Growing concern Iran may use Biden’s lame-duck period to attack Israel

JERUSALEM – Israel/Middle East Brief

Growing concern Iran may use Biden’s lame-duck period to attack Israel

Concerns have been raised within Israel’s defense establishment that Iran might try to exploit the period before former U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to the White House to act against Israel.

Trump taps Rep. Elise Stefanik as next U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

Wow! It looks like Elise Stefanik will be the US ambassador to the UN. pic.twitter.com/dOHPXWD76n

— Ridvan Aydemir | Apostate Prophet (@ApostateProphet) November 11, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump offered U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., chair of the House Republican Conference, the role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in his upcoming administration, CNN reported.

Saudi Arabia calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon; calls Israel’s actions against Hamas a ‘genocide’

Saudi Crown Prince MBS calls for an immediate ceasfires in Gaza and Lebanonpic.twitter.com/OcqGaatYu9

— Guy Elster (@guyelster) November 11, 2024

Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) delivered a stinging rebuke to Israel at a joint Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit Monday, in which he seemed to undo all the positive noises emanating from Riyadh about potential normalization of ties with the Jewish state. He called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, and went a step further, accusing Israel of genocide in its war against Hamas.

Dermer visited Russia in attempt to seal Lebanon ceasefire

NETANYAHU AIDE VISITED RUSSIA TO DISCUSS CEASEFIRE

As part of Israel’s efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, it has been revealed that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer visited Russia last week.

Russia is a major player in Syria, and its cooperation in a diplomatic… pic.twitter.com/y2iKTzT874

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 10, 2024

Ron Dermer, the strategic affairs minister and Israel’s former ambassador to the United States, secretly visited Russia last week, Army Radio reported Sunday, in what appeared to be part of Israel’s efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon where it is battling the Iranian proxy terrorist group Hezbollah. He reportedly followed this trip with one to Washington, D.C.

IDF intercepts Houthi-fired missile that set off early morning sirens in Jerusalem

A ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia triggered sirens in the Judean Foothills and the Lachish region on Monday morning, including in Beit Shemesh, Adora, Tzora, Beit Guvrin, Sarigim, Karmei Tzur, Kfar Etzion and Kiryat Arba, which is close to the ancient city of Hebron.

Report: Netanyahu mostly working from reinforced bunker following October drone strike on Caesarea home

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been operating within a secure room in the basement of the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, with heightened protective measures, since Hezbollah’s October drone strike on his private residence.

IRGC operative charged in plot to assassinate Trump, Jewish targets in U.S.

Farhad Shakeri, one of three Americans charged with the attempted assassination of president-elect Donald Trump, was also surveilling two Jewish American citizens and claimed an IRGC official offered him $500,000 for the murder of either victim, the Department of Justice announced Monday morning.

Netanyahu says he greenlit pager attack on Hezbollah operatives

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu confirms he was behind deadly pager attacks against Hezbollah https://t.co/ODjYR6mCXe pic.twitter.com/n2sQHvuSbq

— New York Post (@nypost) November 11, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the deadly exploding pager attacks on the Hezbollah terror group back in September, his office said for the first time Monday. A spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office confirmed the Israeli leader gave the sign-off after he claimed responsibility for the Sept. 17 massacre during a closed-door cabinet meeting.

WATCH: Gazans express thanks to IDF for eliminating Sinwar

Even if you don’t speak a word of Arabic, you can understand what these Gazans are expressing: deep, visceral rage.

But it’s not Israel they’re enraged about— it’s Hamas. pic.twitter.com/9rF5LmYI7y

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) November 10, 2024

Israeli soccer fans urged to stay away from international game against France in Paris

Despite the proposed presence of French President Emanuel Macron at Thursday’s Nation’s League game, for which 4,000 police officers will be deployed, Israel’s authorities have urged its soccer fans to refrain from attending the event in the wake of the recent pogrom in Amsterdam.

Report: Qatar requests Israel not carry out targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders on its soil

Qatar has reportedly asked Israel to commit that it would not eliminate senior Hamas leaders on its soil, Kan11 News reported Sunday night. There may be a connection between Qatar’s request and the country’s decision to cease mediation between Hamas and Israel, and expel the terrorist organization’s leadership from Qatari territory.

Concerning report shows net emigration of Israelis since Netanyahu government elected

According to the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research, relying on data from the CBS, there was a sharp increase of 42% in Israelis opting to live outside Israel’s borders in the months after the current coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power and during its legislative efforts to change the balance of power between the branches of government, with 24,900 leaving compared to 17,520.

Israel’s new FM pushes for closer ties with Kurds, Druze

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar: The #Kurdish people are our natural allies in the region, and we will lend them a helping hand and strengthen our relations with them, taking into account key security and political considerations. @gidonsaar@Israel https://t.co/pZdN9rI39x

— האגודה הישראלית לידידות כורדית ‍ (@h_alarkwazi) November 10, 2024

Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s new foreign minister, gave remarks on Nov. 10 in which he spoke in favor of expanded peacemaking with Arab countries while also ensuring the Middle East’s minorities are not neglected. “The Kurdish people are a large nation, one of the largest stateless nations. They are our natural allies,” he said. “They are a national minority in four countries, with autonomy in two of them – de facto in Syria, and de jure, in Iraq’s constitution. They suffer from oppression and aggression from Iran and Turkey. We must reach out to them and strengthen our ties. There are both diplomatic and security dimensions to this.”

Hezbollah fires volley of 50 rockets at Israel’s north, wounding 3

Videos showing the damage caused by Hezbollah rockets fired earlier from Lebanon into Israeli Arab areas in the north.

This is attempted murder (and a war crime) of their own people https://t.co/vwEeGSCUpN pic.twitter.com/OxPUtF4VlC

— Documenting Israel (@DocumentIsrael) November 11, 2024

Hezbollah fired a barrage of some 50 rockets at the northern Israeli city of Karmiel and its environs on Monday. At least three people were hurt including a toddler and a woman in her 20s who suffered moderate injuries. others suffered shock.

IDF kills Islamic Jihad operations chief in Gaza; and the terrorist behind Lebanese PM Hariri’s 2005 murder in Beirut strike

Head of PIJ operations in Gaza eliminated https://t.co/czgb6E0mTb pic.twitter.com/YuxqL9MDH5

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 10, 2024

A prominent Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist, Muhammad Abu Sakhil, who headed operations for the group, and worked in a command and control center embedded in a compound in northern Gaza that previously served as a school was killed in Gaza. In addition, Salim Jamil Ayyashm, a senior member of Hezbollah’s assassinations unit (Unit 121) – and who was convicted of the murder of the then-Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005 – was reportedly eliminated near the Syrian city of al-Qusayr in the Homs region.