Iran Expected to Delay the Next Conflict in Order to Recover - Danny Zaken (Israel Hayom)
    A senior official told Israel Hayom that Iran, Hizbullah, and the Houthis are not expected to directly respond to the elimination of Hizbullah Chief of Staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai.
    Tehran risks a harsh Israeli counterattack and simply cannot absorb more military losses like those sustained during the 12-day war in June.
    Though Iran is working to rebuild its air defense capabilities and reportedly received aid from China, Israeli estimates suggest this will not significantly challenge Israel's absolute control of Iranian airspace.
    Moreover, Iran is experiencing a particularly dire economic and infrastructural crisis.
     Sogand Fakheri, an Iran Desk analyst at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA), said that the "quiet disintegration" of the country is a concept frequently discussed in Iranian domestic media.
    "However, it seems the disintegration is not quiet, the government is not functioning," she said.
    Sagiv Asulin, a senior researcher at the JCFA and an Iran expert, noted, "The Iranians are the world champions in word games, negotiation, and haggling in the Middle Eastern and global bazaar, so there is a big difference between what they say and what will materialize."
    "They are willing to heat up the atmosphere with belligerent statements, but in their current condition, they might play a game to the edge, but nothing beyond that, and therefore the answer to the question of whether they will initiate an actual attack is almost certainly 'no.'"
    Both Asulin and the senior official agree that Iran intends to delay the next conflict for as long as possible to allow itself time to recover, and wait for more favorable conditions.

Poll Shows Rising Hamas Support in West Bank, Gaza - Sagiv Steinberg (Jerusalem Post)
    Hamas is not merely surviving, it is actually getting stronger because it managed to rebrand the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners and the ceasefire as a "victory."
    According to the October 2025 poll published by Dr. Khalil Shikaki at the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, more than half of the Palestinian public (53%) still think the decision to launch the Oct. 7 attack was "the correct decision."
    Moreover, 66% in the West Bank and 51% in Gaza were satisfied with Hamas's performance in the war. 87% in the West Bank and 55% in Gaza oppose disarming Hamas.
    The story Palestinians are telling themselves after the ceasefire is a story of resistance that succeeded despite the heavy blow it took.
    The writer is CEO and director of communications at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.

Ethiopian Jewish Israeli Diplomat Reflects on Her Country - Ariella Rada (JNS)
    My earliest memories are of my mother telling me stories about our ancestors in Ethiopia - from the persecution they faced for being Jewish to their hopes that their descendants would one day live in the Jewish homeland.
    A unique holiday for Ethiopian Jews, Sigd, centers on our yearning to return to Jerusalem.
    Our community commemorates the day with prayers on a mountaintop, symbolizing the biblical story of Moses receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai.
    The claim that Israel is an "apartheid state" or "a nation of white supremacy" is blatantly false. Israel is a melting pot with people from all backgrounds and cultures living side by side.
    As a woman of color, Israel became a home to me just as it did for others of many backgrounds.
    I now feel it is my destiny to tell my country's story and represent the Jewish people, especially as antisemitism rises worldwide.
    I often think of my grandfather, who longed to reach Israel but died before his dream became reality. One day, I hope to visit Ethiopia, go to his grave, and say: "Grandpa, we did it!"
    I want him to know that I fulfilled his dream of calling Jerusalem home and representing the country he loved so deeply.
    The writer serves as spokesperson and consul for media affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in New York.

The World's Been Too Rough with Israel - Ludovic Hood (National Interest)
    Israel's response to the October 2023 Hamas-led massacres and kidnappings of over one thousand civilians, as well as to missile and drone attacks from Iran and its regional militias, has been vigorous.
    Pursuing victory - ending the threats to Israeli towns and cities from Hamas in Gaza, Hizbullah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and the regime in Tehran - requires the application of determined, and at times overwhelming, military force.
    In Gaza, Israel's army has been operating in some of the most difficult urban warfare conditions in history.
    Tragically, thousands of Palestinian civilians have died during the fighting over the past two years. But here is a simple truth: Hamas's leaders could have released the hostages and ordered their men to lay down their arms at any point.
    They knew Palestinian women and children would be collateral damage as they fired missiles and launched attacks from apartment buildings, inviting airstrikes.
    Preeminent news outlets routinely accept Hamas's allegations and lies at face value and downplay or overlook the group's actions, whether its use of human shields that have caused thousands of civilian deaths or its vicious tyranny and misogyny.
    The coverage and political gesturing in the West have been, at best, disproportionate and prejudiced, and, at worst, dishonest, malicious, and likely to extend the war and the suffering.
    The writer is a career U.S. Foreign Service Officer with two decades of experience working on Middle East affairs.