Archive for category: news

News Update

Iraq’s pro-Iranian militia Al-Nujaba Movement has reached an agreement with Iraq’s prime minister to cease operations against Israel. The militia’s are reportedly waiting to see how events in Syria and new Trump Middle East policies evolve.

Israel sent a message to Syria’s new leader saying that Israel would consider leaving the buffer zone if Syria formed a responsible government. Until then, Israel would stay to ensure its security. Israel also warned that any attempt by jihadists to move to the border area would not be tolerated. Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing to stay on the Syrian side of the Hermon at least through winter. Two bases are being constructed. For more, click here.

Mossad Chief David Barnea has recommended that Israel attack Iran instead of the Houthis, since they are getting their advanced weaponry, training and funding from Iran.

A large fire broke out on the top floor of a dorm of an ultra-Orthodox girls’ high school on Dovid Yellin St. in Jerusalem today. The girls were rescued by firefighters. Dozens of girls suffered from smoke inhalation.

The Pope criticized Israel in his Sunday mass, accusing Israel of “machine-gunning of children” and “bombing of schools and hospitals” in Gaza. The Foreign Ministry responded to his comments, saying, “Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children. Cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including babies and children, and abusing them. Unfortunately, the pope chose to ignore all of this, as well as the fact that Israel’s actions targeted terrorists using children as human shields. His remarks are particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel’s fight against jihadist terrorism—a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7.” For more, click here.

Israel Aerospace Industries signed a deal to sell its Barak MX air defense system to Slovakia for $550 million. For more, click here.

News Update

An Israeli helicopter reportedly landed near a military site in the Damascus area last night for around 20 minutes. Soldiers were seen entering the site. In addition, more Israeli forces reportedly entered the demilitarized zone in Syria. Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa said that Syria will continue to adhere to the disengagement agreement signed in 1974 following the Yom Kippur War. He also criticized Israel’s advance into Syrian territory. Meanwhile, Israel is deciding how to respond to Houthi missile and drone attacks from Yemen.

IDF Major (Res.) Moshiko (Maksim) Rozenwald, 35, from Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, and another soldier who’s name has not yet been released, were killed in a building collapse in the area of the Philadelphi Corridor in Rafah. Major Rozenwald served as a company commander in the 7107th Engineering Battalion.

Hamas has reportedly recruited over 4,000 new terrorists in Gaza and rebuilt its units in Gaza in recent months. The key Hamas leaders managing operations in Gaza are Mohammed Sinwar (“Abu Ibrahim”) and Az al-Din al-Haddad (“Abu Sohaib”). They have managed to avoid Israeli intelligence. Hamas has been using their control over humanitarian aid to retain power over the Gaza population. Poverty is a major factor in turning young men to join Hamas.

The Shin Bet announced today that Ardler (Israel) Amoyal, a 23-year-old from Jerusalem, was arrested last month on suspicion of collaborating with Iranian intelligence agents and carrying out security-related missions in Israel under their direction, in exchange for monetary compensation. His activities were intended to advance violent operations, including planning an attack in Israel. He was also instructed to recruit other agents, including individuals with criminal backgrounds.

Regarding the hostage negotiations, an Israeli official told Ynet, “The goal is to finalize a deal by the end of the month. Most details have been agreed upon, but the primary dispute centers on the number of hostages to be released in the first stage.” Yesterday, President-elect Trump reiterated his warning to Hamas, saying “all hell is going to break out” if the hostages are not released by his inauguration on Jan. 20.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said Iran was enriching uranium to a military grade and was rapidly nearing the position of a nuclear state.

News Update

A terrorist fired 23 bullets at a passenger bus from a passing vehicle last night, killing 12 year old Yehoshua Aharon Tuvia Simcha and wounding a 40 year old woman. The bus was traveling from the Gush Etzion area to Jerusalem. The boy’s family had been returning to Jerusalem from a family event in Beitar Illit when the attack occurred. Two other passengers, aged 24 and 55, suffered minor injuries from gunfire and shattered glass. The terrorist has reportedly surrendered himself to police. Meanwhile, the IDF demolished several illegal buildings in the Gush Etzion area. There are over 20,000 illegal Palestinian structures built near major roads in Judea and Samaria.

Two drones were intercepted today, one apparently launched from Yemen and the other from the east.

Israel struck more military targets in Syria, in the areas of Latakia and Tartus on the Syrian coast today. The areas are known to be former Assad strongholds.

The Knesset passed a law yesterday mandating that the legal bills for anyone suspected or accused of terrorism tied to October 7 and the ongoing war will be paid from Palestinian Authority tax funds held by Israel, rather than by the state.

Romania’s Bees and Poland’s LOT airlines have announced that they will resume flights to Israel.

President Isaac Herzog said today that he was not currently considering pardoning Prime Minister Netanyahu amid his ongoing corruption trial. Herzog said that no request for pardon has been made and that, “I believe in respecting the rule of law; no one is above it. There are certain rules I won’t elaborate on. I will always act according to my conscience and basic principles. The process involves many parties, and right now, there is an ongoing trial. It was not a happy day to see the prime minister in court. No one should take joy in this.” [We all know that when a president says he will never pardon a particular person, he doesn’t really mean it 😉]

NOTE: We didn’t publish IsraelAM yesterday because there was simply no significant news to summarize. So if you don’t see us in your inbox occasionally, that’s good news. Alternatively, check your spam or junk folder.

News Update

In the wake of the collapse of the Syrian Assad regime, IDF forces have taken control of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and the demilitarized zone beyond the Golan, after Syrian army forces vacated the areas. The air force struck multiple strategic targets in and around Damascus, including Syria’s main military research center, which Iran allegedly used for missile development. The strikes are continuing, in an effort to eliminate threats to Israel’s security including chemical weapons, air bases, missile depots and launching sites and missile development sites. Israel is reportedly in talks with Russia to transfer parts of the territory near the Israeli border to Israeli control.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “The Assad regime, a central link in Iran’s axis of evil, has fallen. This is a direct result of the blows we’ve dealt to Iran and Hezbollah, Assad’s main supporters. It has set off a chain reaction across the Middle East, as people seek to free themselves from oppressive tyranny. This creates significant new opportunities for Israel, though not without risks. Our primary mission is to defend our borders. For nearly 50 years, this area was designated as a buffer zone under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. That agreement has now collapsed, with Syrian soldiers abandoning their positions. With full Cabinet approval, I instructed the IDF to seize the buffer zone and nearby commanding positions. We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself along our border. Simultaneously, we are pursuing a policy of good neighborliness, as we did during the Syrian civil war, when we established a field hospital here that treated thousands of wounded Syrians. Hundreds of Syrian children were even born here in Israel.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said today that the presence of Israeli forces in Syrian territory is a “limited, temporary” step meant to ensure Israel’s security during the confusion after the fall of Assad.

Four IDF reservists of the 226th Brigade’s 9263rd Battalion were killed when an underground compound collapsed during operational activity in southern Lebanon: Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, 43, from Zichron Yaakov, a company commander; Capt. (res.) Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein, 31, from Lavie, a platoon commander; Master Sgt. (res.) Binyamin Destaw Negose, 28, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Erez Ben Efraim, 25, from Ramat Gan. The IDF is investigating whether the explosion was caused by a pre-existing explosive device or accidentally triggered by IDF forces.

A drone launched from Yemen struck the penthouse of a 16 story residential building in the central Israeli city of Yavne this morning. Damage was caused to the balcony, but no injuries were reported.

Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces launched an operation against Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists in the Jenin refugee camp today. The raid follows an incident in which PIJ terrorists stole 2 PA jeeps and paraded them through the camp. In a statement, PA security forces announced their mission to restore law and order in Jenin and its refugee camp for civilian protection.  Recent IDF operations in Jenin weakened the PIJ and reportedly gave PA forces the confidence to mount the raid.

According to Arab media, Hamas reportedly has submitted a list of hostages to mediators in Cairo, as talks there advance. Egyptian intelligence reportedly received names of hostages with medical conditions and elderly captives, as well as Palestinian prisoners to be freed from Israeli jails. An Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo today. The Israeli government has told hostage families to ignore the Arab media reports.

News Update

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today to discuss the situation in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. Meanwhile, Syrian rebels ousted pro-government forces from the city of Hama today, after taking control of Aleppo last week. Rebel forces are heading in the direction of Damascus.

Egypt has released a new ceasefire proposal the would include a preliminary 60 day ceasefire and IDF withdrawal from the Rafah crossing, which would be managed and supervised by the Palestinian Authority. After the first week of the ceasefire, living hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of terrorists released from Israeli prisons. Hamas has yet to respond to the proposal. President-elect Trump’s new envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani in an attempt to reach a deal before the January 20 inauguration.

The body of murdered hostage Itay Svirsky was recovered from Gaza in a Shin Bet and IDF operation. Svirsky, 38, a resident of Tel Aviv, was visiting his family in Kibbutz Be’eri on Saturday October 7, and was kidnapped alive to Gaza. His parents, Orit and Rafi Svirsky, were murdered in the massacre at the kibbutz. Itay has been held with Noa Argamani for a period of time. He was declared dead after 102 days in captivity, 2 days after appearing in a Hamas video alongside Argamani.

The IDF issued the results of an investigation that revealed that hostages Alex Dancyg, Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry, Yagev Buchshtav, Nadav Popplewell, and Avraham Munder were fatally shot by their captors in February, allegedly in response to an IDF airstrike targeting nearby infrastructure. The IDf was unaware of the presence of the hostages in the vicinity.

Michael Bloomberg, reportedly the richest Jew in the world with around $102 billion, announced that he will donate 100 million shekels, around $27.8 million, as an initial investment into the reconstruction of the areas in the north that were damaged by the war. Bloomberg will oversea the initiative via his non-profit Bloomberg Sagol Center for City Leadership at Tel Aviv University, which he established in 2022 with his Israeli partner Yossi Sagol. Work on the project has already begun. For more, click here.