War Day 570: IDF Sets Fire to Gaza, Syria Clashes Near Border

Summary:

Regional Update: Developments in Gaza, Syria, and the Red Sea

• Egypt reports progress in ongoing negotiations, while Israel accuses Qatar of undermining potential agreements.
• The IDF continues operations in northern Gaza, including setting controlled fires to expose Hamas tunnel networks.
• IDF Chief of Staff expresses concern that a broader escalation of the conflict could result in significant Israeli casualties.
• Preparations are underway for an expanded IDF operation within Gaza.
• Tensions rise near Israel’s northern border, with clashes reported between Druze factions and newly formed Syrian forces.
• In a separate incident, a U.S. Navy F-18 aircraft has fallen into the Red Sea during operations; recovery efforts are underway.

59 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
147 living hostages rescued.
49 hostage bodies rescued.
1,832 Israelis killed.
417 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
87 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,720 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
10,000 Israelis estimated remain displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

• Egypt claims negotiation progress
• Israel says Qatar sabotaged deals
• IDF setting fire to parts of Northern Gaza, to uncover tunnels.
• Chief of Staff concerned that war expansion will bring significant IDF casualties
• IDF preparing for expansion of operations in Gaza
• Clashes between Druze and new Syrian forces near Israel’s border
• U.S. F18 falls to the bottom of the Red Sea

Hostages:

The head of Israel’s negotiating team for a hostage deal, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, flew to Cairo today for talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad. Hamas officials reportedly also met with the Egyptians.

A Reuters report quotes Egyptian officials who claim significant progress in negotiations. However, while the officials say that there is agreement on a “long-term ceasefire in Gaza,” they add that there is still a disagreement about Hamas disarming.

A senior Israeli official briefed Israel journalists, and told them that Israel will not accept a five-year ceasefire deal which was proposed, because it doesn’t require Hamas to disarm.

Put simply, so long as Hamas refuses to disarm, any reports of “progress” in negotiations for a longterm ceasefire are meaningless.

The official also noted that the Qataris have been negatively influencing the current negotiations.

Gaza:

The Hamas tunnels remain one of the biggest threats in Gaza, even after over 18 months of war. IDF soldiers continue to search for and destroy these tunnels—while Hamas continues to dig them, even under fire, and especially during the ceasefire.

The tunnels have proved particularly problematic this past week in Northern Gaza. In the area near the border and security buffer zone, there are large fields full of wild brush. Hidden in the brush, are many tunnel shafts. Terrorists have been popping out of these tunnels, hiding in the brush, and firing at IDF soldiers. In a simple solution, IDF troops have begun setting the brush on fire, to remove it. The tunnel shafts are then fully exposed, and easier to spot. In some instances, terrorists were forced to flee their hiding spots in tunnel shafts, after they filled with smoke.

The IDF is preparing to significantly expand activity in Gaza, and call up many reservists to do so. However, they might still act on a limited scale.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir presented plans for expansion of the war to the government security cabinet. Zamir warned of a very high number of expected IDF casualties, similar to the early days of the war. Other experts expressed skepticism over the numbers, and said that casualties would be several orders of magnitude lower. The security cabinet had lively debate over this. The cabinet is expected to vote for significantly expanded war measures in the coming days.

At the JNS conference today, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is very close with Netanyahu, said that the war will end in complete victory, in 12 months from now, and it the victory will lead to more peace agreements. He explained that more (Arab) countries will want peace with Israel, when they see Israel emerge victorious.

Separately, the IDF started using a new artillery weapon in Gaza for the first time. The “Bar rockets,” developed by Elbit, has a navigation mechanism adapted to challenging combat environments, which enables the rocket to hit a precise target in a very short amount of time.

So far, the forces have launched more than 5,000 shells at terrorist targets in the Morag corridor, while closely assisting the maneuvering forces.

Lebanon:

The IDF published a video of yesterday’s precision airstrike on a Hezbollah target in Dahiye, Beirut. While unusual for Israel to target Beirut since the ceasefire, the IDF intended to send a message that rearming Hezbollah will not be accepted anywhere in Lebanon.

The IDF struck more than 50 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past month.

Syria:

Clashes have erupted near Israel’s borders between the Druze and the forces of al-Jolani, Syria’s new president. The IDF is closely monitoring the situation.

Yemen:

CNN reports that an F18 fighter jet fell off the USS Harry S. Truman, and sunk to the bottom of the Red Sea. The jet fell after the Truman carried out “evasive measures” (aka, a sharp turn) in order to avoid fire from the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The F18 costs upwards of $55 million.

Since March, the U.S. has lost seven multi-million-dollar drones in Yemen, due to Houthi fire.

Iran:

More posturing: Defense Minister Israel Katz told the IDF General Staff Forum that Israel “will not allow Iran nuclear weapons. We will need to make decisions and we know there are those who will carry them out if we have to act.”

Other:

Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet, announced that he will resign on June 15th.

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