I can’t keep these days straight anymore.

So much happens in such a compact part of time. And our sleep has been fitful at best. It’s our turn now. Last I wrote, was Thursday night.

I guess the Hizbulla terrorists were a bit upset, maybe even hoppin mad because we short circuited some 1500+ of their upper eschelon with exploding beepers and walkie-talkies. Then Thursday evening the Israeli Air Force started taking out their rocket launch pads. Seems the buggers had an inordinate amount of missiles, but a limited number of launchers. We saw a weakness and went after it.

Thursday night we got our first real barrage up North in our neck of the woods….. like 20-40 missiles headed straight for our area. Then scattershot all over the Upper and Lower Galilee in heavy salvos all through the night. We have an Iron Dome on the mountain adjacent ours, so the anti-missile missiles go right over our house. At one time they were intercepting missiles directly overhead. Usually our siren goes off when there is danger (we have 28 seconds, but….). I ran downstairs and out of the way of the very real threat of falling shrapnel. I did get some nice video though….

It continued like that through Friday. It’s pretty amazing. No red alert. Clean the bathroom. Then, red alert on our phone, mammad (safe room) BOOMS! All clear. Change the sheets. sirens. Mammad. CRASH! BOOMS! All clear. Do a little gardening. Mammad. Fix dinner. Mammad.

A couple friends from California called last night and asked if I was totally afraid? No. Not at all. Seriously. I have this incredible simplicity to believe Scripture. G-d said repeatedly that he would take care of us. Protect us. Defend us. Rescue us. Deliverer. Call me naive, but He said, not me that He is my fortress, my shield, my high tower, that He would hide me under the shadow of His wings. He’s G-d. He said it. Who am I to argue? It’s just easier to believe Him. I try not to be stupid, but….. He said 365 times, “Do not be afraid.” “Fear not, I go before You.” “Take courage for I am with you….”

So, I am not afraid, but stressed out – that’s another story. You see we were supposed to fly out for my father-in-law’s funeral. And we made sure all our kids have flights and hotel. But on Friday afternoon, we got this awful message:

The IAF was busy bombing homes (McMansions) in Lebanon that had been built by Hizbulla to house missiles. The weapons were hidden and stored in homes,and the Iranian proxies paid monthly stipends to their Shi’ite Lebanese terror sympathizers who would cooperate with them. And now they were returning our fire. And Alitalia pulled its service. We were screwed. And mad. And super stressed out.

I know it was Shabbat. I lit the candles and we started our lovely home liturgy and BANG! Mammad.OK. 10 minutes and out. I served the salad and we started the salmon. Siren Mammad. BOOMS! Maybe 16 or so. They sounded really close. Crap. This is just insane. No real danger sensed. Just anger at the stupid inconvenience. John and I try not to use our phones on Shabbat, but this was no ordinary Sabbath. So we spent most of the night trying to find other flights out of Israel. We tried ElAl and its subsidiaries, Arkia and UP to destinations in Europe. 27 hour layover in Amsterdam. 19 hour layover in Paris. Nothing available. All booked. No seats. Finally around 2am we found a flight to London with a layover and connector to DC. Just as we went to buy them, the prices changed to over double!! $7914.00 each way per person for British Air from London to Washington!! Just forget it!

We finally got to sleep around 3 as the excitement had died down, but were awakened shortly before 6am to the wail of sirens and the voice of our red alert “Tseva Adom. Tseva Adom. Tseva Adom.” This is how it would continue all morning every half hour or so until about noon. All over the Upper and Lower Galilee.

WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!!! Let’s back things up a little bit. Back to Friday afternoon. President Netanyahu, who was NOT going to deliver his speech at the UN on Friday, told us all on Wednesday, that at the last minute he had decided to fly to New York with Sarah, his wife. She would go to the Ohel, the grave of the rebbe, to pray, and he would deliver his speech. They were to leave immediately thereafter. We were earnestly praying that he would not be arrested by the ICC or ICJ or even the Biden admin and extradited for trial somewhere. Or worse. We prayed he would not be assassinated, a very real threat.

Minutes after he delivered his address before the UN, we got the news that the underground bunkers in Beirut where Hizbulla kept their top brass were bombed. Supposedly, Nasrallah, head of Hizbulla, resurfaced from his hidey-hole for the first time in two decades to watch Bibi’s speech and then plan their next attacks. We heard the IDF got him. But there was no confirmation on that. It was about 4pm our time.

Max & I started our own back and forth. He’s dead! Max said, “no confirmation.” “We got him!” “You don’t know for sure. Wait and see.” We were watching the news for any info all Friday night. Nasrallah’s daughter showed up to the site and is wailing. Surely that is a sign “Wait and see.” The Syrians and many Lebanese are singing and dancing in the streets. Handing out baklawa and candy. “Mom. It’s not official.” By Saturday, the news was official. For the Shabbat observant, who were not yet privy to the news, death notices went up all over town.

As it turns out, this was in the planning stages for weeks. When the “bait was taken” – the decision to make the speech was also a diversionary tactic – the ‘Golden Information’ was confirmed. Nasrallah would be in an underground conference room with several high staff members. Just minutes before Bibi’s address, he gave the go-ahead for the attack. The planes were in the air, and just seconds after Bibi wrapped up, the Beirut complex was demolished using 83 tons of bombage (is that even a word?). The bunker busters HAD to take down the underground safety reinforced concrete SKIFF. And they did…

The entire operation was kept absolute secret, which in Israel, is an absolute miracle. The goal being to change the entire landscape of the Middle East and to establish new coalitions. This would, hopefully, usher in a new era of peace. The Iranians and Houthis as well as what’s left of Hizbulla are most likely in absolute confusion and paranoia. Four days of mourning have been declared in Iran and the Ayatollah is now in hiding.

Our own rain of missiles continued here…. As I write this, they are still happening. Only now, we only go to the saferoom when we know the rockets are overhead, not just over the hill or the next town over. It’s absolutely surreal.

Last night, a surface to surface missile was launched by the Houthi rebels deep into Israel. It was intercepted by David’s Sling, but millions of people from south of Tel Aviv all the way to Netanya were sent rushing to their nearest protected area.

Now to the South. Let’s go to Yemen where the Houthi rebels are. Last week they sunk an oil tanker in the Red Sea. The leakage is larger than that from the Exxon Valdez. Greta Thunberg, where are you now??? Besides the environmental disaster, the major shipping lane is closed. This will effect YOUR gas prices if oil tankers from the MidEast are stopped or have to resort to a longer route. As of Thursday, the Houthis fired off two more ICBMs at Israel: one took out a warehouse in Eilat. The other fell near Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. No injuries. Iran was currently mediating negotiations between the Houthis and Iran for advanced anti-ship missiles. This had the potential to dramatically shift the balance of power and heighten risks for US and allied naval operations in and around the Red Sea.

As I am writing this (7pm Sunday 29/9) dozens of Israeli jets -fighters, refueling planes and intelligence, have attacked the Raz Isa and Hodeidah areas of Yemen, blowing up their port, their oil refineries and their power stations as well as communications towers…..

Let’s see what else is happening around here today, shall we? Reports coming directly from Arab news indicate that a helicopter crash (piloted by Mossad agent Eli Kopter again?😉) has killed Mohammad Abdullah Salam Salama. He was the intermediary between Iran and the Houthis. Also aboard, a top IRGC commander. Hmmmmmm…… if I was a terrorist I’d be in a hole somewhere, but it seems there is nowhere left to hide.

Just hours after it was announced that Nasrallah was eliminated, he was replaced by Hassan Khalil Yassin of Hizbulla’s intelligence unit. It was he who was put in charge of locating the hard (defense) and soft (civilian) targets in Israel. It was he who sent us the satellite images of Israel’s North, circling military bases, defense plants, malls, schools and residential areas. Less than two hours after he became the official terror chief in charge, BAM! Eliminated by the IDF.

Oops. Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of the IRGC Al Quds force: gone! In ten days Israel has basically wiped out the entire leadership of Hizbulla. By itself. Without foreign help. Without foreign intelligence that has been withheld unless a Gaza and Hizbulla ceasefire was reached (thank you,Ms. Veep). Former President Trump: Israel will cease to exist within two years? I don’t think so!

It seems Israel has taken out the entire top three tiers of terror leaders.

Back to Israel. Home Front Command has cancelled all school activities until after the Jewish holidays in mid October. Maximum 10 people in an open area. 150 inside an enclosed building, but must be close to a protected area.

Jared Kushner, leader of the Abraham Accords and Trump’s senior adviser in a rare interview on X:

In 1983, Hizbulla killed 241 American military personnel, including 220 marines. In the last six weeks, Israel has eliminated more terrorists from the U.S. wanted list than the US has eliminated in the last 20 years, including those who were responsible for the 1983 attacks.

Anyone who has been calling for a ceasefire in the north is wrong. There is no going back for Israel. They cannot afford now not to finish the job and completely dismantle the arsenal that has been aimed at them.The right move now for America would be to tell Israel to finish the job. It’s long overdue. And it’s only Israel’s fight.

Iran is now fully exposed. The reason why their nuclear facilities have not been destroyed, despite weak air defense systems, is because Hizbulla has been a loaded gun painted at Israel. Iran spent the last forty years building this capability as its deterrent.

President Trump would often say, ‘Iran has never won a war but never lost a negotiation.’ the Islamic Republic’s regime is much tougher when risking Hamas, Hizbulla, Syrian and Houthi lives than when risking their own. Their foolish efforts to assassinate President Trump and hack his campaign reek of desperation and are hardening a large coalition against them.

With Hizbulla and Iran reeling, failing to take full advantage of this opportunity to neutralize the threat is irresponsible.