Following the ouster of Syria’s despotic President Bashar al-Assad by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamic rebel forces on Sunday, the United States announced it will maintain a presence in the country and take steps to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, Reuters reports.
Israel struck more than 100 targets in Syria in less than 12 hours on Monday, a war monitor said, after the Israeli military admitted it crossed into Syrian territory to protect the Jewish nation amid concerns about chemical weapons.
Israeli Air Force jets struck dozens of targets across Syria on Sunday, neutralizing weaponry at risk of falling into hostile hands amid the rapid collapse of the Assad regime. Israel also secured the Syrian side of Mount Hermon to expand the demilitarized buffer zone and strengthen key defensive positions along the border.
Syria’s 50-year Assad dynasty abruptly ended this weekend when a lightning 10-day rebel offensive overran government-held territory and seized Damascus with little resistance. Bashar al-Assad, who ruled for nearly 25 years, fled by plane to an unknown destination as rebels took the capital.
Israel rushed to send reinforcements to the Golan Heights as they border Syria, where Islamic rebels rapidly gain territory, threatening long-time Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power.
Israel’s military said Friday it had “eliminated” a mastermind of aerial attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed by Hamas and other air strikes targeting Israeli forces.
As Syria’s army struggles to fend off the surprise insurgency launched last week by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Iran-backed militias entered the country on Sunday to lend support to the Syrian forces, Reuters reports. The insurgents first attacked Syria’s second-largest city of Aleppo and then moved into Idlib and Hama province.
Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon blamed each other for the deadliest clashes since their ceasefire came into effect last week, adding to global fears that the region will remain embroiled in armed conflicts.
Iran has canceled plans to attack Israel following Donald J. Trump’s victory in the recent U.S. presidential elections, Israeli and Iranian officials say.
The Biden administration is moving forward with a $680 million arms package to Israel, including thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits and hundreds of small-diameter bombs, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday, as reported by the Financial Times.
Israel has approved a U.S.-backed ceasefire with Hezbollah to end the war in Lebanon, while separately delegates discussed a hostage deal for Gaza.
Several people were wounded Sunday as Hezbollah launched over 250 rockets and drones at northern and central Israel, according to the military and medics. In response to the relentless attacks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted Hezbollah’s command centers in southern Beirut.
The United States has warned the Iraqi government that unless it prevents Iran-backed militants from launching attacks against Israel from Iraq, the Israeli government will soon order air strikes against Iraq, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed to the Knesset that Israel’s October “Days of Repentance” operation destroyed part of Tehran’s nuclear program, despite U.S. calls to avoid such sites. He also stated that the operation weakened Iran’s defense and missile production capabilities and vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Thursday afternoon that Israeli fighter jets targeted command centers and terrorist infrastructure linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in Damascus, Syria.
Newly appointed Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Wednesday that Israel would reject any ceasefire agreement that does not require Hezbollah to withdraw beyond the Litani River, amid reports that a deal may be close.
A CIA official was arrested in Cambodia and indicted on charges of violating the Espionage Act by leaking classified U.S. documents detailing Israel’s preparations for a retaliatory strike against Iran following a missile attack earlier this year, according to court records and a source familiar with the case.
A Russian warship carrying Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles carried out drills in the English Channel earlier this month, Sky News reports. Russia began mass-producing Zircon missiles in 2023 in an effort to strengthen its nuclear weapons capability.
After four decades of developing chemical weapons for use against its enemies, Iran’s Islamic terror regime may now have supplied its proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah, with pharmaceutical-based agents (PBAs) that attack a person’s central nervous system, the US’ Westpoint Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) warns in a new report.
In his second English-language video addressed to the Iranian people in recent months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Tuesday that a third Iranian attack on Israel would “simply cripple Iran’s economy.”