JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief:
Hamas submits names of hostages and their condition ahead of potential prisoner swap, including U.S. citizens
BREAKING
Hamxs has provided names of hostages and details about their medical conditions, including the names of sick and elderly individuals, as well as four American citizens. @N12News
We are getting closer to hostage deal. pic.twitter.com/3aCHUeFb1R
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 9, 2024
The Hamas terrorist group has submitted a list of hostages it proposes to free in the first stage of a ceasefire deal with Israel in addition to a list of Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel that it wants released, the London-based pan-Arab news site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.
Citing a source close to the talks, the report claims Israel is evaluating the list and could send a delegation to Cairo later today (Monday).
Saar: IAF hit Syrian chemical weapons, missile production sites
ISRAEL STRIKES ALLEGED CHEMICAL WEAPONS SITES IN SYRIA
Following Assad’s exile to Russia, Israel hit suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria to keep them out of extremist hands.
Airstrikes struck sites near Damascus’s Mezzeh military airport,… https://t.co/pHU15LJ0nL pic.twitter.com/0ycPo1JJ01
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 9, 2024
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirms Israel struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.
Sa’ar says that “the only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens.”
“That’s why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.
U.S.-Israeli intelligence services surprised at speed of Assad’s fall
Israeli and U.S. intelligence arrays failed to predict Assad’s downfall. Even after the rebel offensive started two weeks ago, the assumption in Washington and Jerusalem was that even if the opposition forces managed to advance, Assad would somehow manage to cling to power.
But on Thursday, the tide began to turn. “We are seeing early signs of the collapse of the Syrian army,” Israeli officials told JNS. These signs intensified over the weekend, until the fall of Damascus.
UAV fired from Yemen strikes residential building in central Israel
A Drone has reportedly struck a High-Rise Residential Building in the City of Yavne, to the South of Tel Aviv in Central Israel. There were not any Alerts prior to the Impact, and it is not known who launched the Drone. pic.twitter.com/autNL5kRDa
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 9, 2024
Residents in the central city of Yavne reported a loud explosion Monday morning followed by smoke rising from a building in the city.
Witnesses in the affected building, where a fire had broken out, claimed they saw a drone in the sky before the explosion.
“I heard a strange buzzing sound and then a loud noise,” one neighbor recounted. Authorities are investigating the incident, especially as incoming warning alerts did not sound.
IDF special forces seize Syrian side of Mt. Hermon, secure key southern Syria border area
BREAKINGHistory in the making, IDF fighters at the top of the Syrian Hermon Mountain. pic.twitter.com/U4UuDqGU3c
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) December 8, 2024
Following the fall of Syria’s long-standing dictator Bashar al-Assad, and a lightning advance from Turkish and Qatari-backed Islamist insurgents, the Israel Defense Force moved to quickly secure – without opposition – the Syrian side of Mt. Hermon. The part that is in Israel is the highest point in the entire country and provides excellent visibility to the fertile valleys in the Galilee below, providing it with a crucial strategic importance.
WATCH: Syria changes official flag after Assad’s fall
Putin grants Assad, and family, political asylum in Russia
An official in the Kremlin: Assad and his family received political asylum in Russia and arrived in Moscow pic.twitter.com/jcvGaetrvD
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 8, 2024
Reports of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s demise in a supposedly mysterious plane crash proved premature, as it was revealed Sunday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin granted him, and his family, political asylum. Assad was due to have given a televised address acknowledging his resignation as president, but events quickly overtook that plan, and now stateless, he fled the country.
Israeli security services arrest citizen on suspicion of spying for Iran
The Shin Bet and the Israel Police arrested an Israeli citizen living in northern Israel who carried out various tasks for the Iranians in exchange for thousands of dollars.
The suspect is identified as Artiom Zolotrev, who resides in Nof Hagalil. He was arrested in November. pic.twitter.com/JyMgMIToUA— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) December 9, 2024
An Israeli civilian from the northern city of Nof Hagalil was arrested for carrying out missions on behalf of Iran, the Shin Bet security agency and police say, the latest in a series of espionage cases.
The suspect, Artyom Zolotarev, 33, was detained in November over suspicions he was “committing security offenses related to contact with Iranian intelligence officials and carrying out security missions in Israel under their direction, for financial gain,” according to the Shin Bet.
Four IDF reserve soldiers killed in suspected ‘operational accident’ in southern Lebanon
Four Israeli reserve soldiers were killed in a suspected “operational accident” in southern Lebanon yesterday afternoon, the military announces.
The slain troops are named as:
Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, 43, from Zichron Yaakov.
Cpt. (res.) Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein, 31,… pic.twitter.com/ValMhawbvK
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 9, 2024
The IDF on Monday named four reservists of the 226th Brigade’s 9263rd Battalion killed when an underground compound collapsed during operational activity in southern Lebanon.
They were named as Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, 43, from Zichron Yaakov, a company commander; Capt. (res.) Sagi Ya’akov Rubinshtein, 31, from Lavie, a platoon commander; Master Sgt. (res.) Binyamin Destaw Negose, 28, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Erez Ben Efraim, 25, from Ramat Gan.
Druze in Syria, Israel, and Lebanon celebrate Assad’s toppling
Druze flag in the heart of Damascus pic.twitter.com/MpDFOShxOV
— Mira ⛥ (@MiraMedusa) December 8, 2024
Sheikh Loai, the commander of the Syrian Druze force that liberated Sweida, a province with a considerable Druze population, spoke with Ynet on Sunday amid celebrations following the fall of President Bashar Assad’s regime.
“As soon as the rebels began liberating northern Syria, we realized we had to act and remove all symbols of the tyrant Assad’s rule, from police stations to military bases,” he recounted.
Sweida, located in southern Syria, is the largest Druze stronghold in the Middle East, covering 5,550 square kilometers (2,142 square miles) and home to around 300,000 residents. Assad made significant efforts to limit the independence of the Druze community within his territory.
Australian police say synagogue arson likely ‘terrorism’
#BREAKING Anthony Albanese has announced that the Australian Federal Police have established a new taskforce to investigate antisemitism
It follows the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue and other incidents
Watch the press conference live: https://t.co/G1pRn3Qe2F pic.twitter.com/Zyn25eQNzZ
— 6 News Australia (@6NewsAU) December 9, 2024
Australian police said on Monday they are hunting for three suspects over an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, which has been designated as a terrorist act. Mask-wearing attackers set the Adass Israel Synagogue ablaze before dawn on Friday, police said, gutting much of the building. Some congregants were inside the single-story building at the time but no serious injuries were reported.
WATCH: Yoseph Hadad shocks Oxford Union debate with audio of Oct. 7 terrorist
Turkish archeologists claim to have found the tomb of St. Nick
Archaeologists in Türkiye believe they have discovered the tomb of Saint Nicholas, later famously known as Santa Clauspic.twitter.com/fDN2kKqljJ
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 9, 2024
Recent excavations at the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre, Antalya, Turkey, have revealed a limestone sarcophagus that may be the burial site of Saint Nicholas, the Greek bishop whose life and deeds inspired the legend of Santa Claus.
This discovery is part of the ongoing “Legacy for the Future Project,” led by Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University and initiated by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The sarcophagus, found within the church’s two-story annex, is believed to be the original burial site of Saint Nicholas, who lived in the ancient city of Myra during the 4th century CE. Measuring approximately two meters in length and buried at a depth of 1.5 to 2 meters, the sarcophagus features a raised lid and a pitched roof consistent with burial styles of the region. Its proximity to the church—constructed in the 5th century CE by order of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II—adds credibility to the theory that this was the saint’s original resting place.
WATCH: UNRWA school student: ‘We take pride in Oct. 7’
