Jewish News Syndicate                                                              Israel ..read more

Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted trade and economic relations with Iran during a recent event in Moscow. Iranian media has made light of this because Iran is eager to secure closer ties to Moscow. Iran is already a member of BRICS and other economic groups that bring it close to Russia. However, with a new Trump administration looming, Tehran is concerned about US sanctions. Iranian media reported that Putin “Putin made the remarks during a plenary session of the 15th VTB Russia Calling! Investment Forum is being held in Moscow with its main theme, ‘The Future ..read more

Israel has given to Hamas, through Egyptian mediators, an updated version of a ceasefire deal proposal that involves the release of the remaining 100 hostages, two Israeli officials said. Attempting to leverage regional and international shifts—including the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in mid-October, the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in late January—the updated version of the proposal mirrors previous similar efforts while emphasizing the implementation of the first phase of the deal from August. "Th ..read more

The Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist organization Hezbollah has already begun rebuilding its military capabilities and financial operations, just over a week since a ceasefire with Israel went into effect after 13 and a half months of war. While the IDF’s aerial and ground offensives severely degraded the Iranian proxy’s terrorist infrastructure and forces, according to U.S. intelligence estimates, Hezbollah has started recruiting new fighters, boosting domestic weapons production and looking for ways to continue smuggling arms in via Syria. Reuters cited a senior American official, an Israeli ..read more

US President-elect Donald Trump's incoming Middle East envoy has met the prime ministers of Qatar and Israel to kick-start Trump's diplomatic push to reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal before he takes office on Jan. 20, a source briefed on the talks told Reuters on Wednesday. Steve Witkoff, the incoming envoy, traveled to Qatar and Israel in late November, the source said. The meetings signal that the Gulf state of Qatar has resumed its role as a key mediator after suspending that role last month, the source said, adding that negotiators from terrorist ..read more

US President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday he would appoint Adam Boehler, one of the lead negotiators of the Abraham Accords, as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. In a post on his social network Truth Social, Trump said Boehler “has negotiated with some of the toughest people in the World, including the Taliban, but Adam knows that NO ONE is tougher than the United States of America, at least when President Trump is its Leader,” adding, “Adam will work tirelessly to bring our Great American Citizens HOME.” The announcement came two days after the president-elect warned there ..read more

An Israeli diplomat accused the United Nations of fixation on anti-Israel resolutions brought by the world's worst human-rights abusers just hours before the General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution approving a high-level conference in support of the two-state solution. On Tuesday, the General Assembly voted by a 157-8 margin, with seven abstentions, in favor of holding a conference in June 2025 aimed at adopting "an action-oriented outcome document" to "urgently chart an irreversible pathway towards the peaceful settlement" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the implementat ..read more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to “respond strongly” after Hezbollah launched projectiles at an Israeli military post. Israeli officials said on Monday that Hezbollah fired on Mount Dov, an area near the combined borders of Israel, Syria, and Lebanon.  Hezbollah said the shots were fired as a “defensive and warning response” due to “repeated violations” of the ceasefire by Israeli forces.Israel has conducted at least four airstrikes and one artillery barrage on positions in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire began last Thursday, ostensibly to neutra ..read more

One of the most important Iranian-backed militias in Iraq is awaiting orders to deploy in Syria to help the Syrian regime fight rebel groups. This has potential implications for Israel because the Iranian-backed militias have been attacking Israel with drones over the past year. These groups have operated in Syria in the past, and they pose a clear and present danger to Israel.According to Iranian state media, the Kataib Hezbollah brigade “has said that the group has not yet decided to deploy its fighters to Syria to fight terrorists in the country.” Kataib Hezbollah  ..read more

On an almost daily basis, convoys of the IDF’s Construction Unit 563 in southern Israel bring both equipment and structures to soldiers in the Gaza Strip, the military revealed on Tuesday. The unit, which operates under the Southern Command, is divided into three sections. “The first section evaluates the terrain and designs structures tailored to the conditions, whether deep in the combat zone or on the rear line,” Unit Commander Lt.-Col. Avital Baron said. “The execution section handles construction, sometimes even under fire, while the maintenance section is responsible for the regul ..read more