DAY 444 OF THE WAR: Three Soldiers Killed in Gaza, Houthi Drone Intercepted, Netanyahu’s Trial Continues, Beepers Exposed on 60 Minutes

Tel Aviv Diary, December 23, 2024

This evening, it was announced that three Israeli soldiers were killed in Northern Gaza today. The soldiers are Sergeant First Class (res.) Hillel Diener (21), from Talmon; First Sergeant Netanel Pesach (21), from Eleazar; and Captain Ilay Gavriel Atedgi (22), from Kiryat Motzkin. They died in an explosion at the entrance to a building. Had an agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release been reached last week or earlier, these deaths could have been avoided. The longer we delay, the more lives, both hostages and soldiers, will be lost

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HOUTHIS

The Houthis dispatched a drone intended to explode in Israel, which the Israeli Air Force successfully intercepted before it could hit its intended target. The ongoing debate over how to address the Houthi threat continues. At this point, it appears highly likely that Israel will strike the Houthis again in the near future. Today, Prime Minister Netanyahu affirmed that Israel's recent offensive in Yemen "was not the last." I anticipate that any subsequent actions will be strategically timed, possibly coinciding with political developments related to Trump.

THE NETANYAHU TRIAL

Today, Prime Minister Netanyahu continued his testimony in his ongoing trial. In his statements, Netanyahu contended that the police fabricated a crime, which he blamed for precipitating Israel's five elections. Netanyahu conveniently omitted that the primary cause of those repeated elections was his refusal to resign. Had Netanyahu stepped down, forming a broad coalition would have been readily achievable.

FALLOUT FROM “UVDA” (“FACT”)

The repercussions from a recent episode of “Uvda,” Israel's leading investigative news program, continue to unfold. This episode exposed Sara Netanyahu's actions, prompting several individuals to file complaints against her for attempting to influence a witness. Among the complainants is Hadas Klein, a witness Sara Netanyahu is accused of targeting. When confronted with these allegations, Netanyahu’s supporters typically deflect by questioning the legality of how the incriminating WhatsApp messages were obtained.

It is worth noting that Sara Netanyahu has been in Miami for the past month, with no scheduled date to return. Additionally, the family of the late Hanni Bleiweiss, from whose phone the WhatsApp messages were retrieved, is reportedly suing Likud and its leader (Netanyahu) for NIS 8 million. This amount includes NIS 400,000 for expenses Bleiweiss incurred and was never reimbursed.

SATMAR TO THE RESCUE?

In New York, the Satmar community has raised $350 million to support Israel’s ultra-Orthodox population. The funding aims to compensate for financial shortfall caused by persistent disputes over conscription of ultra-Orthodox men into the IDF. Efforts to broker a resolution in the Knesset have thus far failed, with ultra-Orthodox leaders adamantly resisting the enlistment of their young men.

HOSTAGES

Today at the Knesset, Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated that there has been some progress made toward the release of hostages, although he could not specify a timeline for their release. Beyond Netanyahu's remarks, there have been no further updates on the matter today.

THE “BEEPER PROJECT” ON 60 MINUTES

Last night’s 60 Minutes segment on the Mossad’s “Beeper Project” was the main story in Israel this morning. You can watch the full episode here or read the transcript. Below are some of the highlights from the show. One of the primary questions being debated today is whether it was a good idea to release this information. In my opinion, the final answer in the segment sums up the justification

for doing so.

Courtesy of 60 Minutes

Retired Mossad agents say the walkie-talkie bomb operation was a decade in the making. Israel waited 10 years to detonate the devices. Israel sold more than 16,000 walkie-talkies to Hezbollah — each containing a hidden bomb inside the battery, which was later used against them.

We create a pretend world. We are a global production company: We write the screenplay, we're the directors, we're the producers, we're the main actors. And the world is our stage, says a retired Mossad agent who was among those who led the pager op.

A former Mossad agent says the spy agency tested the pagers to ensure there was just enough explosive to harm the Hezbollah fighter — but not the person next to him.

It’s ugly, but it has “character” [Stahl explained that “character” referred to the device’s varied features]. A former agent says he convinced the head of Mossad that he could sell big, bulky pagers — which were necessary for secretly holding explosives later used against their buyers: Hezbollah.

The head of Mossad, Israel's spy agency, gave the go-ahead, triggering the pager and walkie-talkie attacks. Pagers belonging to Hezbollah fighters exploded. All in all 30 people were killed, including two children, and about 3,000 people were injured.

Those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of ‘don't mess with us,’ says a former member of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah saw pagers exploding and fighters collapsing near him in the bunker, says a former Mossad agent. Asked how he knew this, he’d only say: “It’s a strong rumor.”