Top Hamas leader Saleh Arouri killed in Beirut explosion

 

Hamas’ No. 2 leader and a key “architect” of the deadly Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel was killed in an airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut late Tuesday.

Saleh al-Arouri, the Palestinian terror group’s deputy chief, was taken out when the drone struck a Hamas office in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahiyeh — a stronghold of the allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Hamas said on its official Telegram channel.

Al-Arouri — who was a founder of the group’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades — is now the most senior Hamas figure killed since the terrorists’ surprise attack triggered the devastating Israel war three months ago.

Five other people, including another Palestinian militant commander, were also killed in the Tuesday night strike, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported, though details on their identities weren’t immediately available.

The strike targeted a Hamas meeting, multiple security sources told Reuters.

Izzat al-Sharq, a top Hamas political figure, immediately condemned the strike as a “cowardly assassination” by Israel.

But Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told MSNBC in an interview that Israel has not taken responsibility for the deadly strike but “whoever did it, it must be clear: That this was not an attack on the Lebanese state.

“Whoever did this did a surgical strike against the Hamas leadership,” Regev added.

State Dept Getting Involved in Israeli Politics Slams “Inflammatory And Irresponsible Rhetoric” From Ben Gvir And Smotrich

DIN: Israel must ignore the antisemitic State Department who want Israel to lose the war. Ben Gvir and Smotrich have the correct solution. 

 The US State Department on Tuesday released a scathing rebuke of Israeli MKs Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich, who have suggested in recent days that Palestinians should be thrown out of the Gaza Strip.

Ben Gvir told members of his Otzma Yehudit party that the war presents an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza,” which he called “a correct, just, moral and humane solution.”

“We cannot withdraw from any territory we are in in the Gaza Strip. Not only do I not rule out Jewish settlement there, I believe it is also an important thing,” he said.

Similarly, Smotrich said that the “correct solution” about what to do with Gaza once Hamas is toppled is “to encourage the voluntary migration of Gaza’s residents to countries that will agree to take in the refugees,” and ensure that “Israel will permanently control the territory of the Gaza Strip.”

“The United States rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza,” State Dept. spokesman Matthew Miller said. “This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible. We have been told repeatedly and consistently by the Government of Israel, including by the Prime Minister, that such statements do not reflect the policy of the Israeli government. They should stop immediately.”

He added: “We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel. That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world.”

IDF Spokesperson Says That the Protests from the Left Including Calls for IDF Refusal had a Direct Connection to the Hamas Massacre

 

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari spoke for the first time on Monday evening about the rift in Israeli society, including calls for IDF refusal, prior to the October 7th massacre, acknowledging that it is “reasonable to assume” a connection between the rift and Hamas’s decision to attack Israel.

Answering a question by a Ynet reporter whether the IDF identified a connection between the two events, he replied: “These things will be clarified in the in-depth investigation that we will carry out but the answer is that it is reasonable to assume that.”

“The characteristic of a rift,” Harel added, “the readiness of the army, perhaps in its [Hamas’s] perception, is one of the characteristics tied to it. This can be appreciated. I think that now we are focused on the battle, and they [Hamas] are encountering a determined and functioning army. Many things that came up before are expressed on the battlefield.”

“The way we see the reserve system as one system – Air Force, ground, sea, special units – all the things that previously came up in public discourse – all function together, determined against a common enemy.”

“I think in this sense, it is worthy of appreciation. People endanger their lives and unfortunately, some also fall in battle and it reflects the strength and resilience of Israeli society facing historical challenges and periods, and this is how we operate.”

Hagari also spoke about the daily operations of the forces in Gaza and revealed that the IDF recently captured more terrorists who participated in the massacre: “Our forces continue to fight mainly in the southern area. During the fighting in Khan Younis, our forces identified suspects who hid among women and children. We took them for interrogation, where it became clear that there were terrorists among them who participated in the October 7th attack.”

The IDF spokesperson addressed Israelis who evacuated their homes near Israel’s northern border: “In addition to the difficulty of leaving home, your resilience in recent months is inspiring and greatly appreciated. Your concerns are understandable. We will be attentive to every claim and we will build the process of returning to the yishuvim together with the civilian leadership. It’s a long, challenging road and the burden of proof is on us.”

Chareidie Family Did Illegal Renovations Causing the Death of 25 year old Itzik Steinberger

 

In a tragic accident which occurred in Jerusalem’s Beis Yisrael neighborhood, a yeshiva student, 25-year-old Itzik Steinberger, was killed after a wall collapsed on a bed in his apartment. The apartment was located next to a building in which illegal renovations were being performed and during concrete pouring, the wall collapsed, fatally injuring Steinberger.

The levaya took place at 10 PM from Sirkin street in Bnei Brak to the Beis Olam in Elad.

Policemen from the Lev HaBira station, along with other rescue forces arrived at the scene and began to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

Emergency MDA paramedic Haim Neuman and MDA paramedic Benny Kister said: “When we entered the apartment, we saw a 25-year-old man lying unconscious in the wet concrete. We put our hands into the concrete and pulled him out. We immediately started CPR and evacuated him to hospital. His condition was defined as critical.”

Two months ago, residents in the adjacent house complained to the Jerusalem municipality about the renovations being conducted, stating that they had weakened the foundations of other buildings and were being performed illegally and without engineering supervision. The residents added that the renovations including excavations under the home had caused cracks to appear in the neighboring walls as well as in the ceiling, endangering the lives of 20 other people living there.

Good riddance Harvard President Claudine Gay (In Drerd) Resigns

 

Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.

Gay is the second Ivy League president to resign in the past month following the congressional testimony — Liz Magill, president of the University of Pennyslvania, resigned Dec. 9.

Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, announced her departure just months into her tenure in a letter to the Harvard community.

Lakewood Mashgiach Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon Passes On

It is with deep sadness that we report the petirah of Harav Matisyahu Salomon zt”l, revered Mashgiach of Beth Medrash Govoah in Lakewood for decades.

Rav Salomon was a master of Torah and Mussar, who impacted tens of thousands and whose presence and inspiration made an immeasurable imprint on the Lakewood community.

Hatzolah responders rushed to Rav Mattisyahu’s home on Tuesday night when he became ill, however they were unable to resuscitate him.

Rav Mattisyahu zt”l was born in Gateshead, England. He learned for 16 years in yeshiva and Kollel with Rabbi Chaim Kaufman. He also studied under Rav Elyah Lopian zt”l, and it is reported that although he only spent a short time under his guidance, Rav Lopian had a profound impact on him.

Rav Mattisyahu was appointed mashgiach at Gateshead Yeshiva under Rav Moshe Schwab zt”l before becoming senior mashgiach.

In 1998, after more than 30 years in his position in Gateshead, following the petirah of BMG mashgiach Rav Nosson Wachtfogel zt”l, Rav Mattisyahu was asked to assume that position. He moved with his family to Lakewood.

 

Rapid Escalation As Iran sends warship through Red Sea, praises ‘brave’ Houthis

 Iran wasted no time sending a warship into the Red Sea on Monday, just a day after the US killed 10 Houthi fighters attacking commercial vessels in the contentious waters that separate Africa from the Middle East.

Tehran’s Alborz destroyer crossed the Bab-el-Mandeb strait and into the sea the same day Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian lauded the Houthis’ “strong and vigorous stance … in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine,” according to state-run media.

The Houthis, an Islamist military group backed by Iran, have been lobbing drones and missiles at foreign vessels in the Red Sea from their home of Yemen since November in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

On Sunday, the US Navy closed out 2023 by sinking three Houthi ships in the Red Sea in a strike that marked the first time the US had killed any of the members of the Iran proxy group since the recent spate of attacks began.

Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely warships opened fire on “four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats,” sinking three of them while responding to an SOS from the Singapore-flagged vessel Maersk Hangzhou around 6:30 a.m. local time, according to the US Central Command.

Houthis have launched nearly 20 attacks on such vessels in the Red Sea so far, prompting some shipping companies to avoid the waterway altogether.

 The major trade lane offers passage between the Mediterranean Sea to the Arabian Sea, enabling vessels to bypass Africa with the Suez Canal.

Iran’s decision to send a warship into the Red Sea was an apparent answer to Washington’s calls for Tehran to condemn the Houthi attacks and encourage peace in the region.

But given that Iran has backed most of the warring parties in the region – including Hamas, which caused the conflict with its Oct. 7 attack on Israel – the rejective response was to be expected, defense experts told The Post on Monday.

In fact, Iran welcomed Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam to Tehran on Monday, with Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian praising the proxy group’s “brave actions” against “Zionist aggression” in the region.

While Houthis have cited the attacks as a response to the Israel-Hamas war and said their attacks will not end until Israel allows humanitarian aid to fully flow into Gaza, none of the attacks have been aimed at Israel Defense Force vessels.

While Iran did not directly link the ship’s arrival in the Red Sea to the simmering conflict, Iranian state media reported that it “comes amid rising tensions following Yemen’s retaliatory attacks on Israeli-owned and -bound vessels in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

“Since 2009, Iranian warships have been operating in open waters to secure shipping lines, fight against pirates and carry out other missions,” Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Still, US and coalition forces will also remain in the Red Sea after the Pentagon on Dec. 18 announced a new partnership – dubbed “Operation Prosperity Guardian” – to counter the growing number of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in announcing the group’s formation. “The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law.”

Withdrawal of forces sends bad message to Sinwar.."Israel is losing the achievements it gained in the war because of pressure from the US."

 

Economy Minister Nir Barkat and MKs Galit Distel-Atbaryan and Eli Dallal did not attend the weekly Likud faction meeting today (Monday), during which MK Danny Danon strongly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the withdrawal of thousands of troops from Gaza.

"The publications and reports in recent days point to a worrying trend," said Danon. "Israel is losing the achievements it gained in the war because of pressure from the US."

"Buckling in the face of American pressure does not advance the goals of the war. Neither the release of the hostages nor the defeat of Hamas. What interest does Hamas have in negotiating a deal if they understand that in any case, Israel is going to cease fighting? You led the beginning of the war with determination and strength and the results were clear. We need to continue like this. The message that Sinwar is receiving from us now, about the withdrawal of the forces, is a very bad message," Danon added.

Minister Ofir Akunis said during the faction meeting: "We need to formulate basic fundamental principles on which there is a very broad agreement for the 'day after.'"

"1. A Palestinian state will not be established and the 'two states' principle no longer exists. 2. The Palestinian Authority is not returning to the Gaza Strip. 3. The establishment of a 2-3 km security strip in the Gaza Strip, at the northern, southern, and eastern border.

"These principles, on which there is a broad consensus, should be presented to the public, and the discussion for 'the day after' must be based on them."

It's Unfortunate that the Supreme Court chose wartime to sow division

 

The Kohelet Policy Forum, a right-wing think tank, responded with disappointment to the ruling issued by the Supreme Court during wartime today (Monday) striking down the Reasonableness Standard.

“Israel is united,” said Prof. Moshe Koppel, Chairman of the Kohelet Policy Forum. “Israelis from across political, ideological and religious divides are united like never before. Our families are grieving together, our sons and daughters are fighting for Israel together, and even most politicians have put their differences aside.”

“It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court chose Israel’s moment of unity to bring back division,” he said.

“Now is not the time for division,” added Koppel. “Now is the time to put Israel’s national interest first. Now is the time for Israel to stay united and strong.”

The Kohelet Policy Forum stated that "In what may be remembered as one of the most unfortunate actions in the Court’s history, the Supreme Court has rushed a divisive decision, in the midst of a war – simply for the benefit of two retired Supreme Court Justices who wish to leave their personal stamps on Israeli jurisprudence. "The court's 8-7 decision is the first time in Israeli history in which the Supreme Court has struck down one of Israel's Basic Laws, taking upon itself the authority to strike down laws that have quasi-constitutional status.

Israel, Under US Pressure, Pulls Thousands Of Troops From Gaza

 

Thousands of Israeli soldiers are being shifted out of the Gaza Strip, the military said Monday, in the first significant drawdown of troops since the war began as forces continued to bear down on the main city in the southern half of the enclave.

The troop movement could signal that fighting is being scaled back in some areas of Gaza, particularly in the northern half where the military has said it is close to assuming operational control. Israel has been under pressure from its chief ally, the United States, to begin to switch to lower-intensity fighting.

Word of the drawdown came ahead of a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region and after the Biden administration bypassed Congress for the second time this month to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel.

But fierce fighting continued in other areas of Gaza, especially the southern city Khan Younis and central areas of the territory. Israel has pledged to charge ahead until its war aims have been achieved, including dismantling Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 16 years.

The military said in a statement Monday that five brigades, or several thousand troops, were being taken out of Gaza in the coming weeks for training and rest.

In a briefing Sunday that first announced the troop withdrawal without specifying how many forces were leaving, army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari did not say whether the decision meant Israel was launching a new phase of the war.

“The objectives of the war require prolonged fighting, and we are preparing accordingly,” he said.