PrairiePundit

  Vivid. @VividProwess Subscribe The Iran Axis of Evil has officially collapsed.  Hamas is obliterated.  Hezbollah has been sent back to the Stone Age.  Assad's Syria is gone.  The Islamic Regime of Iran is at its weakest. Israel just changed the entire Middle East.

 Washington Free Beacon: President-elect Donald Trump has a message for Hamas and its benefactors in Tehran: Release the hostages before Inauguration Day, or else. In a Monday afternoon Truth Social post, Trump said that "everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World," but "it's all talk, and no action!" He went on to warn Hamas that there will be "ALL HELL TO PAY" if the remaining Israeli and American hostages, taken by the terror group on October 7, are not returned by the time he returns to the White House. "Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against humanity," he wrote. "Those responsible will be hit harder t...

 Newsmax: Hezbollah's willingness to cease fire against Israel is a "direct result" of President-elect Donald Trump's impending return to the White House, according to former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis. "You're seeing Hezbollah willing to go to a ceasefire," Stavridis told Sunday's " The Cats Roundtable " on WABC 770 AM-N.Y. "I think that's a direct result of the presence of a new Trump administration coming on." Trump has campaigned on what he has called President Joe Biden's weakness and Iran appeasement making America more weak on the world stage and the world less stable as wars rage in Ukraine and the Middle East. Now, the world is holding its collective "breath" for Trump, Stavridis told host John Catsimatidis. "In many capitals around the world, the leaders are holding their breath — just unsure of what's coming," Stavridis said. Notably, Iran is "very vulnerable"...

 Reuters: A ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah will take effect on Wednesday after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the United States and France, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. The accord cleared the way for an end to a conflict across the Israeli-Lebanese border that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year. Biden, who made remarks at the White House shortly after Israel's security cabinet approved the agreement in a 10-1 vote, said he had spoken to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. Fighting would end at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), he said. "This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities," Biden said. "What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again.”  Israel will gradually withdraw its forces over 60 days as Lebanon's army ...

 NBC News: A cease-fire deal to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia was close but not complete Monday, three senior Biden administration officials told NBC News. One official said "there are still a few issues left to be resolved," with another cautioning a deal "could still take a couple of days." White House national security adviser John Kirby called the discussions "productive." "But nothing is done until it’s all done, and it’s not done right now," he said at a briefing Monday. The potential development comes amid a continuation of heavy strikes from both sides. Over the weekend, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 20 people in the Lebanese capital of Beirut while Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets at Israel, leaving neighborhoods in flames , according to the Israeli military. More Israeli airstrikes followed on the suburbs of Beirut. ... The cease-fire would be limited to Lebanon, meaning it would not bring re...

 ISW: Newly-appointed Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reaffirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will continue its operation in Lebanon until it accomplishes its mission.[1] Katz made these comments during a meeting with the IDF General Staff. Katz replaced Yoav Gallant as defense minister on November 8 and was formerly foreign minister.[2] Katz affirmed that Israel would “continue to hit Hezbollah with full force” to capitalize on past successes like the killing of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and “realize the fruits of victory.”[3] He stressed that Israel would not agree to any ceasefire agreement that does not “guarantee Israel’s right to enforce and prevent terrorism on its own,” in addition to other war aims of disarming Hezbollah, forcing a Hezbollah withdrawal north of the Litani River, and returning northern Israeli residents safely home.[4] Katz’s vision is largely consistent with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said that Israe...

 ISW: A senior Israeli intelligence official told Iranian anti-regime media that Israel’s recent operations in Lebanon have disrupted Iran’s ability to provide funds to Hezbollah.[1] The source stated that Israeli operations targeting key Hezbollah leadership and the Israeli air campaign have significantly disrupted Hezbollah funding. The official stated that Iran used Syria as a conduit to provide Hezbollah with $50 million in cash each month prior to the start of the Israeli operations in Lebanon. IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that Iran transfers money to Hezbollah through the transfer of oil and money from Iran to Syria through Hezbollah’s Unit 4400.[2] Hezbollah Unit 4400 is responsible for the transfer of funds and weapons from Iran to Hezbollah.[3] Israel killed the commander of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, and his subsequent replacement on October 1 and October 21.[4] This report follows recent IDF airstrikes targeting branches of a Hezbollah-affiliated financial instituti...

 Streiff: Israel has temporarily shifted the focus of its air campaign in Lebanon and Syria from plinking jihadists cowering in bunkers to wiping out Hezbollah's  infrastructure . Israeli strike fighters hit eleven locations associated with Hezbollah's financial operation after giving people in the target areas 20 minutes' notice to evacuate. The Israeli military said it targeted money held by Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association (AQAH). It offers financial services to civilians in areas where Hezbollah has strong support, but Israel and the US accuse it of being a cover for the Iran-backed group to fund its activities. There was no immediate comment from AQAH or Hezbollah. ... It alleged that Hezbollah stored billions of dollars at branches of AQAH, and that it used the money to purchase weapons and pay members of its military wing. “The purpose of these strikes is to target the ability of Hezbollah to function both during the war but also afterwards, to rebuild and to rearm the ...

 Newsmax: Israel said its air force attacked Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut on Sunday as well as an underground workshop for the production of weapons. In a statement, the Israeli military said its fighter jets killed three Hezbollah commanders, including Alhaj Abbas Salameh, a senior figure in the group's southern command, Radja Abbas Awache, a communications expert, and Ahmad Ali Hussein, who it said was responsible for strategic weapons development. It was not clear if the three were killed in the attack on the headquarters or in separate actions. Hezbollah made no immediate comment. Israel's military said on Saturday it had destroyed tunnel shafts and underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon and killed Hezbollah's deputy commander of the Bint Jbeil area on Friday. Early on Sunday, two Israeli strikes targeted the Harat Hreik neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut, hitting a residential building near Bahman Hospital, Lebanon's state...

  DC Daily Journal: ... In an effort to stabilize the situation, the Biden-Harris administration has been advocating for a ceasefire and regional de-escalation, hoping for a resolution before election day. However, these efforts have not materialized, leading campaign officials to express concerns about potential impacts on Democratic voter turnout. “It’s a huge concern. It comes down to people saying, ‘I can’t support anyone who supports a genocide,’” a Harris campaign official told the Post, using a controversial term to characterize Israel’s military actions against Hamas in Gaza. Despite months of diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire, progress has stalled, with neither side showing interest in a viable agreement. Additionally, Israeli forces have intensified military operations against Hezbollah, which has been launching attacks against Israel since last year. Tensions with Iran have also escalated, with the country firing nearly 200 ballistic missiles into Israeli...

 CNN: The US will send an advanced anti-missile system — and US troops to operate it — to Israel “to help bolster Israel’s air defenses following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1,” the Pentagon said Sunday. It is not the first time the US has deployed the system, the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, to the Middle East, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said in the statement, and the system was also deployed to Israel in 2019 for an exercise. But the deployment of additional US troops to Israel is notable amid the heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, and as the region braces for a potential Israeli attack on Iran that could continue to escalate hostilities. Approximately 100 US troops are deploying to Israel to operate the THAAD battery, according to a US defense official. It is rare for US troops to deploy inside Israel, but this is a typical number of troops to operate the anti-missile d...

 ISW: Israeli political leaders indicated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed Hashem Safi ed Din—the presumed successor to Hassan Nasrallah—in an airstrike on Beirut on October 4.[1] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement on October 8 that Israel killed “Nasrallah himself, and Nasrallah’s replacement, and the replacement of his replacement,” which Israeli media has framed as confirmation of the killing of Safi ed Din.[2] Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant similarly said on October 8 that the IDF probably killed Safi ed Din.[3] IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, on the other hand, said that the IDF is still investigating the results of the airstrike targeting Safi ed Din.[4] Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem released a video statement on October 8 in which he said that Hezbollah would select a new leader based on its approving mechanisms, noting that the war made the succession to Nasrallah ”difficult and compromised.”[5...

 Reuters: Hezbollah's deputy leader said in comments broadcast on Tuesday that the group backs efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, and for the first time omitted any mention of a Gaza truce deal as a pre-condition to halting the group's attacks on Israel. Naim Qassem's remarks were shown on television after Israeli forces began ground operations in the southwest of Lebanon, expanding incursions into a new zone. Qassem said Hezbollah supported attempts by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, to secure a halt to fighting, which has escalated in recent weeks with the Israeli ground incursions and the killing of top Hezbollah leaders. "We support the political activity being led by Berri under the title of a ceasefire," Qassem said in a 30-minute televised address. It was not clear whether this signalled any change in stance after a year in which it has said it is fighting in support of the Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. ... H...

  ISW: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike on an underground bunker in Beirut on October 3. The airstrike targeted a meeting of senior Hezbollah officials, including the presumed successor to Hassan Nasrallah, Safi ed Din.[1] Neither the IDF nor Hezbollah have provided any information on the outcome of the strike. Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem said on October 1 that Hezbollah will choose a new leader as soon as possible and according to the approved mechanisms.[2] The chief of Hezbollah intelligence may have also died in the airstrike.[3] ... The IDF continued its campaign to destroy Hezbollah military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Geolocated imagery indicates that the IDF has continued to advance into Yaroun around the western axis of advance.[4] The IDF 188th Armored Brigade (36th Division) raided Hezbollah positions in the surrounding area and seized dozens of weapons, including anti-tank guided missiles, explosive materials, rockets, an...

 Newsmax: Israel's widely expected ground incursion into Lebanon appeared to be getting underway early on Tuesday as its military said troops had begun 'limited' raids against Hezbollah targets in the border area. The military said in a statement that its targets were located in villages close to the border that posed "an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel." It said the air force and artillery were supporting ground forces with "precise strikes." Local residents in the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Shaab reported heavy shelling and the sound of helicopters and drones overhead. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had told local council heads in northern Israel that the next phase of the war along Lebanon's southern border would begin soon, and would support the aim of bringing home Israelis who have fled Hezbollah rockets during nearly a year of border warfare. ... Israel needs to destroy Hezballah's operatio...

 Newsmax: The U.S. military said Sunday that it's increasing its air support capabilities in the Middle East and putting troops on a heightened readiness to deploy to the region as it warned Iran against expanding the ongoing conflict. The announcement came two days after President Joe Biden directed the Pentagon to adjust U.S. force posture in the Middle East amid intensifying concern that Israel's killing of the leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah could prompt Tehran to retaliate. "The United States is determined to prevent Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies from exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement. He also cautioned that if Iran or groups Tehran backs "use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people." The Pentagon statement offered few clues as to the size or scope of...

 DC Daily Journal: ... Regardless of where one stands on whether Israel should engage in a ceasefire, the fact remains that the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris administration has not been able to get anywhere close to a ceasefire at all. The war in the Middle East is actually getting worse by the day. Now Hezbollah is lashing out against Israel, adding fuel to the already enormous fire. Apparently Joe Biden is not happy. According to reports, Joe Biden had a secret meeting with some within his security cabinet, in which he cursed at them to relentlessly pursue the ceasefire they have been unsuccessful at reaching so far. As President Joe Biden nears the end of his term, he has reportedly been intensifying efforts to secure a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, a move seen as critical to his foreign policy legacy. According to Politico, Biden has directed key members of his administration to prioritize a ceasefire agreement, with increased pressure stemming from the fact tha...

  Newsmax The Israeli military said Sunday it killed another high-ranking Hezbollah official in an airstrike as the Lebanese militant group was reeling from a string of devastating blows and the killing of its overall leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The military said Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah's Central Council, was killed on Saturday. Hezbollah confirmed his death, making him the seventh senior Hezbollah leader slain in Israeli strikes in a little over a week. They include founding members who had evaded death or detention for decades. Also on Sunday, Hezbollah confirmed that its senior leader Ali Karaki was killed in an Israeli strike that targeted some of the group's other senior figures, including Nasrallah, in Lebanon. Hezbollah has also been targeted by a sophisticated attack on its pagers and walkie-talkies that was widely blamed on Israel. A wave of Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon has killed at least 1,030 people — including 156 women and 87 ch...

 National Review: When the smoke cleared, six buildings in the quarter of suburban Beirut targeted by Israeli warplanes were gone. They collapsed into themselves, subsumed beneath the underground bunker system that housed Hezbollah’s highest-ranking commanders. It will take days, perhaps weeks, to sift through the wreckage. But when the clearing operation is complete, the Israel Defense Forces believe the salvagers will have recovered the body of longtime Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrallah. The IDF said early Saturday that Israel had “eliminated” Nasrallah and other commanders. It would be difficult to overstate Nasrallah’s significance to the terrorist organization he led and the blow to it represented by his death. Nasrallah took the role of Hezbollah’s secretary-general following the demise of his predecessor at the hands of the IDF over 30 years ago. He oversaw the terrorist sect’s councils and sub-councils, its judicial, parliamentary, and jihad assemblies. He led an organiz...

 ISW: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) leadership is signaling to its forces that it will conduct a major ground operation into Lebanon imminently. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi told Israeli forces on September 25 that the Israeli air campaign into Lebanon is “prepar[ing] the area for the possibility of [Israeli forces’] entry.”[1] Halevi said that the IDF is preparing in particular for maneuver operations that would involve Israeli forces engaging Hezbollah militants and advancing into Lebanese towns and villages that are Hezbollah “military outposts.” Halevi made these remarks to the IDF 7th Armored Brigade during a training exercise on the Israel-Lebanon border.[2] The 7th Armored Brigade is one of several IDF units that have deployed to the northern border in recent weeks.[3] Major General Ori Gordin—the commander of the IDF Northern Command—similarly remarked that the Israeli forces must be “strongly prepared” for a ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon...