“Lebanon's Hezbollah has been significantly degraded militarily by Israel, but the Iran-backed group will likely try to rebuild its stockpiles and forces and pose a longterm threat to the U.S. and its regional allies, four sources briefed on updated U.S. intelligence told Reuters. U.S. intelligence agencies assessed in recent weeks that Hezbollah, even amid Israel's military campaign, had begun to recruit new fighters and was trying to find ways to rearm through domestic production and by smuggling materials through Syria, said a senior U.S. official, an Israeli official and two U.S. lawmakers briefed on the intelligence, speaking on condition of anonymity. It's unclear to what extent those efforts have slowed since last week when Hezbollah and Israel reached a shaky ceasefire, two of the sources said.”
Associated Press: Syrian Insurgents Say They Have Entered The City Of Hama After Fierce Fighting
“Syrian insurgents said they entered parts of the central city of Hama on Thursday after three days of intense clashes with government forces on its outskirts, part of an ongoing offensive in which they also seized Syria’s largest city of Aleppo. Syrian state media confirmed violent clashes between government forces and opposition gunmen on the eastern edges of Hama city but denied that the insurgents had breached it. Hama is one of the few cities that remained under full government control during Syria’s conflict, which broke out in March 2011 following a popular uprising. Its capture would be a major setback for President Bashar Assad. The offensive is being led by the jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as well as an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army.”
WTOP News: The Hunt: Al Qaida Linked Terror Group Stuns Syria, Poses Challenge To US
“Hayat Tahrir al Sham, a terror group linked to al-Qaida, overran Syria’s second largest city this week. Counterterrorism experts indicate it’s the strongest signal in the last few years that the terror group and its allies are rapidly gaining strength. In this week’s episode of “The Hunt with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green,” Hans Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, said the group could soon become a problem for the U.S.”
“The news agenda has been quite chewy of late, so not many people will have noticed the publication of The Home Detention Curfew and Requisite and Minimum Custodial Periods (Amendment) Order 2024, slipped out last month. Statutory Orders can be made through delegated authority from primary legislation. What this means with this draft order is that from July next year, the length of time a prisoner is eligible to be released on electronic monitoring before the end of his sentence is doubled from a maximum of 6 months out to a maximum of a year, without the faff of any further debate in Parliament. So what? Well, electronic monitoring or tagging has been used since the late 1990s.”
“A gunman killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on Wednesday in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, police said, setting off a massive search for the fleeing assailant hours before the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting nearby. Brian Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police said. The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Police had not yet established a motive. “Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said, adding that the shooting “does not appear to be a random act of violence.””
Reuters: Abu Mohammed Al-Golani: The Former Al Qaeda Chief Who Is Syria's Leading Rebel
“As the commander of al Qaeda's franchise in the Syrian civil war, Abu Mohammed al-Golani was a shadowy figure who kept out of the public eye, even when his group became the most powerful faction fighting President Bashar al-Assad. Today, he is Syria's most recognisable insurgent, having gradually stepped into the limelight since severing ties to al Qaeda in 2016, rebranding his group and emerging as the de facto ruler of rebel-held northwestern Syria. The transformation has been showcased since rebels led by Golani's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as the Nusra Front, captured Aleppo last week, with Golani featuring prominently and sending messages aimed at reassuring Syrian minorities who have long feared the jihadists.”
Voice Of America: Concerns Grow In Iraq Over Escalating Violence In Syria
“With Syria’s second largest city of Aleppo now under control of rebel forces and militants, officials in neighboring Iraq are expressing concerns about potential spillover effects in their already unstable country. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said Tuesday during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that “Iraq will not be a mere spectator regarding the grave developments in Syria,” adding that his country “will make all efforts to preserve its security and that of Syria.” Other senior Iraqi officials have voiced support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government since it faced swift advances by rebel forces in the northwestern part of the country last week.”
Reuters: Turkey Says It Is Coordinating With Regional Counterparts On Syria
“Turkey has closely cooperated and coordinated with regional counterparts since clashes began again in northern Syria last week, a spokesman for the defence ministry said on Thursday, adding stabilising measures were being taken. Syrian rebels staged their biggest advance against President Bashar al-Assad's forces in years over the past week and are starting a push into Hama city. In Ankara, the spokesman repeated the Turkish position that the conflict was triggered by domestic dynamics and unresolved issues in Syria, adding Turkey remained committed to the agreements it reached. "All necessary measures are being taken by our troops for stability in the region to continue. Since the beginning of the process, close cooperation and coordination with counterparts in the region is continuing," the spokesman said.”
Voice Of America: Houthis Claim They Struck US Ships Near Yemen; Navy Says No
“With the United States-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah barely holding, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue to attack commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, and the Western military ships protecting them. The Houthis say their 14-month-long campaign is to show solidarity with Hamas and opposition to Israel by undermining the United States and its allies’ efforts to secure this vital maritime commercial route. On December 1, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced the militant group had launched a series of attacks on a U.S. Navy ship escorting American merchant vessels through the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea.”
CBS News: Israeli Strike On Gaza Tent Camp Housing Displaced People Kills At Least 21, Hospital Says
“Israeli airstrikes tore through a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza on Wednesday, sparking fires and killing at least 21 people, according to the head of a nearby hospital, in the latest assault on a sprawling tent city that Israel designated a humanitarian safe zone but has repeatedly targeted. A spokesman for Gaza's civil defense agency said five children were killed in the strike. The Israeli military said it struck senior Hamas militants involved in terrorist activities in the area, without providing additional details, and said it took precautions to minimize harm to civilians. The strike on the Muwasi tent camp was one of several deadly assaults across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. An Israeli attack in central Gaza killed at least 10 more people, including four children, according to Palestinian medics.”
The New York Times: Israel’s Military Says Hostages Were Likely Killed By Hamas As Airstrike Hit
“Six Israeli hostages whose bodies were found in Gaza over the summer were probably shot dead by their Hamas captors in February, around the same time that an Israeli airstrike hit near the underground tunnel where they were being held, the Israeli military said on Wednesday. Later on Wednesday night, the Israeli government said that its forces had recovered the body of another hostage, Itay Svirsky, 38, in Gaza. Mr. Svirsky was abducted from Be’eri, a small village near the Gaza border, during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. Both his parents were killed during the assault. The two announcements added fuel to an already anguished debate in Israel over whether the country’s military campaign in Gaza is endangering the return of the remaining 100 captives held there, at least some of whom are presumed dead.”
Voice Of America: Daybreak Africa: Islamic State DRC Linked Rebels Kill 9 And Kidnap 3
“On Daybreak Africa: Kinshasa authorities say extremist rebels linked to the Islamic State group killed at least 9 people, including an 8-month-old baby and a 14-year-old girl, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and kidnapped several others. Plus, US President Joe Biden has concluded his three-day visit to Angola. A new report says Africa's civic space remains mostly repressive. Activists in Chad fight against gender-based violence. A Kenyan doctor’s union this week issued a 21-day nationwide strike notice to commence December 22nd. An official of the Economic Community of West African States says Ghana’s December 7 election will be free, fair, and credible. Somali volunteers’ clean years of neglected beaches.”
Associated Press: EU Condemns Reported Taliban Move To Suspend Medical Education For Women And Girls
“The European Union on Wednesday condemned the Taliban for violating human rights and women’s access to education after media reports that the Taliban’s leader has ordered private and public institutions to stop providing medical courses for women and girls in Afghanistan. The Taliban have neither confirmed the order nor responded to the reports. The Public Health Ministry spokesman was unavailable for comment. In September 2021, a month after they returned to power, the Taliban stopped schooling for girls after grade six. They banned women from university in December 2022. Medical education, like nursing and midwifery, was one of the few ways they could continue their learning in classrooms.”
Reuters: Turkish Antitrust Authority Ends Meta Probe Over Threads Data-Sharing
“Turkey's competition board said on Thursday that it has decided to terminate an investigation of Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab regarding data-sharing between social media platforms Threads and Instagram. Commitments presented by the company to address competition concerns are sufficient and hence the authority decided to end the investigation, it said in a statement. As part of the commitments Meta sent to the authority, both existing Threads users and new users will be able to use the platform by opening a Threads profile without requiring an Instagram account, when the app is reinstated for access in Turkey. Meta told the antitrust authority that unless the users in question choose to merge their accounts, their data obtained through Threads will not be merged with Instagram.”
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.
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