⚰️ Haaretz: 10+ Israeli soldiers have committed suicide since Oct ⁠7

In at least one case, a soldier whose death was announced as a war casualty “had in fact killed himself” reveals Haaretz (May 12).

The list includes “a couple of officers, ranking major and lieutenant colonel. Some killed themselves in the early hours of fighting, when battles were still raging” near Gaza. “This was very surprising. We are not used to suicides during fighting”, explains Prof. Yossi Levi-Belz, “[this] may point to the intensity of the horrors that took place in the Gaza Envelope during those hours.”

The IDF has started to recognize suicides as war casualties, but has changed its publishing policy after several weeks and is withholding at least 17 names, whether suicides or accidental deaths. “We thought it may be detrimental to public morale” - a source at the Personnel Directorate.

⋯ “[Regarding age] too, October 7 had an unusual effect”, Haaretz explains, “suddenly, the military has to contend with suicidal tendencies in career or reserve soldiers and officers, in their 30s and 40s”.

Examples of soldiers coping with suicidal thoughts include one who, early on, was involved in an incident of an anti-tank rocket that killed a soldier.

According to the Israeli army, 1,227 (or 1,277) soldiers have committed suicide since 1973, however sources maintain that the number is higher. The annual average has decreased in recent years (from 36 to 13), primarily thanks to more exemptions from service for mental causes.

Levi-Belz also explains that “crises decrease suicide rates”: the very existence of an external crisis, he says, causes one's internal hardships to dissipate, contributes to one's sense of belonging in society. But suicides do rise after the cannons fall silent and the crisis passes.

📝 For suicide from guilt, cf. the very high friendly-fire rate and the Hannibal Directive.

📹 Hezbullah released footage of its attack on a house in Shtula settlement used at one point in time by the Israeli army.

📹 Hezbullah releases unique footage of a close range attack with different types of weapons on the Israeli base in Rameem.

They used Almas ATGMs, traditional AT, B-9 recoilless rifles, and other small weapons.

Some of the attacks in this video took place less than 300 m from the border.

This attack was a real-life simulation on a real Israeli base on how to provide the adequate fire cover for a raid.

The only missing element was the order for forces to raid the Israeli base.

🇮🇷🇮🇱 “From [Iran’s] eyes it’s a strategic victory. They stood against a direct threat by the most powerful nation in the world and defied it..."

says Tamir Hayman, Head of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, about the public Iranian attack on Israel last month despite threats from the U.S.A.

🇮🇱🇵🇸 Head of Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies Tamir Hayman calls the Arab countries supporting Israel, given what's going on in Gaza, "unbelievable."

🇱🇧 Hosts of the Western Show "60 Minutes" drove up to the Israeli-Lebanon border, where there are daily confrontation between Israel and Hezbullah.

"In the partly destroyed Israeli town of Metula, the handful of remaining residents spend their days in an underground bunker complex."

📝 Video takes place in the day of the attacks that killed two Israeli soldiers in Al-Malkiah base, allegedly

📹 Israeli jets are airborne over the Lebanese border attempting to shoot down a drone.

🗣️ This morning, Hezbullah took credit for a seriea of attacks, each that resulted in Israeli casualties

🔻 Suicide drone attack on the sleeping quarters of the Israeli army artillery units in Beit Hillel
🔻  Merkava tank in Yiftah settlement
🔻 Soldiers in Branit barracks with rockets
🔻 Soldiers in Al-Jerdah base inside a room with battle intelligence equipment

and others...

📝 These attacks resulted in, according to initial Israeli army acknowledgement:

☠️ Injury of four soldiers in Yiftah and material damage

📷 Aftermath of the attack on the sleeping quarters of the Israeli army unit in Beit Hillel.

No sirens sounded despite two incoming drones.

📷 An Israeli airstrike was carried on the border village of Aita al-Shaab.

🗣️ The speech by his eminence started.

Follow the English remarks here

📷 An Israeli airstrike targets the village of Odaiseh.

📹 The indiscriminate Israeli attack on Odaiseh village destroyed 7 houses of no military value, but out of frustration.

📷 The Israeli enemy carried two airstrike on Al-Khiyam village.

📹 Hezbullah released yesterday night footage of its attack on a fortified bunker inside Al-Jerdah base with two ATGMs.

The attack is meant to deny its usage by the Israeli army.

📹 Additional footage was shared of ATGM attacks on spy equipment raised using cranes in Huneen.

The usage of cranes was due to the constant attacks on the pre-installed equipment and the threat posed to install them on the established poles.

🏥 🇵🇸 🇮🇱 Israeli forces advance in Rafah; Health Ministry says Gaza hospital system will collapse in hours

🔶️ Israeli forces are advancing on the southern city of Rafah, aiming to destroy what Israeli officials have called the last significant Hamas stronghold in Gaza, at the same time that Israel and the militant group are again clashing in areas in the north.

🔶️ The Gaza Health Ministry said Monday that the health system in the strip will collapse within “a few hours” due to a lack of fuel needed to power generators and ambulances, after similar warnings from aid agencies last week.

🔶️ Nearly 360,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah in the week since Israel ordered its civilians to evacuate, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Monday. Israel says the evacuations will protect civilians from being caught up in looming battles, while aid groups say there is nowhere safe for them to go

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/13/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine/

https://archive.ph/jEzpw

Germany hands over to Lebanon the “ancient head of Eshmun” (stolen in 1981)!

During the civil war, more than 2,000 artifacts from Sidon were moved to the Byblos castle. In 1981, the depot in Byblos was looted and around 600 objects were smuggled out of Lebanon.

Eshmun (𐤀𐤔𐤌𐤍) was the tutelary god of Sidon (from the 7th century BC) and Phoenician god of healing. A 6th-century story by Damascius recounts the myth that Eshmun, a young man from Beirut, was hunting in the woods when Astarte saw him and was stricken by his beauty. She harassed him until he eventually emasculated himself with an axe and died. The grieving goddess revived him and made him into a god in the heavens.

The Eshmun Temple sits on the southern bank of the modern Awali river. Ritual lustral ablutions, pertaining to purification and healing, were performed in its sacred basins. Citrus groves, known as Bustan el-Sheikh, occupy its ancient “sacred forests”.

⋯ The head of Eshmun was given to the ambassador of Lebanon by the chief of the archaeological and artistic department of the police of the State of Bavaria, Christian Klein.

Earlier, Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada had sent a letter asking to recover the stolen antiquity that was being auctioned by Gorney & Mosh in Munich.

🌷 Hezbullah mourns the martyrdom or Hussein Abbass Issa from Mays al-Jabal, who was martyred on the path to Jerusalem and in defence of south Lebanon.

He was killed in the attack on his own home village. He is the uncle of martyr Hussein Ali Issa, who was killed a few months ago.