INCREASING VIOLENCE IN THE WEST BANK
Two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization were killed after a shootout with Israeli Defense Forces near the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday. The skirmish was followed Sunday by the shooting death of a 14-year-old Palestinian teen who participated in a crowd attacking IDF positions near Bethlehem. The latest incidents underscore a growing trend of conflict in the West Bank.
ROCKETS RAIN ON SOUTHERN ISRAEL
BREAKING: ISRAELI MISSILES STRIKE MULTIPLE IRANIAN, SYRIAN TARGETS INSIDE SYRIA AFTER GOLAN ATTACK
Israeli missile fire over Damascus, Syria, 2019 (via BBC).
Israeli jets and surface-to-air batteries struck multiple targets belonging to the Iranian Quds Force near Damascus, Syria on Wednesday morning, as well as Syrian missile batteries that fired in response. The round of strikes came just hours after several missles were fired at Israeli military installations in the Golan Heights. There are no official reports of damage or casualties at the time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immeidately discolsed Israel's role in the strikes in a public statement: "I made it clear that whoever harms us - we will harm them. That is what we did tonight in Syria against Iranian Quds Force targets and Syrian military targets, after rockets were fired from its territory towards Israel. We will continue to aggressively guard the security of Israel."
The volley of strikes comes a week after Israel targeted a top Palestinian Islamic Jihad political leader near Damascus in an airstrike last week, which is considered to be the impetus for the rocket attack in the Golan on Tuesday evening. The Iranian Quds Force is a leading patron of the PIJ, providing millions of dollars worth of weapons, training and materiel to the terrorist group in their ongoing war against Isarel from inside the Gaza Strip.
Photo: Israeli missile fire over Damascus, Syria, 2019 (via BBC).
Sources:
https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1196965953076154368/…/1
https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1196973332689833985
https://twitter.com/Syria_Protec…/status/1196935906072170497
https://twitter.com/LTCJonathan/status/1196968651724935168
https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1196936774297079809
http://live.jpost.com/…/Syrian-air-defenses-intercept-missi…
BREAKING: MISSILE FIRED TOWARD MILITARY INSTALLATION IN GOLAN HEIGHTS
Photo: Deployment of the Iron Dome system (Credit: Raython).
Rocket fire from the Syrian side of the Golan Heights this evening was intercepted by Iron Dome. The presumed target was an IDF installation in the Israeli Golan and not civilian communities. Based on statements from Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria, the attack may have been a limited response to an Israeli air strike against the home of one of their political leaders near Damascus last week.
It is yet to be seen whether the IDF will respond to the rocket fire. Both sides in the conflict have sought to deescalate after a brief conflict on the Gaza front last week that saw the launch of 450 rockets into Southern Israel and multiple IAF airstrikes in Gaza that killed two dozen PIJ leaders and fighters.
Sources:
URGENT: ROCKET FIRE FROM GAZA CONTINUES INTO SECOND DAY, IAF RESPONDS WITH MORE AIRSTRIKES
Air raid sirens are blaring across Southern and Central Israel again for the second morning in a row as Palestinian Islamic Jihad continues to barrage the Jewish State with dozens of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The PIJ has "declared war" on Israel for an Israeli Air Force (IAF) pinpoint strike early yesterday morning that killed one if its senior commanders. IDF analysts expect the rocket fire to continue for several more days.
The rockets have caused no direct casualties so far, although an 8-year-old Israeli girl suffered a heart attack yesterday morning while fleeing to a shelter. She is currently being treated in an Israeli hospital in critical condition.
Meanwhile, the IAF has continued strikes in the Gaza Strip, killing several more PIJ and Al-Aqsa Brigades fighters, including senior PIJ al-Quds commander Khaled Moawad Farraj. Hamas has so far not participated in the rocket fire, although Hamas-controlled media broadcast propaganda videos on Tuesday that called for the destruction of Israel. The Israeli Home front agency has published guidelines for Israelis in range of Gazan rocket fire, including the closure of schools, encouragement to non-essential businesses to remain closed and limitations on the sizes of public gatherings.
We ask our global partners to continue in prayer for the safety of the people of Israel and Gaza. We believe the prayers of God's people are powerful and effective, and so far, there have been no reported deaths in Israel or Gaza in the latest round of fighting besides those terror leaders targeted by the IAF in airstrikes.
Sources:
https://twitter.com/AAhronheim/status/1194472444398112768
https://twitter.com/AmichaiStein1/status/1194478726261755905
https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194487601572376576
https://twitter.com/newsisrael13/status/1194482257362329600
https://twitter.com/newsisrael13/status/1194482257362329600
https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194483220185698304
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Home-Front-Command-announces-directives-amid-Gaza-tension-607681
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hamas-TV-plays-Death-to-Israel-song-as-terrorists-launch-rockets-607703
URGENT: ROCKETS RAIN DOWN ON ASHDOD, SDEROT, SIRENS IN TEL AVIV AFTER PIJ COMMANDER ASSASSINATED BY IDF
Image of rockets being launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel (Credit: @Natsecjeff on Twitter)
A senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization, Baha Abu El-Ata, who was responsible for overseeing hundreds of deadly rocket attacks against Israeli citizens, was assassinated in his home in Gaza this evening after an IAF airstrike. Less than an hour later, another senior political leader of the Islamic Jihad movement was targeted in an airstrike in Damascus, but survived.
PIJ and the military wing of Hamas immediately declared all-out war on Israel, declaring that their retaliation will "have no limits and will be equal to the enemy's crime", shortly before firing dozens of rockets into the Jewish State just over an hour ago. The latest volley of rockets activated sirens as far north as Tel Aviv, and deployed the Iron Dome system across Southern and Central Israel. Schools and businesses have already been advised to close around Tel Aviv tomorrow, as the rocket fire so far shows no sign of abating. No reports of casualties or damage so far.
We would ask our global partners to pray for the safety of both Israeli and Gazan civilians tonight, for the rocket fire to be ineffective, and for Israeli leadership to be granted divine wisdom in their management of the crisis.
Photo: Image of rockets being launched from the Gaza Strip into #Israel (Credit: @Natsecjeff on Twitter)
Souces:
https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1194118576027971584
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-12-2019/
https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194126428863782912