Israel News for 11-6-2025
News Update
The IDF has begun demobilizing thousands of reservists. If no major fighting ensues, the IDF intends to call up reservists next year for only one extended deployment of about two to three months, including leave periods.
An IDF drone struck a Hezbollah construction unit’s facility near the coastal city of Tyre. The terrorist activity at the site was a violation of the ceasefire agreement. The IDF is preparing major strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army is due to present a report on their progress in disarming Hezbollah and deploying to positions in southern Lebanon.
The U.S. is reportedly planning to establish a presence at an airbase in Damascus in order to monitor the results of a potential peace agreement President Trump is brokering between Israel and Syria. The U.S. already has troops stationed in northeastern Syria, as part of a decade-long effort to help a Kurdish-led force there combat Islamic State. For more, click here.
Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to declare the area adjacent to the Israel–Egypt border a closed military zone and to change rules of engagement to confront a surge in drone-enabled weapons smuggling. Until now, the smuggling has been classified as criminal activity, but since it has grown to massive proportions, the government has decided to treat it as a military threat. Katz said, “Smuggling weapons by drone is part of the war in Gaza and is meant to arm our enemies. We must take every measure to stop it. Just as we created deterrence against Hezbollah in Lebanon on the issue of unmanned aerial systems and attacks on communities, we must create deterrence here and make clear to those involved in smuggling that the rules of the game have changed and they will pay a very heavy price if they do not stop.”
The government is planning to offer new immigrants and returning residents zero-percent tax on their income for their first two years after moving to Israel.
