The Knesset Speaker calls for opposition members to boycott Netanyahu and protest his statements on the Gaza prisoner file. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid: “We will not allow Netanyahu to eliminate the State of Israel through his policies.” The opposition has collected 40 signatures to force him to answer questions, including accusations against him of trying to undermine negotiations on the prisoner deal.
When politically challenged, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded: “I will not reveal the terms and details of the new exchange agreement. We must eliminate the Iranian threat and prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon.” “We are taking important measures at all levels to return the kidnapped people. There is progress on the deal, due, among other things, to the fact that Sinwar is no longer with us and the attacks we are directing against Hamas. I am not sure how much time we will need to complete the exchange deal. We will not allow any terrorists to base themselves on our borders and, as I said, we are changing the face of the Middle East.” “Just as we have acted forcefully against the terrorist weapons of the Iranian axis of evil, we will act against the Houthis: the result will be the same.” “In recent days, the US administration has also decided to step up action against the Houthi rebels. The Biden administration is coordinating with Israel on this issue.”
A meeting of the Israeli Cabinet of Ministers took place at the Northern Command with a demonstration of captured equipment. Mossad chief Dedi Barnea recommends attacking Iran in response to the Houthi attack. During discussions among the Israeli political elite, Barnea said: “We must go head-on: if we only attack the Houthis, it will not help.”
For the first time, an Israeli political official, War Minister Israel Katz, entered southern Lebanon and threatened Hezbollah: “If Hezbollah does not retreat beyond the Litani and tries to violate the ceasefire, we will make them lose their minds.” “We will ensure that the threat is removed and security is restored to allow residents of the north to return safely to their homes.”
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has appointed Hajj Youssef Al-Zein as the head of media relations in Hezbollah, who succeeds Hajj Muhammad Afif.
Reports from Lebanon say Beirut is preparing documents for the extradition of Syrian prisoners to its country. The American Interpol has asked Lebanese authorities to arrest General Jamil al-Hassan, director of Syrian Air Force intelligence under Assad. The United States has removed the $10 million bounty on Mohammed al Jawlani.
And now a look at the front line opened by Israel updated at 17:00 on December 23.
Between December 19 and 22, numerous US-Israeli strikes in Yemen. Last week, the US military carried out four strikes on Yemen. The strikes resumed following the arrival in the area of the strike group of the aircraft carrier CVN 75 Harry S. Truman.
The US military’s central command reported air strikes against Houthi missile storage and control facilities. While the Americans spoke of a friendly fire downing of an F-18, the Houthis claimed that they shot down a US Navy F/A-18 fighter during an attack in the Red Sea.
Despite the “truce” between the parties, the Kurdish SDF forces, allied with the US military in Syria, said five of their fighters were killed in a shelling by pro-Turkish forces in the city of Manbij. An American convoy of over 100 vehicles departs from the Koniko and Omer bases in Deir ez-Zor towards the Hasakah region for unknown reasons.
And Israeli armored vehicles are still being reported in Syrian territory.
In southern Lebanon, Israeli soldiers stationed at the crossroads between the cities of Ain Arab and Mari are raiding homes in the nearby village of Rayhana Bri in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Red Cross, together with UNIFIL, received 7 Lebanese who were kidnapped by Israel after the ceasefire from the areas of Wazzani and Tyre Harfa Triangle.
The Israeli army raises the Israeli flag at the main entrance to Naqoura. On December 23, Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati inspected army units in southern Lebanon with Joseph Aoun, the commander of the army. Mikati from Marjeyoun: “The army has never shirked its duties and we are facing a difficult test and the army will prove that it is capable of carrying out all the tasks required and I am fully confident in this matter.”
Mikati from the city of Khiyam: “The army is ready to play its full role in southern Lebanon and the monitoring committee must put pressure on the Israeli aggressor to stop its violations, stop the destruction and withdraw from the lands it has penetrated in the previous period.”
UNIFIL strongly urges accelerated progress in the withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the territory.
Contrary to expectations regarding southern Lebanon, the Israeli army has continued to advance into the forests it did not reach during the conflict with Hezbollah, taking advantage of the ceasefire. They confiscated weapons and located previously damaged artillery systems and empty (double) rocket launchers.
Same thing goes for Naqoura, the Israeli army is still bulldozing it, despite the ceasefire they even placed the Israeli flag there. On December 21, the Israeli army withdrew from the western entrance of the town of Naqoura after raising a sand barrier in the middle of the road near the Lebanese army center, which stayed away from the bulldozing operations that the town witnessed. This town was not occupied before the ceasefire, so the withdrawal means nothing. So far, no progress on the withdrawal before 60 days.
Same scene in Bani Hayyan, instead of withdrawing from the border towns, the Israeli army advanced to yet another town. In this village, they increased their presence and new armored vehicles were positioned. The IDF is raiding houses, looking for weapons and infrastructure.
Israeli demolitions between Yaroun and Maroun. Since December 20, demolitions by Israel in the border town of Kfarkila, have started to level the streets and some houses in the Jabana neighborhood in the center of the city.
Palestinian factions such as Fatah al-Intifada in Sultan Yacoub, the Popular Front – General Command in Qusaya and others, have started to hand over their weapons and training camps to the Lebanese Army. According to Lebanese sources, this handover is prior to this war and is not directly related to the ceasefire. Israeli soldiers are advancing towards Wadi Hassan on the outskirts of Majdal Zun in southern Lebanon. The location is located several kilometers deep into Lebanon, towards a heavily wooded area. Israeli forces have blocked the Bint Jbeil-Aitaroun highway with concrete blocks after previously blocking it with earth. There is therefore no impression that Israel intends to withdraw from Lebanon within the 60 days of the agreement.
In a statement from the Lebanese army: “In continuation of the army’s process of taking over military centers occupied by Palestinian organizations inside Lebanese territory, an army unit in the city of Kfar Zabad – Zahle took control of the center of Jbeil Ain al-Baida, formerly affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command. We seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition as well as military equipment. These missions are part of maintaining security and stability and extending state authority in various regions.”
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham had opened contacts with Hezbollah before the fall of Bashar al-Assad to organize the withdrawal from some sites in Syria. They tried to avoid fighting both the Russians and Hezbollah in vain, considering the collapse of the SAA.
The IDF is conducting a large-scale operation to restore and clean up communities in northern Israel. Engineer teams along with other soldiers have been deployed and are operating in more than 40 communities in northern Israel and in civilian areas that have been used as military assembly areas.
Forces are clearing military equipment, cleaning waste, and removing unexploded munitions from communities using engineering tools.
A ballistic missile launched from Yemen on December 21 landed in central Israel but was not intercepted and exploded in the city of Tel Aviv. 16 people were slightly injured by glass fragments that broke in nearby buildings as a result of the missile falling. Among the victims is a three-year-old girl. There is a video online of the interception of Houthi UAVs by Israeli AN-64D Saraf helicopter gunships.
On December 23, in the West Bank, PA security forces seal off most of the entrances and exits of Jenin camp with earthworks. According to local sources, three homes burned in Jenin camp on December 23
Clashes between Israelis and Arabs were reported in Hebron on December 21.
The Israel Defense Forces said its Kfir Brigade completed an operation against Hamas in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, with infantry troops now operating in areas west of Beit Hanoun. During the operation in Beit Lahiya, the military said, Kfir soldiers killed many militants and destroyed Hamas infrastructure on the ground and underground. The raid near Beit Hanoun was launched “after receiving intelligence about the presence of Hamas fighters and infrastructure used by them in the area,” the IDF said.
Before the troops entered the area, Israeli Air Force fighter jets and the 215th Artillery Regiment shelled Hamas targets in the area, including militants and infrastructure, the military said.
On December 23, the Quds Brigades reported: “One of our militants managed to storm a troop transport and carried out an operation by detonating a guerrilla bomb among the soldiers inside, at the entrance to Al-Awda Towers in Ezbet Beit Hanoun. Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for a mortar attack against a group of Israeli forces that are trying to enter the Tawam area, north of Gaza City.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
