We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
HOSTAGE DEAL UPDATE:
Early this morning, we saw reports in Israel that Sinwar was under increasing pressure due to the operation in Rafah and IDF control of the Philadelphi Corridor. Sinwar fears that every day that goes by without a deal, his chances of survival go down, and the chances that Israel will rescue more hostages go up (AKA he loses leverage in negotiations). Some unofficial sources claim that Sinwar has accepted that Hamas will not govern Gaza after the war. Still, he is ADAMANT that the IDF withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor because that is his oxygen supply. This will be the contention point going forward.
This afternoon, we received the report that the Mossad had received an answer from Hamas vis-à-vis the deal offered a few weeks ago. While we don’t have the full details of the answer yet, Israeli officials are claiming that this is the most positive response so far from Hamas, and they can work with it for once, albeit the negotiations will still take a long time and are not assured. Hamas supporters have already started celebrating, claiming that they were able to reach a deal to end the war.
From Israel’s perspective, while this is not necessarily the ideal situation, barring any untenable demands from Hamas, this deal will probably be the best way to get some hostages back alive. If there is no deal, the chance that hostages will be killed continues to escalate.
However, an important point to consider is that this deal was presented BEFORE the IDF took control of the Philadelphi Corridor, and that aspect of it would be a massive problem. I don’t see a situation where the IDF withdraws from the corridor, and I don’t see Hamas agreeing to a deal that keeps Israeli forces choking their supply lines. It remains to be seen how that issue will be negotiated.
It is essential to keep in mind that for many in Israel, Gaza is not nearly as important as the North anymore. All attention and focus are being shifted toward Lebanon, and the IDF needs as much of its available resources and manpower for what is to come with Hezbollah.
Overall, while I am not happy with the circumstances of this potential deal, I understand the various perspectives and considerations that go into it, and I trust Bibi to make the right decision for the country and our people. He holds all of the information, and we try to make sense of it; the rest is out of our hands.
(Raylan Givens on X)
— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷/🇮🇱 i24 News correspondent, Amichai Stein:
‘Why is this agreement a strategic disaster?
The Americans give the Iranians plenty—and get nothing in return.
The most absurd thing is that this war ends with sanctions relief for oil sales. Something that didn't exist before the war.
What do the Americans get? Nothing. No nuclear, no ballistic, no proxy.’
🇮🇱❌🇱🇧❗️ — Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have called upon Netanyahu's government to respond with military force to the Hezbollah drone attack that struck an IDF military installation in northern Israel.
▶️ Smotrich called for direct attacks against the Dahiyeh suburbs in Beirut, which could derail U.S.-Iran negotiations at the last moment.
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The Israeli Air Force struck Hezbollah targets in Beirut's southern suburbs a short while ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz say.
"The IDF has just struck Hezbollah terror targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut, in response to Hezbollah's firing toward Israeli territory," they say in a joint statement.
"Israel will not tolerate fire directed at its territory," they add.
This morning, three Hezbollah drones exploded in Israeli territory.
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🇮🇱🇱🇧⚡️ — Israeli strike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh kills at least 3, wounds 15, Lebanese Civil Defense ...
IN 2006, RESEARCHER CLEVE BACKSTER — THE MAN WHO INVENTED THE CIA'S LIE DETECTOR PROTOCOLS — PUBLISHED 36 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTS PROVING THAT PLANTS, BACTERIA, AND HUMAN CELLS IN PETRI DISHES RESPOND INSTANTANEOUSLY TO HUMAN THOUGHT AND EMOTION — EVEN AT DISTANCES OF HUNDREDS OF MILES. THE SIGNAL IS FASTER THAN LIGHT. IT DOES NOT DIMINISH WITH DISTANCE. IT IS NOT ELECTROMAGNETIC.
In 1966, Cleve Backster was the world's foremost expert on polygraph technology. He had developed the interrogation techniques used by the CIA, FBI, and U.S. military. He understood galvanic skin response — the electrical conductance of biological tissue — better than anyone alive.
One morning, on a whim, he attached polygraph electrodes to a Dracaena plant in his office. He watered it and watched the tracing. Then he thought: "I wonder what would happen if I threatened this plant." He decided to burn a leaf with a match.
The instant he formed the intention — before he moved, before he lit the match, before any ...
