Israeli intelligence and military personnel have enjoyed high-caliber wins of late. These include the three August strikes that killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Hamas military wing chief Mohammed Deif. September brought the audaciously inventive—and effective—episode involving exploding beepers. Soon after, a series of airstrikes systematically devasted Hezbollah’s senior leadership, including a single hit that eliminated 16 bigwigs from the elite Radwan Brigade, including Ibrahim Aqil, a player in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. Marines. Last week, Hassan Nasrallah, the key figure responsible for turning Hezbollah into a formidable political and military force, was killed when Israeli fighter jets dropped a succession of specially tailored bombs that drilled down through the earth, one after the other, until penetrating Nasrallah’s bunker 60 feet below. These last detonations, especially, reverberated all the way to Tehran, Iran.
Nasrallah was the hand-picked lackey of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who in 1992 installed Nasrallah as Hezbollah’s leader. Nasrallah rose to become not only the leader of one of the world’s most lethal terrorist organizations but also a political figure with significant religious, financial, and governing responsibilities. For the last three decades, he was Iran’s premier asset in the Arab world.
We didn’t have long to wait to see whether—or how—the mullahs would respond. Tuesday night, Iran fired a salvo of nearly 200 ballistic missiles targeting a pair of Israeli military bases and Mossad headquarters. It was only the second time Tehran had directly attacked Israel. Israeli and U.S. Navy missile defense systems intercepted most of the missiles. The few that got through did little damage. Two Israelis were injured. One person was killed—ironically, a Palestinian.
Continue reading at World Magazine here.
Comment by Tim Ware on October 4, 2024 at 8:14 pm
Israel defends itself? Come on!
Israel is the one who bombs in whatever countries it wants to, assassinates people by whatever means it chooses wherever it chooses, bombs schools and hospitals, commits what can only be described as genocide against third world people, and expects to do all that with no recriminations???
And when some people do get tired of it and respond with the only means they have available…the article says that Israel is defending itself?
Does no one have the right to defend themselves against Israel?
Comment by Douglas E Ehrhardt on October 5, 2024 at 4:31 am
What would the Middle East be like without Islam?
Comment by David on October 5, 2024 at 8:20 am
If European refugees had been content to live in a multiethnic, Arabic-speaking, and unpartitioned Palestine, the world might be better today. We expect immigrants to the US to do this, why should the native population of Palestine think otherwise?
Comment by MikeB on October 5, 2024 at 10:51 am
While in the case of Hamas I am sure after the Oct7th attack that they could be left in power. I do think the international community failed to do anything so Israel went to war. Yes there were way too many civilian casualties, but that’s war and Hamas started it. Countries cannot be judged by the standards of pacifists.
However I am much more disturbed about Lebanon, the pager attack is very much intended to cause terror, the very definition of terrorism.
Blowing up devices in a foreign country, I just can’t defend that, or the cross border assassinations.
Comment by Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff on October 5, 2024 at 8:08 pm
One factual error in the article: the statement that 241 US Marines were killed in the 1983 Beirut Barracks bombing. 241 is the total number of US military personnel who died — 220 Marines, 18 Navy, 3 Army. I was there.
Comment by Ellie Kesselman on October 8, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Rabbi Resnicoff,
Wow, your father was a Seabee in World War 2! I’m impressed: You got admitted to Dartmouth. Nice! I had no idea that there was an ROTC program there. Thank you for your service in the Mekong Delta. You are a Vietnam veteran.
I’m sorry that you lost 18 of your U.S. Navy friends in the barracks bombing in Lebanon in 1983. There were also 90 French airmen murdered by Nasrallah, Fuad Shukhr, and Ibrahim Aqil, along with our 241 soldiers. Those same Hezbollah were responsible for bombing the U.S. Embassy in Beirut earlier that year, killing 60 people.
Comment by Gordon Hackman on October 14, 2024 at 10:42 am
Tim Ware’s comment is the usual parade of dishonest, propaganda talking points one hears from Israel haters.
Comment by Tim Ware on October 17, 2024 at 12:57 am
Gordon,
My commemt is the usual dishonest propaganda one hears from genocide haters and mass murder haters.