Netanyahu: ‘There will be no more Hamas’
(JNS) — On a visit to the southern city of Ashkelon on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Hamas terror group would be eliminated from the Gaza Strip.
“There will be no more Hamas. It’s over. We will free all of our hostages, and we will eliminate Hamas down to its very foundations,” he said.
While noting that some may say the objectives sound contradictory — destroying Hamas and releasing the hostages — Netanyahu said they fit together.
The prime minister’s remarks focused mainly on the energy sector while he was visiting the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company (EAPC) facilities. EAPC is an Israeli pipeline transporting oil from Eilat on the Red Sea to Ashkelon on the Mediterranean.
Netanyahu said Israel would connect the energy resources of Asia, the entire Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula.
Soldier KIA in Gaza, bringing IDF wartime toll to 881
(JNS) — An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in combat with Palestinian terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip, the military announced on Wednesday.
The fallen soldier was identified as Sgt. Yaniv Michalovitch, 19, from Rehovot, who served in the 82nd Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade.
According to the IDF, a tank commander and another soldier were seriously wounded in the same incident. They were evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment, and their families have been notified.
On Sunday, the military announced that Sgt. Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, was killed in action in northern Gaza. Last week, seven IDF troops were killed when their armored vehicle was struck by an explosive in the Strip. The same day, an Israeli soldier was killed by an Iranian missile launched at the Jewish state.
The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27, 2023, stands at 437, and at 881 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, per official military figures.
Katz visits Rafah as IDF hits rocket cell, Hamas killers
(JNS) — Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz visited Rafah in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, accompanied by Israel Defense Forces OC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor and Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, as part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariot.”
During the visit, Katz met with brigade and reserve battalion commanders in the field, holding an open discussion about the ongoing challenges they faced in Gaza.
Katz praised the dedication and resolve of the commanders and soldiers, describing them as “heroic” and emphasizing their unwavering commitment to defending Israel. “There is no other army like this in the world,” Katz stated, calling on the public to embrace the troops and take pride in their efforts. The visit comes as Israeli forces continue their operations in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli missile defense prevented $15b in damage during Iran war
(JNS) — During “Operation Rising Lion,” Israel’s missile defense architecture prevented more than $15 billion in property damage while safeguarding countless lives from ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks, said IDF Brig. Gen. (ret.) Daniel Gold on Tuesday.
Gold, who heads the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D) in the Israeli Defense Ministry, released the ministry’s assessment of advanced systems’ performance during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
Israeli-developed weapon systems “proved instrumental” in the strike on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile facilities, “delivering tactical surprise and air superiority over Iran,” according to the ministry.
Some 86% of the ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory were successfully intercepted, according to IMOD.
Netanyahu: Mossad’s pager op set stage for victory over Iran
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday evening credited the Mossad’s Sept. 17-18 pager operation in Lebanon with eventually having brought about the Jewish state’s victory over Iran.
“The Mossad operation with the pagers set in motion everything that happened afterward,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Israeli spy agency’s headquarters, listing the death of Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the collapse of the Syrian regime and Jerusalem’s joint military action with Washington against Tehran.
“Under the leadership of Mossad Director David Barnea, the agency proved its deep commitment to eliminating the leading minds and striking the Iranian nuclear program,” the Israeli premier stated.
The Mossad’s “phenomenal achievements combined very well with the great achievements of the IDF. This was a very great force multiplier,” he said, hailing the agency’s contributions to the campaign as “immense.”
Israel urges China to curb Iran’s military, nuclear moves
(JNS) — Israel has called on China to leverage its economic and political influence to restrain Iran’s military and nuclear activities, according to a report on Wednesday.
Speaking in Shanghai on Tuesday, Israeli Consul General Ravit Baer stated according to Bloomberg News that “China is the only one capable of influencing Iran,” emphasizing that the country “would collapse if China didn’t buy its oil.”
Baer’s appeal comes amid heightened tensions between Jerusalem and Beijing following Israel’s recent military operation against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile programs, as well as the ongoing war with the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday, Baer again stressed that China’s purchases — accounting for around 90% of Iran’s oil exports — provide Beijing with significant leverage over Tehran. “They can pressure Iran, they have political power over Iran, they can help change its malign activities in the region,” said Baer.
