By Justine Hemmestad Waves of remotely triggered explosives hidden within pagers and walkie-talkies were simultaneously detonated in Hezbolla-controlled southern Lebanon last week, and though Israel hasn’t formally claimed responsibility, Tony Dukoupil of CBS’s Mornings calls it a “stunning tactical victory” for Israel. Hezbolla has fired on Israel almost every day since October 8. Major Itamar Ben David says, “They’ve also been storing weapons and rockets under civilian homes for decades now.” In fact, i24 News shows video of the secondary explosions of stored explosives in Hezbolla buildings. As a result, Hezbolla’s institutions and fighters, who use low-tech communications to escape Israeli surveillance of cell phones, have broad- casted their weaknesses to the world. The impact on Hezbolla communications will likely be more crippling than the human loss. Psychologically, the effects of the attack of technical sophistication will take its toll on Hezbolla command. From Major Ben David we can understand more about what the attacks mean: “Israel gave a few serious blows to Lebanon - so unless Iran and the Yemenites plan to send tens of thousands of troops to the Golan heights (which I don’t rule out) it seems like the probability of another October 7 in the north is low. Yet - it is a very probable scenario in the West Bank, where tens of thousands of armed Palestinians can execute a October 7 style attack on different settlements if they want to - that includes Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah forces (yes, the Palestinian authority can potentially turn against us, so far about 60 official PA soldiers executed terror attacks in the West Bank and got killed).” Ben David has always expressed his frustration with the Biden Administration’s restraint of Israel, which makes Israelis feel like America wants them to be like sitting ducks in the presence of terrorists. He says, “Israel needs this full scale war in order to get the people of the north back to their villages and towns. There will be no agreement that will bridge the gaps between Israel and the jihadists - not in Gaza and not in Lebanon - this is only a show that works for all sides except for Israel: America is happy, Lebanon is happy, Iran is happy - only Israel can’t protect its national security and is dragged by Iran and America into a long war.” IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari assures additional, precise Israeli strikes against the Hezbolla “terrorist infrastructure.” Israel, “will act with full force,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, after Hezbolla, “has taken the people of Lebanon hostage, placing missiles and weapons in their homes and villages to threaten Israel’s civilians.” He added, “This is a clear war crime. We will not accept this reality.” The Times of Israel journalist Haviv Rettig Gur says the one thing that Israeli Jews need to do is realize they’re in a stronger and safer position than they ever have been before at any other time in history. “We are emphatically ok,” Gur assures. But he adds that if they fall, it will be due to political campaigns against each other. By the protests in the streets (even if the numbers are skewed), that is likely true. Unity may even more likely be what is needed. Common experiences hold a people together, and it may be in that spirit that Ben David notes that the anniversary of, “October 7 is getting closer and the Arab media is working out how to frame it.” On CBS Morning, Dukoupil introduced a trailer for a new documentary on Paramount Plus entitled We Will Dance Again, and in that regard - spreading awareness of the truth is an effective way to mark the day of October 7. Within this context, my friend Major Itamar Ben David and I thought it would be a nice idea to ask our readers if you all might have any questions about Israel’s war, and the effect it has halfway across the world in Iowa, throughout the month of October. Questions could range from how the people of Israel have coped in the year since being brutally attacked, to the problems Israelis have with their government, to the fairness or unfairness of the media’s portrayal of Jews and Israelis, to how the familyhood of the Jewish people endure with each other and within Judaism. Find out first hand, whether my friend Major Itamar Ben David has more hope or fear for Israel and the Jewish People, as well as for the Jewish People in diaspora given that the Anti Defamation League reports a 477% surge of Antisemitic attacks on US Campuses in September. To help gauge the questions, please send your first name and age, along with your question to jhdaytonleader@ gmail.com and I’ll relay them to Major Ben David. He looks forward to answering your questions.
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