IDF names fallen soldier, IDF, Shin Bet kill Hamas terrorists in Jabalya

The Israeli Air Force on Saturday struck the rocket launchers in Gaza that were used to fire rockets at the Jerusalem, Yehuda, Western Negev, Lachish, HaShfela, and Yarkon areas of Israel earlier that day, the IDF stated on Sunday morning.

The IAF struck a launcher containing a rocket that was ready to be fired, causing the rocket to be launched. The military did not note how far or where the rocket subsequently traveled or if it caused damage within Israeli territory or Gaza.

Due to the slower-than-expected deployment of the Lebanese army to southern Lebanon, the IDF withdrawal from the country is also going slower than initially planned, officials said.

This comes as Israel enters the second half of the 60-day ceasefire deal - the so-called "implementation phase."

Israeli officials believe that the IDF will have to stay in southern Lebanon past the agreed 60 days.

Officials told The Jerusalem Post last week that “The Lebanese army is deploying in southern Lebanon – but at a much slower pace than agreed. And the question is: what to do on day 60."

Ceasefire deal details

On November 27, at 4:00 a.m., a ceasefire was signed between Israel and Hezbollah, and a 60-day test period began – after which the ceasefire will become permanent.

IDF soldiers operate near Khiam, in southern Lebanon, December 15, 2024 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The agreement stipulated that during those 60 days, the Lebanese army would deploy in southern Lebanon in order to operate against Hezbollah.

This would then ultimately lead to a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

Ibrahim Al-Amine, the editor-in-chief of Lebanese outlet Al-Akhbar, which is considered "the mouthpiece" of Hezbollah, wrote on Saturday, "We must resist the enemy’s violations. The cost of confronting the occupation forces is lower than the cost of relying on what they are doing now".

The Attorney General's Office has approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request to cancel his testimony in court this week, as he is due to undergo surgery on Sunday to remove his prostate.

Netanyahu is expected to stay in the hospital for several days after the surgery.

The prime minister has been appearing in court to provide testimony in several corruption and bribery cases.

Seven people were killed and others seriously wounded in an Israeli strike on the upper floor of Al-Wafaa Hospital in the center of Gaza City on Sunday, the Hamas-run Palestinian civil defense said.

The Hamas-run official bodies in Gaza do not distinguish between combatant and civilian casualties.

The IDF has yet to confirm the strike.

Syria’s new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, also known as Ahmed al-Shara'a, said he hoped Iran would “reconsider its interventions in the region and reconsider its policies" in an interview with Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath on Sunday.

He also added that "a broad segment aspires to a positive Iranian role in the region." He also explained that the Military Operations Department "did its duty towards the Iranian headquarters despite the injuries."

"We were expecting positive statements from Tehran," he said.

In addition, Julani said that Syria could have elections in the future, but it will take up to four years to prepare for them to take place. He said that the change in power in Syria from the Assad regime to the new rulers will help lead to stability across the Middle East. 

In recent weeks the Syrian leader has held many meetings, with western diplomats and countries in the region, seeking to shore up support. He has also had to deal with new sectarian tensions and protests in Lattakia, Damascus and Homs. This has been met with a combination of flexibility and the deployment of security forces. Also some Syrian soldiers and officers who fled during the December 8 fall of the Assad regime have returned to Syria. This is leading to questions about how dissidents will be treated.

SYRIAN OPPOSITION fighters stand in front of University of Aleppo, after rebels opposed to Syria’s President Bashar Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo, last week. (credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano)

"I do not consider myself the liberator of Syria. Everyone who made sacrifices liberated the country,” Julani said in the interview.

"We tried hard to make the transfer of power smooth." He believes that the peaceful transfer of power will help lead to guaranteeing security in the region and the Gulf for fifty years. He knows his audience, in this interview he is speaking to people who are closer to the Gulf and Saudi Arabia. This is in contrast to when he meets with Turkish officials and his policy points must be more directed toward Turkey or Qatar’s policies in the region.

Changes to the fabric of Syrian society

The new Syrian leader said it could take three years to write a new constitution for the country and that would mean elections might take four years to happen. “Any valid elections will require a comprehensive population census.” He also wants to see a National Dialogue Conference will include all components of society. Parts of Syria are not controlled by the government. Northern Syria is partly controlled by Turkey and eastern Syria is controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. This means that consolidating all of Syria under Damascus’ control will take time. "Syria will need a year for the citizen to feel radical service changes,” Julani said.

He said that the rights to protest will be enshrined in Syria. He also said that many of the current appointments in the new government have come from one party because of the speed with which they had to be made. He emphasized this is not designed to exclude other groups. In essence the new rulers of Syria come from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group that ran Idlib until it swept into Damascus on December 8. However there are many other groups in Syria, such as southern Syria former rebel groups, Druze groups in southern Syria and also Kurdish, Christian and Alawites. “The former regime left behind huge divisions within Syrian society,” Julani said.

The new Syrian leadership wants to see the various groups that fought in the war dissolved. This is supposed to take via a National Dialogue Conference at which time groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and numerous other armed groups would cease to exist. This is important because there are a plethora of these groups such as Ahrar al-Sham, and Suleiman Shah and others.

Julani said he wants to negotiate with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to resolve the crisis in northeastern Syria, and later to include them in the government armed forces. He stressed that the Kurds are an integral part of the Syrian components, the report said. The new Syrian leader hopes that incoming US President Donald Trump will lift sanctions on Syria.

He also expressed his hope that the new US administration headed by Donald Trump would lift sanctions on the country. In addition he praised Saudi Arabia. This is not a surprise since he was speaking to a Gulf and pro-Saudi audience in the interview. “I am proud of everything Saudi Arabia has done for Syria, and it has a major role in the country’s future,” he said. He hinted at investment opportunities. He pointed out he grew up in Saudi Arabia until he was seven years old. 

On Russia he noted that "Russia is the second most powerful country in the world and has great importance." He discussed how Syria has “strategic interests” in ties with Russia. Russia has backed Syria since the 1960s and was a key partner of the Assad regime. Syria’s military is based on Russian and Soviet era systems. “Russian statements seemed very positive towards the new authority that has temporarily taken over the country’s administration, during this transitional phase,” Al-Arabiya noted. 

The Israeli Air Force on Saturday struck the rocket launchers in Gaza that were used to fire rockets at the Jerusalem, Yehuda, Western Negev, Lachish, HaShfela, and Yarkon areas of Israel earlier that day, the IDF stated on Sunday morning.

The IAF struck a launcher containing a rocket that was ready to be fired. The strike caused the rocket to be launched. The military did not note how far or where the rocket subsequently traveled or if it caused damage within Israeli territory or Gaza.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad said its fighters had been subjected to a fierce campaign of arrests, shootings, and attacks in a Saturday evening statement calling for a cessation of the Palestinian Authority's ongoing security crackdown in Jenin.

Rescued hostage Qaid Farhan Alkadi told the IDF that he heard a woman speaking Hebrew in nearby tunnels, but his testimony was ignored, according to a Saturday report by N12.

This article contains depictions of torture pertaining to the Gaza hostages, which may not be suitable for some readers.

The medical and psychological conditions of hostages who returned from Hamas captivity in Gaza were revealed in a Saturday Health Ministry report, which will be submitted to the United Nations this week.