Jan. 10: Meeting Biden and Trump aides, Dermer said to urge continuous US role in hostage talks

Biden to give farewell address to nation on Wednesday

US President Joe Biden will give a televised farewell address to the nation on Wednesday, the White House says, five days before Donald Trump returns to power.

“On Wednesday, January 15 at 8:00 pm, the President will deliver a Farewell Address to the nation from the Oval Office,” the White House says in a statement.

Zelensky says he spoke with Biden, thanked him for support

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, shake hands after signing a security agreement on the sidelines of the G7, June 13, 2024, in Savelletri, Italy. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he spoke with US counterpart Joe Biden earlier today and thanked him for his “unwavering support,” less than two weeks before the Democrat leaves office.

Biden has raced to provide as much aid to Kyiv as possible ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, amid fears the Republican will slash support for the US ally once in power.

“I spoke with (Biden) and expressed my condolences over the devastating wildfires in California and the tragic loss of lives,” Zelensky says in a post on X.

“I also thanked him for the unwavering support of Ukraine’s independence and for the vital role the United States has played in uniting the international community,” he adds.

The Biden administration has been steadfast in its support for Ukraine, announcing almost $6 billion in new military and budget assistance last month ahead of Trump’s return.

Trump has promised to resolve the conflict in “24 hours” once in office, raising fears in Ukraine that it will be forced to make major concessions in exchange for peace.

Moscow accelerated its advances in Ukraine last year, as Kyiv’s overstretched army suffered from exhaustion and a lack of manpower.

Turkey raps France, says US only counterpart in northeast Syria

Turkey’s top diplomat rules out a role for French troops in Syria, saying it is only negotiating with the United States which has sought to head off Turkish military action against Kurdish fighters there.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accuses Paris of turning a blind eye to Turkey’s security concerns and calls on France to take back French jihadist militants jailed in Syria.

International efforts have been made to dissuade NATO member Turkey from escalating an offensive against the Kurdish-led SDF, which helped US forces defeat the Islamic State jihadist group in 2019.

The SDF is seen by many in the West as crucial to keeping the jihadists at bay. Turkey however sees it as a security threat over its ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil.

Asked about the possible deployment of US and French troops in northern Syria to ease tensions with the Kurds, Fidan dismisses any role for France.

“The US is our only interlocutor,” he tells journalists in Istanbul. “Frankly we don’t take into account countries that try to advance their own interests in Syria by hiding behind the US.

“We have said it many times: there is no chance we can live with such a threat [from Kurdish groups]. Either someone else will take the step or we will,” he adds.

Fidan and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have made threats this week to launch an offensive in Syria.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot tell the French television channel LCI that he had called Fidan to highlight that Turkey and France need “a stable, sovereign and unified Syria.”

Biden to deliver a capstone foreign policy address on Monday

US President Joe Biden listens during a briefing regarding the federal response to the spread of wildfires in the Los Angeles area, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

US President Joe Biden plans to deliver a capstone address Monday on his foreign policy legacy, according to the White House.

The outgoing president is expected to use his address at the State Department to highlight his administration’s efforts to expand NATO, rally dozens of allies to provide Ukraine with a steady stream of military aid to fight Russia, forge a historic agreement between Japan and South Korea to expand security and economic cooperation and more, according to a senior administration official who requested anonymity to preview plans for the address.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre adds during a press briefing that the president will also likely address the Middle East crisis.

Biden picked the State Department for his first major foreign policy speech at the start of his presidency nearly four years ago.

During that February 2021 address, Biden sought to send an unambiguous signal to the world that the United States was ready to resume its role as a global leader after four years in which President Donald Trump pressed an “America First” agenda.

But the one-term Democrat will bid farewell to US diplomats and make the case for his worldview as Trump prepares to return the White House with plans to drastically overhaul American foreign policy.

The president-elect has decried the cost of US support for Ukraine’s war effort, called for NATO members to dramatically increase defense spending and said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he insists US control of both is vital to American national security.

US seeks 15 years prison for disgraced former NJ senator Menendez

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on the CARES Act on Capitol Hill, September 28, 2021, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP)

Robert Menendez, the disgraced former US senator from New Jersey, should spend at least 15 years in prison following his corruption conviction after he betrayed voters by putting his office “up for sale” in exchange for bribes, US prosecutors say.

The recommendation was filed on Thursday night in Manhattan federal court, a week after Menendez’s lawyers pleaded for leniency, citing the 71-year-old’s age, decades of public service, charitable works, devotion to family, and financial and professional ruin.

Probation officers recommended a 12-year prison term, which Menendez’s lawyers described as an effective “death sentence.”

Menendez, a Democrat who spent 18 1/2 years in the Senate and chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was convicted last July on all 16 counts he faced, including acting as an agent of a foreign government.

Prosecutors said Menendez accepted gold, cash, a Mercedes-Benz and other rewards in exchange for political favors, including shepherding of military aid to Egypt and providing assistance to Qatar, as part of a bribery conspiracy.

In Thursday’s filing, prosecutors also recommended that two New Jersey businessmen convicted with Menendez, Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, should spend at least 10 years and nine years in prison, respectively.

Motivated by “naked greed,” the defendants engaged in crimes that were “an extraordinary attempt, at the highest levels of the legislative branch, to corrupt the nation’s core sovereign powers over foreign relations and law enforcement,” prosecutors said.

The defendants have requested short prison terms, none more than two years, or no time behind bars. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 29 in Manhattan federal court.

Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, is trying to postpone her Feb. 5 trial on related charges, citing potential negative publicity from her husband’s sentencing.

Most of US intel community says it’s unlikely foreign adversary behind ‘Havana Syndrome’

Most of the US intelligence community assesses it is ‘very unlikely’ that a foreign adversary is behind the mysterious so-called Havana Syndrome symptoms experienced by some American officials, an intelligence assessment published today says.

Havana Syndrome was first publicly reported in 2016 when US diplomats in Cuba’s capital reported falling ill and hearing piercing sounds at night, sparking speculation of an attack by a foreign entity using an unspecified sonar weapon.

Other symptoms including bloody noses, headaches and vision problems were later reported by embassy staff in China, Europe, and the US capital Washington.

“Most of the IC [intelligence community] continues to assess that it is ‘very unlikely’ a foreign adversary is responsible for the events reported as possible anomalous health incidents,” says the assessment, which was published on the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

But “one IC component judges there is a ‘roughly even chance’ a foreign actor has used a novel weapon or prototype device to harm a small, undetermined subset” of US personnel and dependents who reported symptoms, according to the assessment.

And another component says there is a “roughly even chance” a foreign actor has developed a weapon or device that could have harmed American personnel, the assessment added.

The United States in 2017 withdrew non-essential employees from its recently reopened embassy in Havana and expelled Cuban diplomats over the illnesses, speculating that microwave or other electronic warfare was responsible.

But in a sign of easing concerns and also a sign of policy priorities, the Biden administration in 2023 reopened the US immigration office in Havana that had been shuttered during the scare.

France threatens to ‘retaliate’ if Algeria escalates diplomatic row

France’s foreign minister threatens to “retaliate” against Algeria if it escalates tensions over the arrests of Algerian social media influencers accused of inciting violence.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot tells LCI television that France would have “no option but to retaliate” if “the Algerians continue to escalate” the row, citing restrictions to visas or development aid among possible measures.

Algeria on Thursday sent back to France an Algerian who had been arrested and expelled for a video posted on TikTok.

Iran TV shows missile base after paramilitary march against ‘threats’

Iranians pull s box symbolizing an Israeli coffin during an anti-Israel rally to show their solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people, in Tehran, January 10, 2025. (AFP)

Iranian state TV shows the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps touring an underground missile base used in an attack against Israel, hours after fighters marched through Tehran.

The footage of the missile base at an undisclosed location “in the mountains” and the parade by paramilitary Basij volunteers come after the weakening of Iran’s allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during wars with Israel.

They also come days before US President-elect Donald Trump is due to take office. During his first term, he oversaw the killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Iraq, and reinstated sanctions on Tehran after pulling out from a landmark nuclear deal.

State TV showed Guards chief Hossein Salami visiting the missile base, which the report says has “dozens” of different types of missiles and was used during Iran’s second ever direct attack on regional foe Israel late last year.

Iran has unveiled a new underground missile base.

IRGC Chief Commander visited an underground missile base in Iran that was used in the confrontation with Israel back in October 2024. pic.twitter.com/8AaPEYlOm9

— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 10, 2025

IDF deputy chief of staff requests to step down, indicates he hopes to succeed army head Halevi

IDF deputy chief of staff Maj. Gen. Amir Baram speaks during a ceremony at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, October 31, 2022. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Amir Baram has notified Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi that he will finish his role as planned at the end of February.

Several months ago, Baram was asked to extend his two-year tenure by an additional six months due to the ongoing war.

In a letter to Halevi, Baram says since the intensity of the war “decreased significantly,” he feels his ability to contribute as deputy chief of staff is limited.

Therefore, Baram says he has no intention to serve as deputy chief of staff for any longer.

Baram says he is requesting to end his role at the end of February as planned, which would be two and half years from when he began the position.

“Of course in the future, I will be willing to fill any role required in the defense establishment,” Baram adds in his letter, hinting that he is planning to run for chief of staff.

The IDF says that Halevi and Baram discussed the matter, and Halevi “expressed his appreciation for the deputy’s important work during the war and in general.”

Key witness in PM’s trial: Sara Netanyahu threatened to kill herself, write letter saying it was because of me

Hadas Klein is interviewed on Channel 12 on January 10, 2025. (Screen capture/Channel 12)

Hadas Klein, a key witness in the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tells Channel 12 that the premier’s wife Sara once threatened to take her own life and leave a note stating that it was because of Klein.

Klein is the former secretary for the Netanyahus’ benefactor Arnon Milchan and a key witness in Case 1000, in which it is alleged Netanyahu illicitly received hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cigars, champagne, and jewelry — much of it allegedly at Sara Netanyahu’s request.

In one conversation, she says Sara Netanyahu told her “that she’s late for work because of me, that they’ll fire her because of me… and worst of all, she said I’ll take my own life and I’ll write a note that it’s because of you and Arnon.”

Klein says she was fired by Milchan after she completed her testimony for the state prosecution in September 2022.

Last month, the attorney general and state prosecutor ordered police to launch an investigation into Sara Netanyahu after an investigative report revealed that she orchestrated the harassment of Klein by activists from the prime minister’s Likud party.

“The gates of hell were opened on me,” Klein tells Channel 12, describing a sustained, organized campaign of harassment against her, with thousands of online posts accusing her of immorality and criminality.

She says her husband expressed his fear that she could be killed.

Klein says pro-Netanyahu activists accused her of having affairs with Milchan, with James Packer — another alleged benefactor of the Netanyahus — with former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, and with Milchan’s driver Jonathan.

She also appears to confirm a report in the Haaretz daily revealing that President Isaac Herzog met privately with her in 2017 when he was opposition chair. Haaretz suggested that Herzog wanted to meet with Klein to rattle her regarding her testimony in the Netanyahu case.

Before they sat down in her backyard, Herzog asked that their phones be placed inside so that they couldn’t be recorded. Herzog told Klein that Netanyahu told police that Milchan was the one who insisted on giving Netanyahu gifts and not the other way around.

The claim angered Klein who said everyone knew that the Netanyahus were the ones who sought gifts from Milchan.

Herzog — who is also a friend of Milchan’s — issued a denial to Haaretz, insisting that he never tried to influence the Netanyahu case.

Iran condemns ‘brutal’ Israel strikes on Houthis

Iran’s foreign ministry condemns as “brutal” a wave of Israeli airstrikes on areas of Yemen under the control of the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels.

Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei says in a statement that Iran “strongly condemned… the brutal and unprecedented attack carried out today by the Zionist regime against Yemen.”

Lebanon president to begin consultations on new PM next week

Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun will start consultations with political parties towards naming a prime minister from next week, the presidency says.

Forming a government is key to lifting the war-battered country out of the worst financial crisis of its history.

After more than two years of deadlock resulting from deep political divisions, Lebanese lawmakers elected army chief Aoun as head of state on Thursday.

The president “will on Monday hold parliamentary consultations” in which he will receive representatives of all blocs in the chamber, as well as independent lawmakers, “towards naming a head of government,” his office says.

The process of selecting a prime minister and forming a government is often drawn out, as the president must receive approval from a majority of lawmakers before he can name the head of government.

By convention in the multi-confessional country, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker is a Shiite Muslim.

Analysts say the weakening of Hezbollah in last year’s war with Israel allowed Lebanon’s parliament to finally elect a president, after critics said the Shiite group had blocked a dozen previous attempts.

IDF says it is preparing to demolish homes of 3 Palestinians who carried out deadly shooting attack

The IDF says it has measured the homes of three Palestinian terrorists who carried out the deadly shooting attack in the West Bank town of al-Funduq earlier this week, ahead of their potential demolition.

The homes are in the town of Qabatiya, near Jenin. Eight suspects were also detained in the town amid the operation this morning, the military says.

The three terrorists behind the attack are still at large.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

Jerusalem defends the practice of razing the family home of attackers as a deterrent against future assaults. Over the years, a number of Israeli defense officials have questioned the efficacy of the practice, and human rights activists have denounced it as unfair collective punishment.

Western powers reportedly warned Syria over foreign jihadists in army

US, French and German envoys have warned Syria’s new Islamist rulers that their appointment of foreign jihadists to senior military posts is a security concern and bad for their image as they try to forge ties with foreign states, two sources familiar with the matter say.

The warning from the US, part of Western efforts to get Syria’s new leaders to reconsider the move, was delivered in a meeting between US envoy Daniel Rubinstein and Syria’s de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday at the presidential palace overlooking Damascus, a US official says.

“These appointments will not help them with their reputation in the US,” the official says.

The foreign ministers of France and Germany, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, also broached the issue of foreign fighters drafted into the army during their meeting with Sharaa on Jan. 3, an official aware of the talks says.

Reuters reported the appointments on Dec. 30. The envoys’ comments on the appointments have not previously been reported.

Sharaa’s armed group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led an offensive that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 and has since installed a government and disbanded the Assad-era army. It is now making efforts to reconstitute the armed forces.

Five killed in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, health ministry says

The Lebanese health ministry raises the death toll from an IDF strike on the town of Tayr Debba in southern Lebanon from two to five.

The Israeli military said it had conducted an airstrike on vehicles loaded with weapons used by Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.

With UNRWA fate unclear, UN and Israel argue over who’s responsible for Palestinians

The United Nations and Israel are arguing over who must fill the gap if UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA stops working in the Gaza Strip and West Bank later this month when an Israeli law comes into force.

UNRWA still operates in the Palestinian territories but it is unclear what awaits the nearly 75-year-old agency when the law banning its operation on Israeli land and contact with Israeli authorities takes effect.

The UN and Israel have been engaged in tit-for-tat letter writing since the law on UNRWA was passed in late October. Shortly after, the UN told Israel it was not the world body’s responsibility to replace UNRWA in the Palestinian territories — Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In a letter to the UN General Assembly and Security Council late on Thursday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said if UNRWA was forced to stop operating then Israel “would be left to ensure that the range of services and assistance which UNRWA has been providing are provided” in accordance with its obligations under international law.

Guterres wrote that while other UN agencies were prepared to continue providing services and assistance to the Palestinians — to the extent they can — that “must not be viewed as releasing Israel from its obligations.”

The United Nations views Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as Israeli-occupied territory. International law requires an occupying power to agree to and facilitate relief programs and ensure food, medical care, hygiene and public health standards.

In a December 18 letter to the world body, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon claimed the new legislation “does not in any way undermine Israel’s steadfast commitment to international law.” He also rejected UN claims that Israel would be responsible for filling any gap left by UNRWA.

He wrote that Israel does not exercise effective control over Gaza and therefore is not an occupying power, adding that the law of military occupation also does not apply. He said that in the West Bank the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority for civilian affairs “must not be overlooked.”

“In Jerusalem, all residents are entitled to government and municipal services under Israeli law,” said Danon, adding that included health and education services. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized abroad.

IDF releases footage of Air Force jets flying ‘over the Mideast’ en route to Yemen

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet is refueled during strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The military releases footage showing Israeli Air Force fighter jets flying “over the Middle East” in today’s strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.

Another clip published by the IDF shows aerial refueling amid the strikes, which were carried out nearly 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) from Israel.

France summons Iranian ambassador over detention of its citizens

France has summoned Iran’s ambassador to protest over the case of three of its citizens whose detention conditions the foreign ministry says are akin to torture.

The ministry described the French nationals as “hostages of the state of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“Their situation is unbearable, with undignified detention conditions that, for some, constitute torture under international law,” it says, reiterating that French nationals are advised not to travel to Iran.

Officials in France have hardened their tone towards Iran in recent weeks over issues like Tehran’s nuclear program, regional activities and the detention of European citizens. They say that conditions for progress on talks with Iran on bilateral or multilateral issues will be dependent on the release of the hostages.

Senior French, British and German diplomats will meet with their Iranian counterparts on Monday in Geneva to discuss bilateral issues and more notably the future of nuclear talks ahead of the return of Donald Trump to the White House on Jan. 20.

France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that the situation of three French citizens held in Iran was worsening.

In recent years, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, often on charges related to espionage and security. Rights groups have accused Iran of attempting to extract concessions from other countries through the arrests.

According to diplomatic sources, about 20 European citizens from 10 countries are being held in Iran.

Dermer said to urge continuity on US involvement in hostage talks during meetings with Biden, Trump aides

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met earlier today with incoming US national security adviser Mike Waltz, the Axios news site reports, adding that the pair discussed ongoing efforts to secure a hostage deal.

Dermer has been in the US for the past several days meeting with senior members of the outgoing Biden administration and incoming Trump administration.

During his meetings, the message Dermer conveyed was Israel’s hope that there will be continuity in the transition with regards to US involvement in the hostage negotiations, Axios reports, citing an Israeli official.

Qatari PM briefs Trump’s Mideast envoy on hostage talks in Doha

Incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff met earlier today in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who briefed him on the ongoing hostage negotiations that Doha is mediating between Israel and Hamas, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

White House: Hostage deal still possible before Jan. 20, but it will require further compromise

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says he believes a hostage deal is possible before US President Joe Biden leaves office on January 20.

Asked during a press briefing to elaborate on the similarly optimistic message offered by Biden yesterday, Kirby declines to do so in order to not harm the ongoing negotiations.

He clarifies that when Biden said yesterday that he had met with the US negotiating team led by White House Middle East czar Brett McGurk, the president meant that he spoke with him on the phone.

“Do I think it’s possible? Yes, we think it’s possible, but not without a lot of hard work still ahead of us,” Kirby says.

“We believe it is possible, but it won’t be possible without additional compromise and some hard work,” he adds.

He reiterates the US belief that “Hamas continues to be difficult at the table,” while declining to elaborate as to how. “Why Brett is still there, and why we still don’t have a deal has to do with with with obstacles that Hamas continues to throw up.”

CIA chief: Hostage talks are quite serious, giving us a chance for a deal in next 2 weeks

CIA Director William Burns (C) departs after testifying before the US Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 11, 2024. (Mandel Ngan / AFP)

CIA Director William Burns says the Israeli hostages and Palestinian civilians are all living in “hellish conditions” in Gaza right now, adding urgency to the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in which he is involved on behalf of the United States.

Burns is asked in an interview on NPR’s ‘All Things Considered,’ who is to blame for the lack of a ceasefire deal to date.

While Biden on Thursday blamed Hamas, Burns avoids doing so and sidesteps the question entirely.

“At this point, I still think there’s a chance [for a deal, but] I’ve learned the hard way not to get my hopes up,” he begins.

“We’ll certainly — in this administration — work very hard at that right up until January 20, and I think the coordination with the new administration on this issue has been good.”

“The thing that I always remember is that this is not just an abstraction… It’s about human beings. It’s about hostages held in hellish conditions. It’s about their families with whom I meet regularly,” he continues. “And it’s about Gazan civilians who are also in hellish conditions right now and suffering terribly, especially through this winter.”

“There’s every reason for political leaders to recognize that enough is enough, that perfect is rarely on the menu in the Middle East. and that it’s time to make a deal,” Burns adds.

“Negotiations going on right now are quite serious and do offer the possibility, at least, of getting this done in the next couple of weeks,” he says.

IDF says it carried out drone strike on Hezbollah operatives loading vehicle with weapons

The IDF says it carried out a drone strike in southern Lebanon earlier today, after identifying Hezbollah operatives loading a vehicle up with weapons.

The strike targeted “the weapons that were on the vehicles, to remove the threat,” the military says.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, two people were killed in the strike, in the town of Tayr Debba, close to Tyre.

The IDF says it “continues to be committed to ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon” and will “remove any threat to Israel and its citizens,” as it remains deployed to some areas of southern Lebanon.

Swiss demand answers from Iran after tourist dies in prison

Switzerland has demanded more information from Iranian authorities after a Swiss citizen was arrested in the country and died in prison, the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) says.

A Swiss national who was arrested in Iran and accused of spying took his own life in prison on Thursday, the chief justice of Iran’s Semnan province was quoted as saying by the judiciary news agency Mizan.

The FDFA says it had been informed by the Islamic Republic about the arrest of the 64-year-old man on Dec. 10 on suspicion of espionage.

The man had been traveling in Iran as a tourist, and had not resided in Switzerland for almost 20 years, the FDFA said, adding he had been living in southern Africa.

After being informed of the arrest, the Swiss embassy in Tehran had tried to get more information and speak with the man, a request that was denied due to the ongoing Iranian investigation.

“Switzerland is demanding that the Iranian authorities provide detailed information on the reasons for his arrest and a full investigation into the circumstances of his death,” the FDFA says in a statement.

The FDFA says it was also seeking the repatriation of the man’s body, expected in the next few days.

Biden hits Russian oil in toughest sanctions yet in bid to give Ukraine, Trump leverage

The Biden administration has imposed its broadest package of sanctions yet targeting Russia’s oil and gas revenues in an attempt to give Kyiv and the incoming administration of Donald Trump leverage to reach a deal for peace in Ukraine.

The move is meant to cut Russia’s oil revenues for the war that started in February 2022, and has killed or wounded tens of thousands and reduced cities to rubble.

The measures are “the most significant sanctions yet against the Russian energy sector, the largest source of revenue for the Kremlin’s war machine,” a senior Biden official tells reporters in a call.

The US Treasury slapped sanctions on Russian companies Gazprom Neft SIBN.MM and Surgutneftegas that explore, produce and sell oil and 183 vessels that have shipped Russian oil, many of which are in the so-called shadow fleet of aging tankers operated by non-Western companies. They also include networks that trade the petroleum.

Many of those tankers have been used to ship oil to India and China as the price cap imposed by the Group of Seven countries in 2022 has shifted much of Russian oil trade from Europe to Asia. Some of the tankers have shipped both Russian and Iranian oil.

The logic of the sanctions “is to hit every stage of the Russian oil production and distribution chain,” the official said. They should cost Russia billions of dollars per month, if sufficiently enforced, the official said.

The sanctions target oil producers, tankers, intermediaries, traders, and ports.

The Biden administration believes that November’s sanctions helped push Russia’s ruble to its weakest level since the beginning of the invasion and pushed the Russian central bank to raise its policy rate to a record level of over 20%.

Italy FM proposes setting aside EU sanctions on Syria

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani calls for a moratorium on European Union sanctions on Syria for six months or one year.

However, Tajani adds during a press briefing in Lebanon that “lifting sanctions is not a national decision, they are a European bloc decision.”

US Supreme Court considers taking on case of Jewish NYC professors suing their union

Anti-Israel activists march outside of the CUNY Grad Center on July 22, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP)

The US Supreme Court is considering taking on a case filed by Jewish professors from New York City’s public university system against their union.

The case filed by six professors from the City University of New York (CUNY) — five of whom are Jewish — claims CUNY’s faculty union, the Professional Staff Congress, discriminates against Jewish and Zionist members.

The lawsuit was filed in the federal US Southern District Court of New York in 2022, and stems from a 2021 resolution by the union that condemned Israel and later calls by the union to consider boycotting Israel.

The plaintiffs said they were discriminated against following the resolution and were forced to resign from the union.

The essence of the lawsuit is a challenge to a New York State law that grants union leaders bargaining power for public sector employees, including employees who do not want to affiliate with the union. That law, known as the Taylor Law, violates the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights by allowing the union leaders to impose representation on the professors, the lawsuit argues. Under the state law, the Professional Staff Congress is the only faculty union with which CUNY engages in collective bargaining.

“New York’s Taylor Law prevents the Professors from dissociating themselves from PSC’s representation to protest its anti-Semitic conduct and other failings. The Professors are being compelled, against their will, to associate with an advocacy group they oppose,” says a brief to the court filed last month.

The professors are represented by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and the Fairness Center.

“No public worker should be forced to associate with union officials who denigrate their culture and identity. But unfortunately, this is exactly what New York State’s Taylor Law and many similar laws around the country allow,” Mark Mix, the president of the National Right to Work Foundation, said in a statement last month.

“The Supreme Court has expressed concerns with monopoly bargaining for decades, and it’s high time that the justices finally acknowledge the First Amendment protects government employees from being forced to accept ‘representation’ they adamantly oppose.”

The US district court dismissed the case in 2023, and an appeals court rejected it last year, prompting the plaintiffs to appeal to the Supreme Court.

A court listing for the case confirms justices are scheduled to confer on the case today, and the court is expected to announce its decision on whether to take the case on Monday.

Trump sentenced to unconditional discharge in hush money case

Former US president Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, May 30, 2024. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool, File)

A judge has sentenced Donald Trump to an unconditional discharge for covering up hush money payments to a porn star despite the US president-elect’s last-ditch efforts to avoid becoming the first felon in the White House.

“This court has determined that the only lawful sentence that permits entry of a judgement of conviction without encroaching on the highest office of the land, is an unconditional discharge,” says New York judge Juan Merchan delivering the sentence during a court session that Trump attended virtually.

Lebanon says Israeli strike kills two in south; no immediate IDF comment

Lebanon’s health ministry says Israel struck the country’s south earlier today, killing two people in the area of Tayr Dibba, near the coastal city of Tyre.

The reported strike came with a little over a fortnight to go before a 60-day deadline to implement the terms of a ceasefire that ended a war between Israel and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.

The IDF did not immediately comment on the strike, but it has been regularly targeting what it says have been Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire that went into place at the end of November.

Netanyahu huddles with security chiefs to discuss hostage negotiations

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a situational assessment this afternoon about the hostages with the heads of Israel’s security agencies, according to an Israeli official.

The negotiating team gave updates at the meeting and was given instructions for the continuation of talks in Qatar.

“The talks in Doha continue with intensity and with complete discretion,” says the official.

Stampede at major Damascus mosque kills three

A stampede at the landmark Umayyad Mosque in Syria’s capital on Friday killed three people, the Damascus governor says.

The crush “during a civilian event at the mosque… resulted in the death of three people,” Governor Maher Marwan tells state news agency SANA.

A #Syrian #chef posted a public invitation to eat open to all #Syrians in one place, in celebration of the victory in #Syria. Chaos erupted at the #Umayyad Mosque in #Damascus due to an event organized by Chef Abu Omar without proper security coordination. The disorder led to… pic.twitter.com/IHZSW6xi95

— Qusay Noor (@QUSAY_NOOR_) January 10, 2025

Lebanon’s Mikati to meet Syrian leader al-Sharaa in Damascus, Lebanese sources say

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati will meet Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Saturday, two Lebanese sources say, becoming the first head of government to visit Syria’s capital since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The visit will also be the first by a Lebanese premier to neighboring Syria in 15 years.

Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, said on Thursday there was a historic opportunity for “a serious and equal dialogue” with Syria, which had big sway over its neighbor during much of the Assad family’s five decades in power, maintaining troops there for 29 years until 2005 — a role many Lebanese opposed.

Sharaa, leader of the rebel forces that toppled Assad on December 8, pledged last month — during a meeting in Damascus with influential Lebanese Druze politician Walid Jumblatt — that Syria would not interfere in Lebanon’s affairs.

Mikati last week received a phone invitation from Sharaa to visit Syria. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, who is expected to accompany Mikati, said during a Dec. 26 call with his Syrian counterpart that Beirut was looking forward to the best neighborly relations with Syria.

The last Lebanese premier to visit Damascus was Saad al-Hariri, who went there in 2010.

Ties between Damascus and Beirut have often been fraught since they became independent states in the 1940s.

The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite terror group Hezbollah played a major part in propping up Assad during Syria’s civil war, fighting the Sunni Islamist insurgents who toppled him.

20 aircraft take part in IDF strikes against Houthis, army says

IAF F-16I fighter jets prepare to take off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli Air Force strike on the Houthis in Yemen involved over 20 aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes, according to the military.

The IDF says the fighter jets dropped some 50 munitions on three main targets: the Hezyaz power plant near the capital Sanaa and infrastructure at the Hodeidah and Ras Isa ports on the western coast of Yemen.

Alongside the new details, the military releases footage of IAF F-16I fighter jets taking off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for the strikes.

IAF pilots prepare to take off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IAF F-16I fighter jets prepare to take off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IAF F-16I fighter jets prepare to take off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IAF F-16I fighter jets prepare to take off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IAF pilots prepare to take off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IAF F-16I fighter jets prepare to take off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IAF F-16I fighter jets prepare to take off from the Ramon Airbase in southern Israel for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, January 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Netanyahu: Houthis will continue paying price for attacking Israel

The Houthis in Yemen will continue to pay a price for attacking Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says after Israeli warplanes strike ports and other targets controlled by the rebel group.

“As we promised,” he says in a statement, “the Houthis are paying, and will continue to pay, a heavy price for their aggression against us.”

He says that Israel attacks targets along the coast and deep inside Yemen.

“The Houthis are an extension of Iran and they serve the terrorist goals of the Iranian axis in the Middle East,” he continues. “They pose a danger to Israel and the entire region, including harming global freedom of navigation.”

According to the IDF, Israel hit the Hizaz power station, and the Al Hudaydah and Ras Isa ports.

“We will act with determination and force against any entity that threatens Israel – wherever and whenever necessary,” Netanyahu concludes.

After IDF strikes Houthis, Katz says there will be no immunity for Iran-backed group’s leaders

Defense Minister Israel Katz issues a video statement from the IDF HQ in Tel Aviv, January 10, 2025, following Israeli airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen. (Screen capture/Elad Malka/Defense Ministry)

Following the Israeli airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, Defense Minister Israel Katz says “there will be no immunity” for leaders of the Iran-backed group that has been launching missiles and drones at Israel since the beginning of the war.

“Today’s strike by the IDF in Yemen is a clear message to the leader of the Houthi terrorist group, Abd al-Malik al-Houthi, and the leaders of the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen: There will be no immunity for anyone,” Katz says in a video statement.

“We will pursue and hunt you down and destroy the terror infrastructures you have established,” he vows.

The strikes today were launched as a weekly protest was held in Yemen’s capital Sanaa in support of the Gaza Strip.

“Thousands of Houthi [supporters] who participated in a hate march against Israel heard up close the power of the Air Force planes,” Katz says.

“The port of Hodeidah is paralyzed and the port of Ras Isa is on fire and the message is clear: Whoever harms Israel will be struck much much more,” he adds.

IDF confirms airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen

The IDF confirms it launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen a short while ago, in response to the Iran-backed group’s repeated ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israel.

The Israeli Air Force strikes targeted the Hezyaz power plant near the capital Sanaa and infrastructure at the Hodeidah and Ras Isa ports on the western coast of Yemen, according to the military.

The IDF says the power plant served “as a central source of energy for the Houthi terrorist regime in its military activities.”

The strikes were carried out shortly after the US-led coalition reportedly hit Houthi sites in the Harf Sufyan District, north of Sanaa.

Israel coordinated its strikes with the US, as it has done in past sorties in Yemen. It was not a joint Israeli-US attack, contrary to some reports.

Houthis take responsibility for last night’s attempted drone attack on Israel

The Houthis in Yemen take responsibility for last night’s attempted drone attack on Israel.

The IDF said three drones launched at Israel from Yemen were successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, with no damage or injuries being caused.

The Houthis claim that the three drones were aimed at targets in the Tel Aviv area, “and they were able to reach their targets successfully.”

Thousands of fighters march through streets of Tehran in show of force after proxies weakened

Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps parade through the streets of Tehran during an anti-Israel rally, January 10, 2025. (AFP)

Thousands of fighters affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps paraded with heavy weapons and vehicles through the streets of Tehran on Friday showing their readiness to face “threats.”

The parade by paramilitary Basij volunteers comes after the weakening of the Iranian proxy groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, as well as the fall of the Iran-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Vehicles mounted with rocket launchers, artillery and naval commandos move through the streets. Fighters in combat gear march on foot with rocket launchers, and black-clad women carried rifles.

Some drag coffins adorned with Israeli flags, as flags of the Hezbollah terror group fly along with Iranian and Palestinian banners.

IRGC commander General Mohammadreza Naghdi singles out Iran’s enemies, the United States and Israel, during the gathering.

The US, he says, was “behind all the misfortune in the Muslim world.”

As for Israel, “If we are able to destroy the Zionist regime and withdraw the American bases in the region, one of our big problems will be resolved,” he says.

Another IRGC commander, General Hassan Hassanzadeh, tells state television that one aim of the rally was to “support the population of Gaza and Palestine.”

“We also want to show that the Basij are ready to confront all threats from enemies of the Islamic revolution,” Hassanzadeh says.

IDF probe: Dikla Arava, Tomer Arava Eliaz likely killed by Israeli fire on Oct. 7

Noam Elyakim, Dikla Arava, and Tomer Arava Eliaz (R-L), killed during Hamas's October 7, 2023 massacre on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. (Hostages Families Forum)

An IDF investigation into the deaths of Dikla Arava, 51, and her son Tomer Arava Eliaz, 17, in Kibbutz Nahal Oz during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, has found that the pair were likely killed by Israeli fire.

The probe, carried out by Col. (res.) Yaron Sitbon — who is responsible for a larger and ongoing investigation into the entire battle at Nahal Oz — was presented to their families last night. The probe is based on testimonies from soldiers, officers and civilians, the IDF says.

According to the investigation, on the morning of October 7, terrorists burst into the home of Arava-Elyakim, and opened fire on the door to their bomb-safe room. As a result of the gunfire, Noam Elyakim, 46, was wounded.

The terrorists then stole the phone of Elyakim’s girlfriend, Dikla, and began a Facebook live-stream which showed her son Tomer walking around nearby houses in the kibbutz and calling the neighbors to come out of their homes, after being threatened by the terrorists.

The investigation found that after around an hour and a half, Tomer managed to flee from the terrorists and hide in the kibbutz.

Moments later, IDF troops who had been battling numerous terrorists in Nahal Oz for some six hours, spotted a suspicious figure and opened fire.

“From the conclusions of the investigation, it appears that the figure was most likely the late Tomer Arava Eliaz, who was killed by fire from our forces in this incident due to a misidentification,” the IDF says.

The military says Tomer “acted bravely until the moment he was shot.”

At the same time, the terrorists abducted Noam and his two children Dafna and Ela, and his partner Dikla.

The investigation found that while the terrorists were heading toward Gaza with the four hostages, Israeli troops opened fire on their vehicle.

The IDF says the vehicle was identified by the troops as a “vehicle of terrorists on the run,” while they were battling numerous terrorists in the kibbutz.

As a result of the gunfire, Dikla was killed, according to the probe.

After the gunfire, the terrorists abandoned the vehicle in the Kibbutz, leaving Dikla’s body there.

Noam was also killed on October 7, 2023, and his body was only found on October 17. The IDF’s probe did not detail the circumstances of his death.

Dafna and Ela were taken to Gaza, where they were held captive for 51 days before being released as part of a truce deal on November 26.

The IDF in its statement says it failed on October 7, but notes that “at the same time, the security forces, reservists, local security officers and civilians fought bravely.”

Houthis say 6 airstrikes hit Hodeidah port; no comment from Israel, US-led coalition

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reports that six new airstrikes hit the Hodeidah port on the western coast of Yemen.

There has been no comment from the US-led coalition or Israel on the strikes yet.

Houthi media reports airstrikes in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa

Airstrikes were carried out a short while ago in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, according to the Al-Masirah TV station, which is owned by the Houthi regime.

No further details are immediately available.

Earlier, Al-Masirah reported US and British strikes in areas north of Sanaa.

The airstrikes hit an area close to Al Sabeen Square, where weekly protests are carried out in support of the Gaza Strip, according to Al-Masirah.

عدوان امريكي – بريطاني على صنعاء بجانب ميدان السبعين الان مع وجود المتظاهرين. pic.twitter.com/zrs3Ml87HB

— وحيد الطوالبة – Waheed tawalbeh (@waheed_tawa64) January 10, 2025

Yemen: Airstrikes reported in areas north of Houthi-held capital Sanaa

Media outlets in Yemen report airstrikes in areas north of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

The Al-Masirah TV station, which is owned by the Houthi regime, reports that 12 strikes were carried out by US and British forces in the Harf Sufyan District.

High Court orders state to detail how it will enforce conscription of ultra-Orthodox men

The High Court of Justice has ordered the state to provide details on how it intends to enforce the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men and how it will combat refusal to respond to IDF draft orders, after a hearing on Haredi conscription efforts earlier this week.

The state has until January 30 to respond.

Earlier this week, the state told the High Court that starting in 2026, there will be no limit to the number of ultra-Orthodox servicemen the Israel Defense Forces will have the capacity to enlist.

The High Court also asks for details on the steps that will be taken to ensure Haredi men are drafted, including whether draft orders will automatically be issued for Haredi 18-year-olds, as they are for the vast majority of 18-year-olds across Israeli society.

This past year, some 70,000 Haredi males were listed as eligible for military service.

In a landmark ruling in June, the High Court of Justice ruled unanimously that the government must draft ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students into the military since there was no longer any legal framework to continue the decades-long practice of granting them blanket exemptions from army service.

Since then, thousands of orders have gone out but few Haredim have enlisted, with the overwhelming majority of those eligible for military service remaining out of the army.

As of November 2024, the IDF had issued 1,126 arrest warrants to those who did not show up to the induction centers.

PM demands swift investigation into ‘outrageous’ attack on IDF officer in Bnei Brak

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemns the “outrageous” attack on Maj. Gen. David Zini in Bnei Brak last night, and demands that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

“This was a dangerous and shameful act of violence that has no place in a state governed by law,” the premier says, calling for “an immediate swift and thorough investigation” into the incident.

“We will fight any manifestation of violence with zero tolerance,” Netanyahu adds.

עשרות חרדים תקפו באלימות את האלוף דוד זיני שביקר אמש בבני ברק תוך קריאות "נאצי, נוחבה". הוא חולץ. המשטרה הודיעה כעת כי שלושה מהתוקפים נעצרו pic.twitter.com/s7oS2bjHu9

— יואלי ברים yoeli brim (@yoeli_brim) January 10, 2025

Iran’s Pezeshkian welcomes Aoun’s election, says unity in Lebanon will ‘defeat’ Israel

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian welcomes the election of his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun after the country went more than two years without a head of state, saying unity will “defeat” Israel.

“There is no doubt that reinforcement of stability and unity will defeat the greed of the Zionist enemy against Lebanese territory,” Pezeshkian says in a message to Aoun published by the official IRNA news agency after his election on Thursday.

Aoun, widely seen as the preferred candidate of the US and Saudi Arabia, was elected after the candidate backed by Iranian proxy Hezbollah withdrew from the race on Wednesday.

Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.

Brother of Nova massacre victim says country must ‘fight to bring the hostages home’

Roy Baruch, fourth from left, at a rally for the hostages outside Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate on January 10, 2025. (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

As the names of each hostage are read aloud at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate, some people call “Amen!” after each name.

Roy Baruch, the brother of Uriel Baruch, whose body was abducted to Gaza after he was killed trying to escape the Nova festival, speaks about his beliefs.

He refers to the need to learn from the destruction of the First Temple due to fissures among the ancient Israelites which is commemorated today — the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet — by religious Jews as a fast day.

“The hostage families are part of all of us, their pain is ours and their cries are ours,” says Baruch. “This fast day reminds us of an important lesson. We have to fight to bring the hostages home. Let’s pray for what was and what should be.”

At the end of the rally, the audience is asked to stop and think about one hostage and where they might be at this moment, and to turn to someone they don’t know to tell them who and what they thought about.

After army chief elected president, Lebanon’s caretaker PM vows to disarm Hezbollah in the south

This handout picture provided by the Lebanese Prime Minister's press office shows Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati delivering a statement to the press in Beirut on October 11, 2024. (Photo by Lebanese Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP)

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati says that the state will begin disarming southern Lebanon, particularly the areas south of the Litani River, to establish its presence across the country in line with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.

“We are in a new phase — in this new phase, we will start with south Lebanon and south Litani specifically in order to pull weapons so that the state can be present across Lebanese territory,” Mikati says.

His statement comes after Lebanese Armed Forces chief Joseph Aoun was elected president on Thursday, ending a two-year stalemate.

Aoun, in comments after his election, vowed to ensure that the state would have “a monopoly” on the right to carry arms, in reference to Hezbollah’s extensive arsenal.

Over the years, Lebanese forces have failed to uphold two UN Security Council resolutions demanding the disarmament of all of Lebanon’s various militias, and the withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from its border with Israel.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah signed in late November is the latest attempt by the US to encourage the Lebanese army to enforce the 19-year-old measure.

Katz orders IDF to present plan for ‘complete defeat of Hamas’ if no hostage deal reached by Trump’s inauguration

Defense Minister Israel Katz meets with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other officers, January 9, 2025. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

Defense Minister Israel Katz says he has ordered the IDF to present him with a plan “for the complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” if there is no hostage deal by the time incoming US president Donald Trump enters the White House.

“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, there must be a complete defeat of Hamas in Gaza,” Katz says in a statement issued by his office.

Katz says, “We must not be drawn into a war of attrition that will cost us heavily and not lead to victory and the complete strategic defeat of Hamas and the end of the war in Gaza.”

Katz instructed the military to present him with plans for the “complete defeat” of Hamas during an assessment last night with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other top officers.

According to Katz’s office, the minister “emphasized that the issue of releasing the hostages has been the top priority of the defense establishment since he took office and that everything must be done to bring them home.”

“The defense minister emphasized that we must not be drawn into a war of attrition against Hamas in Gaza, while the hostages remain in the tunnels with their lives in danger and while they suffer severely,” the statement says.

Katz asked the IDF to “specify the issues that might make it difficult to carry out the plan, including the humanitarian issue and other issues, and leave it to the political echelon to make the necessary decisions.”

The defense minister also “emphasized that the matter of the political solution to Gaza is not relevant to the issue of the plan and the activity required now, because no Arab or other party will take responsibility for managing civilian life in Gaza as long as Hamas is not completely crushed.”

Relatives of hostages plead for unity in Israeli society at Jaffa Gate rally

Siggi Cohen, mother of hostage Eliya Cohen, speaks at a rally for the hostages at Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate on January 10, 2025. (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

The focus of the rally at Jaffa Gate is solidarity in Israeli society.

Ilai David, brother of hostage Evyatar David, speaks about the need to create the most moral, loving society in Israel in order to welcome the hostages home.

“The hostage families represent a microcosm of Israeli society,” says David.

He sends a message to his brother, taken hostage from the Nova music festival, telling him that the family is holding each other, and taking care of one another.

“We know you’re alive and coming home and I picture you hugging our parents and playing guitar while I play the piano. You’ll come back and you’ll study sound production and travel and raise a family.”

Siggi Cohen, mother of Eliya Cohen, taken hostage from the field shelter outside the music festival with hostages Or Levy, Alon Ohel and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, says October 7 was the biggest disaster with so many killed and taken hostage and soldiers killed.

“And why?” She says. “Because we were separated as a society and unable to accept one another, we were a weak and hostile society and the enemy took advantage of that.”

She speaks about meeting all of Eliya’s friends in the last year, “with tattoos and without tattoos, Haredim and Ethiopians, married and single, and they all love him,” says Cohen. “I ask myself what does he know that we don’t? I hope he’ll come back and tell us how he does it and until then, we’ll do our best to be patient with every kind of person.”

Hostage rally held at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate as attendees mark minor Jewish fast

Bereaved mother Sarit Zussman speaks at a rally for the hostages at Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate on January 10, 2025. (Jessica Steinberg/Times of Israel)

A rally for the hostages is being held at Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate as people observe a minor fast day marking the siege of Jerusalem on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, which culminated in the destruction of the First Temple.

The gathering draws a mostly kippah-wearing crowd and is sponsored by a number of organizations, including Tel Aviv restaurant Haachim which has emerged as a civic group since October 7, 2023, along with organizations Fourth Quarter, Hashomer Hachadash, Jerusalem’s Shomrim Al Habayit and others.

Sarit Zussman, mother of Ben Zussman, who was killed on December 3 while fighting in Gaza, speaks about her Jerusalem roots.

“My grandfather was born inside these walls and I live not far from here,” says Zussman.

“We believe because we’re believing people,” she continues. “We believe that there is hope or we wouldn’t rally and hope. We stand next to these walls because the fast is about the intention to fix.”

“We’ve lost people and that’s how we learned about them, people we never got to meet, it’s truly painful. There are people, 98 people who can still be saved.”

Katz: Bnei Brak rioters who attacked IDF officer ‘crossed a red line’

Defense Minister Israel Katz declares that ultra-Orthodox rioters who attacked Maj. Gen. David Zini in Bnei Brak overnight “crossed a red line.”

“Harming IDF commanders and soldiers, who dedicate their lives to the security of the State, will not be accepted under any circumstances,” Katz says. “Law enforcement authorities must act to bring the rioters to justice.”

אני מגנה בחריפות את התקיפה האלימה של האלוף דוד זיני בידי קומץ מתפרעים קיצוניים בבני ברק. זוהי חציית קו אדום חמור. פגיעה במפקדי וחיילי צה"ל, המקדישים את חייהם למען ביטחון המדינה – לא תתקבל בשום אופן, ועל רשויות החוק לפעול כדי למצות את הדין עם המתפרעים.

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) January 10, 2025

IDF condemns assault of senior officer by ultra-Orthodox mob in Bnei Brak

Maj. Gen. David Zini, the head of the IDF's Training Command (left), greets an ultra-Orthodox soldier drafting to the IDF's new Haredi brigade, known as the Hasmonean Brigade, January 5, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it views the assault of Maj. Gen. David Zini by a mob of ultra-Orthodox men in Bnei Brak last night with “severity.”

“The chief of staff supports and strengthens the important work of Maj. Gen. David Zini to recruit members of the ultra-Orthodox community,” the military says in a statement.

“The IDF views with severity and condemns any violent behavior towards its service members who work day and night for the security of the State and its citizens,” the statement adds.

Zini, who in addition to being the head of the Training Command and General Staff Corps, is the “project manager” of drafting Haredi soldiers to the IDF.

Last night, dozens of Haredi men attacked Zini and one of his subordinate officers while they were at a restaurant in Bnei Brak, shouting “murderer” and chasing them through the street.

Security firm salvages tanker hit by Houthi rebels, averting threat of Red Sea oil spill

This photo released by the European Union's Operation Aspides naval force shows the oil tanker Sounion burning in the Red Sea, following a series of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, on September 14, 2024. (European Union's Operation Aspides via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An oil tanker that burned for weeks in the Red Sea and threatened a massive oil spill has been “successfully” salvaged, a security firm says.

The Sounion had been a disaster in waiting in the waterway, with 1 million barrels of crude oil aboard. It had been struck and later sabotaged with explosives by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, taking months for salvagers to tow the vessel away, extinguish the fires and offload the remaining crude oil.

The Houthis initially attacked the Greek-flagged Sounion tanker on August 21 with small arms fire, projectiles and a drone boat. A French destroyer operating as part of Operation Aspides rescued its crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel after they abandoned the vessel and took them to nearby Djibouti.

The Houthis later released footage showing they planted explosives on board the Sounion and ignited them in a propaganda video, something the Iran-backed group has done before in its campaign.

Hostage forum: Youssef and Hamza Ziyadne ‘could have been saved’ through hostage deal

Hamza Ziyadne (left) and his father Youssef Ziyadne (Courtesy)

Following confirmation that Hamza Ziyadne’s body has been identified after it was recovered from Gaza earlier this week, the Hostages Families Forum says “he and his father Youssef could have been saved.”

“Hamza Ziyadne was a man of nature, he loved animals and was loved by his friends,” the forum says.

The 22-year-old father of two was abducted from Kibbutz Holit by Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 attacks, along with his father Youssef and siblings Bilal, 18, and Aisha, 17.

Bilal and Aisha were released on November 30, 2023, after more than 50 days in Hamas captivity.

“Four family members were kidnapped and only two of them returned alive,” the forum says. “Youssef and Hamza, who survived a period of hell in Hamas captivity could have been saved in a deal prior to now.”

It adds that the “lengthy identification process” to confirm Hamza’s death is “difficult proof of the urgent need to return the deceased for burial.”

The forum calls for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speed up the process of clinching a deal for the return of the hostages.

“We have a historic window of opportunity and we must not lose it. You have the mandate from the people — bring them home.”

IDF confirms death of hostage Hamza Ziyadne, day after father Youssef laid to rest

Hamza Ziyadne (Courtesy)

The family of hostage Hamza Ziyadne, 22, say they have been informed that his body was identified by the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.

Ziyadne’s remains were recovered by the IDF from a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah on Tuesday night, along with the body of his father Youssef, 53.

The IDF says its representatives notified Ziyadne’s family of the news this morning, following the identification process by the forensic institute.

“Hamza and Youssef were abducted alive on October 7 and were killed in Hamas captivity. The IDF and Shin Bet share in the family’s grief at this difficult time,” the military says.

“The IDF and Shin Bet are making every effort to return all the hostages as quickly as possible,” the statement adds.

The IDF said earlier this week that the remains it recovered from the tunnel raised “grave concerns” for Hamza’s life. It is now confirmed that he was indeed killed.

It is now believed that 94 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.

Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.

Senior IDF officer overseeing Haredi draft attacked in Bnei Brak; 3 arrested

A mob of ultra-Orthodox men attack Maj. Gen. David Zini, the IDF officer tasked with overseeing the Haredi draft, in Bnei Brak, January 9, 2025. (Screenshot, X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

A senior IDF officer responsible for advancing the draft of Haredi soldiers to the military was attacked by a mob of ultra-Orthodox men in Bnei Brak last night.

Maj. Gen. David Zini, head of the Training Command and General Staff Corps, and the “project manager” of drafting Haredi soldiers, was eating at a restaurant in Bnei Brak with one of his aides, an officer with the rank of major.

Dozens of Haredi men surrounded the two officers, shouting “murderer,” while chasing them through the streets of the central city.

Police say that three suspects were arrested, and the two officers were rescued from the crowd.

The three suspects, aged 29, 24, and 19, will be brought to court later today.

Zini was attacked by a Haredi mob in Bnei Brak in July as well.

The attacks come as the IDF is working to draft more Haredi soldiers to the military, as it suffers personnel shortages amid the war, and following a High Court ruling stating that there is no longer any legal framework allowing the state to refrain from drafting yeshiva students into military service.

האלוף דוד זיני, שמקדם את גיוס החרדים לצה"ל, הותקף הלילה בבני ברק על ידי המון קיצוני לאחר שזוהה במסעדה בעיר. לפי התיעודים הוא חולץ על ידי המשטרה@AnnaPines_ pic.twitter.com/sn832JhQsW

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 10, 2025

Death toll in Los Angeles wildfires rises to 10

At least 10 people are now known to have died in multiple wildfires raging around Los Angeles, the county’s coroner says.

“The Department of Medical Examiner received notification of 10 fire-related deaths as of 9 pm on January 9,” a statement says, adding: “All cases are currently pending identification and legal next of kin notification.”

Israeli settlers raid West Bank village, set fire to Palestinian property

For the third night in a row, Israeli settlers raided a village in the West Bank and set fire to Palestinian property, the official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA reports.

The latest incident took place in the village of Khirbet Abu Falah northeast of Ramallah.

Footage shows a building used by farmers on the outskirts of the village going up in flames.

“Revenge Funduq” is graffitied on the outer wall of the building, apparently referencing the area where a deadly terror shooting attack took place this week.

Settlers have carried out nightly attacks throughout the West Bank since that shooting, but no arrests have been made.

The Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) announced on Tuesday that an investigation of a senior police officer is focused on the suspicion that he deliberately refused to investigate incidents of suspected Jewish nationalist attacks in the West Bank, ostensibly to advance his position in the police force.

Israel has long failed to deal with settler violence successfully but the problem has intensified since far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir became minister in charge of the police two years ago.

Before entering politics, Ben Gvir dismissed settler violence and defended Israelis allegedly involved in such attacks.

مستوطنون يضرمون النار في منشأة زراعية ويخطون شعارات عنصرية بالعبرية على جدرانها في قرية أبو فلاح شمال شرقي رام الله بالضفة الغربية المحتلة pic.twitter.com/VFThQotg13

— TRT عربي (@TRTArabi) January 10, 2025

Los Angeles officials raise death toll from fires to 7

Firefighters look out over the Kenneth Fire, January 9, 2025, in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

The death toll from wildfires in Los Angeles has risen to seven from five, LA officials tells reporters.

Australian synagogue graffitied with swastikas, in latest antisemitic attack Down Under

Illustrative: Australian police forensics officers and detectives inspect the area where anti-Israel graffiti was written on a wall in the Sydney suburb of Woollahra on December 11, 2024. (David Gray/AFP)

Australian authorities denounce “hate-filled” vandals who daubed swastikas and other graffiti on a Sydney synagogue in the early hours of Friday, the latest in a series of attacks on Jewish places of worship.

The vandalism on the Southern Sydney Synagogue comes a little over a month after masked arsonists gutted a Melbourne synagogue, prompting the government to create a federal task force targeting antisemitism.

The Hamas-led terror onslaught in October 2023 and subsequent war in Gaza has sparked regular protests by supporters of Israel and Palestinians while feeding tensions between the two communities across Australia, as in much of the world.

The Sydney vandalism was “a hate-filled attack by individuals that have got hate in their hearts,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns tells journalists.

“I think the painting of a swastika on a Jewish building shows you everything you need to know about how appalling these particular individuals are and what their ultimate aim is.”

Police say they have increased the protection of synagogues around Sydney.

HURSTVILLE SYNAGOGUE IN SOUTHERN SYDNEY THIS MORNING

Anyone want to argue this is not ugly raw antisemitism?

ANOTHER synagogue attacked in Australia. This is a consequence of weak political leadership and lack of effective law enforcement.

President of the synagogue George… pic.twitter.com/51kP66l3Mu

— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) January 9, 2025

Investigators will review all CCTV in the area, says New South Wales police assistant commissioner Peter McKenna.

“It’s abhorrent. It’s not the Australian way, as I said, and people who do this sort of thing should realize that we will be out in force to look for them. We will catch them. We will prosecute them,” he tells reporters.

Biden and Trump teams reportedly coordinated on supporting new Lebanese president

The Biden administration and US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team coordinated on supporting new Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Axios news site reports.

Citing a US official and source familiar with the matter, the report says US envoy Amos Hochstein and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan discussed the matter with Trump’s incoming national security adviser, Representative Mike Waltz, with the sides agreeing on preventing Hezbollah from making a comeback.

Hochstein also reportedly briefed Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy.

Macron says Mideast situation among the issues he discussed with UK’s Starmer

French President Emmanuel Macron says in a post on X that he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and they both reaffirmed their commitment to support Ukraine and discussed several other issues.

At Chequers, the British prime minister’s official country residence, Macron says that he spoke to Starmer regarding the situation in the Middle East and the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The two countries are now prepared for the upcoming Franco-British Summit, he says in the post on X.

After Herzog visit, Cypriot official says Israel and UAE worried about Turkish influence in Syria

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Israel and the United Arab Emirates are concerned about the extent of Turkey’s military footprint and influence inside Syria and have reached out to Cyprus to act as a mediator, a Cypriot official says.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and the Emirati foreign minister held separate meetings with the president of Cyprus on Thursday to discuss events in Syria, the official says, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to publicly discuss details of the meetings.

The impromptu meetings came a day after Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides attended a trilateral summit in Cairo with Egypt’s president and Greece’s prime minister.

The official says there is a “convergence of views” between Israel, the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and other neighboring countries about how the situation within Syria will unfold and what repercussions they will have on the future of the region.

Turkey had long backed the Syrian rebels who overthrew President Bashar Assad, and is looking to protect its interests in the country now that Assad is gone. Turkey has also threatened a new military offensive into northern Syria unless Syrian Kurdish fighters lay down their arms.

Thank you, President @Christodulides, for your steadfast friendship and the warm and productive discussion we shared. We spoke about the issue that is of the highest priority—bringing home the hostages being cruelly held by Hamas in Gaza—as well as the latest regional challenges… pic.twitter.com/EIGxvZtbmU

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) January 9, 2025

Biden: ‘Real progress’ being made in hostage talks, but Hamas ‘in the way’ of a deal

US President Joe Biden speaks about the Los Angeles fires at the White House in Washington, on January 9, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)

US President Joe Biden says he thinks his administration will be able to secure a hostage deal, even though Hamas is currently the obstacle to an agreement.

As is often the case, a question about Israel is among the first to be shouted by the White House press corps as Biden wraps up a briefing on a completely different topic — the wildfires devastating Los Angeles.

Asked to provide an update on the hostage talks, Biden is cautious to get into detail but says, “We’re making some real progress,” adding that he spoke with US negotiators earlier Thursday.

He then switches topics to the Lebanese parliament’s election of military chief Joseph Aoun to be Lebanon’s president. Biden calls him a “first-rate guy” and says he heard from the general of his plans to ensure that the Lebanese military is “accountable to the Lebanese people — not Hamas, not Hezbollah, not any other group.”

To date, successive Lebanese governments have had a difficult time maintaining independence from the Iran-backed terror group, which has enjoyed veto power over much of the country’s decision-making. With Hezbollah significantly weakened due to an intensified military campaign by Israel late last year, the parliament was able to move forward with today’s vote. While the US publicly refrained from backing any candidate, it privately lobbied for Aoun, according to an official familiar with the matter.

Biden then shifts back to the hostage talks. “I know hope springs eternal, but I’m still hopeful that we’ll be able to have a prisoner exchange.”

“Hamas is the one getting in the way of that exchange right now, but I think we may be able to get that done. We need to get it done,” he says.

For over a year, the White House has blamed Hamas for the lack of ceasefire in Gaza.

While Egyptian and Qatari diplomats along with some members of Israel’s negotiating team and even several US officials have told The Times of Israel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to agree to anything more than a temporary ceasefire has been the main obstacle, Washington has refrained from voicing that belief publicly.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested in a New York Times interview last week that US pressure on Israel has led Hamas to harden its positions.