“Yet the strategic situation remains essentially unchanged. Lebanon is still host to an Iran-implanted deep state that is much stronger than the official bodies of state. This Iran controlled structure does not require the permission of the official state for its actions and did not seek this consent before it launched its ruinous campaign on 8 October last year. The LAF, heavily infiltrated by officers and soldiers with links to Hezbollah, is not going to prevent it re-emerging and rearming.” – Jonathan Spyer
SHABBAT READING
Isaac Knows He Is Blessing Jacob: Who Is Really Being Deceived?: Dr. Rabbi David J. Zucker, The Torah.com, Nov. 28, 2024 — As Isaac ages and loses his sight, he apparently decides to bless his elder son, Esau. First, however, Isaac instructs Esau to hunt for game and to prepare a favorite meal for him. While Esau is away, Isaac’s wife, Rebecca disguises their younger son, Jacob, in Esau’s clothes so that Isaac will mistake him as Esau and will give Jacob his blessing instead (Gen 27).
SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER
WATCH: Conservative MP@MelissaLantsman , X, Nov. 27, 2024 — made the most chill-inducing speech I have seen in Canadian parliament. “Canadians just want to wake up from this woke nightmare and bring back the Canada they used to know.”
BROADER IMPLICATIONS
WATCH: Ceasefire Deal with Lebanon, Meaning for Iran: Barak Seener, Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, Nov. 27, 2024 — In today’s briefing, Barak Seener analyzes the implications of the deal between Israel and Lebanon and what it could mean for Iran.
WATCH: Bibi Between Biden and a Hard Place | Caroline Glick In-Focus: JNS TV, Nov. 28, 2024 — Most Israelis were outraged to hear of what seemed to be capitulation in the form of a ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah.
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A Ceasefire Deal Won’t Finish Off Hezbollah: Jonathan Spyer, The Spectator, Nov. 26, 2024
A Confused and Confusing Cease-Fire: Noah Rothman, National Review, Nov. 26, 2024
Israel Must Adopt a New Security Policy on Its Northern Border with Lebanon: Yoni Ben Menachem, Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, Nov. 28, 2024
Hezbollah’s War in the Service of Iran—Consequences for Lebanon: Oma Mizrahi, INSS Insight No. 1916, Nov. 21, 2024
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For Further Reference
Israel Kills Wanted Hezbollah Commander Behind the Establishment of Iraq’s Iran-Backed Militias: Joe Truzman and Joe Boggio, FDD’s Long War Journal, Nov. 24, 2024 — A recent Israeli airstrike in Syria killed Ali Mousa Daqduq, one of Hezbollah’s most wanted military leaders who served as the deputy commander of the Radwan Unit at the time of his death, a senior US defense official confirmed to NBC News.
The Returning Threat: How the IDF Disabled Hezbollah’s Ability to Rearm – Analysis: Seth J. Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, Nov. 28, 2024 — One of the last acts of the third Lebanon war, which appears to have ended with a ceasefire on November 27, was an IAF strike on a Hezbollah precision-guided missile production site.
There’s No Such Thing As a ‘Ceasefire with Lebanon’: Seth Mandel, Commentary, Nov. 27, 2024 — Buried in a New York Times explainer on the ICC’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu is this helpful nugget: “Gaza has been controlled by Hamas since 2007 and the militant group does not recognize its subjugation to a Palestine state.”
Israel Is a U.S. Ally, Not a Client: Rotem Sella, WSJ, Nov. 17, 2024 — Why did Israelis overwhelmingly support Donald Trump in the presidential election? Many Americans seem to believe we hope the U.S. will fight our battles for us. That isn’t the case. We want to be an American ally, not an American client. Mr. Trump understands this.
