Shalom All,
At least 12 children were killed and dozens were wounded late yesterday afternoon (Saturday) when a Hezbollah rocket struck a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, located in the Golan Heights, a short drive from the Lebanese border. Emergency Service Director, Eli Bin, of Magen David Adom (MDA) described the area as looking like “scenes out of a battlefield.” The attack was condemned by Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, “We are in great shock from the horrific massacre in the Druze village, an atrocious and murderous terrorist attack that struck innocent children playing soccer. The sight of the children’s shattered bodies strewn across the grass is indescribable…A civilized country cannot allow the continuous harm to its citizens and residents. This has been the reality for nine months in the northern communities. Tonight, it crossed every possible red line.” The children who were killed ranged in age from 10 to 16. In a televised report, the IDF Spokesman said that the attack was the most severe attack on Israeli citizens since October 7th. The missile that landed in the soccer field was part of a massive barrage of several dozen projectiles launched by the Hezbollah. According to Foreign Minister Israel Katz, this latest attack by Hezbollah is drawing us closer to full-scale war with the Lebanon-based terrorist organization, i.e., the Third Lebanon War.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting the United States when the attack occurred, expedited his planned return to Israel and landed earlier today. A security forum will decide the nature of Israel’s retaliation.

The big questions last night were: Why wasn’t the rocket downed by the Iron Dome Defense System? Why didn’t the sirens warn of an incoming projectile? According to the IDF’s initial investigation, the failure to intercept the missile was due to a combination of the low altitude of the flight path, as well as the conditions of the terrain in the area of the town. Also, apparently, sirens sounded for a full 20 seconds prior to impact, so there was no validity to the claims that there was only a few seconds’ warning prior to the explosion.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi accused Hezbollah of deliberately targeting children. “This is a Hezbollah rocket. And whoever launches such a rocket into a built-up area wants to kill civilians, wants to kill children”. Halevi added that the military is increasing its readiness for “the next stage of fighting in the north.”

No matter how we look at it, the Hezbollah intended to target civilians. It possesses missiles that can be programmed to reach specific targets. If it is argued that the missile was not directed toward the soccer field, then it is just as bad, maybe even worse, as the missile was aimed towards an area with a civilian population. It could have exploded elsewhere, causing considerably greater damage and loss of life. Either way, civilian population was the target. It should be remembered that the Hezbollah terrorist organization is “supportive” of Hamas, but its increased attacks against Israel’s northern region reveals that it has opted to become an active participant in the Gaza War, but from a different direction.

U.S. intelligence confirms the IDF’s claim that the missile was launched by the Hezbollah. There is widespread concern that this attack could be the trigger that will result in full blown war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The ball is, for the moment, in Israel’s court and we are all waiting to see how it is going to be played out. Professor Uzi Rabi, senior researcher and the head of the program for Regional Cooperation at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies Studies at Tel Aviv University, asserts that Israel needs to change its method of dealing with the Hezbollah.

“Israel needs to adopt an out-of-the-box strategy similar to used in Yemen ,,, referring to the July 20 IAF strike on the Houthi fuel port at Al-Hodeida, which came in response to a deadly Houthi suicide drone strike on Tel Aviv.” He noted that “Hezbollah presents itself as Lebanon’s protector, but a significant disruption could lead to internal dissent and international condemnation of Hezbollah’s actions.” That being the case, he suggested that Israel should target Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure to disrupt daily life, which in turn would pressure the population to turn against Hezbollah. He proposes the following: “What should guide Israel’s actions is to do what it has not yet done, for the simple reason that what it has done so far has not been effective. I do not trivialize the issue of targeted killings or what the IDF has done to Hezbollah, but we must admit that the bottom line is that it did not work…Israel must shift to another mode—I call it the Al-Hodeida mode. To do what was done in Yemen—target the civilian infrastructure in the host country”. By that, he meant that the population should experience disruption to its daily routine in every manner—electricity, water and other vital services. This, in turn, could cause the population to turn on Hezbollah.

My suggestion is slightly different. The civilian infrastructure should be aimed at preventing action by the Hezbollah – roads, air fields large and small, oil and gas depots should be targeted. This is in addition to vital services. The Hezbollah needs to become paralyzed tactically, so that it cannot move combatants and equipment. The likelihood is that it will still have the capability to launch multitudes of missiles. Israel cannot hermetically seal off Lebanon, but it could seriously weaken it and, in a certain sense, send Lebanon back to the Stone Age.

Iran, the puppeteer pulling the strings of the Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis, warned Israel against “adventurism”. Iranian Foreign Minister, Nasser Kanaani, issued a statement saying: “Any ignorant action of the Zionist regime can lead to the broadening of the scope of instability, insecurity and war in the region…[adding] that any ‘adventurism’ in Lebanon could lead to ‘unforeseen consequences and reactions’.” The pot is once against calling the kettle black. What needs to be understood is that in THIS REGION, failure to forcefully respond, particularly after a barbarous attack, is seen as a sign of weakness. Hezbollah and its compatriot terrorist cronies work on the principle that “might makes right”, particularly if that “might” is exercised by it. Apparently, it has forgotten the painful lesson that it learned in the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

Media continue to condemn Israel for the number of civilian casualties in Gaza. Despite the gross inaccuracy of the figures, at least Israel was pursuing armed combatants, who use civilians as a shield. That cannot be said of the ongoing attacks of the Hezbollah. Yesterday’s brutal attack by Hezbollah that targeted civilians – children – crossed every red line of military confrontation. Israel must and will respond. At this point, from all reports, Israel is preparing for the Third Lebanon War and an all-out war with Hezbollah. Even if the Gaza War would end today, Israel will have no choice but to retaliate against Hezbollah’s attack on civilians. The terrorist response to Israel’s retaliation will determine whether we will wake up tomorrow or the day after to a devastating war.

My intention was to relate to the speech of Prime Minister Netanyahu before the U.S. Congress and its aftermath. But, more recent events took center stage.

“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” (Genesis 12:3) God’s promise has never been revoked. Just as He never changes, so His Word will forever remain and He stands behind His Word to perform it.

We can still bless, we can still be blessed and we can still be a blessing.

Marvin