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Trump Announces Gaza Hostage and Ceasefire Deal

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President-elect Donald Trump was the first to announce a ceasefire deal was reached in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday.

Israeli officials soon confirmed an agreement was in place to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 atrocities.

“We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!” Trump said on Truth Social, his preferred social media platform, at just after noon Eastern.

“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could only have happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump elaborated in a follow-up message, with caps as in the original.

“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven,” he said. (Read more from “Trump Announces Gaza Hostage and Ceasefire Deal” HERE)

Report: Trump Did More to Free Hostages, Reach Ceasefire Than Biden Did All Year

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President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly being praised by Arab officials for doing more to move Israel and Hamas closer to a hostage and ceasefire deal than President Joe Biden has done in more than a year since the last truce.

Trump warned Hamas at the beginning of December that there would be “ALL HELL TO PAY” if they did not release all 100 of the remaining hostages, including seven Americans (three of whom are alive) by his Inauguration.

Hamas began to show flexibility, then retreated. But Trump’s future Mideast envoys fanned out across the region, and Trump apparently pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show greater flexibility as well.

The Times of Israel reported Tuesday:

A “tense” weekend meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff led to a breakthrough in the hostage negotiations, with the top aide to US President-elect Donald Trump doing more to sway the premier in a single sit-down than outgoing President Joe Biden did all year, two Arab officials told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.

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During the 42-day first phase, 33 of the remaining women, children, elderly and severely ill hostages will be released in exchange for roughly 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners. Israel will partially withdraw from Gaza, while helping facilitate the entry of 600 trucks of humanitarian aid into the Strip each day.

The second stage will see the release of the remaining living hostages and conclude with a declaration of a permanent end to hostilities. The third phase will see the release of bodies still held by Hamas.

(Read more from “Report: Trump Did More to Free Hostages, Reach Ceasefire Than Biden Did All Year” HERE)

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U.S., Israel Conduct Dozens Of Strikes, Hit Over 75 Targets In Wake Of Syria’s Regime Collapse

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The U.S. and Israel conducted dozens of airstrikes Sunday on targets in Syria following the dramatic collapse of the ruling Assad regime and amid concerns radical and terrorist groups could exploit Syria’s current situation.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it hit over 75 “known [Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham] ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria” using precision airstrikes.

CENTCOM added that it struck the targets to “disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS” and render it incapable of exploiting the nation’s current state to regroup in central Syria.

There was no indication of civilian deaths from the strikes, CENTCOM noted.

“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” CENTCOM’s commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla, said. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.” (Read more from “‘They Came in Illegally’: Trump Clashes With ‘Meet the Press’ Host Over Deportation Promises” HERE)

Alleged U.S. Intel Docs Outlining Israel’s Plan To Strike Iran Leaked

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Leaked U.S. intelligence documents allege to outline how Israel plans to strike Iran soon, according to multiple reports.

Israel is expected to retaliate against Iran after the terror-supporting nation launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles into Israeli territory on Oct. 1; most of those missiles were intercepted. The timing and nature of Israel’s plan to retaliate against Iran have been shrouded in mystery, until now — U.S. intelligence documents that were leaked publicly in recent days revealed Israel’s preparatory actions ahead of the attacks, according to several reports.

It isn’t clear how the documents were leaked or who was behind the move to release them publicly. An investigation has been opened to determine how the documents were leaked, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson confirmed Sunday, according to Reuters.

“If it is true that Israeli tactical plans to respond to Iran’s attack on Oct. 1 have been leaked, it is a serious breach,” Mick Mulroy, former CIA officer, told CNN. “Future coordination between the U.S. and Israel could be challenged as well. Trust is a key component in the relationship, and depending on how this was leaked that trust could be eroded.”

The documents were highly classified and only meant to be seen by the U.S. and a handful of other Western nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, according to reports. The intelligence was created by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. (Read more from “Alleged U.S. Intel Docs Outlining Israel’s Plan To Strike Iran Leaked” HERE)

Biden’s Latest Betrayal is ‘Deeply Disturbing’

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President Joe Biden’s administration is threatening the Israeli government with a full arms embargo if they don’t “improve” the humanitarian situation — sparked by Hamas’ decision to start a war on October 7 — in the Gaza Strip within 30-days.

In a letter sent to a number of Israeli ministers Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the demand.

The letter conveniently ignores that the majority of humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza, including by the United States through air drops and a disastrous, now defunct pier, is stolen by Iranian backed Hamas.

(Read more from “Biden’s Latest Betrayal is ‘Deeply Disturbing'” HERE)

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Poll Shows Palestinians Proud of Terrorism Against Israel

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A new polling reveals that it was not the “Hamas” atrocities inflicted on Israel’s innocent civilians, some 1,200 of whom were massacred often in horrific ways, just one year ago on Oct. 7, 2023.

It was the “Palestinian massacre.”

“Every poll of Palestinians since October 7, 2023, by both AWRAD – Arab World for Research and Development, and PSR – Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, shows that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians supported and continue to support the rapes, torture, beheadings, and murder of more than 1,100 people in southern Israel led by Hamas, and their kidnapping of 250 hostages,” explained a report from Palestinian Media Watch.

“Significantly, the polls found that the support in the West Bank was higher than that in the Gaza Strip. Asked if they supported the attack on Oct 7, the first poll in November 2023 found West Bank support at 83%. Half a year later, in June 2024, after the destruction in Gaza, 73% still said that the decision to attack Israel was correct. In the Gaza Strip, two months into the war support had already dropped to 63% and continued to fall to only 31% in March 2024, saying it was correct to attack. Astonishingly, the joy over the rape, torture, beheadings, and murder of Israelis was so great that even after much of Gaza was in rubble following Israel’s counter attack, for West Bank Arabs that one day of horror inflicted on Israelis, made the destruction of Gaza an acceptable price to pay.”

AWRAD, in November 2023, had asked, “Considering the ongoing events do you feel a sense of pride as a Palestinian?”

The report pointed out, “Incredibly, 98% of Palestinians felt ‘pride as Palestinians.'” (Read more from “Poll Shows Palestinians Proud of Terrorism Against Israel” HERE)

Biden Says U.S. Discussing Possible Israeli Strikes on Iran Oil Facilities

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Joe Biden has said the US is discussing with Israel the possibility of Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure.

When asked if he would support such strikes, Mr Biden said: “We’re discussing that. I think that would be a little… anyway.”

His off-the-cuff remarks, made as he left the White House, did not make clear Washington’s stance. Mr Biden has previously said he would not support Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The price of benchmark Brent crude oil shot up by 5% immediately after the remarks. It has now increased by 10% since Iran’s large-scale missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran “will pay a heavy price” for Tuesday’s attack, which saw at least 180 ballistic missiles fired at Israel. (Read more from “Biden Says U.S. Discussing Possible Israeli Strikes on Iran Oil Facilities” HERE)

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Trump: Israel Should Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program

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Former President Donald Trump said Friday in Fayetteville, North Carolina, that Israel should destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program in response to the second massive ballistic missile attack by the Iranian regime earlier this week.

Trump was responding to questions during a town hall, and drew a contrast between his policies and those of President Joe Biden, who said earlier this week that Israel should not hit Iran’s nuclear program or oil facilities.

Trump said:

I listened to Biden yesterday, you know, since I went under the wing, you know, I used to go under the wing of the aircraft. Nobody ever did that before. I did all of a sudden, Biden started — but he only takes like a half a question, usually can’t answer it. [Laughter] But they asked him, what do you think about, what do you think about Iran? Would you hit Iran? And he goes, “A long as they don’t hit the nuclear stuff.” That’s the thing you want to hit, right? I said, I think he’s got that one wrong. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to hit? I mean, it’s the most, it’s the biggest risk. We have nuclear weapons, the power of nuclear weapons, the power of weaponry. You know, I rebuilt the entire military jets, everything I built it, including nuclear and I hated to build the nuclear, but I got to know firsthand the power of that stuff, and I’ll tell you what, we have to be totally prepared. We have to be absolutely prepared. But when they asked him that question, the answer should have been hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later. And that’s why they should, if they’re going to do it, if they’re going to do it, they’re going to do it, but we’ll find out whatever their plans are.

Trump also talked about his success in promoting peace through the Abraham Accords, and said that the U.S. could avoid war by being feared and respected again by America’s enemies and allies throughout the world. (Read more from “Trump: Israel Should Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

VIDEO: Despite Iran’s Launch of Almost 200 Ballistic Missiles at Israel, Only One Killed

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In a chilling turn of events, the skies over Israel were streaked with fire yesterday as over 180 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran in an unprecedented and coordinated attack. The threat of escalation in the region had been simmering for weeks, with tensions between Israel and Iran at a boiling point over targeted killings, the war with Hezbollah, nuclear concerns, and other regional conflicts. Yet despite the gravity of the situation and the sheer scale of the assault, a miracle unfolded in the midst of chaos: only one person was killed, a Palestinian hit by a ballistic missile’s falling rocket casing.

This miracle is particularly clear in view of the multiple impacts of the Iranian missiles observed in the following videos:

Israel has long been accustomed to facing missile threats from hostile neighbors, but the scale and sophistication of yesterday’s assault were like nothing seen in recent history. Iran’s ballistic missiles were aimed at key intelligence (Mossad) and military installations, intent on inflicting significant damage and overwhelming Israel’s defense systems. Israel’s highly sophisticated missile defense systems including David’s Sling, the Iron Dome, and the Arrow System, had faced challenges before, but the sheer volume and complexity of yesterday’s attack posed a serious test to its capabilities. The United States also fired numerous missile interceptors in an attempt to blunt the Iranian attack.
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Iran Fires Numerous Ballistic Missiles at Israel; All Residents Ordered to Bomb Shelters

By Brietbart. Iran launched missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening local time, as Israelis throughout the entire country were ordered to take cover in bomb shelters until further notice.

The IDF said in a statement:

A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel.

You are instructed to remain alert and precisely follow the Home Front Command’s instructions

In the last few minutes, the Home Front Command has distributed life-saving instructions in various areas across the country. The public is asked to adhere to the Home Front Command’s guidelines. Upon hearing a siren, you must enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.

The IDF is doing and will do everything necessary to protect the civilians of the State of Israel.

(Read more from “IDF: Iran Has Fired Missiles at Israel; All Residents Ordered to Bomb Shelters” HERE)

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‘Third Lebanon War’ Begins

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The Third Lebanon War has officially begun, according to Israel’s Army Radio, as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground forces crossed into Lebanon early Tuesday morning to remove Hezbollah outposts that threaten Israeli communities.

The IDF apparently crossed into Lebanon at the “finger” or “panhandle” of Israel’s Galilee region, near the town of Metula, which was Israel’s northernmost town until the capture and annexation of the Golan Heights.

In a statement, the IDF said:

In accordance with the decision of the political echelon, a few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon. These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.

The IDF is operating according to a methodical plan set out by the General Staff and the Northern Command which IDF soldiers have trained and prepared for in recent months.

The Israeli Air Force and IDF Artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area.

These operations were approved and carried out in accordance with the decision of the political echelon. Operation “Northern Arrows” will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas.

The IDF is continuing to operate to achieve the goals of the war and is doing everything necessary to defend the citizens of Israel and return the citizens of northern Israel to their homes.

(Read more from “‘Third Lebanon War’ Begins” HERE)