Israel News for 12-24-2025
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.
