On Monday, January 1, the Israel Defense Force, or IDF, announced that it had killed a Hamas commander behind the deadly raid on October 7 in which some 1200 Israelis along the Israel-Gaza border died and hundreds more were wounded or taken hostage by Hamas.
The leader killed by the IDF was Adil Mismah. He commanded the Nukhba company in the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah and was the one who led Hamas fighters into Israel’s Kibbutz Kissufim, a community near the border with Gaza. He also directed the gunmen who wreaked havoc at the Nirim and Be’eri kibbutz communities.
The IDF made that claim in a post on X that it released on the morning of Monday, January 1, saying, “IDF troops continue operating in Gaza: 🔺ELIMINATED: Adil Mismah, the Nukhba Company Commander of Deir al-Balah who took part in Hamas’ October 7 invasion and massacre and attack on other communities surrounding Gaza.”
It gave other updates and claims about the war in that post, saying, “🔺In Shejaiya, troops struck Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror targets used for conducting warfare and located large amounts of weapons.” and “🔺IDF troops destroyed a launch post and eliminated a terrorist cell that attacked our forces with mortar shells.”
Continuing, it mentioned other strikes, saying, “🔺IDF troops identified and eliminated a terrorist launching rockets in Khan Yunis.” and “🔺Overnight, IDF naval troops struck Hamas terror targets and continued to support IDF ground troops in Gaza.”
In a subsequent January 1 post, the IDF warned that continuing violence and attacks in the north due to Hezbollah were a source of concern and casualties, though the statement was somewhat less bellicose than usual and did not seem to indicate the IDF currently wants an escalated conflict with Hezbollah along the northern border.
In that tweeted statement, the IDF said, “A number of launches from Lebanon toward the area of Adamit in northern Israel were identified earlier today. 5 IDF soldiers were lightly injured as a result. IDF soldiers and aircraft struck terrorist infrastructure, military sites in which Hezbollah terrorists were operating and launch posts in the last few hours, as well as a terrorist cell operating in the area of Houla.”
Continuing, the IDF vowed to continue defending the border, saying, “Hezbollah’s ongoing terrorist activity and attacks against Israel violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The IDF will continue to defend its borders from any threat.”
But while that statement was not escalatory in tone, the next message put out by the IDF on the matter was. It announced a series of strikes against the Syrian Army and Hezbollah, saying, “In response to yesterday’s launches toward Israeli territory, the IDF struck military infrastructure belonging to the Syrian Army. IDF fighter jets also struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon. The IDF will continue to operate against any threat to Israel’s sovereignty.”
Outside of any budding conflict with Hezbollah and Syria, Israel’s war in Gaza is expected to take months longer as Israeli troops attempt to clear the region of Hamas terrorists and prevent future raids like the October 7 attack from occurring.
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