News Digest — 12/4/24
IAF Eliminates Hezbollah’s Syrian Envoy In Targeted Damascus Strike
An Israel Air Force aircraft attacked and eliminated Hezbollah’s envoy to the Syrian Army, Salman Nimr Jamaa, the IDF announced Tuesday afternoon (3rd).
The Syrian regime which has established support for Hezbollah throughout the years and allows the use of their country for the transfer of weapons, heavily utilized Jamaa and hereby endangered the lives of Lebanese and Syrian civilians alike.
Jamaa was a veteran Hezbollah operative who has held several positions with the Hezbollah terrorist organization throughout the years, particularly with a focus on Syria.
Jamaa held several roles within the Hezbollah terror organization, including as head of intelligence in the Al-Khayyam sector, then head of operations at Hezbollah’s Damascus headquarters. He was later appointed as Hezbollah’s envoy to the Syrian army.
His role allowed him to collaborate between Hezbollah and Bashar al-Assad’s regime’s Syrian military officials. Within his role, he aided the transfer of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah amid the Swords of Iron War.
Jamaa was also close with Syrian state officials, becoming an active figure in the country, the IDF noted.
Halevi In South Lebanon: Mission Is To Ensure Area Doesn’t Revert To Terror Infrastructure
Monday (2nd), the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, conducted a situational assessment in the Northern Command and patrolled the southern Lebanon region with the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, MG Ori Gordin, the Commanding Officer of the 91st Division, BG Shay Klapper, and additional commanders.
“Today we are patrolling with additional commanders in southern Lebanon. We have stopped at several locations and see the very thorough operations that have been carried out in the fight against Hezbollah. Many terrorists have been eliminated, infrastructure has been destroyed in all arenas, and we are seizing large amounts of weapons and taking them into Israeli territory,” Halevi said.
He continued, “I assume that in the coming days, Hezbollah will discover that many of their operatives have been eliminated here in recent weeks. This is what we are seeing in the villages located deeper in Lebanon. Here, in the first circle of closer villages, there are no operatives. What was here has been destroyed. IDF forces are very careful about maintaining the ceasefire, and from here, as we look southward at northern Israel communities, the mission is to ensure that this region does not revert to being an area of terrorist infrastructure but rather remain a safe zone. The IDF is operating very thoroughly and very professionally here.”
“Combat in this area has broader implications. Hezbollah, which was very strongly positioned here, has been dealt a severe blow. The IDF is capable of handling any threat along any border – this is something that is also understood in Gaza now. We fought on two fronts, both near the State of Israel, as well as in more distant areas. We continue to fight with great determination, and the forces here, those in Gaza, and those combating terrorism in Judea and Samaria are highly motivated. We will continue to operate professionally and with determination, and our enemies will understand what they need to understand,” Halevi said.
Natural Allies: Iranians Reject Regime’s Anti-Israel Policies – Saeed Ghasseminejad and Janatan Sayeh
In the annals of history, few relationships are as paradoxical today as that between Iran and Israel. Once natural allies bound by a rich tapestry of shared history and mutual respect, the two countries now stand on opposing sides of a deep ideological chasm.
The Islamic Republic’s hostility toward Israel is not only a departure from Iran’s historical norms but also a strategic blunder that undermines Iran’s national interests. Consequently, many Iranians view Israel as a potential ally in their quest to bring down the clerical regime and transform their nation.
Amid the wave of anti-Israel protests across the West since Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Iranians stood out as perhaps the only Middle Eastern diaspora to express solidarity with Israelis confronting rising anti-Semitism. Iranian activists in major cities throughout the United States and Europe marched side by side with Jewish communities, demonstrating their support for Israel in its struggle against Tehran’s terrorist proxies.
Many Iranians, particularly the youth, have voiced growing frustration with the Islamic Republic’s ideology and foreign policy in recent years. Economic hardship, political repression, international isolation and Tehran’s regional aggression drive dissent, as exemplified by slogans like “No to Gaza, no to Lebanon, my life for Iran” during the 2009 Green Movement and “Death to Palestine” in 2018. After the October massacre, soccer fans echoed similar anti-Palestinian chants in Tehran. These are not expressions of xenophobia but demands for a reorientation of national priorities.
Iran’s third generation since the 1979 Islamic Revolution – comprising Gen Z and millennials – has firmly embraced a pro-Israel stance. In October 2023, this shift became evident when students, protesting school administrators who sought to force them into chanting “Death to Israel,” defiantly reversed the slogan to “Death to Palestine.” Similarly, students at Tehran University made a powerful symbolic stand when they refused to walk over a painted Israeli flag on the floor.
Various surveys conducted by both Iranian and international pollsters consistently show that most Iranians oppose the Islamic Republic’s anti-Semitic and anti-Western foreign policy. Considering the regime’s tight control and the population’s fear of reprisals, polling in Iran may be unreliable, yet these findings have remained remarkably consistent over time.
For example, a poll commissioned by Israel’s Foreign Ministry and conducted by the Paris-based Ipsos Group in 2022 showed that a majority of Iranians support better relations with Israel and condemn the regime’s backing of terrorist organizations. Similarly, a 2021 study by the Netherlands-based Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in an Iran research foundation revealed that most Iranians reject the regime’s “Death to Israel” rhetoric.
The history of Iranian-Jewish relations reveals a sharp contrast between the pre-Islamic and post-Islamic eras. In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire liberated Jewish exiles from Babylon, earning him praise in the Hebrew Bible. His policies of religious tolerance and cultural inclusivity allowed diverse communities, including Jews , to flourish under Persian rule. This golden era gave way to hardship in post-Islamic Iran, where Persian Jews endured persecution, particularly under Qajar rule, as Shia clergy incited pogroms and forced conversions.
The Pahlavi dynasty sought to restore the principles of Iran’s pre-Islamic heritage with secular reforms and modernization. Iran was the second Muslim-majority nation to recognize Israel, establishing diplomatic relations in 1950. The two countries forged robust ties in trade, intelligence and military cooperation. Israeli engineers helped develop Iranian infrastructure, while Iran supplied Israel’s energy needs. The relationship was pragmatic, mutually beneficial and rooted in a shared apprehension of hostile Arab nationalism and Islamism.
Yet the 1979 Revolution marked a dramatic shift in Iran-Israel relations. Under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s first supreme leader, Israel was recast as an enemy of Islam. The regime severed ties with Israel, turned its embassy into a Palestinian mission and targeted Jewish figures like businessman and philanthropist Gabib Elghanian, whose execution in 1979 under the trumped-up charges of espionage for Israel sent a chilling message to Iran’s Jewish community.
As Iranians endure the oppressive reign of the Islamic Republic, it is difficult for them not to reflect on the significant role Palestinians played in supporting the 1979 Revolution. During that time, a range of Islamist and leftist factions in Iran – among them the Khomeinists and the Islamo-Marxist Mojahedin-e Khalp-received training and military support from fighters of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) . Just days after the revolution succeeded, PLO chairman Yasser Arafat arrived in Tehran to celebrate the triumph alongside Khomeini.
It is in this context that the exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi traveled to Israel in 2023, breaking a taboo, and met with Israel’s prime minister and president and brought the message of peace and friendship on behalf of many Iranians.
Iranians increasingly recognize that Iran and Israel share common interests. Both are non-Arab states in a largely Arab region, both have historical grievances with Islamic extremism and both stand to benefit from regional stability. As the memory of ancient bonds and mutual respect persists, many Iranians are realizing that their future prosperity lies not in isolation, but in embracing natural allies.
Saeed Ghasseminejad is a senior Iran and financial economics advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD); Janatan Sayeh, who is Jewish, is a research analyst. Both were born and raised in Iran.
European Country Invites Israelis
For Israelis who wish to travel abroad since Oct. 7, there has been a constant worry of how to contend with ongoing anti-Semitism abroad and violent pro-Palestinian protests, but now Slovakia’s tourism board hopes to ally these concerns with a newly launched campaign specifically inviting Israeli visitors to explore the country.
Slovak Ambassador to Israel Barbara Mestanova shared the rationale behind the move with Israel Hayom. “Israelis can feel completely secure in Slovakia, where they will find a warm and enthusiastic welcome. Slovakia stands as a safe haven for Israel, offering travelers an extensive array of attractions – the country maintains the highest safety classification – Level 1 – from Israel’s National Security Council, indicating no travel advisories are in effect.”
Lonely Planet, the renowned travel guide, recently designated Slovakia as one of its top ten must-visit countries for 2025. Though compact in size, the nation presents an impressive variety of experiences – featuring celebrated sea resorts, premium shopping venues, pristine natural landscapes, and significant historical sites, complemented by enchanting Christmas markets and distinguished culinary traditions.
Sharing a border with Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Austria, Slovakia serves as an ideal hub for multi-European excursions, accessible by car or public transit. While direct flights from Israel are currently not available travelers can easily reach Slovakia through short connections from Vienna, Budapest, or other neighboring transportation hubs.
Ivana Magatova, the CEO of Slovakia Travel, extended a personal invitation to Israelis. “Slovakia distinguishes itself through its awe-inspiring natural beauty. The prestigious ‘Lonely Planet’ guide validated this by naming Slovakia among the top 10 destinations for 2025. From the majestic High Tatras to the gentle Low Tatras, and throughout our nine national parks, the winter season transforms these landscapes into spectacular wonderlands. When you behold the extraordinary beauty firsthand, you’ll need to pinch yourself to ensure it’s not a dream. We warmly invite you to discover our beautiful and unique Slovakia. It would be our privilege to welcome you among us.”
In Reversal, German Court Says 100-Year-Old Nazi Guard May Go On Trial
German authorities are pressing for a 100-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard to face trial almost 80 years after the end of World War II.
The higher regional court in Frankfurt on Tuesday (3rd) said it had overturned a decision by a lower court under which the suspect had been deemed unfit to stand trial.
The suspect, named as Gregor Formanek by German media, was charged last year with aiding and abetting murder in 3,322 cases while working at the former Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin between July 1943 and February 1945.
However, an expert determined in February that Formanek was not fit to stand trial due to his mental and physical condition and the court in Hanau, Hesse state, eventually decided not to open the proceedings against him.
The Frankfurt court on Tuesday (3rd) found the expert’s decision had not been based on “sufficient facts.”
“The expert himself stated that it was not possible to interview the defendant and that the opportunity for extensive psychiatric testing was not available,” the court said.
Germany has been scrambling to bring the last surviving former Nazi war criminals to justice since a 2011 landmark ruling paved the way for several trials.
One former death camp guard, John Demjanjuk, was convicted on the basis that he served as part of Hitler’s killing machine, even though there was no direct proof of him committing murder.
Since then several former concentration camp workers have been found guilty of being accessories to murder on the same basis.
However, with time running out, many cases have been abandoned in recent years after the accused died or were physically unable to stand trial.
More than 200,000 people: Jews, Roma, and regime opponents, were detained at the Sachsenhausen camp between 1936 and 1945.
Tens of thousands died there from forced labor, murder, medical experiments, hunger or disease before the camp was liberated by Soviet troops.
It’s A Fallacy That Ideas Can’t Be Defeated- Rosie DiManno
It is a fallacy that ideas can’t be defeated. Received wisdom has it that unless root causes are addressed, no conflict can be resolved. The same sophistry asserts that Israel can’t conquer Hamas even if it annihilates the internationally designated terrorist entity militarily. Of course it can.
Hezbollah has just come crawling to a ceasefire agreement with Israel. Its ballyhooed status as the most powerful non-state actor in the world has been stripped away in the aftermath of Israel’s targeted campaign against its leadership, followed by a full-scale invasion of southern Lebanon.
In its 13-month war with Israel, in solidarity with Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023, atrocity, Hezbollah has been defeated. The regional alliance of militias, funded and buttressed by Iran, has been proven a chimera. Iran can’t come to the rescue of any of its proxy states because Iran itself has been having a very bad year. Its barrage of 300 missiles and drones against Israel on October 1 was ineffective and humbling, undermining the credibility of Iran’s axis of resistance, and upending regional dynamics.
Some are lauding the ceasefire as a rare win for diplomacy in the Middle East. But it would never have happened if Hezbollah hadn’t been shaken to its combat boots, just as every overwhelmed and fractured warmongering side has only come to the negotiating table when its every existence came face-to-face with extinction.
All of this leaves Hamas isolated and clinging by its fingernails, with 18,000 of its fighters dead, and much of its vast tunnel network destroyed, Gaza reduced to a lawless, chaotic mess, with tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and Yahya Sinwar burning in hell. That war grinds on, Hamas’ violent ideology still intact, but its sphere of potency is shrunken and its raison d’etre delegitimized. (Toronto Star-Canada)
