Hezbollah operatives express fear, exasperation with war effort

'They're sending us to die:' Hezbollah operatives express fear, exasperation with war effort

MAYA ZANGER-NADIS

Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorists captured last week by the IDF's Givati Brigade revealed that their organization is facing a sharp decline in morale, and operatives feel that "Hezbollah is sending us to die...to avenge Ali Khamenei."

In an interrogation session with the IDF's Unit 504, one of the operatives explained that "morale is on the floor. No one has the strength to go out and fight."

Both operatives noted that they were worn out after a year and a half of war, referring to Hezbollah's involvement in the 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas war. They also both said that the official purpose they were given for Hezbollah's involvement in the current war was to avenge the death of Iran's former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a targeted strike at the outset of the war. 

Operatives do not want to join Hezbollah's war effort

"Anyone who leaves their home does so against their will," one of the Radwan terrorists said. "You can't tell them you don't want to come."

Asked to expand on why people did not want to join the fight, the terrorist explained:

"If I were at home and they called me to war, I wouldn't come. Why? First, I just got out of a war. Not even a year and a half has passed. Second, my whole body - there's nothing healthy in it. Third, why should I prevent my children and my family from being with me?"

Another terrorist was asked about the treatment he got from his commanders, and told the IDF interrogators that "it's like sending an animal [to war]. He doesn't care about it. He doesn't tell it, for example, how it will eat, how it will sleep - any kind of communication. Who am I supposed to speak to? What am I supposed to do if I am injured? It's [like] a dog sending a dog into battle."

"Why does he send you, then?" asked the interrogator.

"To die," the operative responded. "And you don't have the ability to refuse or say no...What matters to [the commander] is that I operate, and that it's recorded so he can be promoted in rank."

IDF captures Hezbollah terrorists during Lebanon raids, destroys Radwan Force infrastructure

The IDF's Givati Brigade captured several Hezbollah terrorists from southern Lebanon and took them in for questioning on Monday evening.

The capture occured during an operation to locate weapons in the area; IDF troops discovered several armed Hezbollah Radwan Force operatives active at an anti-tank missile launch point.

Once identified, the Hezbollah fighters surrendered, evidently due to the "expanded IDF activity focused on eliminating terrorist infrastructure in the area," according to the IDF report, which added that troops confiscated "a large amount of weapons and gear" from their persons.

The operatives were immediately interrogated by Israeli security officials upon their arrival in Israeli territory, according to the IDF report.

IDF extends current round of fighting for reservists and regular army combat soldiers

Reservists who are being called up to relieve those recruited at the start of Operation Roaring Lion or earlier will have their service extended by an additional 9 weeks, the IDF announced on Friday. 

Live Updates: U.S. Fighter Jet Downed By Iran, Netanyahu Vows To Continue Crushing Regime

Live Updates: US fighter jet downed by Iran, Netanyahu vows to continue crushing regime

AMICHAI STEIN

A source with knowledge of the incident confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that search and rescue operations are underway to locate the two US pilots present on the jet.

The source additionally confirmed that search and rescue operations are underway to locate the two US pilots present on the jet.

A local television station operated by the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) aired an announcement declaring that there would be a reward issued to any civilians who could capture or locate the US pilots and turn them in to law enforcement.

This is a developing story.

Netanyahu vows to continue crushing Iranian regime during security assessment

“Together with our American friends, we continue to crush the terror regime in Iran. We are eliminating commanders, bombing bridges, striking infrastructure,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

“In full coordination between myself and President Trump, between the IDF and the United States Army, we will continue to crush Iran. This regime is weaker than ever - Israel is stronger than ever,”  Netanyahu stated.

He detailed that the Air Force has destroyed around 70% of the regime’s steel production capacity, describing the move as “a tremendous achievement that deprives the Revolutionary Guards of both financial resources and the ability to produce many weapons.”

“Together with our American friends, we continue to crush the terror regime in Iran. We are eliminating commanders, bombing bridges, striking infrastructure,” Netanyahu said of Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury.

He added that Israel is also continuing its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, stating that the IDF will “continue to strike Hezbollah decisively.”

Trump says US can 'easily' open Strait of Hormuz with time

United States President Donald Trump asserted that the US can “easily” open the Strait of Hormuz with a little more time in a Truth Social post on Friday.

He also claimed that the US could “take the oil and make a fortune” if it were to open the Strait, ending with “IT WOULD BE A “GUSHER” FOR THE WORLD???”

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‘Mystery’ drones are no mystery, they are a dangerous threat to national security

‘Mystery’ drones are no mystery, they are a dangerous threat to national security

Brett Velicovich

Reports of multiple unauthorized drones over Barksdale Air Force Base and Fort McNair should alarm every American. Up until now, no threat has been identified. If this were happening overseas, we’d call it pre-operational surveillance. That’s how I was trained. At home, we’re still calling it "mystery." It’s only a matter of time until a credible threat presents itself.

What’s most alarming is that we cannot definitively answer who is flying these drones. All it’s going to take is one single drone to slip through our defenses and kill an American, to cause massive strategic damage to our country. I’ve been advocating for someone to do something about it for years and still feel like legacy bureaucrats and policymakers are just waiting for an American to die before doing something. That’s unacceptable. The American people deserve better.

Unauthorized drone incursions over military installations have been rising for years. All it will take is one drone slipping through our defenses to kill an American and cause massive strategic damage. Waiting for that moment to act is unacceptable.

Drones are not toys. Their ability to operate over sensitive locations is not an inconvenience — it’s a national security failure hiding in plain sight. These are not exotic systems. They are commercially available drones — cheap, accessible and increasingly capable of executing sophisticated missions without triggering legacy defenses.

What concerns me most is the behavior of these drones. They are not hobbyist drones. Reports indicate they entered and exited base perimeters in ways designed to avoid detection, as if testing response protocols.

For decades, we built national security around large, predictable threats. Today’s threats are asymmetric. A drone swarm that costs less than a pickup truck can shut down a strategic airbase. These systems are cheap, scalable and difficult to detect with traditional radar. Billion-dollar defense infrastructure is being outpaced by commercially available technology.

All it would take is one successful drone attack on a military installation or civilian target to cause catastrophic damage — not just in lives lost, but in what it signals to adversaries about our vulnerabilities.

Counter-drone authority is fragmented across agencies and state and local law enforcement are largely prohibited from acting. In some cases, neutralizing a threatening drone could expose an officer to severe federal penalties. Congress has attempted to expand authority without success and the FAA has yet to establish clear rules for drones over critical infrastructure.

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Katz reiterates: Disarming Hezbollah ‘through military, political means’ is ‘top objective’ in Lebanon

Katz reiterates: Disarming Hezbollah ‘through military, political means’ is ‘top objective’ in Lebanon

Emanuel Fabian

Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel remains committed to disarming Hezbollah “through military and political means.”

“Israel’s policy in Lebanon has been and remains clear: the top objective is the disarmament of Hezbollah through military and political means, regardless of the Iran issue,” Katz says following an assessment with military officials.

Katz says the IDF is completing its ground offensive in southern Lebanon up to the line from which Hezbollah can launch anti-tank missiles at Israeli communities.

“Homes in villages near the border in Lebanon, which serve in every respect as Hezbollah outposts, will be demolished in accordance with the Rafah and Khan Younis model in Gaza, to remove the threat to Israeli communities,” he says.

Katz says the IDF will “maintain security control” in southern Lebanon, up to the Litani River, “and the return of 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward… will not be allowed, until the security of northern residents is ensured.”

“The IDF will continue to target Hezbollah leaders and operatives throughout Lebanon, in addition to the 1,000 terrorists who have already been eliminated since the beginning of the current campaign,” vows Katz.

He also says the IDF will “act forcefully” against Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel.

“We promised security for the northern communities, and that is exactly what we will do,” Katz adds.

Netanyahu: We will keep hitting Iran, in full coordination with Trump

Netanyahu: We will keep hitting Iran, in full coordination with Trump

Lazar Berman

Israel will continue striking Iran in coordination with the White House, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says during a situation assessment at the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.

“In full coordination between me and President Trump,” says the prime minister in a video statement released by his office, “and between the IDF and the United States military, we will continue to strike Iran. This regime is weaker than ever — Israel is stronger than ever.”

“Together with our American friends, we are continuing to strike the terrorist regime in Iran,” he reiterates. “We are eliminating commanders, bombing bridges and striking infrastructure.”

Netanyahu says that Israel’s Air Force destroyed 70% of Iran’s steel production capacity.

“This is a tremendous achievement that deprives the Revolutionary Guards of both financial resources and the ability to produce many weapons,” he says of the IRGC, the powerful military organization widely seen as effectively running the country.

“In Lebanon, we continue to strike Hezbollah decisively,” Netanyahu says, as IDF ground forces continue to operate in southern Lebanon. “We are expanding the security zone and establishing it to protect the communities in the north.”

IDF warns it will bomb two more bridges in southern Lebanon, citing Hezbollah’s use of them