INTERNACIONAL
Hezbollah terrorists hold ‘massive’ stockpile of Iranian arms, security experts warn
The Hezbollah terror organization in Lebanon has a «massive» armament stockpile that is significantly backed through Iranian financing and shared technological weapons development.
Israel’s military carried out a targeted strike that it said killed a high-ranking Hezbollah commander in Beirut on Tuesday following a deadly attack on a children’s soccer field Saturday on Israel’s Golan Heights. U.S. and Israeli officials said all evidence pointed to the Lebanon-based terrorist organization despite Hezbollah’s denials.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also said that the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 with a warhead containing more than 100 pounds of explosives.
On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site of the tragedy in Majdal Shams where a Hezbollah rocket attack killed 12 Israeli youths on Saturday. (Photo by Koby Gideon / Government Press Office)
IDF KILLS HEZBOLLAH COMMANDER BEHIND BRUTAL ATTACK ON CHILDREN’S SOCCER FIELD: OFFICIALS
However, the Falaq-1, according to security experts at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), is just the tip of the iceberg of Hezbollah’s significant military stockpile to pull from for these types of attacks.
Along with an estimated 40,000 combatants at its disposal, Hezbollah is believed to have some «150,000 mortars, short- to long-range unguided rockets, unguided short-range ballistic missiles, and smaller numbers of intermediate-range unguided Scud-B/C/D ballistic missiles.»
Like the rocket used to hit the children’s soccer field, Hezbollah is believed to possess between 40,000-80,000 short-range rockets that «could bombard northern Israel with saturating fire.»
Fighters from the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah carry out a training exercise in Aaramta village in southern Lebanon in May 2023. (AP/Hassan Ammar)
However, thanks to Iranian assistance in weapons development, the terrorist group is also capable of reaching cities deeper into Israel.
MASSACRE BY IRAN’S TERROR PROXY HEZBOLLAH COULD LEAD TO FULL-BLOWN WAR IN MIDEAST
«When Hezbollah first became a rocket threat in 1983, one of the IDF’s chief operational goals was to push the group 40 kilometers north of the border,» authors of the FDD report titled «Analysis: A greatly expanded arsenal means this is not the Hezbollah of 2006,» said. «Hezbollah’s increased medium and long-range fires capabilities mean Israel can no longer rely on strategies that simply push the group north beyond the ranges of its arsenal.»
«The IDF would need to push Hezbollah’s forces north of Tripoli to prevent its reach into Israel,» the report added.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah delivers a televised speech during a gathering to mark annual Quds Day commemorations in Beirut’s southern suburb on April 5, 2024. (Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)
Hezbollah reportedly relies on an integrated network of subterranean facilities to store its arsenal, all of which are located under or near populated areas in southern Lebanon, the capital city of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley – an area near Lebanon’s shared northeastern border with Syria.
«This situation presents serious challenges for the Israel Defense Forces and underscores Israel’s requirement for sufficient quantities of munitions to defend its citizens and defeat Hezbollah in a major war that could come sooner rather than later,» the report found.
Attacks by Islamic terror groups against Israel have drastically increased following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel which triggered Jerusalem’s retaliatory war in Gaza – including nearly 3,000 attacks levied against the Jewish state by Hezbollah alone.
An arch glorifying Hezbollah and baring pictures of its chief Hassan Nasrallah, right, and Iran’s spiritual leader Ali Khamenei decorates a street of Beirut’s southern subburb on Jan. 16, 2011. (ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)
Significant amounts of civilian casualties in Gaza have prompted the international community to call on Israel to reach a cease-fire agreement and prevent further escalations in the region.
A spokesperson for the State Department on Tuesday said despite the increasingly escalatory attacks in the Middle East, officials do not believe «an all-out war is inevitable.»
«That’s exactly why we’re remaining focused on diplomacy,» Principle Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.
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People inspect damaged cars in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. An Israeli airstrike hit Hezbollah’s stronghold south of Beirut Tuesday evening causing damage, a Hezbollah official and the group’s TV station said. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Though Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor for FDD who sat on the White House National Security Council during the Trump administration and who has been sanctioned by Iran, argued that war actually might be «inevitable.»
«But not necessarily today,» he said. «Hezbollah has 200,000 rockets, missiles and drones pointed at Israel, ready to inflict a massive amount of destruction on Tehran’s orders – perhaps at a time when Israel finally takes out Iran’s nuclear program.
«No democracy can live with that kind of threat on its border,» he warned.
INTERNACIONAL
Guerra en Ucrania: Trump «clama encarecidamente» a Putin que salve la vida de miles de tropas ucranianas «rodeadas»
El posteo de Trump comienza diciendo que su equipo tuvo «conversaciones muy buenas y productivas con el presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin», el jueves, en alusión al encuentro con el enviado de Trump Steve Witkoff en Moscú.
En ese encuentro a puertas cerradas, Putin habría comunicado a Witkoff lo que ya había advertido en una rueda de prensa más temprano: que aceptaba la tregua de 30 días acordada entre Ucrania y Estados Unidos, días atrás, pero «que había mucho trabajo por hacer».
A esa aclaración, Putin habría agregado una serie de imposibles condiciones para Kiev, como quedarse con parte del territorio ucraniano ocupado.
En su posteo, Trump luego se refiere a las tropas ucranianas «rodeadas», probablemente en la región rusa de Kursk, donde las fuerzas del Kremlin han estado avanzando contra las fuerzas ucranianas.
A pesar de que el presidente estadounidense se refiere a «miles» de tropas aisladas, es poco probable que este sea el caso, aunque es cierto que los ucranianos están perdiendo su posición en Kursk, una porción de suelo ruso que Kiev logró controlar meses atrás.
El jueves, la localidad de Sudzha fue recuperada por las fuerzas rusas. A principios de semana se vieron imágenes de las tropas ucranianas huyendo de esa ciudad clave.
En su mensaje Trump escribió: «EN ESTE MISMO MOMENTO, MILES DE TROPAS UCRANIANAS ESTÁN COMPLETAMENTE RODEADAS POR EL EJÉRCITO RUSO, EN UNA SITUACIÓN MUY MALÍSIMA Y VULNERABLE.
He solicitado encarecidamente al presidente Putin que se les perdone la vida.
Esta sería una masacre horrible, no vista desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
¡Que Dios los bendiga a todos!».
Donald Trump ha presentado su postura sobre la guerra como la de una figura humanitaria que quiere detener las matanzas, opinó Clarke.
Hamas agreed Friday to release Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Alexander, a 21-year-old Israeli-American, will be released along with the bodies of four other hostages, according to a deal offered by mediators. As of Friday, Alexander has been held captive for 525 days, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.
The bodies that will be released are of dual-national hostages, the Associated Press reported. It’s unclear when the transfer will happen, but it comes as talks are ongoing in Qatar to establish the next phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the first phase of which ended on March 1.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Friday that he will convene his ministerial team on Saturday to receive a detailed report from negotiators and decide on the next steps for the release of the hostages.
MEET EDAN ALEXANDER, THE LAST LIVING AMERICAN HOSTAGE IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY
Edan Alexander, born in Tel Aviv and raised in New Jersey, is currently being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. (Hostage Family Forum)
Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, presented to Israel and Hamas a U.S. proposal for extending the ceasefire by several weeks in exchange for more hostage releases from Hamas and the resumption of humanitarian aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip, Axios reported Thursday, citing sources with direct knowledge of the plan.
«While Israel has accepted the Witkoff proposal, Hamas remains firm in its refusal and has not moved an inch,» Netanayhu said Friday. «At the same time, it continues to employ manipulations and psychological warfare.»
Last week, Witkoff told reporters outside the White House that «Edan Alexander is very important to us as all the hostages are.»
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Fox News on Friday that «a delegation from the Hamas movement’s leadership received a proposal from mediators yesterday to resume negotiations, and responded responsibly and positively.
«The movement submitted its response early this morning, agreeing to release… Edan Alexander, who holds U.S. citizenship, along with the remains of four others with dual citizenship,» Naim added. «We reaffirm our full readiness to engage in negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of the second phase, and call for obligating the occupation to fully implement its commitments.»
Though he spent most of his life in New Jersey, Alexander was born in Israel a few months before his parents moved to the U.S., according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
After graduating from high school, Alexander decided he would enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rather than enroll in college.
Yael Alexander, the mother of hostage Edan Alexander, speaks during The ‘Run for Their Lives’ rally and run in Central Park on the 100th day since the October 7 attack by Hamas, on Jan. 14, 2024 in New York City. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
On Oct. 7, Alexander, who was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, an infantry unit, was patrolling near Gaza when Hamas’ attacks on Israel began. The attacks ended with 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 hostages taken, including Alexander.
Yael Alexander, Edan’s mother, recounted the day he was taken hostage in a recent interview with AJC’s «People of the Pod.» Yael was in Israel in early October 2023, visiting her family and hoping to see Edan. On the morning of Oct. 7, she spoke with Edan, who said that he was seeing «terrible stuff,» but he assured her that he was safe. Then he was taken hostage.
On Nov. 30, 2024, more than a year after Alexander was captured, Hamas released a video of Alexander speaking in Hebrew and Arabic. Alexander, like other hostages forced to make propaganda videos, delivered messages about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-President-elect Donald Trump.
AFTER TRUMP THREAT, HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE MORE HOSTAGES WITHOUT PHASE 2 CEASEFIRE DEAL
Donald Trump, is shown photos of Edan Alexander by his mother Yael Alexander at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
A few days after the video’s release, Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, spoke with «Fox & Friends First,» calling the film «very emotional» and «disturbing.» He said it was the first time they had seen a sign of life from their son since he was taken hostage.
Trump warned Hamas earlier this month to «Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.»
«A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!» Trump said.
Donald Trump is seen posing with a photo of Edan Alexander on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Friday that it «wholeheartedly welcomes the return of every hostage — whether they come home for rehabilitation or burial.»
«The return of any number of hostages must only be the beginning of an immediate and comprehensive deal to secure the release of ‘all hostages,’» it added. «As President Trump has assured our families and the world, and as he has stated time and again, the return of all hostages is a top priority for his adminsitration. His commitment to bringing our loved ones home has given us hope during this darkest of times.
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«As of today, 59 hostages remain,» the group also said. «We pray every single day for a deal that brings every one of them home, immediately.»
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Trey Yingst, Rachel Wolf and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
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