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In-Depth Issues:
Trump Ties Saudi F-35 Deal to Normalization with Israel - Danny Zaken ( Israel Hayom)
At the meeting on Nov. 18 between President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump pressed the crown prince to take at least one symbolic step toward normalization with Israel.
Bin Salman declined, citing his internal difficulties and public opinion in Saudi Arabia.
So although Trump announced a future sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, he made it subject to a practical move toward normalization with Israel and entry into the Abraham Accords.
Moreover, Washington essentially rejected the Saudi request to enrich uranium on Saudi soil.
Egyptian attempts to pressure senior Hamas officials into accepting a framework for surrendering power and weapons face obstinacy from at least part of Hamas's leadership.
The Turks are currently missing from efforts to pressure Hamas. This step followed Israel's veto on including Turkish troops in the multinational force expected to enter Gaza.
Video: Israel Didn't Just Fly the F-35, They Reinvented It ( Tactical Sky)
Israel's unprecedented deep-strike mission into Iran revealed a new era of F-35 capability - one built on real combat, not theory.
Their F-35I combat data transfer and mission data file optimization delivered insights the Pentagon had sought for years.
By pioneering extended-range stealth modifications, including conformal fuel tank engineering, Israeli pilots executed strikes once thought impossible.
At their airbase, technicians perform full depot-level maintenance in-house, keeping jets battle-ready at rates the U.S. can't match.
Israel's Elbit electronic warfare suite proved decisive, enabling daylight penetration.
But the greatest breakthrough may be their network-centric strike integration, linking F-35s with legacy aircraft, missile defense systems, and ground networks to create a unified combat picture.
Former U.S. Military Commanders Reveal Details about Israel's 12-Day War Against Iran - Yaakov Lappin ( JNS)
Israel's June 2025 operation against Iran not only removed an existential threat to the Jewish state but also advanced American national security interests.
U.S. Gen. (ret.) Charles Wald said Wednesday that "Israel displayed intelligence and military capabilities that exceed any of America's allies in the world."
"It's probably the most impressive military operation I've ever seen or been a part of."
The operation began with a synchronized opening strike that eliminated around 30 senior Iranian military leaders, IRGC commanders, and nuclear scientists within the first four minutes, throwing regime's command and control into disarray.
While Israel had been preparing for the confrontation for decades, the decision to strike in June was driven by intelligence that Iran was preparing a massive preemptive attack with 700-1,000 ballistic missiles.
There was a real concern that hundreds of missiles might rain down on Israeli bases, cratering runways, destroying jets, and effectively neutering Israel's air force.
This intelligence was combined with alarming warning signs that Iran was accelerating its nuclear weapons research towards a cruder but deployable nuclear device.
See also Insights from Israel's 12-Day War Against Iran - Gen. Charles Wald et al. ( Jewish Institute for National Security of America)
Pro-Iran Militias Are the Big Winners in Iraq's Election - Khairuldeen Makhzoomi ( Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
The preliminary results of the 2025 Iraqi parliamentary election reveal that armed militias and their affiliated political actors have consolidated power.
The Coordination Framework (CF) - the political umbrella that brings together the parliamentary arms of Iran-aligned militias - secured 119 seats.
The CF's overall parliamentary bloc jumped to 165 seats, giving it unprecedented political weight, a sign of the deepening political dominance of Tehran-aligned forces.
On Nov. 18, the CF declared itself the largest parliamentary bloc following the formal integration of additional Shia groups and individual MPs. This puts the CF in a decisive position to nominate the next prime minister and shape the formation of the new government.
The U.S. must now decide how to engage with an Iraqi administration in which individuals linked to the U.S.-designated terrorist organizations hold substantial parliamentary authority.
Tehran has gained an institutional victory through the ballot box.
India's Bnei Menashe Jewish Community Set for Homecoming in Israel - Michael Freund ( Jerusalem Post)
On Nov. 23, the Israeli government approved a comprehensive plan to bring all the remaining 6,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community in northeastern India to Israel by 2030.
The Bnei Menashe are descendants of the tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel exiled by the Assyrian empire in 722 BCE.
Despite being cut off from the rest of the Jewish people, the Bnei Menashe remained dedicated to their heritage. They observed the Sabbath, kept kosher, and celebrated the Jewish festivals.
More than two decades ago, I founded Shavei Israel. As a result of our efforts, there are now 5,000 Bnei Menashe living in Israel.
The Bnei Menashe's yearning for a far-off place called Zion is not opportunistic or materialistic. It is something spiritual, primal, and ancient.
The Bnei Menashe are a blessing for Israel and the Jewish people. They work hard, support themselves and their families, raise beautiful Jewish children, study Torah, and serve in the IDF to defend the country.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Iranian Funds for Hizbullah Are Flowing through Dubai - Dov Lieber
Iran has sent the Lebanese militia Hizbullah hundreds of millions of dollars over the past year via money exchanges and other businesses in Dubai. Tehran has long used the UAE to launder funds and evade sanctions. A UAE official said the country is committed to preventing misuse of its territory for illicit finance and was working with international partners to disrupt and deter it. The U.S. is also concerned about funds being smuggled to Hizbullah through Turkey and Iraq.
"Hizbullah is highly focused now on rebuilding," said David Schenker, director of the program for Arab politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "Iran is not backing away from its commitment to its premier regional proxy."
Iran's Quds Force has transferred more than $1 billion to Hizbullah since January, the U.S. Treasury Department said in November. Yet the group is still struggling to meet its financial needs. "One billion used to be their entire annual budget, but after the war they need a lot more," said Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute. (Wall Street Journal)
- International Force at Heart of Trump's Gaza Plan Struggles to Find Takers - Loveday Morris
The proposed deployment of an international force in Gaza, a crucial feature of President Trump's peace plan, is struggling, with several countries backpedaling on troop offers. Indonesia, which had announced it would send 20,000 peacekeeping troops, is now looking at providing 1,200 troops as an initial deployment. Azerbaijan has also reassessed. No Arab countries have committed to contributing soldiers.
"They want the international stabilizing force to come into Gaza and restore 'law and order and disarm any resistance,'" a senior official in Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "So that's the problem. Nobody wants to do that."
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed skepticism over the feasibility of an international force. "We said, 'Go ahead, try.'" Israel is working on the assumption that it will eventually have to demilitarize Hamas itself because no one else will be willing, said Ofer Guterman, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies. "That understanding is sinking in both in Israel and in the U.S.," he said. (Washington Post)
- Video: Pro-Palestinian Extremists Invade Brussels Christmas Market on Opening Night
Pro-Palestinian extremists invaded the Brussels Christmas Market on Nov. 28, opening night, storming the grounds with smoke bombs and coordinated disruption. Families were forced to scatter. Belgian officials say the group moved in deliberately, using the opening-night crowds as their stage.
This follows a pattern seen across Europe, where extremist factions exploit public gatherings to provoke fear, target symbols of Western culture, and derail community events. Europe continues to face rising political violence wrapped in "activism," and the cost is increasingly being paid by ordinary citizens. (Instagram)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- IDF Kills Jaama Islamiya Terrorists in Southern Syria, Six Soldiers Wounded - Yonah Jeremy Bob
IDF soldiers killed three members of Jaama Islamiya, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon, in Beit Jann in southern Syria, the military confirmed on Friday. Jaama Islamiya has been involved in several attacks against Israel since the beginning of the war, working alongside Hamas and Hizbullah in Lebanon and Syria. Syrian media said 10 other members of organization were killed.
On their way out of Beit Jann, the IDF convoy transporting two arrested suspects was ambushed, wounding six reservists, three severely.
(Jerusalem Post)
See also Syria's General Intelligence behind Attack on IDF - Danielle Greyman-Kennard
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's general intelligence orchestrated the attacks on the IDF on Thursday and earlier attacks against Druze communities, Israel's Channel 11 reported on Friday.
(Jerusalem Post)
- Israel Practices Active Defense in Syria - Maj.-Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen
For a year now, IDF forces have been operating in the buffer zone on the Golan Heights and east of it, working to disrupt terrorist networks threatening Israel. During the Syrian civil war, and especially after the fall of the Assad regime and the collapse of the Syrian army, the villages and towns became awash with weapons of all kinds.
Israeli forces have been operating in Syrian territory from 10 outposts stretching from Mount Hermon to the southern Golan. The forces carry out intelligence-driven raids to foil terrorist activity in villages within their sector, including beyond the buffer zone. This activity has led to the thwarting of Hamas-directed cells, Islamic State-inspired cells, and cells directed by Iranian proxies. This is what active defense looks like.
The writer served in the IDF for 42 years, commanding troops in battles with Egypt and Syria. (Israel Hayom)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- Gazans' Stark Choice: Either Hamas or Reconstruction - David Rosenberg
It will be many years before the great majority of Gaza residents are living in anything more than makeshift or temporary housing. The future of Gaza hinges entirely on the willingness of the world to take an active role in reconstruction. But for that to happen, Hamas has to step out of the way by disarming and ceding any role in governing Gaza.
Allowing Hamas to continue as a fighting force means that its war with Israel will resume, and with it will come another round of death and destruction. Understandably, the Gulf governments that are expected to foot the bill for reconstruction costs don't want to see their investment go up in flames.
Allowing Hamas a significant role in governance also risks undermining the reconstruction effort. In its years in power, Hamas never showed any particular interest in the welfare of the Gazans under its rule, leaving basic services like education and health to the care of others; it had even less of an interest in economic development. Hamas would almost certainly use the civilian institutions of reconstruction as a cover to rearm.
Gaza thus faces a stark choice of an armed Hamas preparing for the next round of war with Israel, or reconstruction and a functioning economy. Given how desperate the situation is, you would think the gun option would be a non-starter for Gazans. But it seems that Gazans want to have both, according to a recent poll.
A demilitarized Gaza means, in effect, raising the white flag and acknowledging that the most audacious and sustained act of "armed resistance" in Palestinian history was a failure. Yet however steadfast Palestinians may want to be in the fight with Israel, living in a tent amid rubble, with minimal access to basic services and no means to support a family, is not a long-term option. (Ha'aretz)
Hizbullah
- Hizbullah Struggles to Recover - Amos Harel
On Nov. 23, the IDF eliminated Hizbullah's Chief of Staff, Ali Tabatabai in Beirut's Dahiyeh district. After Oct. 7, Israel is not allowing risks to grow. Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira, former military secretary to the prime minister,
told Ha'aretz that from Hizbullah's "point of view, this is an attempt to provoke them to respond, in order to prepare a pretext excuse for a broader attack that will destroy everything of theirs that we didn't manage to destroy a year ago."
There is disagreement at the top levels of Hizbullah over the character of the response to Tabatabai's killing. "Some are calling for a fierce response to avenge the humiliation inflicted on Hizbullah," he says. "And there is another camp, headed by the present secretary general, Naim Qassem, which says they should wait patiently and not hand Israel an excuse."
"They fear that another war will erupt, resulting in renewed widespread damage and killing by the IDF, and Hizbullah will be blamed by the others in Lebanon for that turn of events. The thinking there is that in a time of distress, it's necessary to hunker down and wait for an opportunity. At the moment, those voices are in the ascendant." (Ha'aretz)
- Israel Is Turning the Screws on Hizbullah - Jonathan Spyer
The killing of Lebanese Hizbullah military chief Haytham Ali Tabatabai by Israel on Nov. 23 reflects the shift in the balance of power between Jerusalem and the Iran-backed Shia Islamist group.
Yet while Hizbullah has now been shown to be much weaker than Israel, it nevertheless remains stronger than any internal faction in Lebanon, including the official Lebanese government.
Hizbullah is seeking to rebuild its capacities, no force in Lebanon is willing or able to stop this, and Israel, aware of Hizbullah's intentions towards it, is determined to keep the organization weak and possesses the capacity to do so.
A central lesson of Oct. 7 for Israel is that seeking to achieve quiet through mutual deterrence with the armed Islamist militias on its borders is a fool's errand. These organizations adhere to a religious and ideological outlook which trumps self-interest and pragmatism. They must therefore be kept physically weak.
Since the ceasefire in the last months of 2024, Israel has been engaged in an active campaign to disrupt Hizbullah's ability to rebuild its capacities. Around 350 of its men have been killed in this process. Ali Tabatabai was the latest of them. It looks likely that Hizbullah will now bide its time and continue to rebuild. But the contest between Israel and Hizbullah is far from over.
The writer is director of research at the Middle East Forum.
(Spectator-UK)
- The Collapse of Hizbullah's Legitimacy - Makram Rabah
For decades, Hizbullah built its legitimacy on the promise that its weapons exist to deter Israel and protect Lebanon.
Yet today, the central premise of this narrative has collapsed. The deterrence that Hizbullah claimed to embody was an illusion.
The question of whether Hizbullah will respond to the elimination of its military commander, Ali Tabatabai, misses a more fundamental point: Hizbullah no longer holds the freedom to respond. That decision will be made by Tehran and the Revolutionary Guards. The "Axis of Resistance," stripped of its mythology, is exposed as a fragile and centralized apparatus whose decisions are dictated by Iran's calculations - ones that today are constrained, cautious, and deeply pragmatic.
This reality dismantles Hizbullah's core claim that it represents an autonomous Lebanese resistance project. After Oct. 7, Hizbullah opened the northern front not to protect Lebanon but to support Hamas, in a decision coordinated directly with Iran. The result was the very opposite of deterrence.
Israel is waging a campaign defined by precision, intelligence dominance, and an unrelenting tempo. It is annihilating Hizbullah's frontline commanders, targeting its infrastructure, and striking within Palestinian refugee camps when necessary - all while denying the group any arena in which it can claim symbolic victory.
The battlefield is being shaped by Israeli air superiority, intelligence infiltration, and technological advantage. Hizbullah now finds itself fighting a war it did not design, at a pace it cannot control, and under rules dictated by an adversary that no longer fears its mythology.
The writer is an assistant professor at the American University of Beirut. (Al Arabiya)
Israeli Security
- Israel to Deploy Iron Beam Laser Interceptor within Weeks - Shahar Ilan
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems' Iron Beam laser interception system is set for delivery to the Air Force by the end of December. Designed to neutralize drones, UAVs, rockets, and mortar shells at the cost of only a few shekels per shot, the system recently completed a series of successful operational tests. Chairman Yuval Steinitz described it as "the first of its kind in the world."
Rafael reported a 14.5% rise in sales to $1.59 billion in the 3rd quarter of 2025. The company's order backlog jumped from $18.35 billion a year earlier to $22.02 billion by the end of September.
Israel Aerospace Industries reported a 24% rise in quarterly revenue to $2 billion, while Elbit Systems posted a 12% increase to $1.92 billion.
(Calcalist)
- Iron Beam Laser System Is about to Rewrite Air Defense - Tal Shahaf
Israel has had no truly effective answer to Iran's Shahed 101 exploding kamikaze drone. Launched from Lebanon, the Shahed 101 hit many communities in the north. While Israel's Iron Dome air defense performed impressively, with a 90-95% interception rate, against drones only 50% were shot down in time.
A little more than a year ago, IDF soldiers spotted a threat hovering over their sector. The air defense team tracked the target and launched their response. When the system was activated, no roar of a Tamir interceptor missile was heard. It was the first operational launch of an Israeli laser weapon. Two km. away, the UAV from Lebanon was knocked sideways, then fell like a stone to the ground. Never before had anyone managed to bring down an airborne weapon using a laser beam in operational activity.
In May, Israel revealed that laser cannons had brought down 40 UAVs launched by Hizbullah. "Israel is the first country in the world to present a massive operational laser capability for intercepting threats," said Brig.-Gen. (res.) Danny Gold, head of the Defense Ministry's Directorate of Defense Research and Development.
Iron Beam will be deployed near Iron Dome batteries. It operates using Iron Dome's warning and command and control systems. In a split second, the system identifies whether an approaching threat requires a $50,000 Iron Dome missile or a laser shot costing 50 cents. (Ynet News)
Observations:
- As we drove along the Morag Corridor in Gaza that separates the Khan Yunis area from the Rafah area, what surprised me most were piles of white sacks and cardboard cartons scattered along the entire route. They were sacks of flour and food packages brought in as humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza.
- The deeper we went into Gaza, the larger the amounts of food thrown along the roadside became. In my estimate, there were dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of tons of flour sacks and cartons, containing mostly canned goods. All of them were intact and ready to eat. The image of food tossed along the roadside does not align with the photos of walking skeletons that Hamas has flooded across social media.
- The U.S. has set up the Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in Kiryat Gat in Israel to implement Trump's Gaza plan. The ultimate goal is that about two million Palestinians, most of Gaza's residents now in Hamas-controlled territory, will first move to temporary neighborhoods and later to permanent communities the Americans will build for them with Gulf-state funding.
- The American officers heading the Kiryat Gat command center believe it will not be necessary for the IDF to capture the Hamas-controlled area. Instead, they believe Hamas, with the mediators' agreement - Qatar, Turkey and Egypt - will agree to lay down its weapons and evacuate Gaza once it realizes it is isolated. No one should entertain illusions. This process will take a very long time.
- Inside territory under IDF control there are still pockets of resistance. In Rafah, about 100 terrorists were trapped inside tunnels after the IDF took control above ground. Fewer than 20 remain alive. About a third were killed by precise airstrikes using penetrating munitions and by explosions set by IDF combat engineers inside the tunnels. A third came to the surface to flee or fight to the last bullet. Most were killed, and a third surrendered. What especially embarrassed Hamas was that many of those who surrendered did so voluntarily to the anti-Hamas Abu Shabab militia.
See also IDF Kills Hamas Commanders Who Exited Rafah Tunnels - Miriam Sela-Eitam
The IDF killed a Hamas battalion commander, assistant battalion commander, company commander, and an additional Hamas terrorist, Army Radio reported Sunday. The four had emerged from underground tunnels in eastern Rafah overnight.
(Jerusalem Post)
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