Weekly Israeli Bites
IDF confirms long-time Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top commanders of the terror group were killed in a massive Israeli strike in Beirut
Good morning, and welcome to Weekly Israeli Bites.
The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly began this week, with heads of state and prime ministers gathering in New York City to address the assembly.
United States President Joe Biden, in his fourth and final presidential address to the UN General Assembly, emphasized the possibility of diplomacy in the Middle East despite the recent tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He addressed “the horrors of Oct. 7,” stating that “any country would have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack could never happen again.” He described meeting the families of hostages held in Gaza and likened their pain to that of suffering civilians in Gaza.
Following President Biden's address, leaders such as Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke at the UN General Assembly, criticizing Israel for its actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the South. Many of these leaders had previously remained silent for over 11 months as Hezbollah sent rockets and drones into Israel in support of Hamas's attack on October 7.
As a response, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, held up an oversized photo of a Hizbullah rocket positioned inside a Lebanese home outside the General Assembly, showing how the group is using civilians in Lebanon to target civilians in Israel. "We will do whatever necessary to bring the [evacuated Israeli] residents back to the north," he said. "If they will not fire rockets into Israel, we will be able to bring our residents back to their communities."
In contrast to Arab leaders, figures like Argentinian President Javier Milei have praised Israel and criticized the United Nations for applying double standards in its treatment of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu left for New York on Thursday night to deliver a speech at the UNGA and was accompanied by six members of hostage families. During his speech, he criticized what he called "moral confusion" within the UN. He condemned the accusations of genocide against Israel when it defends itself against enemies seeking to commit genocide and also denounced claims by the International Criminal Court that Israel deliberately starves Palestinians in Gaza.
Netanyahu highlighted the successes of the 2020 Abraham Accords between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain, as well as improved relations with Saudi Arabia, while contrasting this with the threat posed by Iran. In his speech, he displayed two maps, referring to the positive impact of peace with Arab nations as the "blessing" and Iran’s influence through proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and others as the "curse." He continued by urging countries to choose between supporting Israel, a democracy seeking peace and prosperity, or aligning with Iran, a dictatorship exporting terrorism.
The Israeli Prime Minister concluded his speech with a message to the people and soldiers of Israel: Be strong and of good courage.
Arena overview
Northern Border
On Friday, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precise strike on the Central Headquarters of the Hezbollah terror organization. After the strike, IDF Spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari confirmed long-time Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top commanders of the terror group were killed in the Israeli airstrike. The deputy commander of Iran’s IRGC Quds Force, Abbas Nilforoushan, was confirmed among the ones killed.
Lebanon and the Islamic Republic of Iran announced three days of mourning.
Attached are videos from the Israeli Air Force command on the night of the elimination and footage of F15 jets taking off for the strike from Hatzerim Airbase:
The IDF has named its operation on the northern border "Northern Arrows."
IDF spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari updated the country on Wednesday that over 2000 Hezbollah targets and 70 intelligence centers had been struck during the operation in Lebanon.
Air Force Chief, Major General Tomer Bar, said on Thursday that preventing all weapon transfers from Iran to Hezbollah is now a top priority, adding that the Lebanese terror group’s ability to recover from its losses in recent days, inflicted by a punishing Israeli offensive, is dependent on its ability to rearm.
On Tuesday, in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, Israel targeted and killed the head of Hezbollah's rocket and missile division, Ibrahim Qubaisi, alongside at least two other top commanders. Qubaisi planned the abduction terror attack in Mount Dov in the 2000s, in which Staff Sergeant Benyamin (Benny) Avraham, Staff Sergeant Adi Avitan, and Staff Sergeant Omar Sawaid were abducted and killed. They were brought back to Israel for burial in 2004.
As a result, Hezbollah fired over 300 rockets at northern Israel, setting off sirens in Haifa, Safed, Nazareth, and Yokne'am, as well as across the Galilee.
Observations
A full-length documentary film titled "We Will Dance Again " aired Thursday evening on Britain's BBC2. The documentary covers the Hamas massacre of over 360 people at the Supernova music festival during the terror group's assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
The UK public broadcaster was broadly criticized in the wake of the cross-border onslaught last year for its refusal to describe Hamas as terrorists, even though the United Kingdom proscribes the group’s military wing as such and even after the widespread documentation of its systematic targeting of civilians that day.
Former hostages Noa Argamani, Maya and Itay Regev attended the NY screening.
The families of six Israeli hostages who were killed by Hamas last month have written a letter expressing their frustration over the global community's inaction as they fought for the release of their loved ones. "Celebrities met with us in private but insisted we keep their involvement hidden, fearing the loss of their followers. Humanitarian aid leaders, including those from the International Red Cross and the World Health Organization, expressed a desire to help but said they couldn’t find a way to intervene. Two Muslim clerics privately assured us—wrongly—that our loved ones would be safe because Islamic teachings forbid harming hostages. Yet, both they and many other religious leaders remained publicly silent. Several influential individuals told us that the hostages would be freed and that it was only a matter of time. Some acknowledged our loved ones were suffering but insisted they were not dying. On October 7, 251 hostages from 39 countries were taken from their lives and the world. Why did the Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Foreign Ministers of those nations fail to stand together on the world stage and demand their release? Why aren't the names of the 101 hostages still in captivity being broadcast nightly across the globe? Where is the international outcry for their freedom?"
Am Israel hay!