DAY 393 OF THE WAR: Rockets & Drones from the North and East, Three Soldiers Die Fighting in Gaza, Commando Raid in Lebanon, Security Scandal in Prime Minister’s Office

Tel Aviv Diary November 2, 2023

Zoom Briefing: Sunday, November 3, 6 PM Israel Time • 4 PM GB • 11 AM EST • 8 AM PST. Invitations will go out in the morning.

Friday was relatively quiet in terms of rocket fire from the North, with only one barrage in the morning that wounded several individuals. However, the situation escalated after midnight when rockets were launched targeting central Israel. Although Hezbollah claimed they intended to hit the 8200 base in Glilot, north of Tel Aviv, their missiles missed the target. One rocket stuck a home in Tamra, an Israeli town near Kfar Saba, wounding eleven people.

Throughout the day, rockets were fired at northern Israel, reaching as far south as Haifa. Additionally, ten drones were launched toward Israel—three from the east, which were intercepted over the Red Sea, and the remainder from Lebanon. Most of these drones were shot down, though one struck a factory in Achziv. Later in the afternoon, a drone flew over Israel for nearly 30 minutes before it was finally shot down by an attack helicopter using machine guns.

LEBANON

On Friday night, Israeli naval commandos (Shayetet 13) conducted an operation 140 kilometers north of Israel, capturing a high-ranking Hezbollah figure reportedly identified as Imad Amhaz, one of the group’s naval commanders. This unusual move suggests Amhaz possessed critical information, prompting Israel to detain him for interrogation. Tonight, the IDF officially confirmed the operation

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Operations continued in Lebanon both on the ground and in the air. On Saturday, the IDF announced that it had killed two high-ranking Hezbollah commanders in a targeted strike on Friday. Ma'in Musa Az al-Din, who commanded Hezbollah's coastal sector, and Hassan Majed Diab, the sector's artillery commander, were eliminated in the strike. According to the IDF, Diab was directly responsible for rocket attacks on Kiryat Shmona that occurred on Thursday. Military officials reported that the two commanders had orchestrated more than 400 rocket launches into Israeli territory over the course of the past month.

In a broader operation over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force conducted strikes on over 120 targets linked to Hezbollah and Hamas. The strikes targeted anti-tank positions, weapons storage facilities, and command centers across Lebanon, targeting both the southern regions and deeper inland areas.

GAZA

In Gaza, an additional battalion, Kfir, was sent to combat ongoing hostilities in Jabalya. That fighting has now been ongoing for over a month. The Army has also expanded its operations into parts of the central camps. Although details are unclear, the military publicized the discovery and destruction of an underground weapons manufacturing workshop.

Additionally, it was announced tonight that two soldiers from the Givati Brigade were killed in the area. First Sergeant Yair Hananya (22), from Mitzpe Netufa, and First Sergeant Itay Parizat (20), from Petah Tikva, lost their lives while clearing a building. The tragedy occurred on the fourth floor when an explosive device hidden in a clothing drawer detonated.

On Friday, it was announced that Captain Yarden Zakay (21), from Hadera, had succumbed to wounds he sustained in September.

In total, operations in the Jabalya have resulted in the deaths of 900 Hamas members, with an additional 300 captured. Since we began to operate in the region, we have lost 23 soldiers. While I’m confident in our ability to continue advancing through various regions of Gaza and neutralizing more Hamas operatives, it’s clear they are actively recruiting new members. Meanwhile, the hostages are struggling to survive, hidden away in the tunnels somewhere underground. It has now been more than a year, and there is still no plan to bring this war to an end.

SCANDAL OF COLOSSAL PROPORTIONS

Over the past two days, a major scandal involving both defense and politics has come to light. The Shabak (General Security Services) have arrested individuals connected to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office for allegedly “leaking classified information and undermining the war effort,” as stated by the judge. A gag order, in place until Friday, had barred any reporting on the matter, but that press embargo has now been partially lifted. Tomorrow, after all of the mainstream news organizations petitioned the court, deliberations on whether to lift all reporting restrictions concerning the details of the case.

So far, it has been revealed that top-secret intelligence reports were disseminated through foreign channels. One of these reports indicated that Sinwar was opposed to any agreement, while another “leaked” document suggested that Sinwar planned to flee to Egypt via the Philadelphia Corridor, taking hostages with him. It should be noted that the connection between Sinwar and these documents is reportedly fabricated. The Prime Minister’s Office is currently claiming that those implicated were not members of Netanyahu’s staff and that Netanyahu himself was not involved in the incident.

Yair Lapid, head of the opposition, stated:

The purpose of the false and distorted leaks coming from the Prime Minister’s office was to sabotage the hostage deal while our soldiers are being killed and wounded, and the hostages are dying in the tunnels.

If the allegations hold true, it is undeniable that there was a deliberate effort to undermine the prospects of securing an agreement for the hostages' return, directly emanating from the Prime Minister’s office. Whether such an agreement could have been reached remains unknown. What is clear, however, is that there has been an intentional attempt to thwart the efforts of the hostage families. It is hoped that further information will become available tomorrow.

In recent days, it has been repeatedly and publicly noted that the caliber of people working for Netanyahu is not especially high. This has been a poorly kept secret over the past few years, but the current affair has thrust this glaring shortfall squarely back into the public eye.

ECONOMY

After a day of debate and arguments, the government approved the budget on Friday. However, it remains uncertain whether the proposed cuts and tax plans will be fully implemented. The government faces a formidable challenge in financing the extraordinary costs of the war and addressing the expanded needs of the military after the war.

While the budget seeks to spread the financial impact of the war across all societal sectors, several key components have come to light. According to the Finance Ministry's calculations, coalition funds within the budget amount to 4.1 billion shekels. However, with extra provisions for youth movements, pre-army academies, and Haredi teachers, the total allocation approaches 5.4 billion shekels, a slight decrease from the 5.7 billion shekels allocated the previous year.

The government has also approved the formation of a team led by Yossi Shelley, Prime Minister's Office Director-General, to examine the potential merger of five ministries. Instead of outright elimination, the plan proposes integrating smaller ministries into larger ones—such as folding some offices of Likud ministers into the Prime Minister's Office. However, this restructuring is highly unlikely to yield significant financial savings.

Regarding social welfare provisions, the budget maintains most national insurance benefits at their current levels, except for child allowances. The Ministerial Committee on Legislation is anticipated to approve additional legislation to support subsidies for daycare centers. The social security tax will be increased next year to finance these measures.

A WORTHWHILE READ…

One of our readers recommended the following article. It's long, but definitely worth reading. In the investigative essay, published by the Free Press, Abigail Shrier presents evidence of a well-coordinated, national effort between teachers, activist organizations, and administrators to indoctrinate American children against Israel. Here’s the link: The Kindergarten Intifada

BUSINESS

Israeli startup, Decart, raised $21 million in a Seed round led by Sequoia Capital, with early investment support from Oren Zeev. Founded in late 2023 by Unit 8200 veterans Dean Leitersdorf and Moshe Shalev, Decart developed an AI infrastructure platform that significantly boosts AI model efficiency, offering faster, cost-effective training and real-time inference capabilities. Their platform allows large-scale training of AI models, reducing costs and improving efficiency by tenfold, leading Decart to early profitability with paying enterprise customers and millions in revenue.

Decart’s recent funding will enhance their platform, which is already enabling new generative AI experiences. The company recently launched an interactive AI video game model that operates ten times more efficiently than traditional models, minimizing latency for players and setting a new standard in human-AI interaction.

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A PIECE OF HISTORY

Olmert’s Final Months as Prime Minister

Throughout the spring of 2008, Israel grappled with persistent rocket fire from Gaza, initially targeting S’derot and later extending to Ashkelon. In April, former President Carter published an op-ed in The New York Times, advocating for negotiations with Hamas. I was appalled by Carter’s stance and expressed my dismay in one of the Israel updates I published online at the time:

I am sure President Carter would have done very well negotiating with Hitler at Munich. He would have come back praising him as a man of peace. The fundamental flaw in the former President’s position is that he believes what he is told, hearing only what he wants. Actions in international affairs, especially in the Middle East, speak louder than words. Hitler, like Hamas, came to power through elections and then seized full control, much like how Hamas took over Gaza from the Palestinian Authority.

At the end of April 2008, Hamas agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire. In an interview, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal explained that in any conflict, there are times to retreat and times to escalate. Hamas accepted the ceasefire to benefit from a period of calm. However, Mashal acknowledged that smaller factions, such as Islamic Jihad might not comply. Israel dismissed the proposal, arguing that Hamas simply seeking to gain time.

In May, Hezbollah solidified its power in Lebanon after a confrontation with the Lebanese Army, which ultimately capitulated. I wrote at the time, in 2008:

This situation could have major strategic implications for Israel and the entire Middle East. Sooner or later, Israel may face a northern border entirely under Iranian influence. If Hezbollah takes control, the nightmare of Iranian-led Shiite dominance will continue. This outcome underscores the missed strategic opportunity in the Lebanon War two years prior. Israel, with Sunni Arab support, could have shifted the balance in Lebanon, but government mismanagement squandered this historic chance.

On May 8, 2008, the gag order on the latest corruption investigation into Prime Minister Olmert was lifted. It was alleged that American businessman Morris Talansky provided Olmert with cash, a claim Talansky confirmed. Olmert maintained that the money was a campaign contribution, although he acknowledged that the statute of limitations had already expired if this violated campaign finance laws. The absence of written records undermined Olmert’s defense, and his lawyer, Uri Messer, who managed the funds, cooperated fully with the police. Messer’s testimony would ultimately be detrimental to Olmert’s case.

In June, a ceasefire was finally brokered with Hamas, but it failed to halt the smuggling of weapons and explosives into Gaza.

On July 2, 2008, an incident that heralded a new form of terror unfolded: individual attacks. Hussam Taysir Duwait commandeered a Caterpillar 966 loader and drove it against traffic on Jaffa Road, crashing into an Egged bus near Jerusalem's old Central Bus Station. The impact overturned the bus, damaged other vehicles, and injured pedestrians. During the attack, Duwait shouted “Allahu Akbar.” Although initially shot by a police officer, Duwait continued his rampage, ultimately killing one more person. The attack was halted when three men intervened—off-duty soldier Moshe Plesser, a police officer, and armed civilian Oron Ben Shimon. Using Oron’s gun, Plesser fatally shot Duwait, bringing an end to the attack.

The victims included:

• Batsheva Unterman, 33, a kindergarten teacher from Jerusalem; her 6-month-old daughter was pulled from her car just before it was hit.

• Elizabeth Goren-Friedman, 54, originally from Austria, a teacher at a school for the blind.

• Jean Relevy, 68, an air-conditioning technician from Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood.

During this period, Olmert continued to maintain his innocence, and resisted calls to resign—especially from opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who passionately argued that a Prime Minister under investigation could not effectively govern. At the end of July, Olmert announced that he would step down, once his party, Kadima, could hold primaries to elect his successor.