'Post' visits Rafah tunnels, special forces destroy terror facility in Syria

The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on Thursday regarding a potential hostage deal with Hamas, accusing Hamas of shielding their attempts at thwarting previous efforts to approve a hostage deal.

"Hamas is trying to hide the fact that it continues to oppose the deal for the release of hostages and is sabotaging it. While Israel accepted the 'final mediation proposal' put forward by the United States on August 16, 2024, Hamas rejected the proposal and even cold-bloodedly murdered six of our hostages. The world must demand that Hamas release our hostages immediately," The Prime Minister's Office stated.
 

Israeli ground forces targeted an Iranian missile production facility in Syria during a strike this week attributed to Israel, according to Middle East expert Eva J. Koulouriotis, who specializes in jihadist groups and cited a security source. Koulouriotis wrote on X that special Israeli forces entered the facility, removed equipment, and then destroyed the site.

On Sunday evening, reports indicated that Israel had carried out a wide-scale attack in the region, which included strikes on a scientific research center believed by Western sources to be responsible for developing non-conventional weapons.

According to Koulouriotis, the operation began with airstrikes on several roads leading to the facility, located approximately six kilometers southwest of Masyaf. A Syrian military headquarters was also targeted. Following the airstrikes, Israeli helicopters carrying special units approached the facility, supported by combat helicopters and drones, which were deployed to prevent reinforcements from reaching the area.

American-Turkish citizen Aysenur Eygi may not have been killed in the way the IDF claimed, the Washington Post alleged on Wednesday following an independent investigation. 

Eygi, who was killed by IDF fire near the Beita Junction, West Bank, was reportedly not killed during peak clashes in the area. The report alleges that Eygi was shot about 20 minutes after the crowd had moved on the main road more than 200 meters away from the Israeli security forces.

Eygi, 26, was killed by IDF fire on Friday in a violent gathering of dozens of Palestinians who had set tires on fire and threw rocks at the forces at the Beita Junction. The incident has sparked concern in the United States and significant outrage in Turkey.

In a joint operation, the IDF and Shin Bet arrested a resident of Halhoul for involvement in an August car bombing near Hebron on Thursday morning, Israeli media reported.

The car exploded in Halhoul on August 13, with Palestinian media reporting at the time that two people were injured.

The suspect was injured during the explosion and was arrested by Israeli security forces at a Halhoul hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for his wounds.

The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said six staffers were killed in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday, marking what it said was the highest death toll among its staff in a single incident.

The IDF carried out aerial strikes during a counter-terrorism operation in the Tulkarm area of the West Bank, the IDF announced on Wednesday evening.

Palestinian reports said the strike hit a vehicle, killing three people.

This is a developing story.

Hamas's negotiating delegation claimed that the terror group is ready to implement a ceasefire agreement based on President Biden's original plan laid out in July but rejects any new conditions, according to their Telegram on Wednesday night.

Hamas said they were "ready immediately to implement the ceasefire agreement based on President Biden's previous announcement and Security Council Resolution No. 2735 and what was previously agreed upon, especially the agreements of July 2, without setting any new demands, and its rejection of any new conditions on this agreement by any party."

An anti-tank missile hit a structure in Kibbutz Dan area in northern Israel, injuring a reservist soldier on the emergency standby squad, the IDF reported on Wednesday.   

According to reports by Israeli media, no alarm was sounded, and a fire broke out as a result of the hit. 

The Upper Galilee Regional Council stated that the man, aged 39, received initial medical treatment at the scene and was then taken to the hospital for further treatment. 

This week, just like the last few weeks, Hezbollah continued its attacks. The Iranian-backed terrorist group knows that it must keep up the pressure because Iran is closely monitoring the Gaza front and other fronts.

Hezbollah launched unprovoked attacks on Israel on October 8, helping Hamas in its war. It continued them because it cannot be seen to be abandoning Hamas, putting it in a complex bind: holding up its end of the bargain dictates its tempo of attacks.

This is a big shift from when Hezbollah was its own terrorist group and an Iranian proxy, the senior partner of any other proxy. But now, the others are growing. 

The IDF attacked an observation post of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the military stated on Wednesday. 

Troops from the IDF's 'Mountain' Brigade struck a Hezbollah observation post in the Kafr Shuba area in southern Lebanon. Following alerts that sounded in Kfar Szold, roughly 30 projectiles were identified crossing into Israeli territory from Lebanon, all of which fell in open areas.

No injuries were reported.