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Do you think it was a mistake for Israel to hit Damascus, the heart of Damascus?

Yes, it was a mistake. Unquestionably, Israel's intervention added fuel to the fire.

Added fuel to the fire of what was

originally a highly localized conflict that had nothing to do with the rest of Syria.

You know, America went through precisely the same shift after 9-11.

That very understandable shift to seeing potential enemies everywhere actually created self-fulfilling prophecies.

In other words, it created additional enemies.

It's 12.30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23rd here in New York City. It is 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23rd in Israel,

as Israelis are winding down their day, or at least some Israelis. I've heard complaints from some of our Israeli listeners that when I say that they're winding down their

day in the evening, it sells Israeli short, that they wind their day down much later,

but you'll indulge me. Earlier this week, the IDF began operations in the central Gaza city of

D'R. al-Balach, an area where Israel has not, at least until now, operated since the war

began. This could be interpreted as a pressure tactic to push Hamas in ceasefire talks, which are

still ongoing, or as a real move to rescue hostages reportedly held there. Two IDF soldiers

were recently killed in southern Gaza,

Amit Kohn, 19 years old from Cholon, and Vladimir Loza, 36 years old from Ashkelon, bringing the total

number of fallen IDF soldiers since October 7th to 895. On Monday, IDF chief of Staff, A.L. Zamir ordered a 30% reduction in the number

of reservists deployed to active combat zones in the coming months, as fatigue continues to

affect reservist turnout. This all comes as Israeli negotiators remain in Doha, where they await

Hamas' latest response to the most recent ceasefire proposals. A source indicated that U.S.

envoy Steve Whitkoff hopes to travel to Doha by the end of the week to finalize a hostage

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