Israel-Hamas War Day 198: What's going on in Gaza, Lebanon?

A terrorist attempted a stabbing attack at the Bekaot checkpoint in the West Bank on Sunday afternoon, the IDF stated.

The IDF troops at the checkpoint responded to the attack with live fire and neutralized the terrorist, the military added.

No casualties were reported among the Israeli personnel.

Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades claimed on Sunday that they had fired 20 Grad missiles from southern Lebanon towards Shomera in northern Israel.

Also on Sunday, the IDF struck two buildings where Hezbollah operatives were spotted near Ayta Ash Shaab and terrorist infrastructure near Naqoura and Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Israeli military reported.

Earlier in the day, two rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Rosh Hanikra. In response, the IDF struck a site in Qotrani in southern Lebanon.

Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility on Sunday for a shooting attack near Nabi Ilyas in which a female IDF soldier was seriously wounded earlier this month.

The al-Qassam Brigades published a video purporting to show the terrorist planning and then carrying out the shooting attack. A civilian was also lightly wounded in the attack.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei thanked the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps for the attack on Israel, conducted on April 13, according to reports from Iranian state media.

According to reports, he also called upon the Iranian armed forces to "ceaselessly pursue military innovation and learn the enemy's tactics."

"How many missiles were launched and how many of them hit their target is not the primary question, what really matters is that Iran demonstrated its will-power during that operation," Khamenei said on Sunday.

Iran's attack on Israel

Tehran openly targeted Israel for the first time on April 13 with more than 300 missiles and drones in what it said was retaliation for Israel's suspected deadly bombing of its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted a video on X on Sunday, calling the world to “stop Iran now - before it's too late.” 

The message was reiterated in both French and Hebrew. Tagged on the post were US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with the French, Italian, German, and British foreign ministers.

A drone is launched during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on October 4, 2023. (credit: REUTERS)

Upcoming Iranian revolution 'in a place near you'

The Fatah movement in the West Bank has called for a general strike in the West Bank and an escalation in the violence against Israel, according to a Kan News report on Sunday morning. 

Fatah reportedly called for a strike due to recent IDF operations in Tulkarm and Gaza. 

IDF troops operate in the West Bank during an overnight operation. April 8, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Hamas reiterated the calls on its official Telegram channel.  "We mobilize our Palestinian people stationed to ignite confrontations with the criminal Zionist occupation in all areas of the confrontations in the West Bank and Jerusalem in response to the criminal massacre in the Noor-al-Shams camp in Tulkarm," the Hamas statement read. 

The scale of Iran’s first-ever direct attack on Israel matched US spy agencies’ worst-case scenarios, US officials told The Wall Street Journal.

“This was on the high end, I think, of what we were—what we were anticipating,” a senior official said.

It threatened not only Israel, a US ally, but also Biden’s hopes of preventing a regional war, the US officials remarked. 

Even as intelligence officials saw Iran removed missiles from storage and put them on launchers, the scale of Iran’s attack plan wasn’t clear to US intelligence agencies, The Wall Street Journal reported. Later they watched hundreds of drones and missiles launched towards Israel by Iran. 

US President Joe Biden and his aides feared the massive Iranian barrage of missiles and drones could overwhelm the strengthened defenses the US and Israel had spent preparing for the anticipated attack. As the attack occurred, the president and his aides did not know if the Israeli and US anti missile systems would defend the Jewish state from Iran’s attack, according to the Wall Street Journal report. 

A MISSILE unveiled by Iran is launched in an unknown location in this photo released yesterday. (credit: WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS)

“The results of the defenses,” a senior Biden administration official in the Situation Room that day said, “were unclear until all was said and done.”

Irael strikes senior IRGC military commander in Damascus

The state attorney's office filed an indictment against 57-year-old Zebah Abdel Salem Haniyeh, sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, it announced on Sunday.

According to the statement, she was charged with incitement and identifying with a terrorist organization.

Haniyeh sent messages inciting to terror and identifying with the terrorists 

The indictment letter states that Haniyeh sent dozens of contacts, her brother included, WhatsApp messages that included words of praise, sympathy, and encouragement for the actions of Hamas and its part in the mass atrocities that constitute acts of terrorism.

The indictment letter stated that two days following the October 7 massacre, on October 9, Haniyeh sent a message in Arabic to 95 different contacts which read, “O our God, we have brothers in you, our enemy entered the door, victory to your religion and release to our prisoners and the departure of your prophet Muhammad, prayers be upon him, make them the reasons of the power and the supreme ability... Give them what you have, your power, and your victory. O God, away from us, and from them, give them his power of your enemy and our spiteful enemy. O God, the victory from You is what You have promised to Your believing servants. Increase your morning request for victory from God, and victory soon."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei thanked the IRGC for the attack on Israel, conducted on April 13, according to reports from Iranian state media.

According to reports, he also called upon the Iranian armed forces to "ceaselessly pursue military innovation and learn the enemy's tactics."

This is a developing story.

Turkey’s president hosted Hamas leaders over the weekend in highly symbolic and important meetings that reflect Hamas’s increased influence and power in the region after the October 7 attack on Israel.

In the wake of the Hamas massacre of more than 1,000 people and the kidnapping of 250, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Hamas has found that it has more clout in Tehran, Moscow, Beijing, Ankara, Doha, and other places. Instead of being isolated after its historic crimes against humanity, Hamas has been embraced. Hamas leaders traveled to Ankara amid a new phase of support for Hamas in the region, which could have major ramifications for the Gaza conflict.

 A symbol of this embrace occurred in Istanbul on April 20. Hamas leaders were seated in chairs opposite Turkey’s top officials, getting a red carpet style reception with the Turkish leader. Ankara was proud of this meeting, distributing a handout about it and posting about it. Turkish media had wall-to-wall coverage. The handout about the meeting shows the Hamas leadership, facing their Turkish counterparts, with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the middle. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was hosted at the Dolmabahce Presidential working office in Istanbul.

Ankara has paid lip service to supporting Palestinian unity, but it does not roll out the red carpet like this for the Palestinian Authority. Instead, it sidelines the PA and Mahmoud Abbas. "It is vital that Palestinians act with unity in this process. The strongest response to Israel and the path to victory lie in unity and integrity," Turkey’s leader said. However, Ankara could have hosted both Hamas and the PA leadership. It chooses to boost Hamas with this meeting, which is highly symbolic.

The meeting, and others like it in Moscow, Iran, and Doha, have shown that Hamas has received increased support and influence for massacring 1,000 people. No other group in history has massacred 1,000 people, many of them civilians, taken 250 hostages, and then received so many high-level meetings in such a short period of time, including by two US allies in the region. Hamas is hosted by Doha, a major non-NATO ally of the US, and Turkey is a NATO ally. Hamas, therefore, is unique in history as a group that massacred hundreds of civilians and is hosted by Western allies. Hamas still holds 133 hostages.

Hamas reportedly compares its attack to Turkish war of Independence