Israel Expands Strikes to Syria in War on Hezbollah; Israeli Leaders Nix Talk of Northern Ceasefire

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel's war for survival continues on both of its northern and southern borders, and the Israel Defense Forces seem to be progressing on both fronts. In the south, hundreds of Hamas fighters have either surrendered or been eliminated in recent days. Given the progress, many are now considering what comes after the Gaza war ends.

Reportedly, Israel plans a long-term presence in Gaza to gather intelligence, to operate militarily where needed, to establish a buffer zone, and to entirely crush the Hamas military.

In the north, the war against Hezbollah has expanded to Syria, where it manufactures weapons for Hezbollah.

IDF Chief Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari declared, "We will attack any attempt to transfer weapons from Syria to Hezbollah and we will attack any infrastructure we identify in Syria that is intended to produce weapons for Hezbollah.”

The IDF also attacked the military headquarters of Islamic Jihad in Damascus. It also released intelligence of the extensive military infrastructure Hezbollah built along Israel's border.

The infrastructure was designed to launch an even greater attack on northern Israeli towns than Hamas achieved in Gaza on October 7th, 2023.

For months, Israel has operated with a limited arms embargo by the Biden administration.

However, President-elect Trump announced that on day one of his administration, he will remove all restrictions and delays in transferring weapons and combat equipment to Israel.

That promise may be tied to a ceasefire deal Israel is consering that would end its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The agreement would reportedly be a kind of gift from Israel to the new Trump administration – an early overseas victory before he takes office.

Yet, some in Israel insist that before any peace deal, the IDF must first fininsh off Hezbollah as a threat to the Jewish state.

Israeli Government Spokesperson David Mencer stated, “The military campaign will continue until the immediate threat from Lebanon is removed and residents of our north can return safely to their homes in sovereign Israeli territory.”

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted, "We will not have any cease-fire, we will not stop, and we will not take our foot off the gas."

Mencer added, “Israel will not accept the existence of a terrorist military array on our northern border. We know what their intent is: it's to harm our people. Hezbollah's 'Conquer the Galilee plan,' – it made very clear: an invasion and massacre on a larger scale than the October 7th massacre.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, a new report identified 12 principals of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools who are active members of terror organizations. Many of them held high-level positions in their terror units.

The report contradicts claims by UNRWA that it is committed to tolerance and anti-extremist education.

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