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The IDF continues to attack Hamas inside Gaza, to respond and target Hezbollah in Lebanon, operate again terror infrastructure in Jenin and strike airports inside Syria. In addition, Israel acted on fifth front to prevent a cyber-attack on an Israeli hospital.   

Hamas releases two American hostages while Israel confirms an additional 210 (including 30 babies and children) remain held by terrorists inside Gaza.    

Gaza Strip: The Israeli Air Force (IAF) continued its bombing campaign again Hamas military infrastructure.

• Despite over 3,000 targets struck in central and northern Gaza, Hamas has still been able to continue launching rockets directed primarily at the Gaza periphery but also sporadic attacks on central Israel.
• The IDF Spokesperson’s office announced that “fighter jets struck dozens of Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip, some located in multi-story buildings. Throughout the day, dozens of terror tunnel shafts, weapons, headquarters, command centres and mosques used as operational war rooms by Hamas terrorists were struck.”
• In addition, “the IDF killed two terror operatives near the security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, a Nukhba terror operative and additional terrorists.”
• The Shin Bet has formed a special new unit called Nili whose mission is to find and kill every single Nukhba commando who took part in the massacre on October 7.
• Last Saturday, the commander of Hamas’s Nukhba unit, Ali Qadhi, was killed. Qadhi was one of the people who led the assault on the Gaza periphery. The following day, Billal Al Kedra, who led the attack inside Kibbutz Nirim was killed too.

Lebanon: Hezbollah continued to escalate the fighting out of Lebanon.

• Hezbollah continued their attack including towards Har Dov yesterday, where 20 launches were identified.
• There were several more cases of anti-tank missiles aimed at IDF posts on the border.
• Hezbollah have so far fired over 200 rockets and mortars at Israel’s northern border.  There have been five attempted infiltrations, over 50 instances of anti-tank missiles fired. At least six Israelis have been killed.
• In response Israel has returned fire to the source and targeted the cells trying to infiltrate and fire anti-tank missiles. Hezbollah has admitted 16 operatives have been killed, whilst Israel estimates the number to around 30.
• Israel plans to evacuate another 14 communities close to the Lebanese border, in addition to the 28 communities already evacuated that lie within two km of the border.

Jenin: For the first time in almost 20 years the IAF carried out an aerial strike in the West Bank.

• The target was an underground terror compound underneath the Al-Ansar mosque in Jenin.
• According to the IDF, “The mosque contained a terror cell of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror operatives who were organising an imminent terror attack.” Palestinian sources reported two people killed and three injured.
• The targets were responsible for several terror attacks over the last months, including last weekend when they planted an explosive device that was detonated remotely by a mobile phone.
• The mosque was used by the terrorists as a command centre to plan the attacks and as a base for their execution.

Syria: According to Syrian media, Israel attacked airports in Damascus and Aleppo last night.

• Although Israel does not formally take credit for these attacks, it is reported to be the third time in the last two weeks that airports have been struck, presumably to prevent Iran sending more shipments of weapons.

Cyber: Tel Aviv’s Sheba Hospital went offline yesterday over fears of an impending cyberattack.

• All of the computers in the hospital were disconnected from the internet.
• The National Cyber Authority and the Health Ministry confirmed, “proactive measures are taken to temporarily suspend the availability of remote connectivity. At this stage that has not impacted the hospital’s performance, and service to patients has continued normally.”

Context: Iran continues to encourage various terrorist proxies to keep up a sustained attack against Israel across a number of fronts.

• It is not yet clear if Hezbollah is waiting for a ground incursion into Gaza as the trigger to expand their targets.
• Although the fighting has escalated, they have not yet extended their rocket range beyond the border, or unleashed their elite Radwan forces into Israel.
• Hezbollah’s primary task is to serve to protect the Iranian regime if Iran was directly attacked. For this reason they are joined the fighting, but not the war… yet.
• More details emerged over another Iranian proxy. At the end of last week the Houthis in Yemen had fired four cruise missiles and 15 armed drones towards Israel. The attacks were intercepted by US warships based in the Red Sea, 1,000 km from Israel.
• The missiles and the drones were manufactured by Iran.
• This was the latest example of US support for Israel’s war effort.
• The two hostages released were both US citizens who were visiting Israel for the holiday period from Chicago. They were released following diplomatic pressure from the US on Qatar. The gesture is being interpreted as an effort by Hamas leadership in Qatar to improve Hamas’s image, despite still holding at least 210 hostages.
• Following visits last week by President Biden, Prime Minister Sunak, Chancellor Scholtz, the latest visitors to Israel included Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Christodoulides of Cyprus. Both leaders met with both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Herzog.
• The first 20 trucks of humanitarian aid entered Gaza via Egypt through the Rafah crossing.

Looking ahead: The IDF has completed preparations for the ground incursion into Gaza. In the first phase the IDF will aim to take control of territory inside the Strip, then to dismantle Hamas’s operational and governmental infrastructure. This could take several months.

• The Israeli working assumption is that the Houthis are likely to try to fire more missiles and send more attack drones towards Israel.
• Shiite militias in Iraq could also join the offensive with missiles and drones from Iraqi territory.