Swords of Iron Day 1079: The Truth About a Deadly Snare
Two of our soldiers were injured this Shabbat. A Hezbollah explosive device struck an engineering vehicle in southern Lebanon, inside the security zone, and the IDF hit back hard. That is the reality of a Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon right now. They plant, we clear, and sometimes the bomb finds us first.
Why a Hezbollah Attack in Southern Lebanon Comes on Shabbat
Sometimes on Shabbat the adrenaline drops. We relax a little, and staying fully vigilant becomes harder. That is exactly when we cannot afford to slip.
Hezbollah planted that roadside bomb inside the security zone. Honestly, I am not surprised. They keep violating the arrangement and attacking, and every Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon teaches the same lesson.
The quiet is never as quiet as it looks. Somebody is always working while we rest.
That is the hardest discipline in this job. Not courage under fire, which adrenaline handles for you. Attention on a slow afternoon, when nothing has happened for six hours and your brain wants to switch off.
One Less Man Planning the Next Massacre
A Hamas commander who infiltrated Israel on October 7 was eliminated in Khan Yunis. Muhammad Suleiman Bayouk belonged to the Hamas military wing. He crossed into Israel and took part in the massacre.
He also planted explosives and planned attacks against soldiers and civilians. Now he is gone, and the free world has one less person working to endanger it.
Our forces eliminated a Rafah commander as well. The same week brought a Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon, which is how this war actually works. Two fronts, one sponsor. These names mean nothing to most readers. To the families in the Gaza envelope, they mean everything.
The Snare Is Always Being Set
In Judea and Samaria, gunfire struck a vehicle near al Mughayyir in the Benjamin Brigade sector. Nobody was hurt, thank God. Still, it shows exactly why we stay ready.
I keep a medical go bag in my car. Bandages, a tourniquet, the basics. You never know which ordinary drive turns into the day you need it.
That is not paranoia. Anyone who has lived here long enough carries something similar, and most of us have needed it at least once. A Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon and a shooting in the Benjamin sector feel very far apart on a map and very close together in a week.
Pressure on Iran and What It Might Open
We are still hoping the pressure the United States applies to Iran creates an opening for the Iranian people to rise up and replace the IRGC regime. Whether it is working, I honestly cannot say yet.
Iran held another major show of force this week. That could be genuine strength. It could also be a regime that feels the need to prove it.
Confident powers rarely hold parades to reassure themselves.
I would rather the Iranian people got their country back without another war. Nobody who has actually been in one wants a bigger one, and every Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon makes that outcome harder to reach.
Beyond the Hezbollah Attack in Southern Lebanon
Meanwhile the Houthis in Yemen attacked Saudi Arabia. Reports describe explosions near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and possible damage to fuel infrastructure.
Saudi authorities issued an overnight air raid warning before declaring the all clear on Saturday morning. The Houthis continue threatening more sensitive targets.
Notice what that means. A Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon and a Houthi strike on Riyadh come from the same address, and that address is not Gaza. Tehran funds both, arms both and directs both.
When Arab capitals start absorbing the same fire we absorb, the argument about who the real aggressor is gets a lot shorter.
Where Our Confidence Actually Comes From
In times like these I return to Psalm 124.
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
The Snare Is Broken
That is where our confidence sits. Not in our equipment, although I am grateful for every piece of it. Not in our intelligence, although it saves lives every single week.
The snare is broken. We have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
I will keep saying that after this Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon, and after the next one, and after the one after that.
Watch the full update here: Swords of Iron Day 1079, Escaping The Snares
