News Digest — 12/16/25
‘Hope For Those Seeking Light In The Darkness:’ Herzog Lights Candle With Soldiers
Monday night (15th), President Isaac Herzog lit the second Hanukkah candle of the holiday with the soldiers of unit 669 at the Tel Nof base.
During this emotional visit, the president was briefed about the unit’s operations over the last two years, particularly during the Oct. 7 war. The president praised the fighters and said, “I am full of admiration for this young generation of soldiers and commanders. You dedicate your lives to protecting the homeland, and I would like to thank you on behalf of the people of Israel.”
Herzog emphasized the achievement of Unit 669 in rescuingthe wounded and saving lives, and expressed gratitude for the commitment of every soldier, even in reserves who continue operating in emergency situations. “In every generation there are miracles and wonders – and so our national home, the Jewish people in the State of Israel, and the existence of the Israel Defense Forces – they are not a privilege, they are a tremendous right and an existential need, and this certainly strengthens our sense of mission.”
He also addressed the Draft Law and said: “I was deeply moved that during Hanukkah, we saw a new batch of fighters from the Hashmonaim Brigade sworn in just recently, and like then, even today, it’s a small light that will become a great light of faith and determination. This emotional swearing-in represents not only a commitment to the security of the State and its citizens but also the possibility of the most wonderful Israeli partnership there can be. It’s further proof that there is room for everyone in the IDF, and everyone can contribute in their own way, and this is a great source of pride. I would like to commend the IDF for all its systems, for its ability to adapt and allow pathways for additional groups, including the haredi community.”
The commander of the unit, Lt. Col. A, noted at the event, “The unit is not just a rescue unit. It is a unit of hope. Over two years of war, the unit rescued over 3,000 wounded. The unit operated almost continuously throughout the war – day after day, night after night – with a deep commitment to saving lives. This period required us to have strength, creativity, persistence and the ability to adapt and change during war. Along with all the war experience, one thing remains clear: the spirit of the soldiers and reservists. As a commander, I see them going out on rescue missions – at any hour, in any weather, deep into danger – and this gives me great hope for the future.”
Israel Up In Arms As US, Qatar Renew Talks For Sale Of Advanced F-35 Jets – Report
Israel is increasingly concerned over renewed US discussions with Qatar, regarding the possible sale of F-35 jets, Channel 12 News reported Monday (15th), as Washington weighs major arms deals across the Middle East that could affect Israel’s qualitative military edge.
According to the report, Doha has reopened a request to purchase the stealth aircraft, after a similar bid was rejected five years ago. This time however, contacts between Qatari and US officials are said to already be underway.
Israeli officials are reportedly also closely watching parallel developments, including an emerging US-Saudi defense deal, the possibility of renewed sales to the United Arab Emirates, and even potential future sales to Turkey.
According to the report, Israel fears that a wave of advanced US arms sales in the region could erode the Israel Air Force’s qualitative military edge. In response, Israel’s defense estab;lishment is reportedly formulating a package of requests to the US administration, seeking to secure compensatory capabilities.
Those requests are said to include two squadrons of advanced fighter jets – one of F-35s and another of F-151 aircraft, a model tailored to Israel’s operational needs – as well as expanded access to advanced munitions and related systems.
The report noted that Israeli officials believe there is a narrow window to act before production slots are filled by other buyers.
According to the report, the issue now hinges on whether Israel’s political leadership can make swift decisions and engage in intensive talks with Washington to ensure Israel’s long-term military requirements are met given shifting US arms sales in the region.
The F-35, built with stealth technology that allows it to evade enemy detection, is considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet.
Today, Israel is the only country in the Middle East with F-35s in its arsenal, currently operating 45 of the aircraft with another 30 units on order. Israel has operated the aircraft for nearly a decade.
However, Trump recently announced the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia, sparking worry in the Jewish state. US officials and defense experts have told Reuters that the jets to be sold to the Saudis will be less advanced than those used by the IDF.
Qatar and Turkey, the two countries most recently linked to potential F-35 sales, both host Hamas leaders and offices and have both been vocally opposed to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Israel has accused the two coutries of supporting terrorism and even carried out airstrikes in Qatar, unsuccessfully targeting several top Hamas leaders at the terror group’s Doha offices in September.
The US has a major airbase on Qatari territory, which was attacked by Iran earlier this year in retaliation for the American strikes on its nuclear program – Qatar has grown closer to the US since Trump began his second term in January.
Israel Moves Defense Headquarters To Jerusalem In Major Strategic Shift
Under a framework agreement signed Monday (15th) between the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Jerusalem Municipality, officials approved a series of significant measures aimed at transforming the capital into a comprehensive military hub in the coming years. The initiative is part of a broader development plan for the city’s entrance district that has advanced in recent years.
The agreement established plans for creating a “defense establishment branch” based in a 30-story tower that will house all Israeli defense bodies. The building will include dedicated offices for Israeli defense ministers and IDF chiefs of staff, alongside accommodations for additional security agencies.
The structure will also contain a complex for the Director of Defense Research & Development, which project officials hope will attract young hi-tech professionals to Jerusalem, thereby contributing to the city’s economy.
Beyond this, the bodies agreed to relocate the recruitment office currently known to Jerusalemites on Rashi Street, to an “alternative location” to conduct a “facelift” and adapt it to current and future needs. In practice, sources familiar with the matter indicate the Jerusalem office will be moved to Givat HaTahmaoshet, where recruits board buses to the induction chain at Tel Hashomer Base on their recruitment day.
The current Jerusalem office is located near the headquarters of extremist groups that occasionally demonstrate outside it – it will be interesting to see whether demonstrations will also take place at the new location.
Officials also decided to transfer military colleges to the capital and to establish housing projects for career soldiers who will serve in the ambitious tower, which will serve them and their family members. Alongside this, construction of an IDF museum will begin in the near future, adjacent to Jerusalem‘s botanical garden.
“The defense establishment is declaring today in the clearest way that Jerusalem is becoming home to central areas of our activity,” Defense Minister Israel Katz stated. Following him, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion hinted at projects on the agenda in the capital, which he called part of a “defense hub.”
“This is a significant moment that will strengthen Jerusalem and position it at the forefront of national security. Jerusalem will be a pillar and central anchor for the State of Israel’s defense establishment. The crown jewel is in the business district at the city entrance, where an advanced defense hub will be established that will concentrate the headquarters of all defense establishment bodies in the State of Israel,” Lion said.
Inside A New Judeo-Christian Army Taking On The Global Jihadist Movement
Anti-Semitic and anti–Israel rhetoric is rising from both the right and the left, with some voices mirroring the extremism of the 1930s, according to Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA).
At the same time he warns of a broader jihadist movement seeking the emergence of a new global Islamic order.
“We need soldiers who are willing to fight to expose our common enemies in the jihad that they are prosecuting against all of us.” Diker said in an interview. “Jihad targets Christians as it targets Jews, as it targets people from other faith communities and ethnicities. We are facing a common existential threat. That’s why we have to come together, to destroy that threat.”
Diker spoke from the United States following a recent trip to Washington, DC., where he helped launch the first-ever Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress (JCZO). He described the initiative as a response not only to the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre but also to the coordinated global surge of pro-Palestinian and pro-Islamist activism on college campuses in the media and in major American and European cities.
“The Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress is to leverage Israel’s vital security and foreign affairs policies and messaging through an army of Zionists, the vast majority of which are not Jewish,” Diker said. “For many years, the Zionist conversation was limited to the core Jewish community, primarily in Israel, and those in America and in the West whose eyes were directed toward Jerusalem.”
He continued, “Since Oct. 7, what we learned is that we [the Jews] are severely outnumbered and under great threat from what’s called the eighth front, which is the non-military assault that we face — the diplomatic assault, the media assault, the social network assault, the economic assault, and the educational assault. We’re being assaulted on so many fronts that require an army that goes way beyond Israel and the Jewish community, to the non-Jewish Zionist community.”
What makes the JCZC different from previous efforts to connect Christian Zionists to Israel based on biblical ties, is that the focus is now on strengthening the security of Judeo-Christian values, with the Jewish state at their core. In other words, JCZC remains a faith-based initiative. Its mission extends to bringing together Christians and Jews in Israel and the Diaspora, as well as people from other like-minded, Zionist faiths. The goal is to take coordinated action in defense of Western values and Israel.
JCZC co-founder Caley Myers explained that the JCZC will focus on a number of sectors: government and policy, media, including social media, education, sports and entertainment, and faith communities. In each industry, the group plans to engage influential leaders, hold meetings and events, and organize delegations to Israel to deepen alignment and collaboration.
“We’re not just engaging small independent organizations that exist because of the Israel issue or the anti-Semitism issue,” Myers said, “We’re engaging with the largest platforms of influence.”
At the first Zionist Congress in 1897, there were 280 delegates, including10 from the Christian community, meaning the overwhelming majority were Jewish. Today, the new congress is flipped, with most representatives non-Jews, since the vast majority of Zionists worldwide are not Jewish.
Myers said by building a broader coalition to defend Judeo-Christian values, anti-Semitism will be curtailed as well.
Programming is expected to launch in early 2026, although Myers said he could not yet reveal specifics.
Local Spies With Lethal Gear: How Israel Reinvented Covert Action – Daniel Michaels
When Israel launched its 12-day attack on Iran in June, a network of secret agents on the ground proved critical in crippling Tehran’s defenses. Some of them weren’t professional spies or commandos. They were ordinary locals empowered by Israeli high-tech gadgetry.
Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, had spent years identifying and cultivating inside Iran a silent force, including victims of Iranian repression, ethnic minorities sidelined by regime policies, and people from Afghanistan and other neighboring countries who can live and work openly in Iran. At secret camps outside Iran, Israel trained its recruits to operate sophisticated, automated and remotely-controlled equipment.
Then Mossad instructed them to go about their daily routines across Iran, as part of what it calls a “drawer operation” – one that sits quietly in reserve until the drawer needs to be opened. That day was June 13, when the strategically located agents used rockets, drones, and other weapons smuggled into Iran to destroy nearby air-defense systems and missile launchers.
The transformation of clandestine action has been made possible by increasingly compact electronics, batteries and explosives. Spy agencies can equip field agents with capabilities unimaginable a few years ago. With the advent of powerful remote or autonomous devices, the people deploying them can be amateurs with minimal training. Being local, they can remain hidden or escape before an attack. (Wall Street Journal)
(wsj.com)
