Dec. 13: Echoing US, senior Israeli official says hostage deal possible by end of year

IDF issues evacuation warning for Gaza area from which rockets were launched

Following the rocket fire from Gaza at southern Israel this evening, the IDF has issued an evacuation warning for Palestinians in the area of the launch site, south of Jabalia in the Strip’s north.

“Terror organizations are once again firing rockets from this area, which has been warned several times in the past,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman says, publishing a map of the zones that are to be evacuated.

Civilians in the area are called to move to shelters in central Gaza City.

#عاجل ‼️ الى كل سكان قطاع غزة المتواجدين في منطقة D5, C2 المحددة (منطقة جنوب شرق جباليا)

????هذا تحذير مسبق قبل الهجوم!

⭕️تطلق المنظمات الإرهابية القذائف الصاروخية مرة اخرى من هذه المنطقة والتي تم تحذيرها عدة مرات في الماضي.

⭕️من أجل أمنكم، انتقلوا فوراً الى المآوي في مركز… pic.twitter.com/izfXlPHEys

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 13, 2024

Sullivan: Hamas has refused to provide names of hostages it’s holding

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on December 12, 2024. (Abir SULTAN / POOL / AFP)

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says that “for many months, Hamas has not been prepared to even do the basic things of coming to the table with the names of hostages.”

The comments in an interview with Channel 13 come amid reports earlier in the week that the terror group has passed along a list of hostages it is prepared to release in the first stage to the mediators.

An Arab diplomat denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming as much.

Sullivan spoke in the present tense, saying “has” and not “had,” but it wasn’t entirely clear whether he was revealing that Hamas has still yet to provide names of the hostages to date or whether he was referring to previous months before talks were jumpstarted last week.

Pressed on whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been an obstacle in the talks, as Arab mediators have told The Times of Israel, Sullivan gives a diplomatic answer.

“Israel negotiated hard to defend and justify its position in this negotiation,” he says.

He is less generous regarding Hamas, asserting that the terror group “has been deeply intransigent,”

“We have seen Hamas repeatedly, time and again, when the opportunity was there to do something, not be prepared to step up and do it,” Sullivan says.

“But we have also seen Israel and the Israeli government choose to drive a negotiation where it had its perspective on what was required in order to get the hostages home and ensure Israel’s security,” he adds, without elaborating what he means by that.

Asked whether Donald Trump’s election and the threat that the president-elect issued to those holding hostages in the Middle East are the reasons why there has been renewed optimism regarding the chances for a deal, Sullivan disagrees.

The top Biden aide points to the fall of the Assad regime, the ceasefire in Lebanon and Israel’s killing of Hamas leaders. “My view on why we are in [this] position… is not about American politics or the outcome of the election… It’s about the regional situation here.”

“My conviction is that because of developments in the region, the moment is ripe; and it is my job to seize that moment to bring these people home, including American citizens, who have been away from their families for too long.”

As for the call from some hostage families to have a one-phase deal that sees all 100 captives released at once, Sullivan says the US still believes that the three-phase framework that it has been pushing since Israel proposed it in May will be the most effective.

“Our judgment is that trying to proceed in phases and getting this thing started so people start coming out — that is the best way to get to the end of the process,” he says.

“We will obviously test that… and we will see what happens. But it’s the judgment of the US and of the mediators that operating in this way is the most likely method of getting everyone home safely to their loved ones in the shortest possible time.”

Austin Tice escaped Syrian captivity in 2013 before being recaptured — sources

Austin Tice. (screen capture: YouTube)

In the early days of 2013, an American man, dressed in ragged clothing, dodged between houses in the streets of Damascus’ upscale Mazzeh neighborhood looking for a civilian to take him to safety after more than five months of captivity in the concrete cells of a local prison.

The man, journalist Austin Tice, was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012. A former Marine, he had managed to slip out of his cell, one current and three former US officials and a person with knowledge of the event told Reuters. All were granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive US intelligence.

Tice is now the focus of a massive manhunt following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad this week after 13 years of civil war. Rebels, led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have since released thousands of people from prisons in Damascus where Assad held political opponents, ordinary civilians and foreigners.

The American has not yet been found. There are no credible hints of his whereabouts but also no clear evidence that he is dead, a US official said.

US officials say that Tice’s 2013 escape from prison, where he was believed to have been held by a pro-government militia, is the strongest evidence the US government has to suggest that forces loyal to Assad held Tice. This has over the years allowed American officials to pressure the Assad government directly about the matter.

Turkey says Damascus embassy to be ‘operational’ Saturday

Turkey says its long-closed Damascus embassy will reopen on Saturday, with its new interim envoy and staff already dispatched to Syria earlier in the day.

The new charge d’affaires, Burhan Koroglu, and his staff “left today, the embassy will be operational tomorrow,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan tells NTV private television.

Earlier this week, Fidan had said Ankara would reopen its embassy when the conditions were right, just days after a lightning rebel offensive overthrew Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.

Koroglu was appointed to the temporary post on Thursday, state news agency Anadolu said, quoting foreign ministry sources who did not say when he would begin the job.

The Damascus embassy closed on March 26, 2012, a year after Syria’s civil war began, due to the deteriorating security situation amid calls by the Turkish government for Assad to step down.

Koroglu was appointed as Turkey’s ambassador to Nouakchott, Mauritania, exactly a year ago.

It is not immediately clear how long he would hold the post in Damascus.

California apologizes over ‘LOLOCT7’ license plate

California has apologized for allowing someone in the US state to register a license plate mocking Hamas’s October 7 onslaught against Israel.

The apology comes after an activist group flagged a Tesla Cybertruck seen around Los Angeles sporting a plate that read “LOLOCT7,” which it said celebrated “terrorism against the Jewish people.”

LOL is a common abbreviation for “laughing out loud.”

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) says on social media that it will be acting to rescind the plate, which fell foul of its own rules.

“This is unacceptable and disturbing,” the agency writes on X.

“The DMV is taking swift action to recall these shocking plates, and we will immediately strengthen our internal review process to ensure such an egregious oversight never happens again.”

“We sincerely apologize that these personalized plates were not properly rejected during our review process.”

There are over 30 million vehicles in California, the vast majority of which have regular license plates.

But the DMV allows drivers — for an extra fee — to personalize plates, provided the resulting message does not “carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency,” according to its website.

Examples of banned plates include swear words, and racially or ethnically degrading terms.

Turkey says it told Russia, Iran not to intervene militarily in Syria rebel push

Turkey says it had urged Russia and Iran not to intervene militarily to support Bashar al-Assad’s forces as Islamist-led rebels mounted their lightning advance on Damascus that ended with the Syrian strongman’s ouster.

“The most important thing was to talk to the Russians and Iranians to ensure they didn’t enter the equation militarily. We had meetings with [them] and they understood,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan tells Turkey’s private NTV television.

He says if Moscow and Tehran, both key Assad allies since the start of the civil war in 2011, had come to the Syrian president’s aid, the rebels could still have won but the outcome could have been far more violent.

“If Assad had received support, the opposition could have achieved victory with their determination, but it would have taken a long time and could have been bloody,” he says.

Turkey’s aim was to “hold focused talks with the two important power players to ensure minimum loss of life,” Fidan says.

They quickly realized the game was up, that Assad “was no longer someone to invest in” and “there was no point anymore,” he adds.

Scholz says ‘integrated’ Syrian refugees ‘welcome’ to stay in Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says that well-integrated Syrian refugees are welcome to stay, as far-right and conservative politicians called for them to return to their home country after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

“Those who work here, who are well integrated, remain welcome in Germany. That’s obvious,” the social-democrat leader says in a post on X, noting that “some declarations these past days have deeply destabilized our fellow citizens of Syrian origin.”

IDF: Sderot sirens were false alarm

The IDF says that the sirens triggered in Sderot moments ago were a false alarm.

IDF: False identification led to launch of interceptor missile in Western Galilee

An interceptor missile was launched at a “suspicious aerial target” over the Western Galilee a short while ago, the military says.

After investigating, the IDF says it was determined to have been a “false identification,” meaning not a threat.

No sirens sounded.

IDF intercepts two rockets from central Gaza that triggered sirens in Ashkelon

Two rockets launched from the central Gaza Strip at southern Israel were intercepted by air defenses a short while ago, the military says.

Sirens had sounded in Ashkelon and surrounding towns near the Gaza border amid the attack.

There are no reports of injuries or damage.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group takes responsibility for the rocket fire.

77 Dems pen letter rejecting Biden’s assessment of Israeli compliance with US arms sale laws

Seventy-seven House Democrats have signed on to a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejecting their determination that Israel remains in compliance with US arms sales laws and urging the Biden administration to conduct a “full assessment” of whether there are grounds to impose a partial arms embargo against Israel.

The letter is unlikely to sway the Biden administration, given that it has thus far stood by its determination and is unlikely to reverse course with so little time left before the end of President Joe Biden’s term, given that such a move would almost certainly be immediately reversed by President-elect Donald Trump.

Blinken and Austin had sent a letter to Israel in September giving it 30 days to take significant steps to alleviate the Gaza humanitarian crisis or risk being found out of compliance with US law, which bars the transfer of weapons to countries that block humanitarian aid from civilians.

The letter listed over a dozen steps that the US wanted Israel to take to remain in compliance with US law. Israel did not fulfill all of the steps but the administration determined that it had made enough progress on many of them to justify continued weapons shipments to Israel, while urging Jerusalem to sustain and build on that progress.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with much of the aid in southern Gaza where most of the civilians are located being looted by criminal gangs and Hamas.

“While some progress has been made, we believe the Israeli government has not yet fulfilled the requirements outlined in your letter,” the progressive Democrats write in their letter to Blinken and Austin.

“Therefore we request that your Administration provide a full assessment of the status of Israel’s compliance with all relevant U.S. policies and laws, including National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM20) and Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act,” they say.

“Further administrative action must be taken to ensure Israel upholds the assurances it provided in March 2024 to facilitate, and not directly or indirectly obstruct, US humanitarian assistance,” they say, stressing their support for Israel’s right to defend itself following Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, while arguing that its conduct in the war has gone been what is acceptable.

Senior Israeli official said to agree with US assessment that hostage deal possible by end of December

Channel 12 cites an unnamed senior Israeli official who concurs with the US assessment that it is possible to reach a hostage deal before the end of the year.

An Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel earlier this week that there have been indications that Israel and Hamas are willing to compromise regarding the terms of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

However, the diplomat said the main obstacle to the talks — whether the ceasefire will be permanent or temporary — remains unresolved.

The diplomat also denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Hamas had passed along a list of hostages it is prepared to release, including US citizens, to the mediators.

However, Kan also reports that Palestinian sources familiar with the negotiations are for the first time expressing cautious optimism regarding Hamas’s willingness to agree to a deal. The sources credit simultaneous pressure that has been placed on the terror group from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.

UK’s Starmer says Syria needs ‘non-sectarian’ governance

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says caution is needed regarding Syria’s prospects after the end of Bashar al-Assad’s rule and that the country required “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance on behalf of all Syrians.”

“Discussing the unfolding situation in Syria, the Prime Minister said that the fall of Assad’s brutal regime should be welcomed, but we must be cautious about what comes next,” a spokesperson for Starmer says after the prime minister took part in a call with other Group of Seven leaders.

“All leaders agreed that Syria’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty must be respected throughout the transition process and in the future,” the spokesperson adds.

The language was similar to that in a G7 statement about Syria issued on Thursday.

Starmer also called on G7 leaders to increase military support for Ukraine against Russia’s 33-month-old invasion and tighten sanctions against Moscow.

Qatar delegation to visit Syria Sunday, diplomat says

A delegation from Qatar is due to visit Syria on Sunday and hold meetings with officials in its transitional government following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, a Qatari diplomat tells AFP.

“The first Qatari delegation visit to Syria is expected to happen Sunday where they will take the necessary steps to reopen the embassy and discuss enhancing aid delivery,” the diplomat says on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the trip.

North Gaza hospital chief says strikes around facility wounded 3 staffers; no immediate comment from IDF

People check the damage outside the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israeli strikes around the medical complex on December 6, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli attacks in and around a hospital in northern Gaza wounded three medical staff overnight Thursday-Friday and caused damage to the isolated medical facility, according to its director.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya says Israeli quadcopter drones carrying explosives deliberately targeted the emergency and reception area of Kamal Adwan Hospital, where one doctor was wounded for a third time.

Abu Safiya says “relentless” drone and artillery strikes throughout the night exploded “alarmingly close” to the hospital, heavily damaging nearby buildings and destroying most of the water tanks on the hospital’s roof and blowing out doors and windows.

Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahiya has been hit multiple times over the past two months since Israel launched a fierce military operation against Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza. The IDF has said that the hospital has routinely been used by Hamas fighters who hide among civilians.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes.

Abu Safiya says there were 72 wounded patients at the hospital, one of the few medical facilities left in northern Gaza. He says he expected Israeli forces would allow a World Health Organization aid convoy to bring supplies to the hospital on Friday or Saturday, as well as a team of doctors from Indonesia.

Israel has allowed almost no humanitarian or medical aid to enter the three besieged communities in northern Gaza — Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and the urban Jabaliya refugee camp — and ordered tens of thousands to flee to nearby Gaza City.

Israeli officials have said the three communities are mostly deserted, but the United Nations humanitarian office said Tuesday it believes around 65,000 to 75,000 people are still there, with little access to food, water, electricity or health care. Experts have warned that the north may be experiencing famine.

Bahrain says it is willing to provide support for Syria in international organizations

The Kingdom of Bahrain sends a message to Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

It says Bahrain is “fully prepared to consult with you continuously and to provide support in regional and international organizations to achieve what is in the interest of the brotherly Syrian people.”

It adds: “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.”

Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit.

Syria was readmitted to the Arab League last year after 12 years of ostracization. It is still unclear how the international community will deal officially with the new interim government in Syria.

UN official raises alarm over recent deadly IDF strikes throughout Gaza, mass aid looting

This view shows a camp of tents sheltering Palestinians displaced from north of Gaza City in an empty plot of government-owned land in the city-center on December 11, 2024. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

A senior UN official expresses his alarm over the “rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Gaza”.

“In recent days, multiple strikes across the Gaza Strip have resulted in scores of reported fatalities and numerous injuries. Women and children continue to be among the casualties. Such incidents are further reminders of the unbearable human cost of the conflict,” says Muhannad Hadi, who serves as deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and humanitarian coordinator for Palestinian territories.

“I am equally concerned by the unacceptably insecure environment in Gaza that continues to negatively impact United Nations aid convoys.

“On 11 December, a 70-truck convoy from Kerem Shalom crossing was violently attacked by looters, leading to the loss of nearly all food and aid supplies. Around the same time, a WFP convoy leaving the Kissufim crossing came under fire, faced extensive delays, and had four out of five trucks violently looted. Attacks undermining humanitarian operations are unacceptable. They threaten the survival of those in desperate need of assistance.”

“Attacks on humanitarian operations can be avoided: earlier this week, through an Israeli agreement for us to use the Philadelphi corridor, a joint UN convoy delivered urgently needed food, reaching nearly 200,000 people in southern and central Gaza,” he notes.

“Urgent action is needed to end atrocities, address the conflict’s root causes, and safeguard the lives and dignity of all people in the region,” Hadi says.

Far too early to lift sanctions on Syria, US lawmakers say

Republican and Democratic US senators say it is too soon to consider lifting sanctions on Syria following the removal of President Bashar al-Assad, an indication that Washington is unlikely to change its policy any time soon.

“We’re all really happy that Assad is gone,” Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tells Reuters. “We worked at it for a long, long time, and the job is done. The problem is, what comes next?”

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate that stormed across Syria and ousted Assad last week, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and most other countries and also sanctioned by the United Nations.

“So, given that, it certainly calls for considerable pause, to watch and see what happens,” he says, noting that while rebel leaders were making encouraging statements about unity and human rights, it remains to be seen how they act.

Risch will chair the foreign relations panel, which oversees US diplomacy, starting in January when President-elect Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans take control of the Senate.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, said the United States should not be involved in the Syrian conflict.

Advocates say issuing waivers and licenses would encourage economic development and foreign investment, providing the rebels’ new government with funding desperately needed to rebuild and establish government institutions.

But opponents say the risk is too high until they are sure the rebels allow human rights, such as freedom of expression and religion, and do not attack members of minority groups.

Senior Democrats also called for caution.

“It’s too early to tell whether the incoming regime’s record will reflect a different way of doing business,” Senator Ben Cardin, the current committee chairman, tells a news conference.

And Senator Chris Murphy, who chairs the Senate’s Middle East subcommittee, also said it was too soon to lift sanctions, given the rebels’ history of terrorist ties, but stressed the importance of communicating with the new authorities in Syria at a time when world powers are jockeying for influence there.

“I do not think the United States should lock ourselves out of a room that everyone else is in,” he tells Reuters in a telephone interview, especially given the billions of dollars in assets and US troop deployment in and around Syria.

“I don’t think we should be shy about opening lines of communications,” Murphy says.

In speech at memorial ceremony for fallen son, Eisenkot pans government’s handling of the war

National Unity MK Gadi Eisenkot attends a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting on the ultra-Orthodox draft law, Jerusalem, July 1, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Speaking at a memorial ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of his son Gal’s killing in Gaza, Gadi Eisenkot criticizes the government’s handling of the war in Gaza.

“To be worthy [of the sacrifices of the fallen] is to win and realize the goals of the war. To be worthy is to make the courageous and very difficult decision to return the hostages,” says Eisenkot, who has also lost two nephews who were killed fighting in Gaza.

“To be worthy is to establish a state commission of inquiry and renew the people’s trust. To be worthy is to bring broad segments of Israeli society to enlist in the army or national service,” he says in a slight at the government’s effort to exempt Haredi men from military service.

בחלוף שנה לנפילת הגיבור גל מאיר אייזנקוט ז״ל התאספה המשפחה הכל כך נדירה ומעוררת ההשראה הזאת, שזכיתי להכיר. עם החברים המעריצים שממאנים להפרד מגל ועם זכרון יוגב פזי ז״ל האחיין האהוב, שבשבוע הבא ימלאו שלושים לנפילתו.
גדי, חנה, חיותא, הילדים ובני הדודים- אתם עמוק בליבי. וכמו שגדי… pic.twitter.com/jXWLOIouly

— Orit Farkash Hacohen אורית פרקש הכהן (@FarkashOrit) December 13, 2024

Greece to buy artillery systems from Israel and drones from US, officials say

Greece is in advanced talks to buy 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel as it pushes to modernize its armed forces, two officials say.

The discussions on the 600-700 million euro ($630 million-$735 million) deal come as the countries are in negotiations for Israel to sell Greece a 2-billion-euro anti-aircraft and missile defense dome.

Greece’s government will submit the deal to a parliamentary committee for approval in the first quarter of 2025, the officials say.

Athens has drafted a multi-billion, 10-year purchasing plan that also includes acquiring up to 40 new F-35 fighter jets from the US and four frigates from France.

The PULS system, made by Israel’s Elbit ESLT.TA, has a range of up to 300 km (190 miles), the officials say. The deal also includes the construction of components in Greece.

One of the officials added that on Friday, the country’s top decision-making body on foreign affairs and defense matters, KYSEA, approved the procurement of US-made Switchblade drones, made by AeroVironment, AVAV.O.

Most of the new artillery systems will protect Greece’s northeastern borders with Turkey and its islands in the Aegean, a second official says.

Greece and Turkey, NATO allies, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, flights over the Aegean, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.

UK and Japan lower travel warnings for Israel, two weeks into Lebanon ceasefire

The UK and Japan, respectively, announce that they have lowered their travel warnings for Israel roughly two weeks into the Lebanon ceasefire.

Japan lowered its travel warning from level 3 to level 2, becoming the first Western country to do so, Ynet reports.

Britain followed shortly afterward, removing its warning against all travel to Israel and the West Bank.

Amid reported progress in hostage talks, US said to release Khaled Meshaal’s half-brother from federal prison

The half-brother of senior Hamas official Khaled Mashaal was reportedly released from a federal prison in Texas yesterday after receiving a 20-year sentence for financing Hamas.

Mofid Abdul Qadir Mashaal was sentenced in 2009 and was released early due to good behavior, but Channel 13 speculates whether the release was linked to progress in the ongoing hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

تغطية صحفية | الولايات المتحدة تفرج عن مفيد مشعل، شقيق القيادي في حركة حماس خالد مشعل، من السجون الأميركية بعد اعتقال دام نحو 20 عاما بتهمة تمويل الحركة (إعلام فلسطيني) pic.twitter.com/uNpoR2tuJ2

— شبكة رصد (@RassdNewsN) December 12, 2024

Switzerland eyes Nazi symbols ban due to surge in antisemitism

Switzerland is looking to ban the swastika, Hitler salute and other Nazi signs due to a rise in antisemitism, the federal government announces.

The Federal Council says in a statement that “banning symbols linked to the Third Reich has taken on a particular urgency due to the sharp increase in antisemitic incidents”.

It proposes an immediate ban on “the use of Nazi symbols in public” and imposing a fine of about 200 Swiss francs ($224) on anyone who breaks the law.

The Swiss penal code will be amended to punish anyone who uses “a racist, extremist, Nazi symbol or one that advocates violence in order to propagate the ideology it represents.”

Switzerland also wants to go further than banning the most well-known Nazi symbols, extending it to more cryptic signs of recognition used by supporters of Nazi ideology.

As such, the use of the “18” — the first and eighth letter of the alphabet signifying Adolf Hitler’s initials — and “88” — for “Heil Hitler” — will also fall foul of the proposed law.

“The context will play a decisive role in this case,” the Council says.

Exceptions are provided for educational, scientific, artistic or journalistic purposes but “within the limits of what freedom of expression allows,” it adds.

Existing religious symbols which are identical or similar to Nazi symbols will not be affected.

Consultation on the proposed ban will run until March 31 next year and includes a separate future outlawing of “other extremist symbols”.

EU to open air bridge to Syria to deliver humanitarian aid

The European Commission will open an air bridge to Syria to deliver emergency healthcare and other essential supplies, it says.

“The collapse of the Assad regime offers new hope for the Syrian people. But this moment of change also carries risks and brings hardship,” President Ursula von der Leyen says.

The EU says it had funded flights to bring a total of 50 tons of health supplies from EU stockpiles in Dubai to Adana in Turkey for distribution in Syria in the coming days.

In addition, 46 tons of supplies to support health, education and shelter will be trucked from Denmark to Adana.

Russian grain exports to Syria suspended due to uncertainty

Russian wheat supplies to Syria have been suspended because of uncertainty about the new government and payment delays, Russian and Syrian sources say, while two vessels carrying Russian wheat for Syria did not reach their destinations.

Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, was a staunch supporter of Bashar al-Assad and supplied wheat to Syria through complex financial and logistical arrangements, circumventing Western sanctions imposed on both Syria and Russia.

A Russian source close to the government tells Reuters supplies to Syria have been suspended because exporters are concerned by uncertainty over who will manage wheat imports on the Syrian side following the change of power in Damascus.

“I think no one would dare supply wheat to Syria under the current circumstances,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, tells Reuters.

Shipping data shows one vessel, the Mikhail Nenashev, is anchored off the Syrian coast, while another, the Alpha Hermes, is heading towards the Egyptian port of Alexandria after remaining off the Syrian coast for several days.

The Syrian General Establishment for Cereals Processing and Trade (Hoboob) used to conduct wheat purchasing tenders but has increasingly relied on a network of international intermediaries to maintain Russian supplies despite sanctions.

Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa’s Islamist group, which ousted al-Assad in a swift campaign in Damascus last week, is asserting its authority over Syria’s state by deploying police and installing interim officials.

However, they have yet to establish a new administration in Hoboob or create another commodity importing agency, according to Syrian sources, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pro-Palestinian activist arrested for placing ‘Free Palestine’ sticker on Sderot monument for fallen soldier

Andrey Khrzhanovskiy films himself placing a "Free Palestine" sticker on a monument for a fallen soldier in Sderot on December 3, 2024. (Screen capture/X)

Police arrested a pro-Palestinian activist in Tel Aviv yesterday after he filmed himself earlier this month placing a sticker that had a Palestinian flag on it along with the caption “Free Palestine” on a monument for a fallen soldier in Sderot.

Right-wing activists discovered Andrei Krazanovsky’s video on social media and reached out to various lawmakers, including Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf who personally contacted the police commissioner, Haaretz reports.

Krazanovsky made aliyah from Russia several years ago.

After his arrest, police asked the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court to extend his detention by five days but a judge rejected the request and ordered that Krazanovsky be released, given that the sticker still fell within the realms of free speech.

Police arrested Krazanovsky, 26, on suspicion of vandalizing property and conduct that could violate public peace.

In issuing her ruling, Judge Sabine Cohen criticized police for having made the arrest in the first place noting that the sticker wasn’t even found at the monument when the police arrived at the scene. “There is no indication in the investigation material that the application of the sticker posed a risk to public safety,” she wrote in her decision.

The judges noted that the sticker is an offense to the feelings of all families of fallen soldiers but still doesn’t constitute grounds for arrest. However, she ordered that Krazanovsky be banned from memorial sites for 30 days.

Following her ruling, police submitted a request to delay Krazanovsky’s release.

Israelis bring school field trips to Sderot to watch the genocide live.

In front of the binoculars there is a trashcan, so that small children can stand on it and take a closer look. pic.twitter.com/4HW0UlJKnE

— Andrey X (@the_andrey_x) November 30, 2024

Top IDF lawyer warns against calls to halt investigating soldiers’ wrongdoings during wartime

Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi attends a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, August 11, 2024. (Noam Moskowitz, Office of the Knesset Spokesperson)

The IDF’s Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi warns against calls to halt the investigation and prosecution of soldiers during a time of war, saying it could harm the vast majority of troops who are law-abiding.

Tomer-Yerushalmi has come under threat from far-right activists after the army decided to prosecute the alleged severe abuse of a Palestinian security prisoner by Israeli guards over the summer.

“The necessity to check, investigate and prosecute — even in times of war — is our way of distinguishing between the absolute majority of soldiers, who are normative, law-abiding and imbued with a sense of mission from those who occasionally deviate from the norm,” she says during a panel at the Public Law Association conference.

“The attempt to instill fear in the hearts of law enforcement in the IDF will not succeed and will not deter anyone in the law enforcement system from carrying out their duties in a professional manner out of a commitment to the values ​​of the IDF and the rule of law,” Tomer-Yerushalmi adds.

Defenders of such investigations have argued that they are critical in demonstrating that Israel has an independent judiciary, absent which Israel exposes itself to probes in international tribunals.

Blinken makes unannounced Iraq visit as part of Syria diplomacy push

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, front, is welcomed by US officials upon landing in Baghdad, Iraq on Dec. 13, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes an unannounced visit to Iraq to meet Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for talks on the future of neighboring Syria.

Blinken is touring the region in the wake of the swift collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in the face of an advance by Syrian opposition factions.

Assad’s ouster took Washington by surprise and the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden is urging the victorious rebels, with whom it is scrambling to establish contacts, to create a government that eschews Islamist factions and is inclusive of Syria’s minorities.

The State Department says Blinken in Baghdad “will underscore US commitment to the US-Iraq strategic partnership and to Iraq’s security, stability and sovereignty.”

“He will also discuss regional security opportunities and challenges, as well as enduring US support for engagement with all communities in Syria to establish an inclusive transition,” it said.

Blinken’s visit was not announced until after he met Sudani on Friday.

A US official tells Reuters that Washington sees this moment as an opportunity to further push back Iran’s influence in the region.

Iraq, which is led by a coalition of mostly Shi’ite political parties and armed groups close to Iran, is a major player in Tehran’s so-called Axis of Resistance that includes Hamas in Gaza and Lebanese Hezbollah and has faced setbacks since Israel responded to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

Iraq opted not to allow Shi’ite militias to intervene in Syria as Sunni rebels advanced and ultimately seized Damascus last weekend, despite Baghdad’s concerns that unrest could spill over.

Thousands of Sunni fighters crossed from Syria into Iraq after the 2003 US invasion and fueled years of sectarian killing before returning in 2013 as Islamic State to conquer a third of the country.

Opposition factions in Syria led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have disavowed al Qaeda and Islamic State and say they have no ambitions in Iraq.

As the rebels in Syria advanced, Iraq had amassed on its border thousands of fighters from its conventional military as well as the Popular Mobilization Forces, a security agency containing many Iran-aligned armed groups that previously fought in Syria.

Rome’s Jewish community angered by union strike over Italy’s support for Israel

Students clash with police near the Politecnico University in Turin, Italy during a demonstration against the government's support of Israel and on a national day of strike organized by Usb unions, December 13, 2024. (Marco Bertorello/AFP)

Rome’s Jewish community has expressed dismay after two unions called a nationwide strike to protest against Italy’s “support for the genocidal Israeli government” among other complaints.

Friday’s strike by the USB and Cobas unions has primarily hit public transport and is due to last 24 hours.

“Ours is a strike against the war economy and thus also against our government’s support for the Israeli state,” a spokesperson for the USB union tells Reuters.

Along with a demand for higher wages and a shorter working week, a lengthy strike manifesto published online singled out Israel in the unions’ opposition to Italy’s “growing involvement in war theaters.”

Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, accuses the unions of stirring antisemitism.

“Dismay and bewilderment. There are no other words to describe what we feel,” Fadlun says in a statement.

“We are faced with the emergence of hatred towards Israel that disregards any reasonable context, and that can have no other explanation than the urgency of expressing, even if it is misplaced, an antisemitism that has been simmering all along,” he adds.

Israel has rejected accusations of genocide, stressing that it is at war with the Hamas terror group, not the people of Gaza.

France’s Macron names centrist ally Francois Bayrou as third prime minister of 2024

French President Emmanuel Macron names Francois Bayrou his third prime minister of 2024, tasking the veteran centrist with steering the country out of its second major political crisis in the last six months.

The priority for Bayrou, a close Macron ally, will be passing a special law to roll over the 2024 budget, with a nastier battle over the 2025 legislation looming early next year. Parliamentary pushback over the 2025 bill led to the downfall of former Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government.

Bayrou, 73, is expected to put forward his list of ministers in the coming days, but will likely face the same existential difficulties as Barnier in steering legislation through a hung parliament comprising three warring blocs. His proximity to the deeply unpopular Macron will also prove a vulnerability.

France’s festering political malaise has raised doubts about whether Macron will complete his second presidential term, which ends in 2027. It has also lifted French borrowing costs and left a power vacuum in the heart of Europe, just as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House.

Macron will hope Bayrou can stave off no-confidence votes until at least July, when France will be able to hold a new parliamentary election, but his own future as president will inevitably be questioned if the government should fall again.

Bayrou, the founder of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party which has been a part of Macron’s ruling alliance since 2017, has himself run for president three times, leaning on his rural roots as the longtime mayor of the south-western town of Pau.

Macron appointed Bayrou as justice minister in 2017 but he resigned only weeks later amid an investigation into his party’s alleged fraudulent employment of parliamentary assistants. He was cleared of fraud charges this year.

Dutch court dismisses bid to ban arms exports to Israel

A Dutch court has thrown out a case by a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups aiming to stop the government from exporting arms to Israel.

“There is no reason to impose a total ban on the export of military and dual-use goods on the state,” says the court in The Hague. “All claims are dismissed.”

The NGOs had argued that Dutch authorities were neglecting to prevent what they termed an Israeli “genocide” in its military campaign in Gaza, where it is fighting against the Hamas terror group.

Israel has dismissed accusations of genocide and insists that it takes extensive steps to prevent civilian casualties.

“Israel is guilty of genocide and apartheid” and “is using Dutch weapons to wage war,” said Wout Albers, a lawyer representing the NGOs, during the hearings.

The lawyer for the Dutch State, Reimer Veldhuis, told the court the Netherlands had been applying European laws in force for arms exports and urged the court to toss out the case.

The court agreed with the Dutch government in every respect.

“The state has an obligation under international law to assess on a case-by-case basis whether the export of such goods is permissible on the basis of applicable regulations,” the judge says.

The Dutch authorities consider whether the goods exported to Israel could be used to breach international law, the court notes.

“If this risk exists, export is refused. The court finds that the state is fulfilling that obligation.”

Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.

Fearing Islamist rebels, Syrian Druze village calls to be annexed to Israel, calling it the ‘lesser evil’

An unverified video circulating on social media purports to show a member of the Druze community in the southern Syrian village of Hader calling for the community to be annexed to the Israeli side of the Golan Heights.

Although the speech is in Arabic, a version of the video was posted on X with English captions.

Speaking to a large crowd, the man tells them to consider what they want their future to look like following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime earlier this week.

“If we have to choose, we will choose the lesser evil,” he says. “And even if it’s considered evil to ask to be annexed to the [Israeli] Golan, it’s a much lesser evil than the evil coming our way.”

He appears to be referring to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the largest of Syria’s rebel groups, which has its roots in al-Qaeda although it has sought to moderate itself in recent years.

“That evil might take our women, might take our daughters, they might take our houses,” he says, according to the captions.

“Bashar al-Assad left,” he continues. “What do we have left? Nothing.”

“We asked to be annexed to the Golan to preserve our dignity,” he says, adding that he speaks for the Druze community across the surrounding area of the Quneitra Governorate.

“We ask in the name of all the surrounding area to join our people in the Golan, and to live with freedom and dignity like our people are living [in Israel].

He calls for the Syrian Druze to be freed from the “injustice and oppression” that was first imposed on them by the Assad regime, and which they fear will soon be imposed on them again by the Islamist rebel groups.

“How many of us have died?” he asks. “We’ve given enough. We’re not willing to offer anything more.”

The Druze of Mt. Hermon have officially requested to be annexed to Israel. pic.twitter.com/X6qTnZXhzP

— Mira ⛥ (@MiraMedusa) December 13, 2024

Hader, and the villages surrounding it, are located within the buffer zone between Israel and Syria which IDF troops entered on Sunday following the fall of Assad. The majority of Druze do not reside in the Syrian Golan.

According to the last reliable census, taken in 2010 before the outbreak of the civil war, around 48% of Syria’s Druze resided in the Suwayda Governorate, some 90 kilometers from the border with Israel. Another 35% were living in Damascus, and 25,000 were located in the Idlib Governate.

However, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy noted in 2016 that the civil war significantly altered the demographic makeup of Syria, and many Druze fled Damascus for safer parts of the country.

IDF says troops operating in southern Lebanon still finding Hezbollah weaponry

Hezbollah weapons found by IDF troops in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued on December 13, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon amid the ceasefire continue to find Hezbollah weaponry, the military says.

The IDF says soldiers of the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade captured anti-tank missiles, assault rifles, RPGs, mortars, and other weapons and equipment during scans of southern Lebanon.

The soldiers also located an anti-tank missile launch site previously used by Hezbollah to attack Israeli border towns, the military adds.

Blinken asks Turkey to use ties with Hamas to encourage it to agree to hostage deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not pictured) at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara, December 13, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he discussed the imperative of Palestinian terror group Hamas’ saying ‘yes’ to the Gaza ceasefire agreement in his talks with Turkey’s President and Foreign Minister.

“In my discussions with President Erdogan and with Minister Fidan we talked about the imperative of Hamas saying yes to the (Gaza) agreement that’s possible to finally help bring this to an end,” Blinken says, following his meeting with Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.

“We appreciate very much the role that Turkey can play in using its voice with Hamas, to try to bring this to a conclusion,” he says.

IDF says troops found rocket launchers in northern Gaza aimed at Israeli communities

Rocket launchers found by IDF troops in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya, in a handout photo issued on December 13, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Several rocket launchers were found by troops of the Kfir Brigade during operations in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, the military says.

According to the IDF, the launchers were aimed at Israeli border communities.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza’s Rafah, a drone strike killed a group of gunmen moving toward troops of the Nahal Brigade operating in the area, the IDF adds.

UN nuclear watchdog says Iran agreed to additional monitoring at Fordo enrichment plant

Iran has agreed to additional monitoring measures by the UN nuclear watchdog at its Fordo enrichment plant after it voiced plans to significantly increase its production of highly enriched uranium at the site, the agency says in a report seen by AFP.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said last week that Iran had revamped its Fordo enrichment plant, south of Tehran.

The changes would “significantly increase the rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent”, the agency said — close to the 90 percent needed to make a nuclear weapon.

The rate of production will jump to more than 34 kilograms of highly enriched uranium per month, compared to 4.7 kilograms previously, it added.

The IAEA called on Iran to implement inspections urgently, while European powers pressed Tehran to “immediately halt its nuclear escalation.”

“Iran agreed to the Agency’s request to increase the frequency and intensity of the implementation of safeguard measures at FFEP,” the IAEA says in a confidential report seen by AFP.

Iran insists on its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and has denied any ambition of developing weapons capability.

However, US intelligence agencies and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003, and continued to develop its nuclear program beyond civilian necessity.

Israel contends that the Islamic Republic never truly abandoned its nuclear weapons program and many of its nuclear sites are buried under heavily fortified mountains.

Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.

Security cabinet said set to convene Sunday to discuss West Bank security developments

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his national security cabinet on Sunday at 4 p.m. to discuss security developments in the West Bank, Hebrew media reports.

The report comes after a 12-year-old boy was killed in a West Bank terror attack on Wednesday night when a gunman shot up a Jerusalem-bound bus at a junction by the Palestinian town of al-Khader.

Katz says IDF troops will stay atop Syrian side of Mount Hermon during winter months

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has ordered the military to prepare to stay atop the Syrian side of Mount Hermon during the coming winter months.

“Due to what is happening in Syria, there is a huge security importance to our holding of the Hermon peak and everything must be done to ensure the IDF’s preparations in the area, to allow the troops to stay there in the difficult weather conditions,” Katz says in a statement.

Katz ordered the move during an assessment he held yesterday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other top officers.

Herzog meets with US national security adviser in Tel Aviv

President Isaac Herzog meets with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Tel Aviv, December 13, 2024. (President's Office)

President Isaac Herzog meets in Tel Aviv with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

According to Herzog’s office, they discuss attempts to reach a hostage deal, and the “dramatic changes occurring in the region.”

Trump team said weighing benefit of sanctions vs. military force to prevent Iran getting nuclear bomb

Republican presidential nominee former US president Donald Trump points to the crowd at an election night watch party, in West Palm Beach, Florida, November 6, 2024. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

US President-elect Donald Trump could authorize preventative airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in a bid to prevent it from building a nuclear weapon, Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the report, Trump’s transition team is mapping out a “maximum pressure 2.0” strategy to deter Iran and cripple its nuclear program by employing military force, or the threat of it, alongside powerful economic sanctions.

While Trump chose to avoid military force against Iran during his first term, the report states that he is reconsidering this stance in light of dramatic changes in the Middle East, including the significant damage dealt to Iranian proxy Hezbollah by Israel in recent months and the toppling of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad earlier this week.

Sources familiar with the plan tell the Journal that there are a number of different ways that military pressure could be used to deter Tehran.

Firstly, they say, the US could send more forces, ships and warplanes to the region while also bolstering Israel’s offensive capabilities through the sale of bunker-busting bombs. These steps, combined with economic sanctions, could lead Iran to stand down, the sources are said to suggest.

If this fails, however, the US could take a more combative stance and threaten to use direct military force, the Journal states.

It adds that the strategy is not yet finalized, and could still shift as Trump prepares to enter the White House in January for the second time.

The report comes after the Israeli Air Force said on Thursday that it was preparing for possible strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, as it believes that an isolated Iran may push further with its nuclear program.

UN chief calls for Israel to end strikes in Syria, withdraw from buffer zone

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during a visit in Pretoria, South Africa. December 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Shiraaz Mohamed)

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations chief has a message for Israel: Stop the attacks on Syria.

Secretary-General António Guterres is particularly concerned about several hundred Israeli airstrikes on several Syrian locations and stresses “the urgent need to deescalate violence on all fronts throughout the country,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric tells reporters Thursday.

The Israeli military said Tuesday it carried out more than 350 strikes in Syria over the previous 48 hours, hitting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” belonging to the ousted Syrian regime to stop them from falling into the hands of extremists.

Israel also acknowledged pushing into a buffer zone inside Syria following last week’s overthrow of president Bashar Assad.

Dujarric adds that Guterres condemns all actions violating the 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries, insisting it remains in force days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared it void due to the Assad regime’s fall.

The UN chief also calls on the parties to uphold the agreement and end “all unauthorized presence in the area of separation” and refrain from any action undermining the disengagement pact and stability in the Golan Heights, the spokesman says.