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Israel’s Demining Near Golan Signals Wider Front Against Hezbollah, Sources Say
Israeli tanks are being moved, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in the Golan Heights, Sept. 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
In a sign Israel may expand its ground operations against Hezbollah while bolstering its own defenses, its troops have cleared landmines and established new barriers on the frontier between the Golan Heights and a demilitarized strip bordering Syria, security sources and analysts said.
The move suggests Israel may seek to strike the Iran-backed terrorist organization Lebanese Hezbollah for the first time from further east along Lebanon’s border, at the same time creating a secure area from which it can freely reconnoiter the armed group and prevent infiltration, the sources said.
While demining activity has been reported, sources who spoke to Reuters — including a Syrian soldier stationed in south Syria, a Lebanese security official, and a UN peacekeeping official — revealed additional unreported details that showed Israel was moving the fence separating the DMZ towards the Syrian side and digging more fortifications in the area.
Military action involving raids from the Golan — a strategic region on Israel’s northern border previously controlled by Syria — and possibly from the demilitarized zone that separates it from Syrian territory could widen the conflict pitting Israel against Hezbollah and its ally Hamas that has already drawn in Iran and risks sucking in the US.
Israel has been trading fire with Tehran-backed Hezbollah since the group began launching missiles across Lebanon’s border in support of Hamas after its deadly attack on southern Israel triggered Israel‘s military campaign on Gaza.
Now, in addition to Israeli aerial strikes that have caused Hezbollah significant damage in the past month, the group is under Israeli ground assault from the south and faces Israeli naval shelling from the Mediterranean to the west.
By extending its front in the east, Israel could tighten its squeeze on Hezbollah’s arms supply routes, some of which cut across Syria, Lebanon’s eastern neighbor and an ally of Iran.
Navvar Saban, a conflict analyst at the Istanbul-based Harmoon Center, said the operations in the Golan, a hilly, 1,200 square km (460 square mile) plateau that also overlooks Lebanon and borders Jordan, appeared to be an attempt to “prepare the groundwork” for a broader offensive in Lebanon.
“Everything happening in Syria is to serve Israel‘s strategy in Lebanon _ hitting supply routes, hitting warehouses, hitting people linked to the supply lines to Hezbollah,” he said.
Israel‘s mine removal and engineering works have accelerated in recent weeks, according to a Syrian intelligence officer, a Syrian soldier positioned in southern Syria, and three senior Lebanese security sources who spoke to Reuters for this story.
FORTIFICATIONS
The sources said the demining had intensified as Israel began ground incursions on Oct. 1 to fight Hezbollah along the mountainous terrain separating northern Israel from southern Lebanon around 20 km (12 miles) to the west.
In the same period, Israel has ramped up strikes on Syria, including its capital and the border with Lebanon, and Russian military units — stationed in Syria’s south in support of Syrian troops there — have withdrawn from at least one observation post overlooking the demilitarized area, the two Syrian sources and one of the Lebanese sources said.
All of the sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss their monitoring of Israel‘s military operations in the Golan, most of which was seized by Israel from Syria in 1967.
The Syrian soldier stationed in the south said Israel was pushing the fence separating the Golan and the demilitarized zone (DMZ) further out and erecting their own fortifications near Syria “so there would not be any infiltration in the event this front flares up.”
The soldier said Israel appeared to be creating “a buffer zone” in the DMZ. A second senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Israeli troops had dug a new trench near the DMZ in October.
One senior Lebanese security source said the demining operations could allow Israeli troops to “encircle” Hezbollah from the east.
The DMZ has been home for the last five decades to the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), mandated to oversee disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces after a 1973 war.
A UN peacekeeping official in New York said that UNDOF had “recently observed some construction activity being carried out by Israeli military forces in the vicinity of the area of separation,” but did not have further details.
RUSSIA LEAVES OVERLOOK POINT
Asked about the demining, the Israeli military said it “does not comment on operational plans” and it “is currently fighting against the terrorist organization Hezbollah in order to allow for the safe return of northern residents to their homes.”
UNDOF, Russia, and Syria did not respond to requests for comment by Reuters.
A report to the UN Security Council on the activities of UNDOF, dated Sept. 24 and seen by Reuters on Oct. 4, cited violations on both sides of the demilitarized zone.
Russian troops, meanwhile, have left the Tal Hara outpost, the highest point in Syria’s southern Daraa governorate and a strategic overlook point, according to the two Syrian sources and one of the Lebanese sources.
The Russians had left because of understandings with the Israelis to prevent a clash, a Syrian military officer said.
Syrian authorities, whose country is part of Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance,’ have sought to remain out of the fray since regional tensions soared after Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault last year.
Reuters reported in January that Assad had been discouraged from taking any action in support of Hamas after he received threats from Israel. Hezbollah too had “steered away” from building up any forces in the Syrian-held Golan.
Syria’s army has not made additional deployments, the Syrian military intelligence officer told Reuters.
The post Israel’s Demining Near Golan Signals Wider Front Against Hezbollah, Sources Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Samidoun designated as a terrorist group by Canadian and U.S. governments
In a major victory for Canadian Jewish communities, leaders, and advocacy organizations, Samidoun—the Vancouver-based group also known as the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network—has been formally designated a terrorist entity by […]
The post Samidoun designated as a terrorist group by Canadian and U.S. governments appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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More Than 8 in 10 Americans Support Israel Over Hamas, Harvard Poll Finds
US President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly in New York City, Sept. 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
An overwhelming majority of Americans support Israel over the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, according to a new Harvard-Harris poll.
The poll, conducted from Oct. 11-13, revealed that the American public wants Israel to prevail in its ongoing military campaign in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The data also indicated that the American people believe the Jewish state should continue to prosecute the war until it achieves its objectives, including the permanent removal of Hamas from the Gaza strip and the release of the remaining hostages kidnapped from southern Israel last October.
According to the poll, Americans support Israel over Hamas by a margin of 81-19 percent. This represents a slight uptick from September, when 79 percent of Americans indicated support for Israel over the terrorist organization. Among respondents that follow the war “closely,” 81 percent similarly indicated support for Israel and 19 percent support Hamas.
The poll also showed a generational divide on Israel. Americans over 65 support Israel over Hamas by a staggering margin of 94-6 percent. Those aged 35-44 support the Jewish state over the terrorist group by a margin of 74-26 percent. Young Americans aged 18-24 are far more divided on the conflict, with 57 percent supporting Israel and 43 percent supporting the Hamas terrorist group.
The Jewish state also enjoys strong support across party lines, according to the poll. An overwhelming 85 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of Democrats said they support Israel. Meanwhile, 15 percent of Republicans and 24 percent of Democrats indicated they back Hamas.
A commanding majority of voters also said they believe that Israel should strike a ceasefire deal with Hamas after it achieves its key military goals. Among respondents, 68 percent believe a ceasefire “should happen only after the release of all hostages and Hamas being removed from power.” Only 32 percent of Americans support an “unconditional ceasefire that would leave everything in place as is.”
Most Americans also believe that the Hamas terrorist group should no longer be allowed to run Gaza. According to the poll, 81 percent of Americans believe Hamas should be “removed from running Gaza.” In contrast, 19 percent believe the terrorist group should be “allowed to continue to run” the Palestinian enclave.
The polling results show that Israel enjoys robust support among the American public despite a barrage of media criticism leveled at the Jewish state.
The results came amid growing pressure on the Biden administration by far-left progressives to adopt a tougher posture against the Jewish state. However, the data suggests that adopting such an approach toward the Israel-Hamas war, such as imposing a US arms embargo on Israel, might harm the Democrats in November’s US elections.
According to the poll, Americans believe Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will be more “effective” on resolving the Israel-Hamas war than Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by a margin of 47-37 percent.
The post More Than 8 in 10 Americans Support Israel Over Hamas, Harvard Poll Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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‘Sham Charity’: US, Canada Sanction Anti-Israel Samidoun Network as Fundraiser for Palestinian Terror Group
Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate in front of Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck, New Jersey, US, on March 10, 2024. Photo: Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect
The US and Canada announced on Tuesday that they jointly imposed sanctions on Samidoun, explaining that the prominent anti-Israel group has been operating as a “sham charity” fundraising for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an internationally designated terrorist group.
“Organizations like Samidoun masquerade as charitable actors that claim to provide humanitarian support to those in need, yet in reality divert funds for much-needed assistance to support terrorist groups,” Bradley Smith, the US Treasury Department’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. “The United States, together with Canada and our like-minded partners, will continue to disrupt those who seek to finance the PFLP, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations.”
The US Treasury Department said in its announcement that the PFLP “uses Samidoun to maintain fundraising operations in both Europe and North America” and that it was also “designating” Khaled Barakat, a member of both Samidoun and the PFLP’s leadership.
“Together, Samidoun and Barakat play critical roles in external fundraising for the PFLP,” the department said.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government in a coordinated effort listed Samidoun as a terrorist entity under its Criminal Code.
“Canada remains committed to working with our key partners and allies, like the United States, to counter terrorist organizations and their fundraisers,” Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement. “Today’s joint action with the US sends a strong message that our two nations will not tolerate this type of activity and will do everything in our power to ensure robust measures are in place to address terrorist financing.”
Samidoun, which identifies itself as a “Palestinian prisoner solidarity network,” is a radical anti-Israel advocacy organization that has taken part in pro-Hamas protests across the West, including in the US, Canada, and countries in Europe.
Germany banned Samidoun, whose demonstrations in Berlin have featured cries of “Death to the Jews,” in the days following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7.
Samidoun previously described the Oct. 7 atrocities as an act of “heroic Palestinian resistance” and recently hosted a webinar for a Hamas official who pledged that the Palestinian terrorist organization will repeat its slaughter of Israelis “again and again” to bring about the Jewish state’s “annihilation.”
However, Samidoun, which is based in Vancouver, Canada, purports to organize demonstrations, organize campaigns, and provide resources that inform the public on the supposed plight of Palestinian prisoners.
“We work to raise awareness and provide resources about Palestinian political prisoners, their conditions, their demands, and their work for freedom for themselves, their fellow prisoners, and their homeland,” the group claims on is website.
The PFLP gained prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s for pioneering armed hijackings of airplanes and has also been involved in suicide bombings, shootings, and assassinations. For decades, the group has attacked Israeli and other Western targets. Just last year, the PFLP posted pictures and videos online showing its participation in and support of the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.
Samidoun and Barakat were sanctioned on Tuesday for “being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the PFLP,” according t the US Treasury Department.
As a result, any property or other entities they may own or have interest in, directly or indirectly, that are in the US or in the possession or control of Americans are “blocked” and must be reported to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The sanctions also prohibit Samidoun and Barakat from engaging in any property-related transactions with people or entities located or incorporated in the US.
The post ‘Sham Charity’: US, Canada Sanction Anti-Israel Samidoun Network as Fundraiser for Palestinian Terror Group first appeared on Algemeiner.com.