John Hurley, the Trump administration’s top official responsible for sanctions, will visit Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Lebanon in the coming days to discuss the tightening of the “maximum pressure” policy against Iran. The Israel Defense Forces released a new video marking the anniversary of the operation against Iran, which shows attacks on Iranian air defense systems and the missile program. The video shows images of Iranian radars being hit.
On November 3, the foreign ministers of Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia, and Pakistan will meet in Istanbul to discuss a ceasefire and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kaine arrived in Israel on October 30 and met with Defense Minister Israel Katz. “We discussed the close strategic and operational cooperation between the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. military, a partnership that is shaping a new reality in the Middle East,” Katz said in a statement.
U.S. Army Central Command (CENTCOM) released video footage from October 31, taken by a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone flying over the Gaza Strip as part of the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC). The video shows militants, likely members of Hamas, attacking and robbing a truck carrying humanitarian aid, part of a humanitarian convoy delivering international aid to Khan Yunis.
According to Fox News: “Senior U.S. State Department officials said that Hezbollah’s disarmament and the end of Iran’s activities through its proxies are critical steps for Lebanon’s stability. According to the officials, Hezbollah’s continued existence as an armed organization poses a threat not only to Israel, but also to Lebanon itself and the entire region. They added that Lebanon has made the courageous decision to begin the process of disarming Hezbollah and that the United States fully supports this step, considering a stable Lebanon a promising investment destination.”
The news is confirmed by Lebanese President Aoun’s remarks, stating that Lebanon has no other option than diplomacy and mediation, and therefore Hezbollah’s disarmament: “Lebanon has no choice but to negotiate and end every war—negotiations that are conducted with an enemy, not a friend.”
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the killing or imprisonment of all 200 armed men behind the Yellow Line in Gaza: “This is an opportunity to eliminate or arrest them, not to allow them to return to ridiculous conditions.”
Former IDF military lawyer General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was arrested by police. Police also arrested former chief prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel Matan Solomosh. Both are suspected of obstruction of justice in connection with the leak of a video showing abuse at the Sde Teiman detention center. They will go on trial on November 5 for the distribution of videos showing torture perpetrated by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian prisoners. The prosecutor’s office is deciding whether to also bring charges against Matan Solomosh’s husband for hiding his phone to conceal evidence in the ongoing investigation into the leak of video clips from Sde Teiman prison.
In a speech to reservists, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We need a large, strong, and wise army, and we will increase the mandatory service period and strengthen the reserve.” Netanyahu also greenlighted the bill on the “Death Penalty for Palestinian Prisoners,” which passed its first reading in the National Security Committee and is expected to be voted on by the Knesset on Wednesday.
In a statement, Islamic Jihad commented on the news: “The Knesset’s approval of a bill to impose the death penalty on prisoners is a prelude to a bloodier phase.”
Israel Hayom reports: “In an unusual and noteworthy move, the Israeli military has begun withdrawing Chinese-made vehicles from its officers, following orders from the Chief of Staff. This decision was made after security agencies concluded that there was a real concern about the leakage of sensitive information or espionage through vehicle systems. This is another step forward in a policy that restricts the use of Chinese vehicles, previously banned at military bases. Security sources indicate that some Chinese vehicles are equipped with systems that include cameras, microphones, sensors, and communications technology that transmit information to external servers, sometimes without the control of the user or local importer.
A former senior officer explained: “The problem is not limited to cameras and microphones. Every intelligent vehicle is essentially a mobile computer with a closed operating system and wireless communications, which allows the collection of information from sensitive infrastructure.”
The Israeli Air Force has decided to deactivate the Tel Shamaim surveillance balloon in the Lower Galilee, a year and a half after it was directly targeted by Hezbollah. The soldiers have been reassigned to other Air Force surveillance units.
According to an Iranian source: “Plans for a new wave of war in the Middle East are nearing completion. Israel and the United States are planning an escalation against Iraq and Lebanon in the near future.”
A spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed yesterday for the first time that Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a missile fired at him while he was talking on the phone at his home in Tehran. He said that Haniyeh had a tablet and several phones with Qatari and Iranian numbers, and that his location could be traced relatively easily. “The missile was launched precisely at the moment he answered the phone. “We tried to warn him about the phones that evening, but he didn’t take it seriously,” the spokesman said, denying reports that Haniyeh was killed by an explosive device planted in his room. He also claimed that Israel killed Haniyeh in the luxurious residence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force to humiliate Iran: “They could have done it on the streets of Tehran.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press release: “Hamas is strongly committed to respecting the ceasefire agreement, however, Israel’s conduct in this regard is appalling. The Israeli government has killed more than 200 innocent people in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect and has not ceased its occupation and attacks in the West Bank. We cannot allow the annexation of the West Bank, the change of status of Jerusalem, or attempts to violate the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On November 3, Israel returned the bodies of Palestinian prisoners as part of the peace agreement with Hamas. The Al-Qassam Brigades confirmed the availability of their teams to work on the extraction of the bodies of enemy prisoners within the Green Line, simultaneously and in all locations, as part of the closure of this file. The Qassam Brigades request that mediators and the International Committee of the Red Cross provide and equip the necessary personnel and equipment to work on the recovery of all bodies simultaneously.
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 3:30 PM on November 3. The IDF is advancing near the villages of Al-Hurriya and Ufania, in the al-Quneitra countryside. A checkpoint has been built. preventing farmers from cultivating their land. A convoy of armored vehicles was brought into the area.
Israeli intelligence has monitored Hezbollah’s intensifying activities in several areas of Lebanon, including northern Litani, the Bekaa, and southern Beirut. Hezbollah is working to rebuild the Radwan Force and recover weapons from its depots previously bombed by Israel. Maariv quotes Israeli officials: “Israel will not allow the experience of October 7 to be repeated with any hostile entity on its borders.”
The IDF continues to clear more land in Maroun al-Ras, while its residents no longer have olive trees to harvest in the town’s plains, taking advantage of the grace period granted them by the Lebanese Army. On November 3, a drone attack targeted Duwayr, (Doueir), a crossroads in Sharqiyah, targeting a car. One person was reported dead and seven injured.
American Reaper drones recently flew over Lebanon, particularly in the southern and eastern regions, demonstrating intensified US aerial surveillance of the situation on the ground. The IDF launched flares on the eastern heights of Shebaa City.
Israeli attacks were also reported in the suburbs of Bastra Farm and the Azrael area on the outskirts of Kfarchouba, where they were hit by gunfire and bombs from the Israeli position at Al-Ramtha. Israeli positions at Al Samaqa, the southern outskirts of the city of Kfarshouba, were targeted with medium machine gun fire.
Intense Israeli warplanes flew over the northern West Bank at medium altitude. A man took aim at Israeli soldiers accompanying settlers attempting to illegally seize land in the West Bank town of Idhna, west of Hebron. Many settlers in the area have begun plowing land taken from Palestinians.
Many residents of Haifa and the surrounding area are reporting GPS disruptions, as well as very noisy air traffic in the northern skies.
Israeli army vehicles opened fire on Gaza. Palestinian homes in the city’s Shuja’iya and Zeitoun neighborhoods were attacked with explosives. The IDF is blowing up homes in the Gaza Strip. Several people are missing after the IDF shelled 10 homes on Al-Nakheel Street, in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City. Israeli army fire injured people on Sha’af Street, east of Gaza City.
The Philadelphia axis in the southern Gaza Strip has been closed as part of the search for the bodies of the hostages. Two Palestinians were killed in an IDF strike in the al-Baraksat area north of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to Yanoun: “In the heart of the Israeli zone, in Rafah, hundreds of Palestinian militants are hiding. According to security sources, they have lost their ability to return to Hamas-controlled areas and are “stranded” on the Israeli side. Some security sources also claim they are unaware of the ceasefire agreement.
In the past two weeks, they have launched two attacks against Israeli forces, resulting in the killing of three Israeli soldiers. Hamas has disavowed them but is now trying to bring them back to its areas. They are estimated to number approximately 200 fighters, indicated by the red circle, inside the yellow line.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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