Assassinations, Revenge and the Ninth of Av
*In the above photo, Gazans receive food and water thanks to an outreach by Christian Mission to Gaza and the Gaza Baptist Church
We are in the days of the Dire Straits leading up to Tisha’BAv and Israel is on high alert awaiting what many believe is an imminent multi-front attack from Iran and its axis of evil.
After eliminations of two top terrorist leaders in Beirut and Tehran last week, Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have warned of reprisal attacks against the Jewish state.
This latest round goes back to the catastrophic events of Saturday, July 28 when a Hezbollah missile landed on a soccer field in the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams killing 12 Israeli children (article and video).
The village is home to Israel’s Druze people—a religious-ethnic minority group of 150,000. The tragedy galvanized all Israelis in mourning and solidarity over the tremendous loss of life for this small community.
In response to this tragedy, Israel targeted Fuad Shukr, the No. 2 commander in the terror group Hezbollah which operates in southern Lebanon. Shukr was killed by a precise missile strike on a building in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The Israeli military immediately claimed credit for the hit, a rare admission of a targeted killing abroad.
Hours later, Ismail Haniyeh—the leader of Hamas, the terror group which controls the Gaza Strip and instigated the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel—was eliminated in Tehran. Haniyeh was in Tehran along with other world leaders for the inauguration of the new Iranian president. He was killed in his hotel room by a remote detonated bomb that was planted months before, according to initial media reports.
Iran is conducting its own investigation as it tries to save face from a humiliating lapse of security on its own soil.
These two assassinations have plunged the region into a whirlwind of threats and military preparations. In addition to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran has proxies in Syria, Iraq and as far away as Yemen where the Houthis control the government and have been firing sporadic missiles at Israel since Oct. 7.
All of these entities are threatening to join a regional response and open a multi-front attack against the Jewish state which is already engaged in a 10-month war with Hamas in Gaza and fighting terrorist threats daily in the West Bank.
In the meantime, foreign citizens have been urged to flee Lebanon immediately and airlines are cancelling flights to Israel. The U.S. Navy has sent fleets to the region in Israel’s defense and American bases in Iraq are on alert.
There are still 115 Israelis held captive in Gaza. On Aug. 5, Israelis celebrated the 5th birthday of Ariel Bibas, the second youngest Israeli hostage in Gaza. Only Ariel’s brother Kefir is younger having spent his first birthday in captivity. Israelis released orange balloons in honor of the two redhead brothers in a ceremony to draw international attention to their plight.
All of this is leading to the Ninth of Av—the day on the Jewish calendar that has been marked by devastating events for Israel and the Jewish people including the destruction of both temples, expulsions of the Jews throughout Europe and, more recently, terror attacks and wars.
This year the solemn day falls on the evening of Aug. 12 through the 13th. Jews traditionally fast on this day and read the Book of Lamentations.
