IDF, Lebanese Army Clash on Israel’s Northern Border: Clashes broke out Saturday afternoon, September 23, between the IDF and the Lebanese army near the northern border, after a heavy-duty vehicle illegally crossed into Israel.
Armed forces fired “protest dispersion” tools such as stun grenades at a tractor that crossed from the border into Israel in the Mount Dov area after surveillance identified the vehicle.
A statement released by the IDF stated that the tractor crossed the Blue Line from Lebanon into the Mount Dov area by about two meters, leading to multiple grenades being fired from Lebanon toward where the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was stationed.
The current demarcation line between the two countries is known as the Blue Line, a frontier mapped by the United Nations that marks the line to which Israeli forces withdrew when they left south Lebanon in 2000.
The IDF returned fire and the vessel returned to Lebanese territory, Israeli media reported. According to the IDF, neither Lebanese soldiers nor Hezbollah fighters crossed over the border. Later on Saturday, the Lebanese Armed Forces said it fired tear gas at Israeli forces following the launch of stun grenades at the heavy machinery. (JPost / VFI News)
“Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.” – Psalm 120:6
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Israel Strikes Hamas Posts in Gaza Amid Violent Rioting on Border:The Israeli military said it launched new strikes in the Gaza Strip Sunday evening, September 24, targeting “two military posts” of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian enclave. The posts were in Gaza’s Bureij and Jabalya areas.
The strikes, launched using unmanned aircraft, came after disturbances along the Gaza border with Israel turned violent on Sunday. The military announced earlier that it was reinforcing troops along the Gaza Strip border, as tensions rose along the frontier and as incendiary balloons sparked fires in Israel.
Palestinians in Gaza have increasingly returned in recent weeks to the practice of launching incendiary devices tied to helium balloons into Israel. Such fire-starting contraptions have been responsible for numerous fires that have destroyed large tracts of land.
Firefighters said Sunday afternoon they had brought three blazes under control in the Gaza periphery while stating that they were caused by incendiary balloons from the Strip.
On Saturday, the military carried out an airstrike on a Hamas position in the Gaza Strip following the latest riots along the border which included gunfire toward Israeli army forces. The Israel Defense Forces said a drone struck the post, located near the scene of the day’s riots. (TOI / VFI News)
“God, we humbly thank You for protecting us from the latest fires and incendiary balloons. We pray that the culprits will soon be arrested and that justice will prevail. We hope that there will be no need for drastic measures onwards and that Israel will be a peaceful country, rid of terrorist organizations and hateful attacks.”
Israel Arrests 8 Palestinian University Students Suspected of Planning Terror Attack: Israeli security forces said Sunday, September 24, they had arrested eight Palestinian students suspected of planning a terror attack in the immediate future.
The students, from Birzeit University near Ramallah, were nabbed following an investigation into Hamas cells in Palestinian educational institutions, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet said. They were allegedly recruited by Hamas operatives in Gaza, receiving weaponry intended for the attack.
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine after meeting top officials in Beirut, “stressed the importance of escalating the comprehensive resistance, especially the armed resistance, in the face of the Israeli occupation, and agreed to strengthen all forms of coordination between the three organizations on all issues.”
Later, on Monday night, Israeli forces arrested another five terrorism suspects in Judea and Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday morning. The IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Border Police arrested four wanted men in Silwad. Another man was seized in Deir Sammit along with a pistol, two magazines, and almost 150 9mm cartridges. (TOI / VFI News)
“God, we thank You for protecting us from terrorist attacks. We are extremely grateful for You, as well as for our defense personnel who continually risk their lives for the safety of all Israeli citizens. May You continue to bless them and assist them in their mission to detect terrorists before they can act on their malevolent plans.” Iran Unveils ‘Longest-Range Drone in the World,’ Threatens Israel at Military Parade: Iran on Friday, September 22, displayed what it claimed to be “the longest-range drone in the world” during a military parade that featured banners threatening Israel.
The drone was one of several unnamed aerial vehicles and missiles that Iranian forces showed off at an event in Tehran marking the anniversary of the bloody Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, and came weeks after Iran unveiled a drone it claimed could remain airborne for 24 hours.
The display of drones and other military hardware came days after the United States sanctioned several people and entities allegedly linked to Iran’s drone program. Friday’s parade featured large signs declaring “Down with Israel” and “Down with USA,” as well as posters in Hebrew and English warning Israelis to “prepare your shelters.”
State media reports on the parade did not provide details on “the longest-range drone in the world.” Iran has previously made dubious and exaggerated claims regarding its military capabilities and there was no independent confirmation of the announcement. (TOI / VFI News)
“For they cannot rest until they do evil; they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.” – Proverbs 4:16
Iran Denies Missile Base Blast After Mystery Explosion Rocks Western City: A mysterious explosion, characterized as a “terrible sound followed by strong shocks” by Iranian pro-regime media, struck an area near Khorramabad in the Lorestan province in western Iran on Monday night, September 25, causing “fear and concern,” and believed by residents to be an earthquake.
According to IRGC-associated media, “After a terrible sound was heard at midnight last night, opposition [anti-regime] media and others announced that a terrible explosion occurred in one of Lorestan’s military centers.” Iranian authorities also requested “the people of Lorestan not to pay attention to rumors and to receive news only from official authorities and media.”
According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a Washington-based security nonprofit with a focus on nuclear and biological threats, Khorramabad hosts the site of an Iranian missile base.
The Imam Ali Missile Base is “one of two Iranian silo missile bases,” details the NTI report, adding that former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami reportedly “ordered the production of 15 Shahab-3 missiles, to be deployed in underground bunkers near Khorramabad.”
The complex is “heavily guarded,” the report adds. “One of them [is] a storage facility and the second an operational missile launch facility.”(JPost /VFI News)
“God, we ask that You protect the world from Iran’s nuclear plans. As long as its military continues conducting its nuclear programs, not even Iranian citizens are safe. We hope that a nuclear war is avoidable and that Iran will be prevented from enriching its uranium even further.”
Saudi Envoy to Palestinians: Two-State Solution ‘Central’ to Israel Deal: Saudi Arabia’s first ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, Nayef al-Sudairi, arrived in Ramallah on Tuesday morning, September 26, implying in a statement to reporters that the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem would be a central pillar of any future deal with Israel.
Sudairi announced as well that the Kingdom intends to open a consulate in east Jerusalem. Such a move would seemingly require the approval of Israeli authorities. In response to a question about the fate of the two-state solution, if Saudi Arabia and Israel normalized relations, the ambassador told reporters that “the Arab Peace Initiative is the central point of any upcoming agreement.”
The initiative calls on Israel to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, to reach a “just solution” to the Palestinian refugee issue, and to withdraw from the Golan Heights.
Once Israel meets these requirements, the Arab countries that signed on to the Initiative will consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended and enter normalization agreements with Israel. (JPost / VFI News)
“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” – Proverbs 12:26
Gallant Heads to Berlin to Sign $3.5 Billion Arrow 3 Air Defense Deal: Israel is set to sign a letter of commitment for its largest-ever single defense contract this week, moving forward with selling $3.5 billion worth of the Arrow 3 air defense system to Germany.
The US gave its blessing to the sale in August. While in Berlin, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will meet with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, who is hosting the Israeli defense delegation. The two will issue a joint declaration on cooperation between the respective defense establishments.
The deal not only sets a high-water mark for Israeli defense sales and German efforts to beef up defense capabilities amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine but also carries symbolic overtones, with the Jewish state selling defensive systems to a nation that less than a century ago turned its military might toward Jewish extermination.
The sale would also make Germany the second country, after the US, to obtain the Arrow from Israel, a decision that a Defense Ministry official called significant.
The full $3.5 billion contract, according to the Defense Ministry, would be signed by the end of 2023, once final approvals from both parliaments are obtained. Berlin expects the Arrow 3 system to be delivered in the final quarter of 2025. (TOI / VFI News)
“But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” – Deuteronomy 8:18
Archaeologists Unearth Largest Cemetery Ever Found in Gaza, with Rare Lead Sarcophagi: Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip have found over 100 ancient graves, including two sarcophagi made of lead, in a Roman-era cemetery — a site dating back some 2,000 years that archaeologists describe as the largest cemetery discovered in Gaza.
Rene Elter, a French archaeologist leading the dig, said researchers have studied over 100 of the graves. Elter pointed to the sarcophagi made of lead — one featuring ornate grape leaves, the other with images of dolphins — as exceptional finds.
Given the rarity of the lead tombs, Palestinian archaeologists like Fadel Al-Otul suspect that social elites are buried there. Al-Otul said the cemetery probably used to be located in a city — Romans used to place cemeteries near city centers.
Alongside the sarcophagi, Elter’s team is restoring unearthed skeletons and piecing together shards of clay jars. The skeletons discovered at the site will be sent out of Gaza for additional analysis, according to Al-Otul. The remains are set to return to the Hamas-led Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism. (TOI / VFI News)
The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.
