Israel News for 7-18-2025
News Update
A senior Israeli official said in a statement today that Israel would allow Syrian forces to enter the Sweida area for a period of 48 hours, to deal with the ongoing instability there, after over 600 people have been killed in violence between between Bedouin tribes and Syrian Druze. Yesterday, Israel bombed Syrian government military targets in Damascus. PM Netanyahu said, “As a result of the IDF’s actions, a ceasefire came into effect and Syrian forces withdrew back to Damascus. This is important and it was achieved through strength, not through requests or through begging. Through strength. We will not allow military forces south of Damascus and will not allow harm to come to the Druze living in Druze Mountain.” Massive Bedouin militia forces drafted from throughout Syria have reportedly overwhelmed Druze militias, capturing at least 3 Druze villages and driving Druze forces back to Sweida city. Israel is hoping that Syrian regime forces can control the situation.
The IDF said that all Israelis who went into Syria on Wednesday were now back in Israel and all Syrian Druze who had crossed into Israel had also returned home.
Prime Minister Netanyahu called Pope Leo XIV to express regrets after a church in Gaza was accidentally hit by fragments from IDF tank fire, killing at least three people and wounding others, including the priest. The Vatican said in a statement adding that the Pope called for a ceasefire and an end to the war and expressed his concern over the “dramatic humanitarian situation,” in the Strip and also stressed the need to protect holy sites in the West Bank and in Israel.
Several prominent rabbis in the religious Zionist sector wrote an open letter published late on Thursday opposing a partial hostage release deal in Gaza and advocating for a continuation of the war. The rabbis include Tsfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Ramat Gan Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Kiryat Arba Chief Rabbi Dov Lior and Samaria Chief Rabbi Elyakim Levanon. They wrote, “The purpose of the war in victory. The partial deal that is being formulated is dangerous and harmful first of all to the goal of victory in the war as well as to the the people of Israel and its unity.”
