News Digest — 1/19/26
Security Forces Launch Large-Scale Counterterrorism Operation In Hebron
Israeli security forces Monday morning (19th) began an operation in the Jabal area in Hebron to dismantle terror infrastructure sites, eradicate illegal possession of weapons and enhance security in the area.
According to a joint statement from the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the operation is expected to continue for several days. During this time explosions may be heard and increased movement of IDF forces will be noticeable in the area.
“The security forces will continue to operate to thwart terrorism throughout Judea and Samaria,” the statement said.
On Friday (16th), Channel 12 News reported that documents seized in the Gaza Strip indicated that the Hamas terror organization intended to carry out a raid on communities in Judea and Samaria and along the security barrier.
According to the report, the documents – captured by IDF troops during operations in the Gaza Strip – included, among other things, correspondence and conversations between senior Hamas officials showing an intention to raid the communities.
Unlike the detailed plans that were found for the communities bordering the Gaza Strip, in this case, there was no specific list of communities and no granular planning, rather, the documents exposed the terror organization’s intentions.
The report added, that as part of the lessons learned from October 7 – based in part on these seized documents – IDF intelligence instructed that the reference scenario for Judea and Samaria should mirror that of the Gaza envelope: a raid of the communities. This is one of the reasons Defense Minister YIsrael Katz recently instructed Central Command to prepare an operational plan to seize additional refugee camps in Judea and Samaria, similar to the operations in Tulkarem, Jenin, and Nur Shams.
Hezbollah Leader Issues Defiant Threat, Warns ‘Everything Has A Limit’
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem issued a defiant warning to Israel on Saturday (17th), declaring that “aggression toward Lebanon cannot continue” and insisting the Iran-backed terror group has “the right to defend ourselves,” according to Kan News.
Qassem made the remarks in a recorded speech aired by Iranian media, as tensions remain high along Israel’s northern border and as international pressure grows on Beirut to curb Hezbollah’s military power.
In his address, Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, framing the group’s weapons as necessary for Lebanon’s defense. “We will not surrender,” he said. “We will not accept continued strikes in the country without doing anything. Everything has a limit.” Qassam also sought to cast the confrontation in broader regional terms, accusing Israel and the United States of working to weaken Iran from within.
“They are trying to punish the Islamic Republic and weaken it,” he said, claiming the goal was to achieve what he described as the objective set by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “to destroy the Islamic republic from the inside.”
His comments came days after Lebanon publicly acknowledged for the first time that Israel is entitled, under the terms of the November 2024 agreement to carry out military strikes against Hezbollah.
The admission was made by Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji during an interview with Sky News Arabia, in which he said that Beirut remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the deal, including the disarmament of all armed groups outside the Lebanese military.
Rajji said the ceasefire not only ended Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon but also “stipulates the removal of weaponry, particularly Hezbollah’s weapons.”
Despite those commitments, Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected calls to lay down its arms, and Israel has continued to carry out strikes against what it describes as Hezbollah infrastructure and threats.
Netanyahu has also signaled that Israel may be preparing for a broader campaign. He recently told ministers that President Donald Trump has given Israel a green light to launch a major operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon after Beirut missed the White House’s December 31 deadline to disarm the group.
Honduras President-Elect Expresses HopeFor ‘New Era’ In Ties With Israel
Honduras President-elect Nasry Asfura, during a visit to Jerusalem on Sunday (18th), expressed hope for a “new era” in bilateral relations with Israel.
The declaration and visit to both the United States and Israel, ahead of taking office later this month, signaled a return to close ties, building on decades of friendship following the recent period of strained relations under his predecessor, who had recalled her ambassador to Israel due to the Gaza War.
“We are reshaping relations between Israel and Honduras in line with the traditional bonds of friendship, but we also want to embrace the future, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Asfura, according to a readout of their meeting.
“I welcome you to Jerusalem – it is an ancient city, but it is also a city that looks to innovation and to cooperation with you and with the people of Honduras,” the prime minister continued.
Asfura responded, “I am convinced that in everything you mentioned we will be able to implement and also lead for the sake of peace, brotherhood, and the future of our countries.”
“It is a great honor for me to be in Israel again and to strengthen the ties that have been in existence over the last 77 years,” Asfura said earlier in a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at the ministry in Jerusalem.
“I hope we are entering a new era where we can improve our relations, relations of brotherhood, and prosperity of investment.”
The conservative president-elect, who is of Palestinian Christian descent, said that he would receive the letter of credentials from the Israeli ambassador on his first day in office, a posting that had been held up by the previous leftist government.
“I am certain that your election will be a turning point for Honduras,” Sa’ar told him, noting that the chill in relations between the two nations over the last several years was not representative of the decades of friendship between the two nations.”
“Latin America is undergoing significant political change,” he said. “It is returning and becoming a lighthouse for freedom and the defense of Western civilization.”
Honduras recognized Israel in 1948 and over the decades consistently supported the Jewish state at the United Nations.
In 2021, Honduras moved its embassy to Jerusalem, following the United States and Guatemala, under the conservative National Party of Honduras, to which the president-elect belongs.
Over the years, Israel has been a major supplier of arms and cybersecurity to Honduras, including fighter jets for anti-drug efforts, and has provided the Central American country beset by poverty and crime with assistance and know-how in the fields of agriculture, water technology, health, and innovation.
The Honduran president-elect is also slated to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his visit.
The warming of relations between the two countries also follows similar recent Israeli inroads in Latin America, including in Bolivia and Chile, and burgeoning ties with Argentina under President Javier Milei.
Three New F-35 Jets Arrive In Israel, Air Force Fleet Grows To 48 Aircraft
The IDF announced on Sunday (18th) that three F-35 aircraft had landed at Nevatim Air Force base, purchased from US defense giant Lockheed Martin, which increases Israel’s quantity of F-35 aircraft to 48 out of 50, which are already fully purchased.
These three aircraft are part of a long-standing deal spread over a period of years to raise Israel’s fleet from 25 to 50 F35s’
These aircraft were originally due in late 2025, but were delayed, with the last two aircraft still due to be delivered late in 2026.
In 2023, Israel, the US government, and Lockheed Martin signed a deal for 25 additional F-35s to eventually raise the number of aircraft to 75, which would mean a third squadron. Additional steps in that process took place in mid-2024.
Previously The Jerusalem POst was told that the first third squadron F-35 deliveries would start in 2027.
Israel signed on to the F-35 program in 2010, and its F-35 program became operational in 2017.
By early 2025, the F-35 had already undertaken over 15,000 flight hours on all fronts of the war, which Israel was coping with, from Iran to Yemen to Syria to Lebanon to Gaza.
More specifically, the F-35 was Israel’s key first component in eliminating Iran’s best radars and air defenses in three rounds of attacks, including in the June 2025 Israel-Iran War.
In addition, over the course of the war, the IDF said it modified its F-35 aircraft to fire JOAM munitions from its wings, rather than its original design of dropping munitions from the aircraft’s belly.
Even before the war, the F-35 was considered crucial in the MABAM “war between wars” against Iranian proxies in Syria.
It has stealth technology, which makes it more able to strike targets throughout the Middle East with impunity, and its surveillance and intelligence capabilities far exceed Israel’s older F-16 and F-15 aircraft.
For example, it is said to be easily capable of outwitting Iran’s S-300 anti-aircraft missile defense system, and possibly even the S-400 system, whereas other Israeli aircraft would have more trouble.
Lockheed Martin Israel former CEO Joshua Shani has previously said, “We are proud to support the Israel Defense Forces in providing the F-35, and honored that the Israeli government has announced its intent to purchase additional F-35s.”
“The Israel Air Force has proven its capabilities in critical operations with the 116 and 140 Squadrons, and we are looking forward to building on this strong performance. With a combination of stealth, sensor fusion, and electronic warfare, the fifth-generation F-35 will ensure the Israel Air Force stays ahead of current and evolving threats,” he said.
At the same time, Israel has moved forward on some parallel advancements and investments in the air force’s future.
After years of delay, the Defense Ministry has been moving forward with 25F-15EX Boeing fighters from the US to help replace its aging F-15 aircraft.
In November 2022, Israel finalized an agreement to purchase four Boeing KC-45A midair-refueling aircraft.
Each of those new aircraft elements is also some years from being delivered to Israel, but would also eventually boost Jerusalem’s capability for attacking Tehran’s nuclear program, if needed.
Qatari Money Flows Back To Hamas – Yoav Zitun
Senior Israeli security officials have noted the expanding footprint in Gaza of Turkey and Qatar, two powerful states tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Political leaders in Israel are aware that Qatar’s entry into a long-term reconstruction process was accepted by the U.S. as a condition for ending the war and securing the return of hostages.
Moreover, the vast majority of the 15 members of the new Palestinian governing body for Gaza are affiliated with the PLO, with a small number identified as having ties to Hamas.
IDF officials have repeatedly stressed that Hamas became a terrorist monster by Oct. 7 largely due to hundreds of millions of dollars in Qatari cash that Israel allowed into Gaza in the years preceding the attack. “For every kg. Of cement that built the Qatari neighborhood in Khan Yunis about a decade ago, three kgs. of concrete went into Hamas’ terror tunnels,” IDF officials recalled.
“This simply must not happen again,” they said. “In the end, the money will be diverted to strengthening Hamas, even if it initially serves civilian purposes. That will help preserve Hamas’ de facto role in Gaza.”
Moreover, the 800 aid trucks entering Gaza daily generate tens of millions of shekels for Hamas due to the taxation it imposes. This supports salary increases for tens of thousands of Hamas operatives and officials, a return to rocket production, and even planning for a future Oct. 7-style attack, albeit in a different form. (Ynet News)
Are Israelis Not Entitled To Human Rights – Amb. Alan Baker
On a daily basis, we are witnessing a mass-phenomenon of deliberately one-sided accusations being leveled solely against Israel, alleging human rights violations against Palestinians. Slanted social media platforms, once-reputable international media outlets, politically-biased UN bodies and human rights committees, and clearly ignorant show-bizz-celebrities all unthinkingly accuse Israel of genocide, apartheid, cruelty and disproportionate military actions.
Curiously, all these “paragons of international virtue” appear to be selectively blind to the human rights of everyone else in the world. They flagrantly ignore the fact that Israel and its citizens are no less deserving of human rights. They ignore the fact that the public in Israel suffer from ongoing and daily acts of terror by Palestinian terror groups and Islamist fanatics. They have deliberately chosen to forget or deny, the tragic massacre, rape, butchery, burning and torture of many hundreds of Israelis and foreign citizens on Oc.t. 7, 2023.
All this is being orchestrated through a meticulous, well-oiled and well-financed system of brainwashing, emanating from the coffers of the likes of Qatar, Iran and Turkey. Sadly, this is all being willingly and enthusiastically absorbed and cheered-on by an international choir in Europe and other Western countries, all too willing to absorb and propagate such propaganda and brain-washing. And to direct it solely against Israel.
It is high time that the states and organizations within the international community, as well as international media outlets and the manipulated social media platforms, become aware of the absurdity and acute lack of any logical proportion in their anti-Israel fixation.
The writer, former Legal Adviser and Deputy Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, heads the international law program at the Jerusalem Center.,
(jcfa.org)
