Jerusalem News.
18 September 2024, 15 Elul 5789.
Contents:
1. Israeli raided Iranian base in Syria, 'captured' operatives.
2. Watch: Thousands participate in Selichot (Request for Forgiveness) prayers at the Western Wall.
Thousands prayed at the Western Wall for the return of the hostages as well as the recovery of those wounded in the war and peace and unity among the people of Israel.
3. Israeli Cyber Expert: Explosives Planted in Hezbollah Pagers in Op Planned Months Before War.
4. 7 COUNTRIES Where The BIBLE IS BANNED.
5. BBC Report.
What we know about the Hezbollah pager explosions.
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1. Israeli raided Iranian base in Syria, 'captured' operatives
https://worldisraelnews.com/israeli-raided-iranian-base-in-syria-captured-operatives/
Israeli special forces reportedly raided Iranian missile factory on Syrian soil, detained several Iranian nationals working at the facility.
By World Israel News Staff
Israeli troops operating on Syrian soil destroyed an Iranian military asset and 'captured' two people working at the base, according to new reports from international media outlets.
Earlier this week, airstrikes attributed to Israel rocked the Maysaf region in central Syria. After multiple bombings targeting Iranian assets, 17 people were reported to have been killed, with an additional 43 wounded.
The strike were notable for their intensity, but new reports on Thursday revealed that the operation also included a highly unusual boots-on-the-ground raid by IDF special forces units.
The Scientific Studies and Research Center, known as CERS, was said to be targeted by the raid.
The Iranian-backed facility is used for the manufacture of surface-to-air missiles, according to Israeli officials.
The U.S. has said that chemical weapons, including sarin gas, are manufactured at CERS. The Syrian government categorically denies that claim.
The facility is widely believed to provide critical logistical support and arms to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group.
Eva J. Koulouriotis, a Middle East researcher and expert on jihadi groups in the region, tweeted that Israel was behind a series of airstrikes that destroyed roads around CERS and prevented Syrian soldiers from defending the facility.
According to Syria TV, a network affiliated with the country's opposition movement, Israeli helicopters entered Syrian airspace overnight last Thursday.
The helicopters hovered over the compound as special forces units rappelled down ropes and conducted a surprise raid of the facility.
According to Koulouriotis, Israeli troops seized critical equipment and documents, then planted explosives which were later detonated, destroying the center.
Syria TV reported that 'two to four' Iranian nationals were 'captured' by Israeli troops, and presumably brought back to Israel for questioning by security agencies.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is considered a terror organization by Israel and the U.S., maintains a heavy presence on the ground in Syria.
Israel has not publicly taken responsibility for the airstrikes or raid.
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2. Watch: Thousands participate in Selichot (Request for Forgiveness) prayers at the Western Wall.
Thousands prayed at the Western Wall for the return of the hostages as well as the recovery of those wounded in the war and peace and unity among the people of Israel.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/396131
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3. Israeli Cyber Expert: Explosives Planted in Hezbollah Pagers in Op Planned Months Before War
https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/09/17/israeli-cyber-expert-explosives-planted-hezbollah-pagers-op-planned-months-before-war/
by Debbie Weiss
Extracts:
An Israeli cyber and national security expert has claimed that the exploding pagers carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon, which left thousands wounded and killed at least nine people on Tuesday, were part of a sophisticated attack that was planned at least half a year before the war in Gaza erupted.
Dr. Eyal Pinko, a former navy commander and senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, dismissed theories that the blasts were caused by lithium batteries that were hacked to become overheated, and said that the nature of the wounds seen in footage emerging from Lebanon was consistent with those caused by explosives such as TNT and HTB.
'To get this kind of wound you need to have between one to two grams of type of explosives, which is not a big technological issue, you just need to open the beeper,' Pinko said during a briefing with reporters on Tuesday evening. He added that a stable explosive that wouldn't detonate accidentally would have been inserted into the device, along with a small control mechanism capable of receiving remote commands via a call or page.
Pinko alluded to the possibility of a coordinated effort, suggesting that Israel may not have acted alone if it was behind the attack in Lebanon, where Hezbollah wields significant political and military clout. He noted efforts by Germany, France, the US, and the UK to prevent escalation in the region.
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The operation clearly appeared to serve as a message to Hezbollah, showcasing vulnerabilities in its security apparatus and serving as a form of deterrence, Pinko said. 'It's saying that, 'you're already being penetrated. We know where you are and what you do. Now look what we can do: In one single shot, in less than a second, we can eliminate almost 3,000 terror operatives.'
Meanwhile, Sky News Arabia quoted an Israeli military source as saying that Hezbollah's supply chain was infiltrated with the Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, placing PETN, a highly explosive stable material, on the batteries of the devices.
A source close to Hezbollah, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the pagers were 'sabotaged at the source' before being imported by Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist organization based in Lebanon.
The explosions came hours after a revelation by the Israeli Shin Bet security agency that a Hezbollah cell had infiltrated Israel with the intent to assassinate a former senior defense official in Tel Aviv using a mobile phone, camera, and remote detonation.
Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets, missiles, and drones at northern Israel almost daily following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists on the Jewish state's southern region. Since then, both sides have been exchanging fire constantly while avoiding a major escalation as war rages in Gaza to the south.
About 80,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate their homes in northern Israel and flee to other parts of the country amid the unrelenting attacks from Hezbollah.
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4. 7 COUNTRIES Where The BIBLE IS BANNED.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa46ah8W6lU
North Korea
Saudi Arabia
Maldives
Somalia
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Iran
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5. BBC Report.
What we know about the Hezbollah pager explosions.
Matt Murphy, BBC News, Joe Tidy
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz04m913m49o
Extracts:
Thousands of people have been injured in Lebanon, after pagers used by the armed group Hezbollah to communicate dramatically exploded almost simultaneously across the country on Tuesday.
At least 12 people were killed - including two children - Lebanese officials said. Some 2,800 were injured, many of them seriously.
The blasts began in Lebanon's capital Beirut and several other areas of the country at about 15:45 local time (13:45 BST) on Tuesday.
Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming from people's pockets, before seeing small explosions that sounded like fireworks and gunshots.
Citing US officials, the New York Times said that the pagers received messages that appeared to be coming from Hezbollah's leadership before detonating. The messages instead appeared to trigger the devices, the outlet reported.
Explosions continued for around an hour after the initial blasts, the Reuters news agency reported.
Soon after, scores of people began arriving at hospitals across Lebanon, with witnesses reporting scenes of mass confusion.
A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that two of those killed were the sons of two Hezbollah MPs. They also said the daughter of a Hezbollah member was killed.
Among the injured was Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani.
Lebanese Public Health Minister Firass Abiad said damage to the hands and face made up the majority of injuries.
Outside of Lebanon, 14 people were injured in similar blasts in neighbouring Syria,
Unnamed US and Israeli officials told Axios that the explosions were initially planned as the opening move in an "all-out" offensive against Hezbollah. But in recent days Israel became concerned Hezbollah had become aware of the plan - so they were detonated early.
Lina Khatib, from the UK-based Chatham House, said the attack suggested that Israel has "deeply" infiltrated Hezbollah's "communications network".