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IDF’s Ground Op in Lebanon Aims to Prevent Oct. 7-Style Atrocity
Mourners carry a coffin during the funeral of Wissam Tawil, a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces who according to Lebanese security sources was killed during an Israeli strike on south Lebanon, in Khirbet Selm, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Aziz Taher
JNS.org – The Israel Defense Forces’ ground maneuver in southern Lebanon, launched last week, is focused on dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure within a few kilometers from the Israeli border. Put differently, the goal is removing the Iranian-backed terror army’s ability to conduct an Oct. 7-style mass murder attack in northern Israel.
The operation is specifically targeting Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, which has been responsible for ongoing threats to Israeli civilian communities in northern Israel. The Radwan Force’s Galilee invasion plan served as the blueprint for the Hamas Nukhba death squads which led the Oct. 7 attack on the western Negev.
The IDF confirmed on Tuesday that IDF special forces had been acting against Hezbollah compounds in southern Lebanon “since the beginning of the war” in dozens of targeted border operations.
The covert operations targeted the staging areas of three Radwan battalions, including underground and weapons storage facilities. They uncovered tunnels that were 20 to 25 meters deep, some of which entered a mountain and reached nearby villages such as Ayta Al-Shab, Lafr Kila and Miss Al-Jabael.
According to a report by Army Radio, the IDF has, during those earlier raids, destroyed some 30 tons of explosives and anti-tank warheads, a staggering 450 RPGs, hundreds of personal firearms, hundreds of thousands of bullets, dozens of Kornet and other anti-tank missiles, many made in Iran, and 120 different types of missiles.
Over 1,000 intelligence documents were recovered, in addition to aerial photographs, maps and night-vision equipment.
IDF officials confirmed in recent days that the current operation, carried out under the auspices of its Northern Command, involves localized raids. Participating units include the Golani Brigade, the 188th Armored Brigade and the 6th Infantry Brigade, among other forces. On Wednesday, the 36th Division, including soldiers of the Golani Brigade, 188th Armored Brigade, 6th Infantry Brigade and additional forces joined the operation, signifying an expansion of the maneuver.
Since the conflict began, Hezbollah has fired over 10,000 rockets and missiles into Israel, in an effort to force Israel into a two-front conflict and ease the pressure on Hamas in Gaza, an Iranian ally.
The IDF’s current operations, which come after a series of massive airstrikes took much of Hezbollah’s arsenal offline, are aimed at neutralizing Hezbollah’s cross-border threat, and the massive quantities of advanced weaponry and underground facilities so far uncovered are testament to the terror group’s genocidal intent. These capabilities were amassed in blatant violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, under the nose of the hapless United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
One of the key objectives of this operation is to ensure that the Radwan Force, a specialized formation trained for cross-border incursions into Israel, cannot carry out a mass murder attack—a key condition for the safe return home of the 60,000 Israelis displaced from northern Israel.
An Israeli security official stated on Tuesday that the latest operations were conducted in order to dismantle the military capabilities of the Radwan Force and prevent it from carrying out its plan to invade northern Israel.
He also detailed the projectile threat posed by Hezbollah, which has stored weapons, such as surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles and missiles with 1,000 kilogram (2,200 pound) warheads throughout Lebanon.
IDF troops have already encountered and destroyed extensive underground networks in the targeted areas, including tunnels, weapons caches and command centers. The IDF confirmed that “soldiers identified and breached underground access points near the border area, exposed extensive weapon caches, assembly areas for terrorist operative operations, and more.”
The displacement of tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes “is a reality we cannot accept, and we will not accept, and no other country in the world would accept it,” the military official emphasized. “For many years, Hezbollah has built up a military stronghold in southern Lebanon […] just meters away from civilian communities in northern Israel,” he added.
“We are essentially focusing on three elements. One is removing immediate threats […] The second thing is, we are targeting those senior terrorists planning terror attacks against Israelis […] The third thing we’re doing is making sure that we create a reality where residents can return to northern Israel.”
In an effort to minimize collateral damage, the IDF has issued warnings to Lebanese civilians in areas where Hezbollah is operating, urging them to evacuate.
Such warnings have been issued with regard to “areas where Hezbollah is operating, is firing at Israel or storing munitions,” he added.
While the IDF has emphasized that these are targeted operations, the situation remains fluid and could change.
Senior defense officials have reiterated that the aim is to neutralize the immediate threat posed by Hezbollah’s military presence near the border, but that if the fire on Israel continues the IDF may need to expand its operations.
For now, however, the IDF is limiting the scope of the operation. “This is a limited, localized target raid on areas near the border to remove threats and to deal with Hezbollah strongholds,” Maj. David Baruch, an IDF spokesperson, stated on Tuesday.
The IDF’s actions are being closely coordinated with Israel’s political leadership, and future operations will depend on ongoing assessments of Hezbollah’s activities.
The IDF Northern Command continues to maintain a high state of readiness as the situation develops.
The post IDF’s Ground Op in Lebanon Aims to Prevent Oct. 7-Style Atrocity first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Surge of Antisemitic Incidents Rocks France Amid Growing Security Concerns
The Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint last weekend. Photo: Screenshot
France has been hit by a wave of antisemitic incidents in recent days, despite increased security at Jewish sites nationwide following last month’s antisemitic shooting in Washington, DC — prompting urgent calls from the country’s Jewish community for stronger government action amid growing fears of escalating violence.
On Friday, a French rabbi was violently assaulted by three drunken individuals in the town of Deauville, located in the Normandy region of northwestern France.
According to local police, Rabbi Eli Lemel — a prominent figure in French Jewry — was attacked around 3:30 pm by three men who approached him, repeatedly punched him in the stomach, and shouted antisemitic slurs.
French authorities have launched an investigation into the assault, but no arrests have been made so far.
After the incident, Lemel called on the Jewish community to draw spiritual strength amid the increasing hostility that Jews are facing across France.
“I’m deeply moved by the outpouring of support following the attack. Thank God, I’m okay,” the Jewish leader wrote in a post on X. “I was struck and verbally abused in a language I didn’t understand.”
In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after climbing a synagogue in the town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine in north-central France, removing an Israeli flag from its façade, and attempting to set it on fire.
According to local media, the suspect — who was already known to authorities for prior offenses — confessed to committing the attack and admitted to being intoxicated at the time.
French police confirmed that the man is being charged with trespassing in a place of worship, theft by climbing, and causing damage to property on religious grounds.
The local Jewish community has voiced deep concern following this incident, viewing it as part of a broader surge in hostility targeting Jewish institutions across France.
Sandrine Dos Santos, the city’s mayor, expressed “[her] solidarity, as well as that of the city, toward the Jewish community directly targeted by these unacceptable antisemitic acts.”
“Faced with the increase in violence, our commitment against discrimination remains unwavering and will not waver. We repeat it loud and clear: no form of racism or rejection of others has a place in Poissy,” the French leader said.
In a separate incident on Saturday, three Serbs were arrested near Antibes in southeastern France, suspected of painting several Jewish community buildings green in Paris — an act currently under investigation as possible foreign interference.
Last weekend, the Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint in an incident denounced by the French government.
On Monday, an elementary school in Lyon, east-central France, was set on fire and defaced with antisemitic and pro-Palestinian slogans, as well as swastikas, marking one of the latest antisemitic incidents to impact France in recent days.
As the school had no direct connections to the Jewish community, local police have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack.
French authorities reported that the fire was limited to the outdoor bathrooms, causing no significant damage to the school. They also found antisemitic graffiti and swastikas in three classrooms.
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), denounced the attack, saying that “the Palestinian cause is used as justification for burning down a school” and that the “Nazification of Israel serves as fuel for crass antisemitism.”
“When a populist pro-Palestinian narrative is allowed to take hold, it is French Jews who ultimately pay the price,” Arfi wrote in a post on X. “The twisted use of the Palestinian cause is turning into a rallying cry of hatred against both Jews and the Republic itself.”
Voilà où nous en sommes !
La cause palestinienne sert de justification pour incendier une école
Quand on laisse gagner un discours populiste propalestinien, ce sont les Français juifs qui en paient le prix.… https://t.co/dMaQBnbfqi
— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) June 1, 2025
Beyond France, other European countries have also experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents in recent weeks.
On Monday, several headstones were vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in a suburb of Belgrade, located in north-central Serbia, marking the second such incident in the country in recent weeks.
The post Surge of Antisemitic Incidents Rocks France Amid Growing Security Concerns first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Vetoes UN Security Council Demand for Gaza Ceasefire
Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel, June 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council demand on Wednesday for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the enclave.
“The United States has been clear we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza,” Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council before the vote.
“This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground, and embolden Hamas,” she said of the text that was put forward by 10 countries on the 15-member council.
The remaining 14 council members voted in favor of the draft resolution.
Israel has rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, saying Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. It has renewed its military offensive in Gaza – also seeking to free hostages held by Hamas – since ending a two-month ceasefire in March.
The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct. 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave.
The post US Vetoes UN Security Council Demand for Gaza Ceasefire first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Trump Picks Lawyer Who Called Oct. 7 Attack a ‘Psyop’ to Lead Federal Watchdog Agency
Paul Ingrassia. Photo: Screenshot
Paul Ingrassia, a 29-year-old lawyer who was recently nominated by US President Donald Trump to lead a federal agency dedicated to combating corruption and protecting whistleblowers, seemingly dismissed the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2o23, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel as a “psyop,” or “psychological operation, in resurfaced social media posts.
“This ‘war’ is yet another psyop to distract Americans from celebrating Columbus Day,” Ingrassia wrote on X/Twitter on Oct. 8, 2023.
“I think we could all admit at this stage that Israel/Palestine, much like Ukraine before it, and BLM before that, and covid/vaccine before that, was another psyop,” he posted a week later. “But sadly, people fell for it. And they’ll fall for the next one too.”
On the actual day of the Oct. 7 massacre, Ingrassia compared illegal immigration into the US to the Hamas-led onslaught.
“The amount of energy everyone has put into condemning Hamas (and prior to that, the Ukraine conflict) over the past 24 hours should be the same amount of energy we put into condemning our wide open border, which is a war comparable to the attack on Israel in terms of bloodshed — but made worse by the fact that it’s occurring in our very own backyard,” he posted. “We shouldn’t be beating the war drum, however tragic the events may be overseas, until we resolve our domestic problems first.”
Trump announced last week that he picked Ingrassia to serve as head of the US Office of Special Counsel, a position that requires confirmation by the Senate.
The Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal ethics agency that works to ensure fairness and accountability within the government. Ingrassia’s role, if he is confirmed, would involve investigating claims of wrongdoing, such as retaliation against whistleblowers or improper political activity in the workplace. The official can recommend disciplinary action and reports serious findings to Congress, helping to protect federal employees and uphold the integrity of the civil service system.
Ingrassia also maintains a relationship with and defends alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate, who has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media. Tate wrote on X/Twitter that he refuses to “listen to women, Mexicans, or Jews” and that Jewish people are “subverting Western populations into mass genetic suicide” by advancing what he described as misguided immigration policy. Tate has also accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza against Palestinians and engaged in Holocaust denialism.
The furor surrounding Ingrassia is the latest dustup the Trump administration has had regarding controversial personnel and antisemitism.
The Trump administration’s appointment of Kingsley Wilson as deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense also sparked widespread criticism due to her history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and extremist views. Wilson, formerly associated with the Center for Renewing America, has a documented history of social media posts endorsing white supremacist ideologies, including claims about the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank — a Jewish man whose wrongful conviction and subsequent murder galvanized the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. In 2023, she tweeted that Frank “raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl,” a statement aligning with neo-Nazi narratives.
Late last month, the Pentagon announced that Wilson will be promoted and serve as the department’s new press secretary.
The post Trump Picks Lawyer Who Called Oct. 7 Attack a ‘Psyop’ to Lead Federal Watchdog Agency first appeared on Algemeiner.com.