DAY 194 OF THE WAR: German and UK Foreign Ministers, 14 Soldiers Wounded by Drone, Ben Gurion Gives a Timely Speech in 1955

Tel Aviv Diary, April 17, 2024

ZOOM Briefing this Sunday, April 21st, 6 PM Israel time 4 PM London 11 AM New York, 8 AM PDT

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited Israel today and met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Their visit aimed to express support for Israel following the Iranian attack and to persuade Israel to exercise restraint in its response. Netanyahu thanked them for their support and insights but emphasized that Israel reserves the right to make its own defense decisions.

Netanyahu with Baerbock

Cameron later acknowledged that Israel would likely take some action, but he hoped it would be measured. In the meantime, what might truly convince Israel to restrict its actions could be the imposition of robust sanctions on Iran. The US has pledged to do so and is currently negotiating with the EU about joining in this effort. Israel appears to have decided to be strategically keeping the Iranians in suspense regarding if, where, and when it will take action.

PRESIDENT BIDEN’S OP-ED

Today, President Biden authored an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal titled: Moment of Truth on Ukraine and Israel. The article's primary goal was to encourage the House of Representatives to pass the aid packages for Israel and Ukraine. Speaker Johnson appears to be stepping up and bringing the aid package to the floor for a vote.

In the article Biden writes:

Likewise, if Iran succeeds in significantly escalating its assault on Israel, the U.S. could be drawn in. Israel is our strongest partner in the Middle East; it’s unthinkable that we would stand by if its defenses were weakened and Iran was able to carry out the destruction it intended this weekend. We can make that outcome less likely by replenishing Israel’s air defenses and providing military aid now, so its defenses can remain fully stocked and ready.

LEBANON

Today was a difficult day on the Lebanese border. Around 11 AM, Hezbollah fired two anti-tank missiles into Arab al-Aramshe, a Bedouin town on the border. Immediately afterward, a suicide drone landed on the town’s community center, where a significant number of reserve soldiers were located. A total of 14 soldiers and three civilians were wounded, five seriously and one critically.

This is the third time in a week that suicide drones have successfully attacked IDF troops near the border. Despite the heavy usage of drones in Ukraine, the IDF has not developed a good solution for downing drones used in close quarters. Deploying a jet or utilizing Iron Dome is ineffective with the limited warning in these cases. In addition, using missiles that cost $10,000 to down a $1,000 drone is not a cost-effective tradeoff. Radar-guided machine guns or the equivalent would be a significantly better idea. Below is a Hezbollah video of the attack.

Tonight, Israel responded by attacking Hezbollah's anti-aircraft targets deep in Lebanon.

GAZA

IDF operations in Gaza today took place in two areas. The first involved a return to Khan Younis to apprehend a group of terrorists who had gathered in a school building. The Army spokesman described the action as follows:

In the operation, Battalion 890, Battalion 97, Engineering Forces, Armored Units, the Shaldag unit, Unit 504, Battalion 414 (the Intelligence Unit of the Gaza Division), and Shin Bet Forces participated. They raided a central building containing two structures that were used as schools, following intelligence information indicating the presence of terrorists from the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad organizations inside the building, using civilians present as human shields.

Before the forces entered the building, they announced and called for the evacuation of civilians from the building for their safety. The fighters arrested several terrorists from the terror organizations in a focused and precise manner while avoiding harm to the civilian population at the site. Additionally, during the operation, a number of terrorists who attempted to attack the forces were killed.

Units of the Nachal Brigade continue their operation in the central part of the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile on this hot day, “starving” Gazans flocked to the beach to enjoy the nice weather.

POLL: SHOULD ISRAEL ATTACK IRAN

Two days ago, I presented the initial Channel 13 survey on Israelis' feelings about retaliating against the Iranian assault. Today, Hebrew University released a survey whose response was slightly different and less in favor of attacking Iran directly. The