Israel SitRep: February 10, 2025

Today’s Issue: | IDF Arabic-Language Spokesman Issues Instructions and Warnings for Gazans Following Army’s Withdrawal From Netzarim Corridor | Following Withdrawal From Netzarim Corridor, IDF Deploying Only Two Divisions in Gaza | IAF Strikes Hezbollah Weapons-Smuggling Tunnel in Lebanon | In West Bank Counterterrorism Operation, Israeli Forces Arrest Senior Hamas Operative, Several Others | Latest FDD Analysis

IDF Arabic-Language Spokesman Issues Instructions and Warnings for Gazans Following Army’s Withdrawal From Netzarim Corridor: On Monday, IDF Arabic-language spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued instructions for Gazans wishing to return to the north of the strip on foot or by car, providing information on the routes that can be used and warning that “the movement of armed men or the transfer of combat equipment through these routes to the northern Gaza Strip is strictly prohibited and will be considered a breach of the [ceasefire] agreement.” In addition, Adraee said, “it is forbidden to approach IDF forces wherever they are deployed in the Gaza Strip” and “it is forbidden to move towards Israeli territory or approach the buffer zone.” The warnings come after the IDF withdrew yesterday from the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza and after an incident in which several dozen Gazans came within a few hundred meters of the Israel-Gaza border fence near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, and the IDF used gunfire and drone strikes to push them back. Three people were killed in the incident.

Following Withdrawal From Netzarim Corridor, IDF Deploying Only Two Divisions in Gaza: On Monday, Doron Kadosh, military correspondent for Israel’s Army Radio, wrote about IDF deployment in the Gaza Strip following the military’s withdrawal from the Netzarim corridor. Kadosh notes that the IDF now has two divisions in Gaza, the smallest number since the war began. Troops from the 99th Reserve Division, who for the past three months were deployed in the area of Netzarim, have been demobilized, and soldiers from the 10th (Harel) Reserve Brigade, who were also serving in the Netzarim area, have been demobilized as well. The 162nd Division is now deployed in the northern part of the buffer zone, which is meant to protect communities in the northern part of the Gaza perimeter, from Kibbutz Zikim to Kibbutz Beeri. The Gaza Division is deployed in the southern part of the buffer zone, from Kibbutz Beeri to Kerem Shalom, and also on the Philadelphi corridor.

IAF Strikes Hezbollah Weapons-Smuggling Tunnel in Lebanon: On Sunday, Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out a precision strike on a Hezbollah weapons smuggling tunnel in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley that crossed from Syrian territory into Lebanon. According to the Alma Research and Education Center, the tunnel, which is about two miles long, belongs to Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 and was attacked last October as well. Alma’s assessment, based on the size of the tunnel entrances, is that the tunnel is large enough for pickup trucks and possibly small trucks to drive through. On the Syrian side, the tunnel entrance is located southwest of Homs, near the Al-Dabaa airport, while the entrance on the Lebanese side is located in the northeastern Beqaa Valley, near Hermel. According to Alma, there are weapons in Syria that the new government has not yet seized, most of them located near the border, and Hezbollah is attempting to smuggle them into Lebanon.

In West Bank Counterterrorism Operation, Israeli Forces Arrest Senior Hamas Operative, Several Others: The Israel Police announced on Monday that as part of Israel’s ongoing counterterrorism operation in northern Samaria, a senior Hamas operative in the Jenin refugee camp, Alaa al-Din al-Bitawi, was arrested last night in a joint operation by the Yamam police counterterrorism unit, the IDF, and the Shin Bet. The operation, conducted in the village of Silat al-Harithiya, located in the Jenin area, included the arrest of several suspects who had been on the run for some time and in recent months were planning to carry out attacks for Hamas in the West Bank against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. During their arrests, the troops found several explosive devices, which they destroyed, as well as a pistol, which they confiscated. The operation in northern Samaria is continuing.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am ET: “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Josh Hammer, FDD Event

Live at 12:00pm ET: “Turkey’s Neo-Ottoman Resurgence,” featuring Henri J. Barkey, Sinan Ciddi, Dimitris Kairidis, and Jonathan Schanzer; moderated by Lena Argiri, with opening remarks by Endy Zemenides, FDD Event

“The Battle for Israel and The Dream of Gaz-a-Lago,” Clifford D. May featuring Victoria Coates, FDD’s Foreign Podicy

“A suppressed voice for truth from within the United Nations,” Ben Cohen, Jewish News Syndicate

“U.S. Treasury Should Target Iran’s Trading Partners,” Saeed Ghasseminejad and Janatan Sayeh, FDD Policy Brief

“Jordan’s King Abdullah to Meet With Trump as Arab Anxiety Mounts Over Gaza Resettlement Proposal,” Ahmad Sharawi, FDD Policy Brief

“Unpacking Iran’s counterintelligence apparatus,” Janatan Sayeh, FDD’s Long War Journal

“Palestinian Terrorists Released in Ceasefire Deal Leave Israeli Jails as Millionaires,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Iran Takes Delivery of Drone Ship as Supreme Leader Downplays Potential for New Nuclear Talks With Trump Administration,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas Praises New Anti-Israel Lawfare Coalition of Nations,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“‘Look Like Holocaust Survivors’: Three Israeli Hostages Released After 490 Days in Hamas Captivity,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israeli Troops Pull Back from Key Corridor Bisecting Gaza,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israel SitRep: February 7, 2025,” FDD Experts, FDD Israel at War Situation Report