DAY 361 OF THE WAR: Iran Fires 181 Ballistic Missiles at Israel, Causing Minimal Damage, Terror Attack in Tel Aviv 7 Dead, Israeli Forces Advance in Southern Lebanon

Tel Aviv Diary, October 1, 2024

PLEASE NOTE: As tomorrow evening begins, Rosh Hashanah, the next currently scheduled diary update entry will be posted on the evening of October 5th. However, if events warrant, I will send out a special update as needed. Wishing everyone an all around better new year.

The next biweekly Zoom briefing will take place on Sunday, October 6th— 6 PM Israel | 4PM GB | 11 AM IED | 8 AM PDT

After several days of reduced tension in Israel, the situation escalated again today. Late this morning, Hezbollah successfully launched three rockets toward the center of the country. Rocket attack warnings were issued for areas including North Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Ra'anana, and Kfar Saba. Debris from an interceptor missile landed on a major highway, injuring three people.

In response to the attack—and likely due to additional intelligence warnings—the Home Front Command revised its safety guidelines for Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and surrounding areas. The new rules limit gatherings to 30 people outdoors and 300 indoors, as long as a bomb shelter is accessible nearby. Consequently, this has led to the cancellation of large gatherings, including the mass S’lichot services planned for tonight in Jerusalem. Additionally, beaches have been closed. An unexpected briefing by the Army Spokesperson was scheduled for just after 3 p.m., further heightening concerns.

During the briefing, Army Spokesperson Adm. Daniel Hagari disclosed that over the past few months, elite IDF units had conducted 70 operations over 200 nights in Lebanon. These operations were aimed at both reconnaissance and the destruction of Hezbollah tunnels and infrastructure near the border. Videos of the tunnels and confiscated weapons were displayed, exposing Hezbollah's readiness to launch attacks near the border. While U.S. media had previously reported on these activities, this was the first official confirmation from the Israeli military.

Around 4:30 p.m., rumors of a potential Iranian attack began to spread. Some initial reports, which later proved false, suggested that drones headed towards Israel had been intercepted. However, U.S. sources soon indicated that Iran was planning a ballistic missile strike on Israel. Just before 5 p.m., Hagari addressed the nation again, confirming that the U.S. had received intelligence suggesting Iran was preparing to launch an attack in the upcoming hours. Nonetheless, Hagari clarified that Israel currently had no direct evidence of an imminent strike. He urged everyone to remain vigilant.

It wasn’t long before the Home Front Command issued a new guidance, telling citizens to stay close to our shelters, in order to be able to enter swiftly. We were told that once the air raid sirens begin, to remain sheltered until given the all-clear. At 7:30 PM,  our phones received a direct warning to enter a shelter immediately. Almost the entire country, except for Haifa, received the warning. We quickly made our way to the shelter, and soon nearly everyone in the building was inside. A few people were nervous because their children were on their way home. Soon after, we heard a loud boom.

For about an hour, around twenty of us—including two toddlers, two dogs, and a few strangers who happened to be passing by when the sirens went off—waited in the shelter. Fortunately, despite being in a sealed underground shelter, we didn’t lose internet service and could stay updated in real-time with the constant stream of notifications. An hour after we entered, we received the all-clear.

The Iranians fired approximately 181 ballistic missiles at Israel. The vast majority of the missiles  aimed at all parts of Israel were intercepted; only a small number penetrated our defenses, with a few landing in central Israel and around a dozen in the Negev, causing minor damage. Despite the large-scale attack, only two people were lightly wounded. This time, the Iranians fired twice as many missiles as they did in April, but once again, the Arrow system managed to intercept nearly 95% of them.

Israel will, without doubt, retaliate, possibly even tonight.  As opposed to the last time, it won’t be a small attack.

The IDF spokesperson said the following to the foreign media: “We will decide the manner of response—when, where, and how.”

Over the course of the day, several rocket attacks occurred in the North, just northward of Haifa. Rockets landed off the coast of Netanya. At 6:20 p.m, a loud boom was heard in Tel Aviv, caused by two rockets that landed off the coast.

In a discussion with the IDF General Staff Forum, Defense Minister Gallant said:

This year, this forum has experienced both the greatest failure and the most important achievements in the history of the IDF and the defense establishment. I hope we will be able to learn lessons and preserve the unity.

Jaffa Terror Attack

As tensions were rising before the Iranian attack, news came of a terror attack in Jaffa. Two terrorists from Hebron boarded the light rail in Tel Aviv heading towards Jaffa. They stabbed a security officer on the train, took his M-16, and began firing at other passengers. They then exited the train and shot at anyone they saw. Fortunately, they only had 26 bullets in the gun. The police were able to shoot the two terrorists, but not before they had killed seven people

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GROUND OPERATION IN Lebanon

Israeli forces have been engaged in ground operations in Lebanon for 24 hours. There have been no reported Israeli casualties. This is how the army spokesman described todays actions:

"The Commander of the Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordin, held a situational assessment with the Commander of the 98th Division, Brigadier General Guy Levy, and other commanders as forces advanced toward objectives in Lebanon at the division's forward command near the border.

During the night, combat teams from the Paratroopers Brigade, the Commando Brigade, and the 7th Brigade, under the command of the 98th Division, began targeted and confined ground operations in several areas in southern Lebanon to destroy terrorist infrastructure from which Hezbollah had planned to attack the State of Israel.

During the raids, Paratroopers discovered dozens of combat equipment and facilities, and the Egoz Unit fighters found rocket launchers and concealed explosive stockpiles, destroying an active combat site of Hezbollah militants.

Additionally, over the past 24 hours, the Air Force attacked more than 100 terrorist infrastructures and targets in support of the fighters.

From the words of the Northern Command Commander, Major General Ori Gordin: 'We launched this operation tonight, with the 98th leading the way. These are focused attacks against Radwan's deployment areas, against offensive areas that threaten the northern communities—locate them and destroy them. We are taking this step so that we can return the residents of the north home. We are determined, you are leading, continue on this path.'

WEST BANK

In a major joint operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Shin Bet, and Border Police in Nablus, several terrorists were eliminated and multiple arrests were carried out. The operation, which began on Sunday evening, targeted individuals involved in planning and executing attacks against Israeli forces in Judea and Samaria. During the mission, Abdul Shahin, a terrorist linked to recent attacks and the recruitment of new operatives, was neutralized by soldiers from the Kfir Brigade.

In a separate operation, soldiers from the elite Duvdevan Unit came under gunfire while attempting to arrest two wanted suspects in the Balata camp. This encounter resulted in the death of one terrorist and the injuries to another. During the firefight in the Balata camp, one soldier from the Duvdevan Unit sustained severe injuries and three others sustained moderate injuries in the same incident. All four injured soldiers were promptly evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment. Despite these casualties, the IDF continued its mission, uncovering explosives, weapons, and ammunition hidden within civilian areas throughout Nablus. The operation extended to other areas, including arrests in Silwad and weapon confiscations in Bani Na’im.

BUSINESS

Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems will establish a new plant for bomb production. The decision to build the plant follows the signing of an agreement with the Ministry of Defense for the purchase of ammunition worth 1.5 billion shekels. The deal, described by the Ministry of Defense as “a significant component in the plan to strengthen the independence of Israeli production and expand production lines in Israeli industries,” is part of the policy to reduce reliance on foreign countries for munitions supply, and as a lesson learned from the war.

Several countries, including the UK, have officially declared an arms embargo on Israel; some, like Germany, are implementing a soft embargo, reflected in the freezing of export licenses and a decline in the volume of arms exports from Germany to Israel, amounting to 14 million euros between January and August.

Apono

Israeli startup Apono has successfully raised $15.5 million in a Series-A funding round, led by New Era Capital Partners with participation from several other venture capital firms. This latest investment brings the company's total funding to approximately $20.5 million since its founding in 2021. Apono, which currently employs 35 people, has developed a platform that allows companies to manage access permissions for their cloud applications and databases while meeting customer compliance and information security requirements.

Apono's innovative approach to access management has garnered significant traction in the market. Apono serves dozens of clients across the U.S., including Fortune 500 companies and prominent tech firms such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Jasper.AI, Bloomreach, and OpenWeb. The startup has reported impressive growth, with a 300% increase in revenue over the past three quarters. Apono's platform aims to provide Just In Time and Just Enough permissions, offering precise access controls that employees or applications need for their work, and only for the required time. This solution addresses the critical balance between maintaining operational efficiency and adhering to stringent security and compliance standards in today's cloud-based business environments.

Qodo

The startup Qodo (formerly CodiumAI), which develops an AI-based platform for writing and testing code, announced that it has completed a Series-A funding round of $40 million, led by Susa Ventures and Square Peg. Qodo was founded in 2022 by Itamar Friedman, who serves as the CEO, and Dedi Kardo, Chief Product Officer. Friedman previously managed Alibaba's development center in Israel until its closure.

Qodo is part of a wave of companies in Israel and globally offering generative AI-based tools to automatically generate and complete software code. At Qodo, they say their technology focuses on code testing, with a strong emphasis on the quality and reliability of the code. “Qodo's platform assists in intelligent code creation, testing, thorough reviews, and documentation, prioritizing quality throughout all stages of development,” the company stated.

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A PIECE OF HISTORY

SHARON PASSES DISENGAGEMENT PLAN

Once Prime Minister Sharon unveiled the disengagement plan, both he and the plan faced relentless criticism. To garner support, Sharon visited the White House, where he received backing from President Bush. This support included a letter from President Bush, dated April 14, 2004, which represented a significant diplomatic victory for Israel. The letter stated:

Third, Israel will retain its right to defend itself against terrorism, including to take actions against terrorist organizations. The United States will lead efforts, working together with Jordan, Egypt, and others in the international community, to build the capacity and will of Palestinian institutions to fight terrorism, dismantle terrorist organizations, and prevent the areas from which Israel has withdrawn from posing a threat that would have to be addressed by any other means. The United States understands that after Israel withdraws from Gaza and/or parts of the West Bank, and pending agreements on other arrangements, existing arrangements regarding control of airspace, territorial waters, and land passages of the West Bank and Gaza will continue. The United States is strongly committed to Israel's security and well-being as a Jewish state.

It seems clear that an agreed, just, fair, and realistic framework for a solution to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of any final status agreement will need to be found through the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the settling of Palestinian refugees there, rather than in Israel.

As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance with UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338. In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion. It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities.

President Bush’s statement marked the first time that the US explicitly stated that Israel would retain parts of the West Bank in any final settlement. Opposition to the plan was strong from the right-wing, as well as from settlers in Gaza and their supporters. Sharon hoped to get his plan approved by the Likud’s Central, but faced disappointment when it was rejected on May 2, 2002— defeated by a margin of 60 to 40. Despite the setback, Sharon decided to proceed with the plan. The opposition was vehement. Rabbi David Hacohen, from Bat Yam, described the dismantling of the settlements as:

a crime against the Jewish people for which there shall be no forgiveness. Any agreement to evacuate a settlement is like the Munich agreement with the Nazis, may their names be erased.

On July 22, 2002, tens of thousands of Israelis joined hands to form a vibrant human chain -- broken in places. Despite gaps, it remained a formidable sight, stretching 56 miles from the Gaza Strip to the Western Wall in the Old City, in protest against the disengagement plan.

And still, despite the fierce opposition, Sharon went ahead and presented the plan for approval, first to the cabinet, where it passed with the support of the then Minister of Finance, and subsequently to the Knesset. Before the vote on October 25, 2004, Sharon addressed the assembly, saying:

You know that I do not say these things light heartedly . . . This is a people that has courageously faced and still faces the burden and terror of the ongoing war, which has continued from generation to generation; in which, as in a relay race, fathers pass the guns to their sons; in which the boundary between the front line and the home front has long been erased; in which schools and hotels, restaurants and marketplaces, cafes and buses, have also become targets for cruel terrorism and premeditated murder.

… I know the implications and impact of the Knesset’s decision on the lives of thousands of Israelis who have lived in the Gaza Strip for many years, who were sent there on behalf of the governments of Israel, and who built homes there, planted trees, and grew flowers, and who gave birth to sons and daughters, who have not known any other home. I am well aware of the fact that I sent them and took part in this enterprise, and many of these people are my personal friends. I am well aware of their pain, rage, and despair. However, as much as I understand everything they are going through these days and everything they will face as a result of the necessary decision to be made in the Knesset today I also believe in the necessity of taking the step of disengagement in these areas, with all the pain it entails, and I am determined to complete this mission. I am firmly convinced and truly believe that this disengagement will strengthen Israel’s hold over territory which is essential to our existence . . .

… Israel has many hopes and faces extreme dangers. The most prominent danger is Iran, which is making every effort to acquire nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and establishing an enormous terror network together with Syria in Lebanon.

The Disengagement Plan does not replace negotiations and is not meant to permanently freeze the situation that will be created. It is an essential and necessary step in a situation that currently does not enable genuine negotiations for peace.

The vote was held the next day and the plan passed 67 to 45.

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