Browsing: Middle East

Operation lasted just 45 minutes, resulted simultaneous arrests of several suspects Israeli troops apprehended several Hamas terrorists operating in the Syrian town of Beit Jinn, in the northern Golan Heights, in an overnight operation, the Israel Defense Forces reported on Thursday. In a rare official acknowledgment of Israeli activity in Syrian territory, the IDF said the troops of the 3rd and 9th Brigades executed a “targeted nighttime operation in Syria.” The operation was based on intelligence gathered in recent weeks and resulted in the capture of “several Hamas terrorists who had been attempting to advance multiple terror plots against Israeli…

US officials believe Israel is ready to carry out an attack on Iran and could launch military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities in the coming days, reports suggested early Thursday, even as high-level talks aimed at a diplomatic deal over Tehran’s nuclear activity remained on track for Sunday. The reports, from US networks NBC and CBS, that Israel was moving toward a long-threatened military strike came hours after the US announced it would evacuate some personnel from the region amid fears they could be targeted by Iran in reprisal actions. The moves came after US President Donald Trump indicated he…

The Israel Defense Forces carried out a series of strikes on several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday evening that it said were used by Hezbollah to manufacture drones, and in a separate instance, also issued evacuation warnings for two areas in a southern Lebanon town. The strikes in Beirut hit several underground drone manufacturing facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s aerial forces, also know as Unit 127, according to the military. Ahead of the strikes, which began shortly after 10 p.m., the IDF said it had “identified that Hezbollah’s aerial unit is working to produce many thousands of UAVs, under…

There has been a recent uptick in drone usage by Hamas within the Gaza Strip, the IDF said Thursday. Earlier in the day, a soldier was moderately wounded and another was lightly wounded in northern Gaza in a drone attack. A Hamas terrorist cell operated a drone over Israeli forces in the area and dropped a grenade on a unit positioned near buildings, the IDF said. The soldiers were hospitalized, and their families were notified. Reservist soldiers reported the rise in drone threats in recent weeks, with Hamas using drones to gather intelligence on IDF movements and to carry out attacks. Continue reading this…

The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency recovered the bodies of slain hostages Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein from the southern Gaza Strip in an operation overnight, it was announced Thursday. The two, a married couple who held US citizenship, were murdered during their morning walk near Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, and their deaths were confirmed by the military in December of that year. They had been held by the Mujahideen Brigades, a relatively small terror group in the Strip that was also responsible for the abduction and murder of Shiri Bibas and…

Humanitarian aid operations resumed in Gaza on Thursday as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation reopened its central distribution center near the Netzarim Corridor, following a day of chaos and disinformation reportedly fueled by Hamas. The center is one of two currently active in a large-scale effort to deliver food to civilians across the war-torn enclave. Shortly after operations resumed, reports emerged of an Israeli strike near the facility, adjacent to the Netzarim Corridor. No injuries were reported, but sources said the strike appeared to be another attempt—likely by Hamas—to disrupt aid efforts. The IDF also dropped leaflets calling on civilians to…

The Shin Bet security agency announced on Thursday that it thwarted 85 cyber attacks carried out by Iranians against Israeli citizens, most of them senior in the public sector. These include senior security officials, political figures, academics, leading communications professionals, journalists, and more. The information the Iranians tried to obtain was intended, among other things, to carry out an attack against persons in Israel, through Israeli cells recruited in the country. Together with the National Cyber Directorate, the Shin Bet identified a significant increase in recent months in attempts by Iranian elements to carry out phishing attacks. The goal of…

Israel on Monday, May 26, rejected a proposal crafted by Hamas for a partial deal that would see the release of five hostages. “[The proposal is] very far away from the outline that we are willing to negotiate on,” an Israeli official told Israeli media. The proposal was formulated by Hamas and passed on to the US through direct backchannel communications. The US then presented the proposal to Israel. Notably, the US didn’t say whether it supported the proposal or not. The proposal included the release of five living hostages in return for the following points: IDF withdrawing to its…

“Over the past 24 hours, the IDF has begun extensive strikes and deployed forces to seize strategic areas in the Gaza Strip, as part of the initial stages of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ and the expansion of the campaign in Gaza, to achieve all objectives of the war, including the release of hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit in a statement, Friday evening, May 16. “IDF forces under the Southern Command will continue to operate to protect Israeli citizens and fulfill the war’s objectives,” it added. A senior defense official recently provided more details about “Operation…

The IDF said on Thursday that a tank commander in the 52nd Battalion, ‘Iron Trails’ Brigade (401), was severely injured earlier today (Thursday), during combat in the northern Gaza Strip. The soldier was evacuated to hospital to receive medical treatment, and his family has been notified. Earlier on Thursday, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued a call for residents in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate southward as soon as possible, as the IDF is continuing its preparations for a major ground maneuver in Gaza. Inside the strip, humanitarian aid continues to flow in. A local journalist reported…