News Digest — 7/16/25
Dozens Of Israeli Druze Cross Border Into Syria At Majdal Shams: ‘There’s Guerrilla Warfare In The Streets’
Dozens of Israeli civilians crossed the border into Syrian territory in the Majdal Shams area, the IDF reported on Tuesday evening (15th). The IDF said it is working to ensure their safe return to Israeli territory. The crossing took place near the Syrian Druze village of Hader, close to Majdal Shams.
This comes as Wafa al-Shaar, a peace activist from the Druze town of Mas-ade in the Golan Heights, said Tuesday (15th) she still hadn’t heard from her relatives in Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida province amid intense fighting there. “There’s guerrilla warfare in the streets–the situation is extremely difficult on every level,” she said, as violent clashes continued between Druze fighters and forces loyal to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa across the border.
Earlier in the day, the IDF announced it had begun striking Syrian regime military assets in Sweida, following political authorization. The strikes came after regime forces moved into the provincial capital in an effort to assert control for the first time. At least 99 people were reported killed in three days of clashes involving Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouins and Syrian regime forces.
As the regime troops entered Sweida, reports emerged of heavy fighting, explosions and gunfire. Shortly before noon, Syrian Defense Minister Rahaf Abu Qasra declared a total ceasefire, claiming a deal had been reached with local Druze leaders.
Anxiety remains high among Druze citizens in Israel. Protests erupted Tuesday afternoon (15th) at junctions near the towns of I’billin and Rama in the lower Galilee and in the Yokne’am area. Protesters burned tires, temporarily blocking both directions of Highway 6 near the Elyakim Interchange.
Al-Shaar, who has not been able to contact her relatives, warned: “If the Druze region falls into the hands of the regime and Daesh-affiliated forces, all of Syria will plunge into a dark and dangerous period.” She added that her relatives face the risk of massacre, citing an incident in Sweida in which regime forces allegedly stormed a family home and slaughtered 15 members of a family, from children to the elderly.
Reports from Syria claim dozens of Druze civilians were massacred during the violence, with others abducted and humiliated.
Yisrael Beitenu MK Hamad Amar, a member of the Druze community, said: “The prime minister and defense minister have reportedly promised to protect our brethren across the border. Today’s events prove Al-Sharaa is incapable of governing and demilitarizing the border region with Syria, which is a critical security interest for Israel.”
Knesset lawmaker Akram Hasson (New Hope) who was sworn into the Knesset on Monday (14th), said: “I’ve called on decision-makers to immediately work toward toppling the al-Sharaa regime. Make no mistake–this murderous regime is backed by Erdogan and Qatar. If Erdogan gains control over our northern border through extremist Salafi forces, it will be disastrous. Al-Sharaa’s messages are not sincere–he’s biding time with Turkish support until he consolidates power, and then his guns will point at Israel.”
Former deputy minister Fateen Mulla, now a defense ministry adviser on Druze affairs, said: “We are deeply pained by the massacres, killings and rapes still occurring in Sweida–the largest Druze stronghold in Syria and the Middle East. I warned the defense and political leadership about al-Sharaa’s brutality. He’s a terrorist wearing a tie, roaming freely through the civilized world. Israel must beware of a second Sinwar. I urge immediate humanitarian aid to save our brethren.”
Suleiman, a resident of Sweida, told Ynet that: “We welcome the sounds of the strikes – not just from the Israeli Air Force. The entire world must stand with us. We are being massacred on our own land – these are the invaders enforcing Sharia and Islamic coercion. Al-Sharaa has received global legitimacy to establish an Islamic state – and it’s happening here, in Syria. It’s tragic and extremely dangerous.”
IDF Strikes Hezbollah Radwan Training Camps Deep In Lebanese Territory
The IDF on Tuesday (15th) attacked Hezbollah Radwan training camps around 100 kilometers deep into Lebanon in the Bekaa valley, showing that it is now ready to attack the group anywhere in Lebanon, even if high-quality weapons are not in play.
After the November 27, 2024, ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israel and the IDF primarily relegated any attacks to keep Hezbollah forces out of southern Lebanon, enforcing the letter of the law of the ceasefire deal.
However, as weeks and months passed since the ceasefire, Israel started to occasionally target specific Hezbollah sites in Beirut or deeper into the country, where the Lebanese terror group was trying to restore or reposition its remaining high-quality missiles and rockets.
Tuesday’s (15th) attack was unusual because it did not involve southern Lebanon or any high-quality weapons. Rather, the IDF said it had attacked Hezbollah’s Radwan special forces training camps and their storage centers for ammunition.
Located over 100 kilometers away, these camps and their regular ammunition present no immediate or even medium-term threat to Israel, given that they would need to return to southern Lebanon, which Hezbollah has failed to do to date, before they could even try invading Israel.
Despite these facts, the IDF stated that the sole reason for these camps existing was to train for invading Israel at some point, and as such, it was in Israel’s interest to disrupt the training.
Also, the IDF noted that the threat was not theoretical, as Radwan is Hezbollah’s special forces unit, whose primary goal for years has been to invade the Galilee and conquer portions of it, in a nightmare scenario that could have been worse than Hamas’ October 7 invasion.
Next, the IDF recalled that in September 2024, it had managed to kill almost all of Radwan’s senior commanders, but the IDF intelligence had detected attempts by Radwan to regroup in these Bekaa valley camps.
Likewise, Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a statement that Israel will strike any attempt by Radwan or other Hezbollah forces to rebuild capabilities for invading the Jewish state.
All of this takes place as Hezbollah is at a low point in its power militarily and politically in Lebanon versus the other ethnic groups in the country, which also have stakes in aspects of state power.
Netanyahu, Smotrich Visit IDF Haredi Brigade, Praise Soldiers’ Willingness To Serve
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade training base in the Jordan Valley on Tuesday (15th), lauding the brigade as a model for integrating haredi (ultra-Orthodox) soldiers into military service while preserving their religious lifestyle.
Netanyahu, accompanied by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and senior defense officials, met with soldiers and commanders at the training facility at Camp Tevetz and received a briefing on the brigade’s operations, including its combat deployment in Gaza.
“We are here at the Hasmonean Brigade in the Jordan Valley, the IDF’s first haredi brigade. I have now met with both the commanders and the soldiers, and it is uplifting,” Netanyahu said. “You see young haredi men who come here, enlist, and become excellent fighters. They have already been to Gaza and fought with distinction. Sadly, some of their friends in the Netzah Yehuda battalion fell in battle last week.”
Netanyahu emphasized that service in the brigade enables ultra-orthodox soldiers to maintain their religious identity.
“They come in as haredi and they come out as haredi, which is entirely possible,” he said. “They aren’t coming under coercion, but willingly, and that willingness is widespread among the haredi public. We can lead a process, not one of confrontation and infighting, but rather of mobilization of all the forces in Jewish society in order to truly bring security to our state and defend our people.”
The prime minister also addressed broader regional security concerns and the IDF’s presence in Syria.
“We will not allow a return to the situation where a second Lebanon is being established there, and we have an obligation to safeguard the Druze locals,” Netanyahu said.
Smotrich praised the Hasmonean Brigade as a success story, stating that it demonstrates how members of the Haredi community can be integrated into the IDF while preserving their religious values.
“We are determined to bring about , God willing, the enlistment of many thousands of haredi men, building trust through a determined and comprehensive process,” Smotrich said.
Amb. Huckabee: Irish Ban On Israeli Goods ‘Diplomatic Intoxication’
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee publicly criticized Ireland’s proposed legislation to criminalize the import of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
”Did the Irish fall into a vat of Guinness & propose something so stupid that it would be attributed to an act of diplomatic intoxication,” he tweeted.
“It will harm Arabs as much as Israelis. Sober up Ireland! Call Israel and say you’re sorry,” Huckabee concluded.
The controversial bill, titled the Israel Settlement (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) 2025, is expected to pass in the coming weeks, potentially making Ireland the first EU member state to legally ban the import of goods produced in Jewish communities located in territories incorrectly considered to be occupied Palestinian land.”
Why Palestinian Terrorists Want A Ceasefire In Gaza – Khaled Abu Toameh
“Gaza will not surrender no matter how long the war continues,” said Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the Hamas Politburo. This statement shows that Hamas is determined to fight Israel until the last Palestinian in Gaza. Hamas wants an end to the war while staying in power and pursuing jihad to murder Jews and eliminate Israel. A ceasefire, even if temporary, will allow Hamas to rearm, regroup, and launch more attacks against Israel.
Commenting on al-Risheq’s remarks, Gaza-born Palestinian human rights advocate Hamza Howidy wrote on X:”He speaks from comfort abroad, while Gazans starve in ruins. But Gaza, in reality, surrendered long ago. This kind of language is only aimed to block any ceasefire that doesn’t assure Hamas staying in power. Every time negotiations move forward, Hamas escalates the rhetoric and, for sure, prolongs this war. Refusing to surrender, in his words, means one thing: more Gazan children will be sacrificed to prolong his movement’s survival.”
If Hamas really wanted to end the war, it could immediately and unconditionally release all the hostages, lay down its weapons, and relinquish control of Gaza. Hamas leaders continue to live in a fantasy world. They are convinced that despite the death and destruction they brought on their people, they can continue ruling in Gaza after the war. The U.S. needs to insist that all terror groups in Gaza be dismantled and driven out of power as part of any ceasefire deal with Israel.
It is time that the Americans understand that the Palestinian jihadis pose a threat not only to Israel, but also to the U.S. and its Arab allies in the Middle East, especially by inciting violence against them and carrying out – or encouraging terrorist attacks against Americans and moderate Arab regimes.
The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
Israeli-Arab Activist Slams “Squad” Members For Spreading Misinformation On Israel
Israeli-Arab activist Joseph Haddad is calling out members of the progressive “Squad” in the US Congress, accusing them of fueling division and misrepresenting the reality of Jewish-Arab coexistence.
“Representatives of the Squad are trying to harm the coexistence and partnership that exists in the region between Arabs and Jews,” Haddad told Fox News Digital. “Ilan Omar and Rashida Tlaib know exactly what’s going on here, but they decide to lie and twist the facts.”
Omar once equated Israel with Hamas and the Taliban, drawing bipartisan condemnation. Tlaib has called the creation of Israel a “catastrophe” and opposes the existence of a Jewish state. Ocasio-Cortez labeled Israel;s strikes on Hamas targets “an apartheid system,” despite those strikes being responses to over 4,000 rockets fired at Israeli civilians.
Haddad, who heads Together Vouch for Each Other, a nonprofit promoting unity between Israeli-Arabs and Jews, has become a leading voice in Israel’s advocacy efforts after the October 7 Hamas attacks. He argues that anti-Israel rhetoric by US lawmakers has emboldened extremists and misled the public.
“The first group is what I call the useful idiots — people who have no idea what’s going on but joined because it felt like a cool thing to do,” Haddad said. “Then there are the paid protesters… And the third group – the most dangerous – are the extremists who’ve come from the Middle East.”
He also pushed back against claims that Israel enforces an apartheid system. “If you actually come to Israel and see life here, it’s the complete opposite – 180 degrees different,” Haddad said.
Responding to common slogans like “From the river to the sea,” he warned that many Palestinians are not open to a two-state-solution. “The majority of Palestinians do not want to live side by side with Israel,” he said.
Haddad ended with a stark message: “It’s either you accept the fact that Israel exists and is here to stay, or you continue with this cycle of bloodshed and death.”
