Israel Daily News War Day 303 | US and Israel Prepare for War with Iran.
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00:00Israel and the U.S. are closely coordinating on an effort to defend and counter the expected
00:09retaliation from the Islamic Republic of Iran for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
00:14in Tehran last week.
00:16The U.S. is deploying additional military resources in the region amid reports that
00:20the attack could come as early as tomorrow.
00:22ILTV's Steve Leibowitz reports.
00:25U.S. General Michael Carrillo, who heads U.S. forces in the Middle East, is in Israel to
00:29consult and coordinate with military leaders ahead of a possible attack from Iran in retaliation
00:36for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
00:41Carrillo met Chief of Staff Halevi as Washington and Jerusalem attempt to mobilize the same
00:46international and regional coalition that defended Israel against an attack from Iran
00:51on April 13.
00:53The U.S. is boosting its forces in the Middle East, sending additional warships and fighter
00:58jets to the region.
00:59U.S. officials say they are expecting a potential attack that is larger in scope and could involve
01:05Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies.
01:08According to Axios, the U.S. reportedly believes that the attack could begin as early as tomorrow.
01:14On a political level, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin is coordinating with Defense Minister
01:19Gallant.
01:20U.S. Secretary Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant this morning about the
01:24destabilizing threats posed by Iran, its partners, and proxies.
01:28The Secretary reiterated ironclad support for Israel's security and informed the minister
01:34of additional measures to include ongoing and future defensive force posture changes
01:39that the department will take to support the defense of Israel.
01:43He also stressed that the unprecedented scale of U.S. support for Israel since Oct. 7 should
01:48leave Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups with no doubt
01:53about U.S. resolve.
01:55Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel is prepared for any potential attack.
01:59Israel is very prepared for any attack.
02:03There is no defense, there is no attack.
02:06We will pay a very heavy price for any aggression against us from any area.
02:12Jordan will be a key stop on General Kirill's trip.
02:15The Jordanians played a significant role during the April 13th attack by intercepting
02:20Iranian drones that entered their territory headed for Israel.
02:27President Joe Biden is changing his tone on hostage negotiations and pressuring Israel
02:31once again.
02:32The president spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the progress of hostage negotiations
02:36in the aftermath of the Hania assassination and is apparently not so impressed by Israel's
02:42efforts.
02:43Let's take a closer look.
02:44Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated he believes reaching a hostage-for-ceasefire deal is possible
02:50and that talks will continue next week in Cairo.
02:53But when he told President Biden that this week, Biden reportedly told him to stop BS-ing.
02:58The Biden administration has been critical of Israel's actions in Gaza for many months
03:02and even expressed concerns about the assassination of arch-terrorist Ismail Hania.
03:07During the call between Netanyahu and Biden, Biden called the assassination poorly timed
03:12and emphasized how it could start a regional war.
03:15Since Biden dropped out of the presidential race, there are concerns in the White House
03:19that Netanyahu is emboldened to take steps he otherwise wouldn't.
03:23At the end of the conversation, Netanyahu was also reportedly warned not to take Biden
03:27for granted.
03:28Yesterday, a team was sent to Cairo for indirect talks as Hamas and Qatar have refused to participate
03:33in talks over the killing of Hania.
03:35Hamas, on the other hand, has repeatedly tried to change the deal terms to enable their survival
03:39as leaders in Gaza.
03:41During the call between the two leaders, the Biden administration urged Israel to act
03:45on the deal, implying the obstacle was Israel and not Hamas.
03:49Despite the tough phone conversation, Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that President
03:53Biden respects Israeli sovereignty and cares about the survival and safety of the state
03:58of Israel.
04:01Well Israel is preparing for the event of a major escalation with the Islamic Republic
04:05of Iran, even while the government attempts to revive hostage negotiations.
04:10Here to speak with us about the threat from Iran and the precarious situation Israel faces
04:14is senior researcher Kobi Maika.
04:16Kobi, thank you so much for joining us today.
04:19You know, we're seeing reports that the U.S. is militarily preparing to defend Israel in
04:24some cases, but also some stern words for Israel over the hostage talks.
04:29What's your take on the Biden administration's approach?
04:32And are they really with Israel when it comes to dealing with the Islamic Republic?
04:41Good afternoon.
04:43I think that what is happening today with the American administration is something which
04:50is pretty similar that we knew yesterday and the day before yesterday.
04:56For the Americans, the cornerstone of their original vision is seizing the war in the
05:03Gaza Strip, which means a hostage deal in any price or in the conditions that are introduced
05:13currently.
05:14And I think that they are wrong.
05:18I think that the red lines that Prime Minister Netanyahu said are correct.
05:22And just today a huge tunnel was revealed beneath the Philadelphia corridor.
05:30And I think that it is pretty understood that Israel cannot leave the Philadelphia
05:35corridor before destroying all the infrastructure of the tunnels there and before having a sort
05:43of reasonable solution for the day to come.
05:49And therefore, I think that Israel has to continue pressuring militarily Hamas.
05:53I think that Hamas is under pressure.
05:55I think that the United States has to help Israel on pressuring Hamas by increasing also
06:01the pressures on Qatar.
06:03And then we will reach to a hostage deal in better conditions and more reasonable deal.
06:08Now, what can we expect to see from this supposed retaliation by the Islamic Republic?
06:13I mean, what kinds of capabilities do they actually possess?
06:17And how can Israel limit the impact of such an attack from the Islamic Republic?
06:25I mean, the Iranian can do what they did before.
06:27They cannot do more than that, only in the quantities.
06:30I mean, the only option, the only two options that they have is to use the variety of aerial
06:37platforms that they have, be it drones or cruise missiles or ballistic missiles, and
06:44to use their proxies.
06:45I mean, this is what they did until today.
06:47This is what they did on April 13.
06:50And this, I assume, what Iran will do when their retaliation will come, maybe it will
06:57be more intensified.
06:58But in the very same time, I think that we have to remember, and the entire public in
07:03Israel and the region should understand, that Iran is much more vulnerable than Israel.
07:11Its offensive and defensive capacities are much lower than the Israelis' ones.
07:19And I think that if Iran will exaggerate with its retaliation, then Israel will retaliate
07:27on the Iranian retaliation, and this time the Israeli retaliation will be very heartening
07:33for the Iranians.
07:34And it is not so complicated for Israel to paralyze many infrastructural systems in Iran,
07:45be it water, electricity, oil, you name it.
07:49So I think that the Iranians should be much more concerned than the Israelis in this regard.
07:54Now, we are almost out of time, but I just wanted to ask you, something interesting we've
07:57seen the last few days is that both Hezbollah and the Islamic regime in Iran are pledging
08:02explicitly to target civilians intentionally, which is, of course, a war crime.
08:07I'm wondering if you've seen any kind of international pressure over such actions and commitments
08:13to specifically target civilians, or does the world just have no further way of deterring
08:18this regime in Iran?
08:22If they will target civilians, it means that they are totally despaired, and I think that
08:29this will be a huge mistake, and the Israeli retaliation will be very, very aggressive
08:35one, be it with regard to Lebanon or with regard to Iran.
08:40And I would recommend them to rethink about their thoughts in this regard.
08:46Thank you so much for joining us today, Kobi, Michael, always a pleasure to have you on.
08:53This morning in Israel, there was a tragic terror attack in which two individuals were
08:57killed and two more were seriously injured.
09:00Security forces are actively confronting threats on multiple fronts in Israel.
09:04Police killed the terrorist who murdered the two in the stabbing attack in Holon this morning,
09:08and this was as the IEF is actively confronting terrorists in Gaza, Lebanon, and in Judea
09:13and Samaria.
09:15More from ILTV's Steve Leibowitz.
09:17An elderly couple was murdered and at least two others injured during a terrorist rampage
09:22in the central city of Holon.
09:24The Palestinian attacker began his deadly assault by attacking multiple victims in a
09:28park and then moved toward the nearby bus station.
09:31The other victims are reported in critical to moderate condition.
09:35The assailant was shot dead by security forces arriving on the scene.
09:39According to police, the attacker is a Palestinian from the territories identified as 34-year-old
09:45Omar Odeh from the city of Salfit.
09:48In Judea and Samaria, nine Palestinian gunmen were killed in two Israeli drone strikes near
09:53Tulkarem.
09:54In the first incident, the IDF targeted a cell of terrorists en route to carrying out
09:58an attack and killed all inside.
10:01Israeli troops then entered Tulkarem to carry out a counterterrorism operation.
10:05A second drone strike was carried out against the cell of gunmen who opened fire on troops.
10:11At least four gunmen were reported killed in the second strike.
10:15Looking north, Israel is on alert for expected retaliation from Hezbollah for last week's
10:19targeted killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukur in Beirut.
10:24Addressing the funeral from his bunker in Beirut, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
10:28vowed that painful revenge will be exacted on Israel.
10:32There has been a return to the tit-for-tat cross-border exchanges between Israel and
10:36Hezbollah that have taken place since early October.
10:40This weekend, the Air Force eliminated leading terrorist Ali Nazar Ali from the Hezbollah's
10:44Southern Command.
10:46Fighter jets targeted terrorist infrastructure and military buildings of Hezbollah in the
10:50areas of Tir Harfa and Kafr Qila.
10:54Some 30 rocket launches were detected that crossed from Lebanon toward the upper and
10:58western Galilee.
10:59A crash was detected in the Avevim area.
11:02Most of the launches were shot down or fell in open areas.
11:05There were no casualties.
11:07IDF forces attacked the sources of the fire with artillery, along with additional attacks
11:12to remove the threats.
11:14And on day 303 of the war in Gaza, in an apparent attempt to retaliate for the killing of Ismail
11:20Haniyeh in Tehran, at least 19 rockets were fired by Hamas at Israel from southern Gaza
11:27in the largest barrage in weeks.
11:29There were no reports of injuries, and all the rockets either landed in open areas or
11:33were downed by Iron Dome missile defense.
11:36The IDF said it carried out drone strikes on the rocket launchers used in the attacks
11:40and destroyed them.
11:41Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed that it killed a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander
11:46in Gaza as fighting raged in the strip's south and center.
11:53With fears of a retaliation by the Islamic Republic on the rise, international airlines
11:57are halting their flights to and from Tel Aviv, leaving around 100,000 Israelis stranded
12:02abroad.
12:03ILTV's Ariella Lahiani is at Ben Gurion Airport with more details for us.
12:07Ariella?
12:08Yes, Emily.
12:09So I'm here now at Ben Gurion Airport, and as we've seen over the past week, most international
12:13airlines have halted their flights to and from Tel Aviv as a result of the increasing
12:18fears of an Iranian retaliation.
12:20This has consequently left almost 100,000 Israelis stuck abroad as they are unable to
12:26get on their flights home, so they've been encouraged to fly to Cyprus or Greece if they
12:30can and allow or operate more flights in the region to bring them home from there.
12:35More in the following report.
12:37In the latest developments in the Middle East, Spain's leading airlines, Iberia and Aeropa,
12:43have canceled their flights to Israel, joining a growing list of carriers halting services
12:48amid fears of escalating conflict in the region.
12:51Iberia Express has suspended its flights to and from Tel Aviv until Monday, while Aeropa
12:57has canceled all flights to and from Israel from Sunday to Wednesday.
13:01As tensions rise, at least 18 international airlines have now suspended flights to and
13:06from Israel.
13:08The list includes major carriers like Air India, Delta, Lufthansa and United Airlines,
13:14with cancellation periods varying from a few days to several weeks.
13:18These cancellations have left around 100,000 Israelis stranded abroad, with many advised
13:24to travel to Greece or Cyprus to find alternative flights back home.
13:28In response, Israel's national carrier, Elal, has maintained its schedule and added extra
13:33flights to assist those stranded.
13:36Amid the growing concerns, Israel's foreign ministry has launched an online form to assist
13:41the tens of thousands of citizens stuck abroad.
13:44Meanwhile, Israel's transportation ministry reassured that flights to and from the country
13:49remain safe, although some foreign airlines have reduced or delayed their services.
13:55As the situation unfolds, the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority has affirmed the safety
14:00of the country's airspace, with close monitoring in place should the need arise to close it
14:04for security reasons.
14:09And joining me now in studio are Teghlead Birthright Volunteers Oliver Powell and Max
14:13Harry Levy.
14:14Thank you so much for joining us in studio today.
14:16Let me start, let me start by asking you both, what motivated you to join this Birthright
14:21Volunteer Program immediately after October 7th?
14:24Well, when October 7th happened, we all saw the images on TV and how horrifying that was.
14:29I think for me personally, just seeing the reaction in the United States and how everybody
14:34was responding to such a horrible event, and seeing the protests and, you know, in
14:40support of actual terrorists, that made me want to come to Israel and actually see what's
14:45going on, and then equip myself with the tools necessary to like kind of explain what's going
14:50on and just put the situation out there outright.
14:54Now, since you guys arrived on July 29th, you've both been involved in a variety of
14:59volunteer activities.
15:01You've been painting some of the areas affected by the attacks, food packaging, farming.
15:06Is there any particular experience that's been standout to you, that's really impacted
15:11you in a longer term, you know, circumstance?
15:14Yeah.
15:15So for me, in particular, when we went on, we went to, I believe it was a Moshav called
15:22the Salad Trail.
15:23I don't know if you know this place, but one of the, I believe he may have been an owner.
15:28Anyways, he had such a traumatic experience after the event that he ended up making these
15:35really wonderful necklaces out of the Iron Dome.
15:38So this is a remnant from the Iron Dome, and he's carved it into the shape of Israel with
15:43a blue dot symbolizing the place where that rocket fell.
15:47And I think to me, that was really like so meaningful to see how he turned something
15:52so traumatic into a way of like expressing his desire for peace and hope and love for
15:59Israel.
16:00That's really, really beautiful.
16:01Yeah.
16:02A similar question for you.
16:03You know, Birthright, they're part of their goal is to connect young Jews with Israel
16:07and with Israelis.
16:08I'm wondering if you have any meaningful relationships or friendships that have been formed through
16:12this process that you wouldn't have otherwise had.
16:15Absolutely.
16:16So I'm from Australia, and in Australia, we're far away from everything, far away from everything
16:20America-related, Europe-related, Israel-related.
16:23And so it's an absolute pleasure to meet so many people from those different backgrounds.
16:26You know, we don't necessarily go to the same schools or have the same sort of family values
16:30or even speak the same language, and yet Judaism unites us all, and we can become best friends
16:34in a matter of days because we just have this shared appreciation for our religion, for
16:38our history, for our heritage, and a shared sort of pain and grief over October 7th.
16:42So I worked really closely with an organization called Hagal Shelli, and they do fantastic
16:46work working with children from the North that have been displaced, children from the
16:50South that have been displaced, kids that are living in Tel Aviv that are struggling
16:53with everything emotionally, just taking them out on the water.
16:55And so probably the most surprising relationship that I was able to build were with 13-year-old
16:59boys and 15-year-old girls from Jerusalem and from bits and places all across Israel
17:04that I was able to, again, not necessarily speak the same language, but have the sorts
17:09of same emotions and the same feelings and the same experiences that allowed us to transcend
17:13language and transcend the fact that we weren't from the same country, but, you know, get
17:17together.
17:18And that was a really, really beautiful experience.
17:19So those were the sorts of relationships that even surprised me.
17:21I wasn't expecting to build such strong friendships.
17:24What about you?
17:25Did you have any relationships that were formed as a result of this volunteering program that
17:29you perhaps didn't expect?
17:30Yeah, you know, I think I've made a lot of friends during this program, which is really
17:34wonderful.
17:35So I've added them all on Instagram.
17:37I plan on keeping in contact with them, and, you know, maybe we'll come again.
17:41You can always stay.
17:42Yeah.
17:43I think I will one day, actually.
17:45Yeah.
17:46So as you prepare to return home, do you feel like you're more equipped or, I guess, qualified
17:52to speak about what's going on in Israel and to sort of be an ambassador, a private ambassador
17:56for the state of Israel and the things you've experienced through this Mosaic United program,
18:01as well as the work of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs?
18:04Yeah, I think that's one of the problems with being Jewish in America, is that a lot of
18:08people are not equipped with the knowledge necessary to actually explain the side, to
18:15let the world understand what's really going on.
18:18So how can they be an ambassador if they don't have that equipment, right?
18:22So coming to Israel with this program is a great way of just learning what's going on,
18:27being educated, going to see the sites.
18:30We went to the Nova concert site.
18:32It was, wow, it was so touching, to be honest.
18:37And I plan on going back home and talking to a lot of my non-Jewish friends and telling
18:42them what was going on, what I saw, and actually how they can help.
18:46Absolutely.
18:47Well, we are out of time, but I want to thank you so much for being here, first of all,
18:51and for all the work that you guys are doing.
18:53And we hope that you stay.
18:54But if you don't, then come back for sure.
18:55Yeah, definitely.
18:57Thank you so much for joining us.
18:58Drama over the weekend between Turkey and Israel, as the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv
19:02thought it would be a good idea to lower their flag to half mast in honor of Hamas
19:07terrorist leader Ismail Haniyeh.
19:10Let's take a look at the full story.
19:11On Friday, the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv lowered the Turkish flag to half mast as part
19:16of Turkish President Erdogan's day of mourning for Hamas terrorist Ismail Haniyeh.
19:22But Israelis were having none of this.
19:24Shortly after photos began surfacing on social media criticizing Turkey, Israeli Ohad Benhamo
19:30flew his drone with an Israeli flag affixed and raised it over the embassy.
19:35In response to Turkey's move, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz summoned the Turkish
19:40envoy in Israel and posted online that if Turkey wishes to mourn a terrorist, they may
19:45do so from Turkey, not Israel.
19:47Furious by the Israeli flag stunt, the Turkish embassy raised the Turkish flag fully in response.
19:54Turkey's Erdogan has been vociferously anti-Israel throughout the war and has even floated the
19:58idea of sending troops to Israel to attack.
20:02Erdogan has also given Hamas leadership safe harbor for years, and even citizenship in
20:06some cases.
20:08After the death of Haniyeh, social media giant Instagram removed a post by Turkish government
20:13which praised Haniyeh as support for terrorist organization is prohibited on the platform.
20:19Erdogan responded by banning Instagram from the entire country.
20:23Similarly, in the Olympic Games this weekend, Israeli judoka Raz Hershko defeated her Turkish
20:28opponent and went on to win a medal.
20:31But after the Turkish athlete was defeated, Turkey cut the entire broadcast of the games
20:36in response.
20:37Despite the increasingly authoritarian conduct of Erdogan, Turkey, a NATO member, has been
20:43a historically important ally for Israel.
20:46Now, however, concerns are rising over Erdogan's continuous embrace of Islamist terror groups.
20:54Well, this weekend has been eventful, to say the least, in regards to the Israeli athletes
20:58competing in the Paris Olympics this year.
21:00Let's go to ILTV correspondent Devo Klein to discuss their achievements from the weekend.
21:04Devo, what can you tell us?
21:06Yes, Emily.
21:07So, for those who haven't been up to date with the Olympics this year, Israel has received
21:12six Olympic medals, one of which being gold, in an incredible show of national pride and
21:18resilience.
21:19The Israelis were absolutely glued to their screens this weekend and were absolutely ecstatic
21:23when the likes of Tomer Uveni brought Israel the gold medal.
21:27And Emily, you know, I find it worth mentioning the absolute incredible sportsmanship displayed
21:32by our athletes coming from the world of sport.
21:36You know, myself, I think it's worth mentioning that despite the challenges and, you know,
21:42despite the crowd and the competition that can oftentimes get into your head and affect
21:46your mood, and also with the security challenges that our athletes have currently been facing,
21:50they have been showing immense sportsmanship and most notably Judoka Raz Hershko, you know,
21:56looking up at her after placing second at first place, an opponent saying, smile, this
22:01is your moment.
22:02But let's go into deeper in the full report.
22:05In a historic weekend at the Olympics, Israel wins gold, bronze and silver medals in windsurfing,
22:11gymnastics and judo events.
22:14Israel's Tomer Uveni won a sensational Olympic gold in the men's windsurfing event on Saturday.
22:20And in the women's event, Sharon Kantor came second, scoring a silver medal for Israel.
22:26Israeli-Ukrainian gymnast Artem Dolgopiat, who won the gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021,
22:31performed brilliantly in the men's gymnastics events, securing a silver medal for Israel
22:36with his floor routine.
22:37The incredible medal-winning Saturday comes after the judo success of Friday and Thursday,
22:43when Israeli judokas Peter Pelchik, Inbar Lanier and Raz Hershko won medals in their
22:48own respective categories.
22:51In Thursday's events, Lanier, adorned with a yellow hair tie to symbolize the hostages,
22:56took the silver after an incredible match against Italy in the under-78 kilogram weight
23:01class.
23:02Pelchik, who competed in the under-100 kilogram weight class, won the bronze medal after defeating
23:07his Swiss opponent.
23:09In an interview, Pelchik said,
23:11I fought for everyone, for our flag.
23:14We worked so hard for this moment.
23:16The third judo medal was clinched by Israeli judoka Raz Hershko after a win against Turkey
23:21and her iconic battle against Brazil's Beatriz Souza in the final match of the women's over-78
23:27kilogram weight class.
23:29Let's take a look at the weather forecast.
23:32Partly cloudy skies are expected tonight around the country, with temperatures reaching lows
23:36of around 22 degrees Celsius or 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
23:40Then tomorrow, partly cloudy skies are expected alongside hot temperatures, reaching highs
23:44of 34 degrees Celsius or 93 degrees Fahrenheit.
23:49That's a wrap for today's news.
23:50For the latest updates from Israel on all your devices, be sure to follow our ILTV channel,
23:55subscribe to our newsletter and explore our website, ILTV.tv.
23:59Stay informed with the latest news straight from the heart of Israel.
24:02I'm Emily Schrader.
24:03Be well and thank you so much for watching.
24:06For more information on Israel and its region visit our website at WWW.TV7ISRAELNEWS.COM
24:36Transcription by CastingWords