Global SITREP C27-14: Taking the War to the Next Level

31 July 2014 - OPE Day 24/Ground War Day 14:  How is it that after nearly a month of monstrous IAF above ground airstrikes, such as the one imaged above, against HAMAS and the other Islamic terrorists and their subterranean hideouts, that they and most of their most important leadership and a good number of their long-range strategic weapons have managed to survive thus far? I think the answer is a no-brainer, but it is one that up to this point has been totally unacknowledged in any media reports, including the IDF spokespersons office, at least thus far in OPE that is.  

I think that North Korean military tunnel experts had long ago trained Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) personnel in the state-of-the-art for military purpose tunnel construction, and the IRGC in-turn have trained their forward deployed anti-Israel proxies in Hezbollah's Lebanon and HAMAS/PIJ in Gaza and have otherwise assisted in many facets of the actual construction of a massive system of warfighting tunnels. I think that what awaits Israel in the near future along their northern border with Lebanon makes the tunnel complexes in Gaza pale in comparison. We saw strong indications of this during the past year during war materiel transfers between Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The above ground attempts were seen immediately, in near real-time. However, the below ground tunnel transfers are likely to have gone completely unseen. Israel is now learning the hard way in the current Gaza urban warfare what awaits it along the northern frontier in the interim of 8 years since the summer 2006 war with Hezbollah.

I cannot think of a better time for Israel to demonstrate and further refine its pin-point precision bunker busting technology than right now against the known underground terror transportation, communications and warfighting tunnel system in Gaza.  

First Update - OPE Day 24: There was 'shock and awe' from the IAF and it came in a blitz of several dozen mosques in Gaza that HAMAS and other terrorists were using as weapons depots. As has often been pointed out, if you want to find a den of Islamic terrorism, look no further than the local mosque. This is not politically incorrect, just a fact that had been reinforced time and time again all over the world, not just in Gaza. Even Muslims of different sects know to attack mosques of the opposing sect first and foremost in order to harm their ability to wage the jihad. This is precisely what the IAF did while we here in the US were soundly asleep overnight. And its just the beginning.

Above is PM Bibi Netanyahu as he appeared before this morning's session of the security cabinet where he declared it is Israel's intent to continue operations in Gaza at "full strength" until the mission is complete. This is music to Bibi's combat field commanders ears, as well as to my own. And the mission has been defined. The mission of Operation Protective Edge is the demilitarization of Gaza meaning that all terror groups in Gaza will have their military capabilities forcibly taken away from them by the IDF, one way or another, through ceasefire or no ceasefire. This is the basic objective of any army in any way. And, to repeat what has been stated before, as far as the current mission goes what we have seen thus far is just the first phase of the mission to demilitarize Gaza. There is much, much more to come, and that, in and of itself, has very strong prophetic implications as I believe we are going to be eyewitnesses to before this thing is over.

Final Update - OPE day 24: Speaking of mosque's in Gaza, the IDF has put this video up showing the interior of a mosque they captured after a particularly intense firefight with HAMAS terrorists. It becomes lcear in the imagery that HAMAS was desperate to defend this place as not only did it contain weapons (in contravention of international law) but also two tunnels that go in different directions. The primary tunnel is accessed via a vertical concrete and steel rebar shaft that is 14 meters (45.9 feet) deep. This was clearly a very important tunnel to the  HAMAS terrorists.

We'll see come tomorrow if the next U.S.-U.N. announced and so-called 72-hour ceasefire actually takes effect.at 0800. HAMAS has previously declared there can be no ceasefire as long as IDF troops remain in Gaza in addition to HAMAS having declared this to be a jihad in the purest sense of the quranic dictate. We shall see...

One final note.  The article below was published today on The Times of Israel and it is a must read:

Senior infantry officer describes divine protection in Gaza