The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they happened.

Syria TV shows Hezbollah ‘warehouses and weapons stores’ captured in Al-Qusayr

The Syria TV network has aired footage of what it says are “warehouses and weapons stores belonging to Hezbollah forces in the city of Al-Qusayr.”

Al-Qusayr had been a stronghold of the Lebanese terror group since it helped Bashar al-Assad’s forces retake it in 2013 as part of the civil war.

It was abandoned by Hezbollah amid the lightning advance of rebel forces earlier this month as they took control of the country.

New Syrian leaders say they want to contribute to ‘regional peace’

This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (not pictured) in Damascus. (AFP Photo/Sana Telegram Channel)
This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (not pictured) in Damascus. (AFP Photo/Sana Telegram Channel)

Syria wants to contribute to “regional peace,” the country’s new authorities say in a statement after a meeting between leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and a US diplomatic delegation.

“The Syrian side indicated that the Syrian people stand at an equal distance from all countries and parties in the region and that Syria rejects any polarization,” the statement says.

Amid probe into aide’s alleged doctoring of minutes, PM says he was awoken the minute Hamas attack began

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at the Knesset, December 16, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at the Knesset, December 16, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg FLASH90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells the Wall Street Journal that he was woken up by his staff at 6:29 a.m. on October 7, which was the minute that Hamas’s onslaught of southern Israel began.

“On October 7, they woke me up at 6:29 in the morning,” Netanyahu recalls during the interview.

Netanyahu’s office has apparently made an effort to present the premier as having been responding to the attack from the moment it began.

Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s chief of staff, allegedly altered the office’s official minutes from that day to state that the premier received the first update from his military secretary at the time, Maj. Gen. Avi Gil, at 6:29 a.m. and not 6:40 a.m. when he actually got the call.

Braverman is being investigated for forgery and fraud over the incident.

The Journal story appears to go to great lengths to tell Netanyahu’s account, stating that Israeli security officials knew something was awry for hours but didn’t update the prime minister.

Netanyahu and his aides have sought to lay primary responsibility for the October 7 onslaught on the feet of the security establishment.

Also in the WSJ interview, Netanyahu reiterates his stance against a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, saying he will only agree to a temporary pause in order to resume fighting and ensure that Hamas is completely dismantled.

His opponents have warned that this would leave the majority of the 100 remaining hostages in Gaza indefinitely.

Hamas has also long asserted that it won’t agree to release hostages unless it has guarantees that the first phase of the ceasefire being negotiated will subsequently transition to the second and third stages during which a permanent cessation of hostilities will be agreed upon.

Netanyahu has also refused to allow a role for the Palestinian Authority in the post-war management of Gaza in what Israel’s security establishment has warned robs Jerusalem of a viable alternative to Hamas’s rule and all but ensures that the IDF will continue fighting the terror group for the foreseeable future as vacuums temporarily created by military operations are re-filled by Hamas shortly thereafter.

Fatalities reported in car ramming attack on German Christmas market

At least 11 people are dead and up to 80 people injured in an attack on a German Christmas market in Magdeburg, Bild newspaper reports, without citing its sources.

Update: Later reports Friday said the toll was far lower, indicating at least two fatalities.

Hamas rescuers claim IDF strike in Jabalia killed 7 children from one family

Relatives mourn over the body of a child killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the morgue at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Relatives mourn over the body of a child killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in the morgue at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Hamas’s civil defense rescue agency claims that an Israeli airstrike killed 10 members of a family on Friday in the northern part of the territory, including seven children.

“There are 10 martyrs … all targeted by an airstrike on their home in Jabalia al-Nazla, southwest of Jabalia. All of the martyrs are from the same family, including seven children, the oldest aged six,” civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP.

Bassal says the strike injured 15 other people.

The Israeli military when contacted by AFP did not offer an immediate response.

The IDF says it doesn’t target civilians and that Hamas hides and fights among them.

Hamas death tolls don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Suspected car ‘attack’ on German Christmas market injures up to 80; 1 arrested

Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Dörthe Hein/dpa via AP)
Emergency services attend an incident at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, Friday Dec. 20, 2024. (Dörthe Hein/dpa via AP)

A car barreled through a Christmas market crowd in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, leaving 60 to 80 people injured, in what regional authorities are treating as a suspected attack.

German media reports that there has been at least one dead, but this is not immediately confirmed.

Police say one suspect has been arrested thus far.

NTV television shows multiple ambulances and fire engines at the chaotic site with injured people being rushed off to hospitals and others being treated as they lay on the ground.

Cries and screams can be heard as police, medics and the fire service deploy to the litter-strewn market decorated with Christmas trees and festive lights.

“We presume it was an attack,” a spokeswoman for the interior ministry of Saxony-Anhalt state tells AFP.

News weekly Der Spiegel, citing security sources, says that a black BMW had barreled through the crowd at high speed just after 7:00 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) when the market was filled with revelers.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz writes on X that “the reports from Magdeburg raise the worst fears.”

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”

The bloody carnage recalled a 2016 jihadist attack in which a Tunisian man driving a lorry killed 12 people in a Christmas market in Berlin.

A 13th victim died later having suffered serious injuries in the assault, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

UN extends observer mission between Syrian and Israeli sides of Golan Heights

Illustrative: A picture taken in the Golan Heights on May 14, 2022, shows members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) monitoring the Syrian side of the border with Israel. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)
Illustrative: A picture taken in the Golan Heights on May 14, 2022, shows members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) monitoring the Syrian side of the border with Israel. (Jalaa Marey/AFP)

The United Nations Security Council has extended a long-running peacekeeping mission between Syria and the Israeli sides of the Golan Heights for six months while expressing concern that military activities in the area could escalate tensions.

Since a lightning rebel offensive ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, Israeli troops have moved into the demilitarized zone – created after the 1973 Yom Kippur War – that is patrolled by the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

Israeli officials have described the move as a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of Israel’s borders but have not indicated when the troops might be withdrawn.

In the resolution adopted today, the Security Council stresses “that both parties must abide by the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic and scrupulously observe the ceasefire.”

It expresses concern that “the ongoing military activities conducted by any actor in the area of separation continue to have the potential to escalate tensions between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic, jeopardize the ceasefire between the two countries, and pose a risk to the local civilian population and United Nations personnel on the ground.”

Armed forces from Israel and Syria are not allowed in the demilitarized zone – a 400-square-km (155-square-mile) “Area of Separation” – under the ceasefire arrangement.

US charges Russian-Israeli dual national tied to Lockbit ransomware group

The United States has charged a Russian-Israeli dual citizen over alleged involvement with the Lockbit ransomware group, the US Department of Justice says.

Rostislav Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel in August and is awaiting extradition to the United States, the department says.

Panev was a developer at Lockbit from its inception some time in 2019 through to at least February 2024, during which time the group grew into “what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world,” the DOJ says.

“The Justice Department’s work going after the world’s most dangerous ransomware schemes includes not only dismantling networks, but also finding and bringing to justice the individuals responsible for building and running them,” Attorney General Merrick Garland says in a statement.

Lockbit and its malware were linked to attacks on more than 2,500 victims in at least 120 countries around the world, according to the DOJ, including small businesses and large multinationals, hospitals, schools, critical infrastructure, government and law enforcement agencies.

Lockbit was discovered in 2020 when its eponymous malicious software was found on Russian-language cybercrime forums.

It operated as ransomware-as-a-service operation, where a core group of developers and administrators worked with “affiliates” who carried out attacks. Extortion proceeds were split between the parties involved.

Lockbit and its affiliates extorted at least $500 million in payments from victims, according to the DOJ, as well as causing significant costs from lost revenue and incident response and recovery.

Casualties reported after car crashes into German Christmas market

A car has crashed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg, causing multiple casualties, media reports say.

News site T-online and other media report there are dead and injured, while local police say on X that “extensive police operations are currently taking place.”

The local rescue service tells AFP that an incident involving a car had left “several people severely injured.”

Death toll from pair of Gaza strikes climbs to 25, medics say

Palestinians look at the aftermath of an Israeli bombing in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
Palestinians look at the aftermath of an Israeli bombing in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 25 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip today, medics say, including at least eight in an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp and at least ten in the town of Jabalia.

The IDF has not immediately commented on either strike but has long said it only targets terrorists and that Hamas hides among civilians.

US lifts bounty on new Syria ruler after he commits to combat terror groups

This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (not pictured) in Damascus. (AFP Photo/Sana Telegram Channel)
This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (not pictured) in Damascus. (AFP Photo/Sana Telegram Channel)

The US has decided to remove the bounty that it had in place for the head of Syria’s new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa after he committed during a meeting with top Biden administration officials earlier today in Damascus that he will not allow terror groups to operate in Syria who threaten the US and neighboring countries.

The decision is announced by US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf during a briefing with reporters shortly after her meeting with al-Sharaa.

“Based on our discussion, I told him we would not be pursuing the Rewards for Justice reward offer,” she says.

The FBI in 2017 put up a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Sharaa, earlier known by his war name Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, pointing to his swearing of allegiance to Al-Qaeda.

Officials during the meeting discussed the need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside Syria or externally, which al-Sharaa committed to, Leaf says.

Leaf also tells reporters that following her discussions with representatives from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, she expects that Syria will completely end any role in the country for Iran, the longtime ally of fallen dictator Bashar al-Assad.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf attends the Manama Dialogue Forum, in Manama, on December 6, 2024. (Mazen Mahdi/AFP)

“If I’m to judge by today, Iran will have no role whatsoever, and it shouldn’t,” Leaf, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, tells reporters.

Iran, with its deployment of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah “really preyed upon and really viciously brutalized the Syrian people,” she says.

She says the US welcomes “positive messages” it has been hearing from the “pragmatic”-sounding HTS leader but will need to see actions and democratic progress before the sanctions can be removed.

“We fully support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that results in an inclusive and representative government which respects the rights of all Syrians, including women, and Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities,” she says.

Al-Sharaa told Leaf that his top priorities as the new leader of Syria are rooted in getting the country on the road to economic recovery, she says.

The US is also providing technical expertise and other support to the new transitional leadership in Syria with the documentation of crimes committed by the Assad regime, amid the discovery of mass graves earlier this week.

Leaf also says that Washington is urging a ceasefire between Turkish-backed forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces around the flashpoint Syrian city of Kobane.

“We are working energetically, in discussions with Turkish authorities, also with SDF. We think the best way ahead is for ceasefire around Kobane,” she says.

Agencies contributed to this report

Report: Several hostage families receive signs of life from loved ones

Protesters outside the IDF's Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv call for the release of the hostages on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP/Ariel Schalit)
Protesters outside the IDF's Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv call for the release of the hostages on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP/Ariel Schalit)

A number of hostage families recently received signs of life from their loved ones, Channel 12 reports, without citing any sources.

The network also claims that the sides have agreed on the list of Palestinian security prisoners who will be released during the first phase of the ceasefire in exchange for female, elderly and sick hostages.

At least seven killed, including 4 children, in IDF strike in central Gaza — Hamas health officials

Palestinian girls struggle to reach for food at a distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinian girls struggle to reach for food at a distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in central Gaza killed at least seven Palestinians, including four children, and injured 16 other people earlier afternoon, Gaza’s Hamas-linked health officials say.

The strike hit an apartment in the Jaffa residential tower in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp. The dead and wounded were taken to Aqsa and Awda hospitals.

The Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the strike. Israel says it only targets terrorists and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in residential areas.

Israel faces heavy international criticism over the unprecedented levels of civilian casualties in Gaza and questions about whether it has done enough to prevent them.

Turkey tells Germany Kurdish militant groups must lay down arms

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his visiting German counterpart Annalena Baerbock that it is essential for Kurdish militant groups including the PKK and YPG to lay down arms and dissolve, Turkish foreign ministry officials said.

Ankara considers the YPG, which has fought for years in Syria alongside US troops, to be an extension of the PKK, which fights against the Turkish state and is banned as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the United States.

Turkish forces and their Syrian allies have clashed with a YPG-led alliance in Syria since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad this month.

IDF says it opened fire on Syria protest after identifying ‘threat’

The IDF confirms opening fire toward “a threat” during a protest by Syrians against the military’s presence in southern Syria earlier today.

According to the IDF, during the protest in the village of Ma’ariya, soldiers who were calling on suspects to move back “identified a threat that required action to remove.”

The military says the soldiers acted according to the open-fire procedures, and shot one of the protesters in the leg.

“We emphasize that the IDF does not intervene in the events taking place in Syria,” the military says, adding that it will “continue to act to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.”

US charges Iran Guard captain over alleged role in 2022 death of American

The US Justice Department says that it had charged Mohammad Reza Nouri, a captain in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, with murder and terrorism offenses in connection with his alleged role in the 2022 death of American Stephen Troell in Iraq.

Russian skaters allowed to compete as neutrals in 2026 Winter Olympics

FILE - A Russian flag is held above the Olympic Rings at Adler Arena Skating Center during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia on Feb. 18, 2014. The International Olympic Committee has made a sweeping move to isolate and condemn Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - A Russian flag is held above the Olympic Rings at Adler Arena Skating Center during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia on Feb. 18, 2014. The International Olympic Committee has made a sweeping move to isolate and condemn Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Russians will be able to qualify for the ice skating competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics as neutral athletes, the sport’s governing body says.

The International Skating Union (ISU) announced “a pathway to allow a limited number of individual neutral athletes (AIN) to participate under strict conditions in designated Olympic qualifying events for the 2025/26 season.”

The decision applies to figure skating and speed skating disciplines, the ISU says.

“Recognizing that competing in the Olympic Winter Games is the pinnacle of any skater’s career, the ISU has carefully examined the feasibility of implementing the IOC’s recommendations on creating a pathway to facilitate the participation of athletes affiliated with ISU Members in Russia and Belarus in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026,” the ISU said.

Just 15 Russian athletes were permitted to take part in the Paris Olympics this summer, competing as neutrals.

At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Russian athletes had to compete under the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) flag due to a two-year ban imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency for state-sponsored doping.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine days after those Olympics, triggering sanctions from the IOC.

Russia’s Sports Minister and head of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev welcomed the ISU decision.

“The process of a full return to international sport will be difficult, but events such as the ISU decision… are important steps on this path,” Degtyarev is quoted as saying by the Ria Novosti news agency.

“This is better than a permanent break and isolation. We will continue to develop this pathway.”

Judge extends remand of Egyptian student who planned attack on Israeli consulate in NY; teen facing deportation

Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan. (Alexandria Sheriff's Office)
Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan. (Alexandria Sheriff's Office)

A magistrate court judge in Virginia has ordered that Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an 18-year-old Egyptian national suspected of trying to carry out a mass-casualty attack targeting the Israeli Consulate in New York, be remanded pending the trial against him.

Hassan is currently in deportation proceedings, authorities said at a recent detention hearing for the George Mason University student.

GMU announced Thursday that Hassan had been banned from campus.

At the recent hearing, an FBI agent testified that a bureau asset reached out to Hassan who urged the informant to carry out an attack targeting the Israeli consulate, Politico reports.

The pair “discussed online weapons, tactics, getaway and specifically targeting the [consulate’s] lobby, the FBI agent testified, according to Politico.

Hassan urged the informant to livestream the attack this past Tuesday. When the day arrived, Hassan logged onto the livestream feed and both he and the informant said, “See you in heaven in the afterlife,” according to the FBI agent’s testimony.

Moments later, FBI agents burst through Hassan’s door finding him with his computer open and the livestream still running.

Prosecutors also noted during the hearing that Hassan was interviewed by the FBI in 2022 over statements he made online supporting ISIS and Al Qaeda.

Hassan ran several social media accounts that supported ISIS, al-Qaeda and Hamas, and advocated for violence against Jews, the FBI said in the complaint filed in a federal court in Virginia.

US diplomat said to discuss removing sanctions against Syria, HTS in meeting with al-Jolani

Al Jazeera reports that during today’s Damascus meeting between senior delegations from the US and Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, the sides discussed the possibility of removing international sanctions against Syria and dropping HTS from the US designated terror list.

US says it killed ISIS leader in Syria airstrike

The US Central Command says its forces conducted an airstrike earlier today that killed ISIS leader Abu Yusif in the Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria.

One other ISIS operative was also killed in the strike, COGAT says.

“As stated before, the United States — working with allies and partners in the region — will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute. ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria. We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria,” says CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.

Top US official wraps up ‘productive’ meeting in Syria with Islamist leader; cancels press conference

US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf has just wrapped up a meeting in Syria with Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, the Walla news site reports, citing a US official who called the meeting productive.

A planned press conference by Leaf’s delegation visiting Damascus has been “canceled due to security concerns,” an official with the US embassy says.

 

IDF reportedly arrests three civilians from southern Lebanon

Lebanese media report that IDF troops nabbed three suspects in southern Lebanon last night.

The Al Jadeed outlet says the three civilians were taken from the Wadi al-Hujeir road.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

1 injured after IDF said to open fire at group protesting their presence in southern Syria

Syrian media report that one person was wounded after IDF troops opened fire on demonstrators in southern Syria.

According to the local Daraa 24 outlet, residents of towns in the Yarmouk River basin gathered near a former Syrian army post close to the village of Ma’ariya to protest against the IDF presence in Syria.

The outlet says IDF troops opened fire in the air to stop the demonstrators from approaching, and one person was hit directly and wounded.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

Amid UNRWA phase-out, Israel transfers 8 trucks into Gaza for WFP to deliver aid

Trucks transferred into guys for aid delivery on December 19, 2024. (COGAT)
Trucks transferred into guys for aid delivery on December 19, 2024. (COGAT)

The Defense Ministry body responsible for facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza says it helped deliver eight empty trucks that will be added to the World Food Programme to bolster the delivery of aid throughout the Strip.

Six of the trucks are for aid and two of the trucks are for fuel.

Israel is working to bolster WFP’s capacity after passing legislation aimed at effectively dismantling the UN’s relief agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA at the end of January over its ties to Hamas.

“Since the outbreak of war, [COGAT’s] efforts have enabled 63 empty trucks into the Gaza Strip for international organizations,” COGAT says in a statement.

Aid groups have long argued that the IDF has slow-walked approvals of trucks and other essentials, hampering aid delivery efforts.

Reports: 62 MKs now back pardon for reservist charged in Prime Minister’s Office leak scandal

Multiple Hebrew media outlets report that 62 Knesset members have signed onto a public letter to President Isaac Herzog urging him to accept a request for pardon by an IDF reservist charged in the security documents scandal that has roiled the Prime Minister’s Office in recent weeks.

The noncommissioned officer, whose name is barred from publication under a gag order, has been charged together with Eli Feldstein, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The NCO is charged with transferring classified information, an offense punishable by up to seven years in prison, theft by an authorized person and obstruction of justice.

His lawyers wrote to Herzog yesterday asking for a pardon, saying he “understood that his acts were forbidden and would not repeat them.”

Yesterday, reports said 50 MKs had backed the request. That number has now apparently grown to over half of the 120 lawmakers.

IDF razes miles of Hamas tunnels in north Gaza, seizes equipment stolen in Oct. 7 onslaught

Troops of the Kfir Brigade operate in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya, in a handout photo issued on December 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Troops of the Kfir Brigade operate in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya, in a handout photo issued on December 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it has demolished close to 5 miles worth of Hamas tunnels in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya.

Three tunnels were scanned and later destroyed by the elite Yahalom unit and other combat engineers, amid an ongoing operation against the Palestinian terror group in the area led by the Kfir Infantry Brigade.

The military says that in one of the tunnels troops located IDF equipment that was stolen by Hamas terrorists during its onslaught of October 7, 2023, along with weapons and maps of the Israeli border communities.

Hamas tunnels in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya are destroyed by IDF troops, in a video issued on December 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Erdogan urges West to stop IDF operations in Syria, even as he signals possible Turkish invasion

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on September 4, 2024. (AP/ Francisco Seco)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on September 4, 2024. (AP/ Francisco Seco)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggests that Turkey may intervene in northern Syria to eliminate what he claims are threats to its security posed by Syrian Kurdish groups.

Even as he mulls an invasion, Erdogan also claims the US and Western powers have a “responsibility to stop Israel” from operating in Syrian territory.

Unlike Turkey, whose proxies control large swathes of northern Syria, the IDF only entered a buffer zone this month between Syria and the Israeli-annexed side of the Golan Heights, saying it is doing so temporarily, until a new regime is put in place that can guarantee the upholding of the 1974 disengagement agreement that formed the demilitarized zone.

Erdogan’s statement to a group of journalists also comes amid reports of fighting between Turkish-backed fighters and the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria, near the border town of Kobani and the Tishrin dam on the Euphrates River.

“We will show that the time has come to neutralize the terrorist organizations present in Syria,” Erdogan says, according to a transcript of his remarks. “We will do this to prevent any further threats coming from the south of our borders.”

Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organization because its main component is a group aligned with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is banned in Turkey. Earlier this week, the SDF said US-led mediation efforts failed to reach a permanent truce in Syria’s north.

“The end of the road for the terrorist organizations is near,” Erdogan says. “There is no room for terrorists in the future of the region. The shelf life of the PKK terrorist organization and its extensions has run out.”

Erdogan says that by securing the border area in Syria, Turkey would also prevent the PKK from recruiting fighters.

The Turkish leader, meanwhile, welcomes the fact that many countries are establishing contact with Syria’s new leaders, saying it is “a sign of trust” in the new administration. He says Turkey will assist the country to establish new “state structures.”

Erdogan adds that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Syria soon.

Downpour causes flooding in Ashdod streets

Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in the coastal city of Ashdod, with footage from the city showing submerged streets after being pelted with 30 millimeters of rain in less than 25 minutes.

One video shows rescue officials extricating people trapped in their cars.

 

East Jerusalem man said arrested over yesterday’s suspected terror stabbing

Hebrew media reports that an East Jerusalem man has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing and seriously wounding a 74-year-old woman in her home, an incident police are said to be probing as a suspected terror attack.

The woman was found seriously injured, with bruises and stab wounds, in her apartment in central Jerusalem, according to an Israel Police statement yesterday. The Shin Bet security service is involved in the investigation, multiple reports have said.

The Ynet news site reports that the suspect likely broke into the apartment on Koresh Streetץ The victim’s condition has improved and she is now defined as moderately injured.

US to announce final package of new weapons for Ukraine in coming days — sources

US President Joe Biden’s administration will announce in the coming days its final Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package, using the remaining funds set aside to buy new weapons for Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The package includes air defense interceptors and artillery munitions, according to a third source, but the exact contents are expected when the package is announced in the coming days. The package will be worth about $1.2 billion, say the sources.

Under USAI, military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners, rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it can take months or years to arrive on the battlefield.

The USAI package could be among the last steps the United States takes to provide direct military support to Ukraine as Kyiv braces for the return of President-elect Donald Trump, who has publicly questioned military aid and vowed to end the Ukraine war soon after taking office on January 20.

Since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, the United States has committed $175 billion in aid for Ukraine, including approximately $61.4 billion in security assistance.

About half of that security assistance has come through the USAI program, and the rest has gone toward pulling from existing military stocks via presidential drawdown authority.

There is $5.6 billion remaining of presidential drawdown authority.

The State Department and Pentagon have declined to comment on the upcoming announcement, saying they do not discuss security assistance packages before they are officially revealed.

Report: Netanyahu won’t attend Auschwitz liberation anniversary event, fearing arrest by Poland

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of a new exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp, in Poland, June 13, 2012. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the opening of a new exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp, in Poland, June 13, 2012. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly avoid traveling to Poland for next month’s events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp, fearing he may be arrested.

The major event is planned for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27 and is expected to be attended by dozens of leaders and heads of state, including Britain’s King Charles.

According to Polish outlet Rzeczpospolita, Israeli authorities haven’t contacted their Polish counterparts about attending the event, and officials in Warsaw believe the reason is related to Poland’s stance that it will adhere to the ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu over possible war crimes in the Gaza war.

The report also says President Isaac Herzog does not plan to attend the event.

IDF chief presented with initial findings of probe into night of Oct. 6-7, 2023

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is being presented by senior officers with initial findings of the military’s internal probe into the functioning of the top IDF echelons on the night of October 6-7, 2023 — leading up to that morning’s cross-border invasion from Gaza and onslaught by thousands of Hamas-led terrorists.

Each senior officer will present their findings to Halevi, and the details will be cross-referenced to reach conclusions.

The investigation will not be completed today and will likely take at least several more weeks. The investigation’s findings are unlikely to be presented to the public anytime soon.

In letter to Pope, Chikli slams his call to study whether Gaza offensive is ‘genocide’

Pope Francis shakes hands with officials after their meeting for the Pope's departure ceremony at the Ajaccio airport, on the French island of Corsica, December 15, 2024. (Ludovic Marin; Pool via AP)
Pope Francis shakes hands with officials after their meeting for the Pope's departure ceremony at the Ajaccio airport, on the French island of Corsica, December 15, 2024. (Ludovic Marin; Pool via AP)

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli criticizes Pope Francis for suggesting the international community should study whether Israel’s military offensive in Gaza constitutes a “genocide” of the Palestinian people.

In an open letter addressed to the pontiff and published by several news outlets, Chikli says the pope’s remarks — made in excerpts published last month from a forthcoming book — amount to a “trivialization” of the term genocide.

“As a people who lost six million of its sons and daughters in the Holocaust, we are particularly sensitive to the trivialization of the term ‘genocide’ — a trivialization that comes dangerously close to Holocaust denial,” Chikli writes.

Chikli, who ends the letter by calling Francis “a dear friend of the Jewish people,” asks the pope “to clarify your position regarding the new accusation of genocide against the Jewish state.”

The Vatican does not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.

Israel says accusations of genocide in Gaza are baseless and that it is solely hunting down Hamas terrorists and other Palestinian armed groups following the October 7, 2023, cross-border onslaught in Israel.

Police, Shin Bet says they’re probing torching of West Bank mosque

Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported arson attack in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (Jaafar ASHTIYEH/AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported arson attack in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (Jaafar ASHTIYEH/AFP)

Police and the Shin Bet say in a joint statement that they have launched an investigation into the suspected torching and vandalizing of a mosque in the West Bank town of Marda.

The probe has been opened following a situation assessment, and officers are gathering evidence and findings from the scene, the statement says.

“We view the incident with severity and will work with determination to bring those responsible to justice,” it adds.

Palestinian media has published footage of the mosque and of graffiti messages at the scene about revenge and rebuilding the Jewish Temple. The reports alleged that settler extremists were behind the act.

Jerusalem man indicted for alleged spying for Iran

An indictment has been filed at the Jerusalem District Court against an Israeli resident of Jerusalem who was arrested last month for carrying out espionage missions on behalf of Iran, prosecutors say.

Erdler Israel Amoyal, 23, is charged with handing information to the enemy and having contact with a foreign agent. Prosecutors ask the court to order him arrested until the end of legal proceedings against him, and to confiscate the vehicle, phones and devices used to carry out the alleged offenses.

Amoyal’s arrest, the latest in a series of plots involving citizens allegedly recruited by Iran that security agencies say have been foiled in recent months, was revealed on Tuesday by the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police.

He was allegedly in contact with an Iranian agent for several months and carried out various surveillance and vandalism tasks in exchange for payment in the form of cryptocurrency, worth some NIS 7,900 ($2,200). He is also accused of searching the internet for bomb-making instructions and proposing a terror attack targeting Jerusalem’s light rail system.

Israeli security source reportedly says Jews behind torching of West Bank mosque

An unnamed Israeli security source cited by Army Radio says the torching and vandalism of a mosque in the West Bank town of Marda overnight was committed by Jews.

The source is quoted as saying there were no casualties in the incident, and there haven’t yet been any arrests.

Meanwhile, new footage published by Palestinian media shows a burnt door and room at the mosque, alongside graffiti reading “The mosque shall burn, the [Jewish] Temple shall be built.”

Palestinian media earlier published footage of graffiti messages at the scene saying “Revenge” and quoting a Psalms verse: “The righteous man will rejoice when he sees revenge.” The reports alleged that settler extremists were behind the act.

Israeli minister lauds Sweden’s announcement of end to funding of UNRWA

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli hails Sweden’s decision to halt funding for the UN agency for the Palestinians and their descendants, saying UNRWA “has lost its legitimacy to exist” due to involvement in terror activities by staff members.

Israel, which is set to ban UNRWA’s operations in the country from late January, has repeatedly accused the agency of being involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.

Sweden’s decision to end funding is in response to the Israeli ban, as it will make channeling aid to the Palestinians via the agency more difficult, the country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, has told Swedish broadcaster TV4.

Sweden plans to increase its overall humanitarian assistance to Gaza next year, he adds.

“There are several other organizations in Gaza, I have just been there and met several of them,” the minister says, naming the UN World Food Programme as one potential recipient.

Report: Jan. 31 deadline for wrapping up IDF’s Oct. 7 probes extremely hard to meet

Defense Minister Israel Katz’s January 31 deadline for concluding the Israel Defense Forces’ internal probes regarding the military failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre will be near-impossible to meet, the Ynet news site cites unnamed army officials as estimating.

It would be “very hard, bordering on impossible,” to meet the set timetable, which could result in a clash between the government and the military, the report says.

Katz said yesterday that he was freezing the promotions of senior officers in the IDF until the army presents him with all the investigations it has conducted into the onslaught, setting the deadline. Halevi has previously indicated that he will resign upon the completion of the army’s October 7 probes.

By contrast, most of the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have refused to acknowledge their responsibility for the multifaceted failure to prevent the unprecedented cross-border assault, have objected to forming a state commission of inquiry, and haven’t formed any sort of inquiry.

Report: Leak about PM’s nonexistent Cairo trip was deliberate, aimed at testing the waters

The leaking of false news earlier this week about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemingly being on the way to Cairo for hostage talks was a deliberate play by Israel, Lebanon’s Al Akhbar news site cites unnamed Egyptian officials as saying.

The news was quickly proven false, with Netanyahu in fact visiting the Syrian side of the Hermon and spending the rest of his time in Jerusalem that day.

The Egyptian sources claim that the leak to the Reuters news agency “was an Israeli maneuver to examine the extent of Egypt’s acceptance of the idea of ​​Netanyahu visiting, and the announcement of a truce from Cairo.”

Sweden says it will stop funding UNRWA

Sweden will no longer fund the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, UNRWA, the Nordic country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, tells the TV4 network.

The minister adds that Stockholm will instead bolster its humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via other channels.

US diplomats arrive in Syria to talk to Islamist rulers about country’s future

US envoys have arrived in Syria to speak directly to the new Islamist-led rulers, the State Department says, in the most formal US diplomatic mission since the start of the long civil war.

The State Department’s top Middle East diplomat Barbara Leaf, Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and newly appointed Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, who is now tasked with leading the Department’s Syria engagement, are the first US diplomats to travel to Damascus since Syria’s opposition militias overthrew oppressive president Bashar al-Assad.

The diplomats will meet representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — designated a terrorist group by Washington — and civil society to discuss with Syrians “their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them,” a State Department spokesperson says.

Report: Yemen strikes went ahead without security cabinet consultation

The Kan public broadcaster reports that yesterday’s early morning strikes on Houthi-linked targets in Yemen were only approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, without the approval of the security cabinet.

Citing unnamed sources, the report says security cabinet ministers only received a general update on the developments that didn’t include the targets hit or the rationale behind the strikes.

West Bank mosque said partially torched, vandalized with graffiti about revenge

Palestinian media reports that alleged settler extremists torched parts of a mosque in the northern West Bank town of Marda.

Apparent footage from the scene shows graffiti messages saying “Revenge” and quoting a Psalms verse: “The righteous man will rejoice when he sees revenge.”

CCTV footage from the mosque purports to show a suspect spray-painting the messages.

Pentagon says number of US troops in Syria more than doubled prior to Assad’s fall

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, December 17, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, December 17, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON — The United States has more than doubled the number of its forces in Syria to fight the Islamic State group — a dramatic increase that the Pentagon reveals, acknowledging that the added troops have been there for months or even more than a year.

The US had said for years that there were about 900 troops in Syria, but Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, acknowledges there are roughly 2,000 there now.

The Pentagon was asked repeatedly about the US presence in Syria in the wake of the chaotic overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad on December 8. It did not disclose the increase and instead kept repeating the 900 figure.

Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Ryder says the additional forces have been in Syria “at a minimum of some months — it’s been going on for awhile.” He says he only just learned the new number and that the increase is not related to the ouster of Assad or any hike in attacks either by or against IS.

Pentagon officials say they are working to nail down the timing of the increase and what exactly the additional forces were doing.

Ryder blamed the secrecy on “diplomatic considerations” and sensitivities but declined to be more specific. There has long been friction between the US and Syria’s neighbors — Turkey and Iraq — about the ongoing presence of American forces in Syria and the need to keep them at a particular level.

And Ryder says he is “not tracking” any additional adjustments to the force numbers in the future. That could change, however, as President-elect Donald Trump has said he does not support US forces getting more involved in Syria.

FBI charges man with attempted mass casualty attack against Israeli consulate in New York

NYPD officers stand guard during an anti-Israel rally at the Israeli consulate on October 9, 2023 in New York City, two days after the Hamas attack on southern Israel. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
NYPD officers stand guard during an anti-Israel rally at the Israeli consulate on October 9, 2023 in New York City, two days after the Hamas attack on southern Israel. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)

NEW YORK — The FBI has arrested a suspect for an attempted mass casualty terror attack against the Israeli consulate in New York City, according to the consulate.

The suspect, Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, was an Egyptian national living in Falls Church, Virginia, who instructed an FBI informant to carry out the attack, according to a criminal complaint filed on Monday.

Hassan ran several social media accounts that supported ISIS, al-Qaeda and Hamas, and advocated for violence against Jews, the FBI says in the complaint filed in a federal court in Virginia.

Local police located Hassan after receiving a tip about one of his accounts on X. An undercover FBI asset then connected with Hassan on social media and secure messaging apps, in conversations that took place last month and this month.

Hassan instructed the informant on how to join ISIS and shared jihadist propaganda, including a video that advocated for killing Jews. He also encouraged the informant to carry out an attack, sending him instructions on how to create a “martyrdom video,” the complaint says.

The suspect sent the informant bomb-making instructions and told the informant, who said he was in New York, to target a building representing Jews, later settling on the Israeli consulate.

Ofir Akunis, Israeli’s consul-general in New York, thanks US security services for thwarting the attempted attack.

“This attempted attack by terror organizations is an attack on the sovereign soil of the State of Israel in its entirety,” Akunis says in a statement to The Times of Israel.

“It’s proof that terror knows no boundaries and that we must fight it everywhere and every time.”

Report: US State Department’s top diplomat for the Middle East to travel to Damascus in coming days

The US State Department’s top diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, will travel to the Syrian capital Damascus in the coming days, the Axios news site reports.

The State Department does not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

Washington still designates as a terrorist organization the Sunni Muslim group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the rebel forces that ended 50 years of brutal dynastic rule by Assad earlier this month.

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