulent UN Markings | IDF Reveals It Eliminated Terrorists Who Murdered and Kidnapped Female Observer Soldiers on October 7 | Latest FDD Analysis

IAF Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Beqaa Valley; IDF: Yesterday’s Hezbollah Surveillance Drone Violates Ceasefire Agreement: The IDF announced on Friday that overnight, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, with guidance from Aman military intelligence, struck several Hezbollah targets in the Beqaa Valley that “posed a threat to the Israeli home front and IDF forces.” The targets included Hezbollah weapons-smuggling routes on the Syria-Lebanon border and a military site with underground facilities for developing and manufacturing weapons. The announcement adds that the Hezbollah surveillancedrone sent toward Israel yesterday, which the IAF intercepted, is “a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.” The IDF notes that it is deployed in southern Lebanon and states that it “will act to remove any threat to the state of Israel and to IDF soldiers.”

IDF Eliminates Gunmen Who Killed Soldier in Jenin; Soldiers Fire at Individuals Throwing Firebombs Near Bethlehem: On Thursday, during the IDF’s ongoing counterterrorism operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, soldiers from the Haruv reconnaissance unit who were conducting searches in a building exchanged fire with two gunmen holed up inside. Staff Sgt. Liam Hazi, 20, was killed, and five other soldiers were wounded, one seriously. Some hours later, in a joint IDF-Shin Bet operation, the Haruv troops and other forces surrounded another building, to which the gunmen had fled, and eliminated them. In another incident in the West Bank yesterday, during an evening ambush by troops from the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit near the village of Al-Khader in the Bethlehem area, soldiers opened fire on individuals throwing firebombs at Route 60, the West Bank’s main highway, from the direction of the village. According to the IDF, “hits were identified.”

American Security Personnel Overseeing Netzarim Corridor Inspections Stop Vehicle With Fraudulent UN Markings: The Israeli news outlet Ynet reported yesterday that American security personnel working for the company in charge of inspections at the Netzarim corridor in Gaza stopped a car marked as “UN” that they suspected was fraudulent and conducted x-ray and manual searches of the bags in the car. They did not find explosives or weapons. The company, whose mission is to prevent the smuggling of weapons into northern Gaza, is staffed by American military veterans from elite units and CIA veterans. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Gazans moving north on foot are not checked but vehicles are. According to Ynet, the security personnel are using systems from Leidos that employ AI to scan vehicles from different angles simultaneously, and “sources familiar with the process” say that the security personnel are conducting “rigorous” searches and “are taking no risks, especially with UNRWA.”

IDF Reveals It Eliminated Terrorists Who Murdered and Kidnapped Female Observer Soldiers on October 7: The IDF revealed on Thursday that last September, an Israeli Air Force drone strike killed Muhammad Ahmed Farij Said, a member of Hamas’s Shati Battalion, as well as several other Hamas operatives. The IDF says that Farij invaded the Nahal Oz base on October 7 and was involved in kidnapping observer soldier Naama Levy, who was released last week. In addition, last month, an IAF drone strike killed Haytham Hazem Hijazi Rajab, a member of the Hamas Nukhba Force in the Shejaiya Battalion who took part in murdering and kidnapping female observer soldiers from the Nahal Oz base on October 7 and led many attacks on IDF soldiers during the war.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Gen (Ret.) Mike Minihan, FDD Event

“Trump will rue recklessly yanking security from Mike Pompeo, others in Iran’s crosshairs,” RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Bradley Bowman, New York Post

“Trump’s Return Pushes Iran Into a Defensive Posture,” Janatan Sayeh, FDD Policy Brief

“Palestinian terrorist groups react to Israel’s latest West Bank operation,” Joe Truzman, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Ahmad al Sharaa’s Victory Conference: Syria’s new era and an exclusive translation of Sharaa’s speech,” Ahmad Sharawi, FDD’s Long War Journal

“‘Scenes of Abuse and Terror’: Israeli and Thai Hostages Released Amid Threatening Mobs in Gaza,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Releases 110 Palestinian Prisoners, Many Convicted of Terrorism, in Exchange for 8 Hostages,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Trump Vows to Deport Hamas-Supporting Students, Combat Antisemitism in America With Executive Order,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

Issues:

Issues:

Israel Israel at War

Topics:

Topics:

Iran Israel Syria Hamas Hezbollah Lebanon Palestinians Gaza Strip Donald Trump Israel Defense Forces West Bank Central Intelligence Agency Israeli Air Force Shin Bet Mike Pompeo UNRWA Jenin Terrorism Ynet Beqaa Valley Abu Mohammad al-Julani Rear admiral New York Post Bethlehem Nahal Oz Nukhba