FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 7:00 PMIts been another day of death and destruction here in the Holy Land as well over 100 Hizbullah rockets killed and wounded three more Israeli civilians, while also setting homes, businesses, cars, forests and fields on fire. As was the case yesterday when three of eight civilian deaths were non-Jews—all of them Arab teenagers who were tending sheep near the town of Ma’alot, including one girl—today’s attacks left a 27 year old Druze woman dead in the Galilee Arab-Druze town of Marar, and another Arab killed in the village of Maj al Qum. (The third victim has just been announced, but not yet identified). One other person was severely wounded, and is expected to die, as rockets crashed down in many communities, one of them a northern Galilee kibbutz. Dozens were treated for shrapnel wounds and for shock. Police officials said a new, more deadly short range Syrian-made rocket was introduced into the conflict today, dubbed the 302. It carries a far more powerful warhead than previous Katyusha rockets fired at Israeli civilian centers until now—some 100 kilos of explosives—another possible step up to a direct Israel-Syrian clash in the coming days.
Today’s heavy Hizbullah assaults came after the deadliest day so far for Israel in the current conflict. Fourteen people, six of them soldiers and eight civilians, were killed on Thursday. Emotional funerals were held earlier today for a father and his 15 year old daughter who were slaughtered in a rocket attack on the mixed Arab-Jewish ancient port town of Acco—with the grieving wife and mother crying out the word “abba!!” as she was literally carried to the twin grave sites. Three other civilians killed in the stricken town yesterday were also buried today, including a middle aged woman. Four of the six IDF soldiers slain in heavy fighting in southern Lebanon yesterday and overnight—most of them teenagers—were also laid to rest in various parts of the small country. Foreign news reports say additional soldiers perished today, but that has not yet been confirmed by IDF officials.
TEL AVIV ON BRINK OF ATTACK?
With the Israeli death toll rapidly mounting, the Olmert government authorized the Air Force to go back into action around the Lebanese capital city of Beirut. Within the last hour, a Hizbullah target has been struck inside the city. When intelligence information arrived during the night that Syria was smuggling in weapons to aid Hizbullah fighters along the coastal road north of Beirut, (the information probably coming from Lebanese Maronite Christians who live in the area and are loathe to see Sheik Nasrallah and Syria take over their country), several bridges along the road were bombed. The coastal road runs directly up to Syria’s strategic port city of Latikiya.
As the Sabbath begins, Tel Aviv residents are now waiting to see if Sheik Nasrallah will fulfill his threat, made in a speech last night, that he would strike Israel’s largest urban center with powerful Iranian made Zelzal missiles if Beirut was hit again by IDF bombs. Speaking on Israel radio and TV outlets today, several Israeli military analysts have pointed out that such a specific threat was probably made with Iranian acquiesce, if not direct command. It is believed that Iranian Revolutionary Guards operating for many years in Lebanon have direct control over the long-range missiles. Israeli officials have warned that any missile attack upon the Tel Aviv coastal zone—which includes Ben Gurion Airport—would provoke a massive response. In fact, one of Israel’s leading newspapers, Ma’ariv, carries a bold front page headline today declaring in Hebrew that a senior IDF commander has warned that Beirut would suffer severely if Tel Aviv is attacked.
Further indicating that we may be on the brink of a much larger regional war, large anti-Israel rallies were held today in many Muslim countries, including Turkey, Shiite-ruled Iran and Shiite-dominated Iraq. Tensions here in Jerusalem were evident this afternoon as dozens of Palestinians clashed with police and paramilitary forces near the Old City. This came after Israeli officials—fearing a new warfront could develop in Judea and Samaria—banned all males under age 45 from attending Friday Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount. Hundreds of Orthodox Jews held a peaceful parade around the Old City on Wednesday night to protest the fact that police banned all non-Muslims from ascending the Temple Mount during the Jewish fast day of Tisha b’Av.
I will be giving another radio update on the escalating war today on the Moody Broadcasting Network. The interview will begin at 5:00 PM EST, or 2:00 PST, which is 21:00 GMT. If you are not in listening range of one of their many network and affiliate stations, you can listen on line at www.mbn.org. A one hour in-depth interview concerning the background of the war, taped for the Dallas-based program Politics and Religion last night, will air one hour earlier. That can be heard live on line at www.endtime.com/radio.asp I will also be giving an update tomorrow at 1:00 PM EST, or 16:00 GMT on the radio program Prophecy Today, which can be heard live on line at www.prophecytoday.com Thanks again for your prayers—they are clearly needed and appreciated.
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DAVID DOLAN is a Jerusalem-based author and journalist who has lived in Israel since 1980. His new DVD, titled “FOR ZIONS’S SAKE—REPORTING FROM THE LAND OF THE BIBLE,” is now available on both PAL and NTCS versions. Details are posted at his web site, www.ddolan.com