Tonight’s update is shorter than usual. As I was writing, news of President Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 Presidential race broke, and as a result, I rushed over to i24 News to join a panel discussion to process this historical breaking news. Part of my English appearance at 10 PM is included below. I also appeared later on i24’s Hebrew broadcast.
New information has come out regarding our attack on Yemen yesterday. A primary target was the port facility in Hodeidah, including cranes and other equipment essential for unloading ships. Israeli sources indicate that these facilities were completely destroyed, rendering the port currently inoperable.
This port is crucial for the Houthis, as it serves as their main entry point for receiving arms from Iran. The U.S. and the British had previously refrained from targeting the Hodeidah port because it also handles aid shipments for civilians. It should be noted that Yemen possesses two other large container ports. Additionally, Israel targeted oil storage facilities both at the port and in surrounding areas.
It has also been reported, as I mentioned last night, that the Saudis were informed in advance about the attack. Today, the Houthi leader threatened further attacks on Israel. Early this morning, Israel’s Arrow 3 system intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen towards Israel. To date, the Arrow 3 has successfully intercepted all missiles aimed at Israel during this conflict.
The key question is whether the attack will have any significant impact on the Houthis. The answer remains uncertain, but it is likely that it will not have a lasting effect. One anecdote circulating is that early in the conflict, officers from the US Central Command advised Israeli officials that the Houthis were, quote, “just crazy.” The Saudis attempted to subdue them for four years without success, and the U.S., along with its allies, has struggled to keep sea lines open and failed. Ultimately, we had no choice but to carry out the attack, which, thankfully, proceeded flawlessly. This is the type of operation that the Israeli Air Force has meticulously practiced for years and mastered. The question is: How often will the IAF need to strike the Houthis in the future?
Today, it was announced that the IAF is finally deploying Vulcan machine guns to deal with the relentless threat of drones. A Vulcan gun on top of one of the buildings along the coast would have taken down the drone before it crossed the coastline. The Vulcan is a six-barrel, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon that fires at an extremely high rate (typically 6,000 rounds per minute). It’s time to stop firing missiles that cost $10,000 per intercept, not to mention the additional damage caused by the debris from those intercept missiles.
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Israel is currently engaged in battles on seven fronts: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, the West Bank, and Gaza. This is Iran’s dream of creating “a ring of fire” around Israel. In most instances, Israel has been targeted primarily by drones, which the Air Force has been learning to defend against. Beyond defense, Israel has engaged in offensive operations against many of these threats.
NETANYAHU’S U.S. VISIT
Netanyahu's trip to the U.S. was postponed by half a day due to a delay in his meeting with President Biden, who has contracted COVID-19. The meeting is now rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, Netanyahu will address Congress at 2 PM EST. Initially, I was opposed to the trip, but given our complex situation, a direct meeting with key personnel in Washington has become necessary.
With tonight’s news that Biden is withdrawing from the race, there has been speculation about whether Netanyahu will still meet with Biden. It should be noted that Biden will remain President for another six months, and thus, the meeting between the two is as important as ever. Netanyahu already has a scheduled meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris.
GAZA
In Gaza, limited fighting occurred along the border zone with Egypt and in the Netzarim corridor. During some of this weekend’s attacks, the IDF settled old scores. Here is today’s statement from the IDF Spokesman:
Following the joint attack by the IDF and Shin Bet, in which about 20 militants from the Shati Battalion were eliminated, including the militant who carried out the shooting that killed Staff Sergeant Tal Lehat, the militant Nimer Hamida, associated with the Hamas terrorist organization, was also eliminated.
In recent years, Hamida served as a member of the Ramallah Committee of the "West Bank Headquarters" and was involved in the shooting attack at Ein Yabrud in October 2003, during which three IDF soldiers were killed: Sergeant Elad Polak, Sergeant Roy Yaakov Solomon, and First Sergeant Erez Idan.
The IDF shares the sorrow of the bereaved families and will continue to support them.
Additionally, in the same attack, senior terrorist Az Aldin Akila, a high-ranking militant in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, who promoted terrorist activities against IDF forces during the fighting, was eliminated.
HOSTAGE DEAL
Earlier today, Prime Minister Netanyahu conducted a comprehensive meeting on the current status of the hostage negotiations and issued the following statement:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an in-depth discussion today on the issue of the hostages with the negotiation team and senior security officials. The Prime Minister instructed that the delegation of negotiators be dispatched to Qatar next Thursday.
In response, Defense Minister Gallant issued the following statement:
I commend the Prime Minister for the decision to send the negotiation team to renew the talks in order to bring our hostages home. Prime Minister, good luck on your important trip to the United States, our key ally.
In light of the operational achievements in the war, conditions have been created, and there is a limited window of opportunity for a framework for the release of hostages. Even if there are disagreements, the entire security system supports you in the mission to bring an agreement.
In 2013, Shai Piron, who was then the Education Minister (from the Yesh Atid party), initiated a new national educational stream called “National ultra-Orthodox” (Mamlachti Haredi). Designed specifically for the ultra-Orthodox community, this program is fully state-funded and includes core subjects, such as Math and English. The state also finances all the teachers and provides additional services such as special education. Initially, the program had only a few students and garnered little attention. However, over the last year or two, the National ultra-Orthodox stream has begun to expand significantly, with 20 ultra-Orthodox schools recently choosing to affiliate with this new educational stream.
It is now estimated that next year, 13% of ultra-Orthodox youth will attend the National ultra-Orthodox stream. Furthermore, in this quiet revolution, the number of ultra-Orthodox youth enrolling in the National ultra-Orthodox stream is expected to rise to 19% the following year. The sudden growth of this educational stream has provoked the leadership of the ultra-Orthodox community to publicly criticize it, including placing large advertisements against those considering enrolling their children. Despite these efforts, many ultra-Orthodox parents, concerned about their children’s future earning potential, are choosing to send their children to these schools. Notably, a greater proportion of ultra-Orthodox families from Hasidic sects, who are more inclined towards participating in the country’s labor force, are opting for these schools compared to those from the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox groups.
BUSINESS
The Israeli company Deel is making its third acquisition this year by purchasing the British startup Hofi, which was founded by one of its former employees. According to estimates, the purchase amount is slightly over $100 million. Deel was valued at $12 billion in its last funding round after raising $630 million since its establishment. Hofi is already collaborating with Deel in the field of human resources management and computing services for the workforce.
The acquired company focuses on supplying and managing IT equipment for employees, such as shipping and collecting laptops and other endpoint devices. Hofi was founded in the UK in 2020 by Sami Bourmoum and Michael Ginzo, who previously served as a product manager at Deel. It has raised $30 million so far, with the latest funding round of $15 million taking place in 2022. Participants in the round included Stride, 20VC, Day One Ventures, Kindred Capital, Activum, and TrueSight.
