Israel News for 2-20-2024
News Update
Israeli jets have been carrying out strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in response to Hezbollah rocket attacks against northern Israel.
An investigative report in a French newspaper claims that Hezbollah has been digging hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels in Lebanon for over 30 years, some of them reaching depths of 40 meters to 80 meters, using North Korean technology. The report noted that the tunnels are more complex and dangerous than those in Gaza, and the explosion of some of the tunnels could cause earthquakes or landslides. The report claims Israel dropped white phosphorus bombs in southern Lebanon after the Hamas attack on October 7 to burn vegetation and expose the entrances to the tunnels. According to reports, 12 such shafts were discovered and destroyed. For more, click here.
Combat operations continue in Khan Yunis and other areas of Gaza. The IDF says that it has killed around 12,000 Hamas terrorists since the start of the war. That is close to half the number of Palestinians reportedly killed in the war.
IDF soldiers killed in Gaza:
Staff Sgt. Maoz Morell, 22, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Talmon.
Staff Sgt. Simon Shlomov, 20, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion, from Kiryat Bialik.
For a complete list of the soldiers killed in the ground offensive, click here.
A Saudi online publication reported that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed recently escaped to Egypt through tunnels in the Rafah area, and that they took hostages with them. Israeli officials are denying the report. The report also said that Hamas used 8 large tunnels running from Gaza to Egypt to smuggle weapons and fighters.
According to IDF data, the air force has attacked 29,000 targets in Gaza during this war and over 1,000 in Lebanon. About 26,000 attacks were carried out using fighter jets, 3,800 using helicopter gunships and 3,800 attacks with UAVs. The air force has converted the Patriot missile defense batteries to operate the Iron Dome system.
The U.S. has proposed an alternative draft resolution in the United Nations Security Council calling for a temporary cease-fire and opposing a major Israeli ground offensive in Rafah. A Senior US official said, “We do not plan to rush our text to a vote. We don’t believe a rush to a vote is necessary or constructive and intend on allowing time for negotiations.” The proposal is intended, among other things, to prevent the members of the Security Council from voting in favor of the Algerian proposal. The U.S. is likely to veto the Algerian proposal, which calls for an immediate cease-fire, ensuring that it does not pass. For more, click here.
