Free Republic

National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi spoke about a military operation in Rafah, stressing that, "the decision has been made - the question is not if, but when." Speaking to Israel's "Meet the Press" program, Hanegbi said, "Sinwar is living on borrowed time." "He escaped from one burrow to the next, we were very close to him. There are those who would say that we were incredibly close, at one point. Maybe even less than a few days." Comparing Sinwar to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was eliminated by US forces in 2011, Hanegbi promised that Sinwar "won't...

IDF ground forces enter East Rafah after intense shelling; War Cabinet unanimously decides to continue Gaza operation and also send negotiating team to Gaza; US official: 'War Cabinet did not negotiate with Hamas in good faith' About two hours after Hamas' responded positively to an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, Palestinian and Arab media reported Monday evening that IDF forces and tanks began to enter Gaza's East Rafah, in following intense heavy shelling in the eastern area of ​​the city. The IDF spokesman confirmed the report and said that "IDF forces are attacking and operating now against targets of the terrorist organization...

Israel's Channel 12 News reported that officials in Jerusalem think that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague will issue arrest warrants as early as this week to some senior officials. The people include Prime Minister Benjamin Netaanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. It is being reported that diplomatic efforts to stop ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan from moving ahead with arrest warrants have failed. The arrest warrants could be issued over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There are also accusations that Israel breached the Fourth Geneva Convention as it...

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) approved a plan Sunday for attacking the final Hamas stronghold in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, near the Egyptian border, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to visit on Tuesday. The IDF said in a statement: Today (Sunday), on the eve of the second holiday of Passover, the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, discussed and approved plans for the continuation of the war with the Commanding Officer of the Southern Command, MG Yaron Finkelman, and all the division and brigade commanders in the command.

Things of ominous import are ratcheting up in the Syrian and Lebanese regions of the Middle East cauldron. So high have rumors of a major Israeli strike soon to come raised fears that Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, has deemed to take his entire family on vacation somewhere distant from Damascus. Both Israeli and Arab press report Assad has abandoned the Syrian capital and that he did so suddenly and with little announcement. The latest war-making revolves around the IDF taking out a major Iranian terrorist leader/diplomat in a building near the Iranian Embassy. Iran has gone on a campaign...

Israel came under attack from Hezbollah on Wednesday when dozens of rockets were fired at the Galilee. Israel responded by attacking targets in South Lebanon. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant who was visiting the IDF Northern Command and meeting with its senior officers, said that half of the commanders of Hezbollah's forces have been killed and the rest were in hiding. "From the military operational perspective this is a critical time," he said. In a statement, the military said IDF fighter jets and artillery struck approximately 40 Hezbollah terror targets in the area of Ayta ash Shab in southern Lebanon, including...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion in the next few days, according to three American sources. The sanctions are a result of human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank. This will be the first time that the United States government has imposed sanctions on an Israeli military unit for its activities in the West Bank. The sources stated that the American sanctions will prohibit the transfer of US military aid to the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, will prevent its soldiers and officers from taking part in training with...

"Massive explosions have been reported inside Isfahan, the site of Iranian nuclear development facilites. All flights have been diverted away from Iran as another IRGC headquarters meeting has been hit south of Baghdad Iraq. EWS sites have been knocked out in Syria. We will be covering updates live and keeping everyone posted. Ukraine war news will be covered later in stream."

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his War Cabinet are leaning towards ordering the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to launch a retaliatory strike against Iran in the coming days, according to Israel’s Channel 12 news. A final decision has apparently not been made. The War Cabinet is expected to convene again tomorrow. But as war clouds form over the region, the stakes could not be higher. This is a big deal. I think that the War Cabinet is signaling that they will probably order a strike on Iran, but leaking word of their deliberations so the Israeli...

Just hours after the unprecedented Iranian missile and drone attack against Israel, top Iranian military leaders threatened to launch even larger attacks if the Jewish state decides to launch a counterstrike. “Our response will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran,” the head of the Iranian military, Maj.-Gen. Mohammad Bagheri warned. The Israeli Air Force (IAF), the United States and other allies successfully neutralized about 99% of the 300 missiles and drones Tehran fired toward Israel in the early morning hours on Sunday Bagheri further warned the U.S. that Iran would attack U.S. military bases...

I have been sitting here trying to figure out what to write about what we just witnessed. Just like October 7th, the shocking attack on Israel that just took place altered the course of history. This was the first time that Iran ever attacked Israel directly, and I was flooded with emails by readers that were concerned about World War III. So now that the Iranian attack is over, what will Israel do now? That is the big question. If Israel directly attacks Iran, the Iranians will inevitably respond and the conflict could spiral out of control. But if the...

Overnight, the Israel Defense Forces conducted a targeted operation in the Al-Fara'a refugee camp, located north of Nablus, resulting in the death of a terrorist named Mohammed Omar Daraghmeh. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that another terrorist was also killed, and four others were injured during the IDF's operation in the refugee camp near the Jordan Valley. Daraghmeh, associated with the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had been sought by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority for several years. Known as "The Rock" in Tubas, a town in the West Bank, he was killed in his...

As expected, in retaliation for Israel’s killing of a top Iranian general and 7 other senior military leaders on April 1, all of whom were suspected of having Israeli blood on their hands, Iran struck back on Saturday night, launching roughly 350 drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles on Israel. This marked the first time that the Islamic Republic of Iran directly attacked Israel after years of murderous attacks by their proxies, in particular Hezbollah and Hamas. What will Israel do in response? And what does this mean for the region and the world?

The IDF releases footage showing Israeli Air Force fighter jets downing some of the 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles fired from Iran at Israel overnight.

For the first time in the State of Israel's history, Iran has begun a direct attack on Israel, launching dozens of UAVs toward the Jewish state. At 1:43 a.m. Israel time, sirens began to wail in the central Negev region, shortly followed by other regions across the country including the Jerusalem and Dead Sea areas, Golan Heights, Gush Etzion, Hebron, and Samaria. Live updates: Sunday, 2:43 a.m.: A senior U.S. official told ABC News that Iran has launched an additional 70 missiles. Sunday, 2:36 a.m.: Israeli sources claim to Ynet that "we intercepted 99% of the Iranian response, we prepared...

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed three of the sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday in an airstrike in Gaza. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh learns that three of his sons were killed and responds: “I thank Allah for the honor that my children and grandchildren have been martyred.” And therein lies the problem. A father should aspire for his children to live in peace, not die for jihad. pic.twitter.com/vUivLJH8hN — Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) April 10, 2024 In a statement, the IDF said: Earlier today (Wednesday), directed by IDF and ISA intelligence, IAF aircraft struck three Hamas military...

As a U.S. Navy veteran, I find it utterly disgusting and contemptible that the Biden administration is taking Israel to the woodshed over a mistaken and tragic drone strike that resulted in the deaths of food aid workers. Especially contemptible among President Biden’s rogues’ gallery of propagandists is John Kirby, former Navy admiral and current White House national security spokesman. Mr. Kirby chastised the Israel Defense Forces for the aid deaths while hypocritically downplaying similar accidental deaths by U.S. forces of innocent Afghans during President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Kabul in August 2021. Yet the simple truth remains: Israel has...

Fast food giant McDonald's is to buy back all its Israeli restaurants following a boycott of the brand in response to the Israel-Hamas war. The company said it had reached an agreement with franchisee Alonyal for the return of 225 outlets across the country employing 5,000 people. McDonald's was criticised after Alonyal started giving away thousands of free meals to Israeli soldiers. Sales in the region have slumped since the conflict began in October. On Thursday, McDonald's said a deal had been signed with Alonyal which has been running the chain of Golden Arches in Israel for more than 30...

https://youtu.be/_sijFzmPDXI?si=yBo-UQ5h-cKNJFz4

IDF and ISA troops have completed precise operational activity in the area of the Shifa Hospital and exited the area of the hospital. The troops killed terrorists in close-quarters encounters and located numerous weapons and intelligence documents throughout the hospital, all while preventing harm to civilians, patients, and medical teams. In the central Gaza Strip, an IDF helicopter directed by IDF troops struck a booby-trapped Hamas military compound from which terrorists observed IDF troops and an additional Hamas military compound. Over the past day, IAF aircraft killed terrorists who posed an immediate threat to IDF troops, including a sniper who...