War Day 368: Hezbollah Crumbles as Israel Strikes, Iran Scrambles for Ceasefire

War Summary, Day 368: Over 180 Hezbollah rockets hit Northern Israel, Hezbollah leaders assassinated in airstrikes, Nasrallah’s deputy signals desire for ceasefire, Iran pushes Hezbollah to negotiate, airstrike in Damascus hits key Hezbollah commander, and despite growing tension with the U.S. Netanyahu remains confident in continued U.S. support.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

War Summary, Day 368

101 held captive in Gaza.
36 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
117 living hostages rescued.
37 hostage bodies rescued.
1,675 Israelis killed.
351 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
42 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
14 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
26,400 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
88,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Gaza:

– Hamas fired two rockets at Sderot and the area, both were intercepted by the Iron Dome.

– The IDF named a hero who fell in battle in Northern Gaza:

Staff Sgt. Noam Israel Abdu, 20, from Kadima-Zoran

– Three divisions continue to operate in Gaza: 252nd in the Netzarim Corridor, 162nd in Northern Gaza, and Gaza Division in Rafah, the Philadelphi Corridor, and the buffer zone.

– Today, 20 terrorists were eliminated in Jabaliya alone, 70 Hamas targets were hit across Gaza.

Lebanon:

– Hezbollah fired over 180 rockets into Northern Israel today, including a barrage of 85 at a time at Haifa. A couple rockets impacted in Haifa, causing damage to homes, and one lightly injured.

– After children did not make it to shelter in time in schools in the Krayot area, the Home Front Command expanded restrictions and increased school closures.

– Israel is hitting Hezbollah with four primary methods: Ground maneuver to clear Southern Lebanon, targeted assassinations of leaders, airstrikes on weapons warehouses, and blocking imports of new weapons.

– A fourth division entered battle in Lebanon: the 146th Reserve Division joined the 98th, 36th, and 91st, in widening operations inside Lebanon.

– Since the start of the ground maneuver nine days ago, 11 soldiers have fallen in battle in Lebanon, mostly in the first days. This is devastating, although a fraction of what was expected.

– While troops have faced fierce battles in some locations, in many, Hezbollah fighters are fleeing before the IDF nears, leaving their positions with all their ammunition and setup for the IDF to capture.

– Hezbollah is far more sophisticated than Hamas, and immensely better armed, but falling far quicker than expected.

– For perspective: After the IDF destroyed a huge amount of Hezbollah’s weapons, perhaps more than half, some experts estimate that Hezbollah now has as much as Hamas had before October 7th.

– The 98th Division alone eliminated over 200 terrorists on ground in 8 days.

– Today, troops took the village of Maroun al-Ras. In 2006 the same village took 10 days for the IDF to capture, in a battle which lost the lives of 8 soldiers.

– In strategic villages, troops avoided Hezbollah ambushes by entering via hidden routes, through difficult terrain. Troops had practiced the routes many times before beginning the official maneuver.

– A wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon yesterday eliminated 50 terrorists, including 6 senior commanders.

– The IDF is continuing with nightly airstrikes on Hezbollah warehouses in southern Beirut.

– Defense Minister Yoav Gallant: “Hezbollah is an organization without a leader, Nasrallah was eliminated, his replacement was probably also eliminated, this thing has a dramatic effect on everything that happens. There is no one to make decisions, no one to act.”

– Another high-profile assassination announced: Suhail Hussein Husseini, head of Hezbollah’s logistics HQ, and members of the high Jihad council.

– The IDF destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel from Lebanon that entered 10 meters into Israel, but had no exit on the Israel side. The IDF knew about the tunnel since its construction started, but chose to quietly monitor it to gather intelligence.

– Nasrallah’s deputy, Naim Qassem, delivered a taped speech from his bunker. The speech clearly displays his distress, and he indicates that Hezbollah wants a ceasefire, and won’t demand any conditions—-other than that the IDF stop firing first. Hezbollah is no longer tying themselves to Hamas.

– Reports that the Iranian regime is pushing Hezbollah to get a ceasefire, so that they can survive the war.

– Israel’s conditions for a ceasefire remain: Hezbollah’s disarmament and withdrawal to the north of the Litani River.

– Qassem also threatened to increase attacks on Haifa.

– PM Netanyahu delivered a video speech to the people of Lebanon to rise up against Hezbollah and retake their country from the terror group.

Syria:

– Reports of an alleged Israeli airstrike in Damascus, possibly targeting Hezbollah’s 4400 commander—aka, the guy in charge of importing Iranian weapons.

Iran:

– Israel is keeping Iran on edge and panicked.

– Iran threatened that if any country in the Persian Gulf allows Israel or the U.S. to use their airspace to attack Iran, then all h Gulf countries will face Iranian retaliation.

– A final decision on the target of attack has not yet been made.

– Distrust between Israel and U.S. political echelons: Israel is cautious to share plans with U.S., due to constant leaks and pressure to reduce attacks on terrorists. Biden admin is frustrated with Israel not sharing about significant attacks ahead of time.

– Netanyahu appears to believe that the U.S. will not reduce support for Israel at this time, so risks are worth taking for the long-term.

– Important note: the US is strongly in support of destroying Hezbollah and hitting Iran to deter from another attack. However, they want more caution to steer out of a wider war and bad optics before elections.

– Former PM Naftali Bennet is relentlessly repeating calls to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities and regime. This is interesting, because as former Prime Minister, he should know if Israel is capable of it or not.