It’s been a tense couple of days. Netanyahu returned to Israel from norm his US visit early Sunday, Israel time. Immediately the war cabinet was convened to discuss a response to the Hizbulla attack on a Druze town in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children and injured scores more.

Yesterday, Lebanon also sent munitions laden drones over the Mediterranean Sea in attempts to blow up Israel’s Karish oil and gas rigs. As an aside, under the former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, half of the revenue received from the extraction and sale of the fuel go directly to Lebanon. It essentially gives Hizbulla another cash stream, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense that they would want to take it out. In another attack, shrapnel from another Hizbulla missile launched deep into the Northern Galilee hit a 30 year old man on Kibbutz haGoshrim. He was outdoors gardening. By the time the ambulance came, there was nothing they could do to save his life.

Late last night (Tuesday) the IDF announced that Fouad Shokker, aka Sayid Moshen was killed by a precision missile in a Beirut neighborhood. Moshen was the second in command of Hizbulla under Nasrallah. He was the military leader responsible for planning and carrying out terror attacks and military strategy. In 2017, the US offered a $5million bounty as one of the leading faces of a terrorist organization working under Iran. He played a key role in the 1983 attack on the U.S. military barracks in Beirut during the Reagan Administration. 241 American servicemen were killed. He was also wanted for the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Harari. And he planned the Madj al Shams missile strike last Saturday.

The IDF strike was carried out mid afternoon by an F-35, drones and a precision guided missile. The missile struck the exact room in the exact apartment in which he was staying. Shocker’s bodyguard was also killed in the strike, which sends a clear message to terrorists in hiding that Israeli intelligence is accurate; that hiding is futile; that the military capabilities of Israel are undaunted and supreme.

For us, it was actually a fairly peaceful night. We tried to watch the Peseid meteor shower, an annual event in our family, but had little luck seeing any ‘shooting stars.’ Just as well. We woke up in the morning to the big news.

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, worth a cool $4billion, had been assassinated. Just yesterday he was celebrating the inauguration of the new president of Iran in Tehran. He met late last night with Iran’s Supreme leader, Ali Khameni and another leader of the Islamic Jihad movement. Israel did not take credit for it, but Hamas announced Haniyeh had been killed at 2 am in his Tehran home (one of several), in his bedroom. His bodyguard was also eliminated. supposedly, it was a precision guided missile strike from a drone that came straight through his window.

As I write this according to Israel breaking news, according to an Iranian report, one of Haniyeh’s bodyguards leaked the information to the assassins. The report alleges that a short-range Spike missile, from the Israeli American Spike missile program (Israeli developed/US manufacturing), known for its accuracy, was fired at Haniyeh’s bedroom, in northern Tehran from within Iran. The missile reportedly penetrated his bedroom, killing him immediately. Sky News, Arabic, has quoted Iranian sources stating that the building where Ismail Haniyeh was staying was attacked by a missile launched from a nearby building.

So we are now on ultra super high alert. It is strangely silent here. No jets. No helicopters. No drones. All airspace north of Hadera (just north of Tel Aviv) has been halted. Ben Gurion Airport is still open. I’ve heard from 2 vacationing friends that they are taking the next airplane back to Israel today in the event the airport closes. We are supposed to leave for our vacation on Sunday night. Fingers and toes crossed.

In the meantime, I have received messages from the Home Front Command to take all red alert warnings seriously. To be prepared. For what, they didn’t say. So it’s a waiting game. Keep busy is the word of the day.

Our dear, sweet next door neighbor has been called back up to the reserves, we found out last night. Gia has helped us so much and always looks out for us – carrying heavy bags, watering our plants when we are gone, checking up on us, bringing meals when John is hospitalized. He and his wife Yanna have an adorable 4 1/2 year old son, and Yanna is pregnant again, due in late October. Gia serves in an extremely dangerous area. I asked him about the protective gear he was given, and he showed us. It was pathetic. Old and worn. The helmet looked like something left over from a M*A*S*H set and the ‘bulletproof’ vest had straps falling apart and smelled like cat pee.

The IDF is great at some things, but other things…. Anyway, I immediately got on the phone and called up Chaya Hitin, the American Israeli Wonder Woman I wrote about two weeks ago. She and her friend, Dani Mael, have formed Unit 11741 to be of direct help to provide the soldiers with lightweight state of the art protective gear. She was able to hold a helmet and vest for Gia (4000 plus soldiers are on the direct waiting list!) and he was able to pick it up this morning. It is nothing short of miraculous, the things we can accomplish when we all work together.

Chaya was saving the life of a soldier. We were saving the life of our neighbor, a husband and father, so that he could put his life on the line for his country to save us from bad guys. Seriously. There is a Jewish saying that ‘to save a life is like saving the whole world.’ And as my husband, John, said, “We all pitched in and did our mitzvah for the day.” Actually, it was John’s wallet that did the mitzvah (fulfillment of a Biblical commandment or in modern vernacular, a good deed).

So as we wait…. and tick off the minutes as Iran has promised retribution…. I beg you once again. Please. Please. Help us protect our civilians by getting much needed, modern protective gear for our soldiers. It is they who are holding off the advancement of terrorism and evil in the world. A helmet costs only $275. And a bulletproof vest with ceramic plates costs about $800. They are now being manufactured directly in Israel. Go in with a group and sponsor a soldier today. Please. Please. Please. Go to unit11741.com today-

Breaking news: Iranian IRGC commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh warns the people of Israel. “ Be prepared to tell the Zionists what the punishment for shedding the blood of a guest (Haniyeh) in our home.” Cue the creepy organ music-

Not over yet, my friends!

Breaking breaking news: on all the TV stations… Tehran has just raised The Red Flag of Revenge over their main mosque in Tehran. Not a joke, Man. The Religion of Peace actually has a red flag of revenge. Is this kinda like the pirate 🏴‍☠️ Black Spot?????

Our latest update from Home Front Commmand…….