Archive for month: December, 2025

News Update

Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump are meeting at Maro Lago in Florida today. The topics will undoubtedly include the Hamas non-disarmament, Israel remaining in control of 51% of Gaza, the growing Iranian ballistic missile (and possibly nuclear) threat, the return of the remains of the last Israeli hostage, and more.

Last week, Israel recognized Somaliland, a Sunni Muslim state declared over 30 years ago in the northern part of Somalia, which has not been recognized by any countries, until now. Somaliland is located along the coast of the Gulf of Aden, across from Yemen — which should make the strategic reasons for Israel’s recognition obvious. Turkey and the Arab nations condemned Israel for recognizing Somaliland, except for the UAE, which has a naval base in the country and is also backing an opposition group in Yemen.  For more, click here.

The first Iron Beam high energy laser defense system has been delivered to the IDF and is being integrated into Israel’s multi-layered defense system, alongside the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow air missile defense systems. The Iron Beam system is equipped with an advanced laser source and a unique electro-optical aiming system, which allows it to intercept a wide range of targets with an upgraded operating range, maximum accuracy and very high efficiency, costing around $5 per shot. The system be operated from the same control vehicle as the Iron Dome. The Iron Dome will be used to intercept rocket threats within a range of 40 kilometers, while Iron Beam will have a range of up to 10 kilometers.

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Jews will be allowed to visit Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) during daylight hours, for the first time in 25 years. During the next visit to the site, the Jewish visitors will be allowed to remain at the compound until 8:00 a.m., instead of being required to leave by 4:00 a.m. The change will also allow the Shacharit (morning) prayers to be held at the site. Jewish visitors to the site have, until now, been required to visit at night and to leave by 4:00am.

Archaeologists have uncovered a rare rock-hewn mikveh, or ritual bath, dating to the final days of the Second Temple period directly beneath the Western Wall Plaza. The mikveh was found sealed beneath a significant layer of destruction dated to 70 CE. Within this layer, researchers discovered burned ash and various pottery and stone vessels. The find comes ahead of tomorrow’s Fast Day of Asarah B’tevet (the 10th of Tevet), which commemorates the start of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians that lead to the destruction of the First Temple in 587 BCE.

News Update

According to the Saudi paper Al Arabiya, Mossad agents abducted an ex-Lebanese security official, Ahmed Shukr, the cousin of Hezbollah’s last (and late) chief of staff. He is suspected of being connected to those who abducted Ron Arad, an Israeli air force navigator forced to eject over Lebanon and captured by Shiite Amal fighters in 1986. Israel has been searching for Arad since then. Shukr was taken to Israel for interrogation.

An IDF officer was lightly wounded today when an explosive device was detonated against an armored vehicle during operations in Rafah. The IDF is examining whether the device was newly planted in recent days or left behind earlier in the war. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that, “Israel will respond accordingly,” and that Hamas’ refusal to disarm is an ongoing violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Hamas political bureau officials in Ankara today to discuss the ceasefire in Gaza and advancing the agreement to its second phase. Hamas claimed that they have already fulfilled their obligations and complained that not enough humanitarian aid was entering Gaza.

The IDF Artillery Corps has received the first Israeli-made self-propelled howitzer artillery gun. Known in Hebrew as Ro’em (Thunderous) and in English as the SIGMA 155, the wheeled artillery system features automatic shell loading, a reduced crew of three soldiers instead of seven, firing ranges of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) and advanced command-and-control technology. Unlike tracked artillery, the wheeled SIGMA 155 can move more rapidly between firing positions, including across difficult terrain, offering a level of operational flexibility for ground-based fire support not previously available to Israeli forces. For more, click here. 

News Update

Israel has finalized a massive $34 billion natural gas export deal with Egypt. Around $18 billion will go to the Israel’s treasury. The deal will guarantee Israeli gas exports to Egypt for 15 years. Israeli officials believe that Egyptian dependency on Israeli gas will deter Egypt from violating it’s peace treaty with Israel. According to information gathered in recent years, Egypt has introduced forces into Sinai far beyond what is permitted under the security annex of the peace treaty. It has also built tunnels deep inside Sinai for storing weapons and has suspiciously extended runways at airfields. Egypt had been in talks with Qatar to build a gas pipeline, prior to the agreement with Israel.

Nvidia, currently the world’s most valuable company, announced plans to invest close to $2 billion to build a major new campus in northern Israel, near Haifa. Construction is slated to begin in 2027, with initial occupancy planned for 2031. The site will cover 22 acres, with 160,000 square meters of built space. Israel is already the company’s largest and most important development center outside the United States, and Nvidia is one of the largest employers in the Israeli high‑tech sector. The new campus will accommodate over 10,000 workers, double Nvidia’s current workforce in Israel.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense has announced that Germany’s Bundestag has approved the expansion of its Arrow 3 deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) by an additional $3.1 billion. The latest Arrow 3 deal, signed by the Israeli and German defense ministries, will bring the total amount Germany is spending on the long-range missile defense system to more than $6.7 billion.

Prime Minister Netanyahu officially broke ground on the “Tel Aviv Metro”, a long awaited project that will take years to complete and will cost over 150 – 200 billion shekels. Once completed, it is expected to serve about 2 million passengers a day, connect more than 20 local authorities and fundamentally transform public transportation across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. The completion date is 2040.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett acknowledged that his Telegram account was hacked by Iranian-linked hackers, who published thousands of phone numbers and private messages attributed to him and his associates.

Happy Hanukkah!

News Update

On Saturday, the IDF eliminated Raad Saad, Hamas’ second-in-command and head of operations in its military wing, in a drone strike on the vehicle he was driving in Gaza City.  Three other Hamas terrorists were killed with him. Saad was one of the architects of the Oct. 7 massacre. Earlier in the day, 2 IDF soldiers were wounded by a Hamas explosive device in Khan Younis. The incident was cited by the Prime Minister and Defense Minister as the pretense for the elimination on Saad. Yesterday, a senior Hamas internal security officer was assassinated by a pro-Israel Gazan militia.

Yesterday, 2 Islamic terrorists (a father and son) opened fire on a menorah lighting ceremony on the first night of Hanukkah in Sydney, Australia’s Bondi Beach, where over 1,000 Jews has come to celebrate the first night of the holiday. Fifteen people were murdered in the terror attack, including Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Holocaust survivor Alex Kleitman, a 12 year of child. Many people were wounded. One of the terrorists was killed and the other severely wounded and arrested. A moslem man, Ahmed al-Ahmed, who was at the scene was videoed jumping on one of the terrorists and disarming him, before being shot twice himself. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Sa’ar both accused Australian Prime Minister Albanese for failing to take a firm stand against antisemitism and for allowing public displays of anti-Israel and antisemitic hatred in the country.

A rare lead pendant decorated with a seven-branched menorah, dated to the 6th to early 7th century CE during the Late Byzantine period, was discovered during archaeological excavations at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, in the southwestern corner. Researchers believe the artifact was worn by a Jewish individual who traveled to Jerusalem despite Byzantine-era restrictions barring Jews from the city. Both sides of the pendant had the image of the menorah on it. Dr. Yuval Baruch, who has directed excavations at the site for approximately 25 years and specializes in menorah studies, said: “During the Byzantine period the menorah became a symbol of national memory, and it expressed the expectation of national revival among the Jewish communities in the Land of Israel; in the Diaspora, they adopted it in exactly the same way. Moreover, in recent years, there is increased archaeological evidence that show that Jews, despite all the prohibitions and difficulties imposed on them, found the ways to reach Jerusalem and it is possible that there were even some who settled there.”

Happy Hanukkah!