Points of friction are beginning to emerge in the United States between US and Israeli agencies. Former CIA officer John Kiriakou describes how the Israeli government is so intrusive and toxic, even toward its allies, that it has turned the entire intelligence community against them. He claims he has not met anyone in Langley who supports Israel.
The Israeli Prime Minister is in court today for his corruption trial. And he is also facing criticism from the military. According to Israel Army Radio, quoting former Chief of Staff Eisenkot: “The security apparatus has developed a plan over the years to defeat Hamas, but Netanyahu approved it imperfectly and it has not been implemented.”
According to the Diyar Newspaper: Several politicians and media figures who met with the Russian ambassador in Beirut were surprised by Moscow’s adoption of a policy of non-involvement in any confrontation with American interests in the region. Even if that means withdrawing from Syria, unless an understanding is reached with the new authorities on the nature of the emerging relationship. The conversation was clear: the focus, now and in the future, revolves around Russia’s vital sphere in Europe and Asia, and the Middle East is no longer a priority in Russian strategy, which is why those people were advised “not to bet on us.”
i24 News reports that Ground Forces Commander General Nadav Lotan made statements during a closed-door conference before approximately 100 participants, attacking the Defense Minister’s decision to rescind the appointment of Colonel (Res.) German Geltman. According to some sources, the Ground Forces Commander told attendees that the Defense Minister’s decision was “despicable,” while others reported him saying, “It’s unbelievable! How dare they interfere in our affairs?” Following these statements, the Chief of Staff ordered an investigation into the matter.
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chekli on the Syrian army’s chants in support of Gaza: “War is inevitable.” These words were echoed by Minister Katz in response to the question, “Do you consider Jolani a terrorist?” One of the leaders in the area told me that Jolani is over forty. “After this age, we don’t change much. He is, in essence, a terrorist. We must be prepared for any development.”
Tzvi Yeheskeli’s page: “For a year now, we have been following the Al-Qaeda brigades in the Golan Heights, massacring and killing Alawites and Druze, while their leader smiles to the world. Erdogan is preparing the Syrian army for the day he descends on the border with Israel, and we must prepare. All the peace talks with Trump are just a cover and a hidden jihad, paving the way for the storm they are planning. We shouldn’t think that a deal will solve everything. On the contrary, the deal will tie our hands and give them time to realize their dream. In the end, they chant “Khyber Khyber ya Yahud” (the Islamic slogan against the Jews), so maybe this time we should believe them.”
The daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth raises the Lebanese issue: “Hezbollah is not responding to Israeli attacks because it is rebuilding its combat capabilities. It is preparing for the long term, when it plans to deliver a heavy blow to change the rules of engagement.”
Kan, meanwhile, reports that Member of the Knesset Tzvi Hauser: “Hamas will violate the agreement. Israel must prepare for the continuation of the war.”
Al-Mogher Boukier’s page: Israel sends a strong message to mediators: “Islamic Jihad knows where Rani Goueli is being held. Without her return, there will be no progress towards the next phase.”
Much of the Gaza Strip has been reduced to rubble, its territory strewn with 68 million tons of debris, and its cleanup will cost more than $1 trillion, the Wall Street Journal reported. Following thousands of Israeli airstrikes, ground combat, and controlled explosions, over 123,000 buildings have been destroyed in the enclave, and another 75,000 have been damaged to varying degrees. This represents 81% of all buildings in the Strip.
Reports have emerged of the construction of a new barrier on the Jordan-Israel border.
Around 19 Lebanese have been kidnapped by Syrian security forces for smuggling fuel into Syria. Although Syria needs fuel and its people profit from it, the kidnappings are being held for ransom. Syrian security forces are demanding $150,000 to free the Lebanese hostages. However, this is part of a prisoner exchange deal the US Special Envoy is working on to exchange these Lebanese for Syrians and terrorists in Lebanese prisons.
A video has been prominent on social media in recent days, in which Luna Al-Shibl, one of President Bashar al-Assad’s most trusted and influential advisers until her death in a “car accident” (widely believed to be an assassination) in July 2024, jokes and mocks relations between Syria and Russia, Syria and Iran, and Syria and Syrians in a car with former President Bashar al-Assad.
The video, first published by Al-Arabiya, shows Luna Al-Shibl sitting in a car with Assad after the Ghouta offensive in 2018, mocking Hezbollah, insulting Syrian army commanders, and joking about Russia. The video immediately went viral, raising questions about her loyalty and possible high-ranking spies in Assad’s government.
Two months before his death in July 2024, at Iran’s request, Assad removed Al-Shibl and her husband from the Ba’ath Party’s central committee, and his responsibilities were reduced after it was revealed that he had passed sensitive information on Syrian-Iranian meetings to Russia. His brother, Brigadier General Mulham Al-Shibl, was arrested by Syrian intelligence for collaborating with Israel and providing information about a meeting between Iranian and Hezbollah leaders at the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which led to the Israeli attack in April 2024.
During the Syrian military parade in Damascus, chants of support for Gaza and anti-Israel were heard, reflecting the growing hostility among the Syrian public due to ongoing Israeli attacks on Syrian territory and repeated threats made by Israeli officials against the government in Damascus.
Sameyeh Najafabadi, a member of Parliament who officially represents Iran’s Jewish community, has been summoned for questioning by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. The Ministry of Intelligence informed Najafabadi that a large number of Iranian Jews were following the IDF account and other pro-Israel pages on social media, and some of them were leaving “problematic comments” (allegedly in support of Israel).
According to Najafabadi, after several negotiations and discussions with the Ministry of Intelligence, the Iranian authorities have decided not to take action against most of these individuals for now. However, he notes that this is a final warning to the Jewish community, stating that everyone must stop following the IDF and “Israel in Farsi” (and similar) accounts or risk arrest from now on, stating, “If you don’t unfollow them and delete the comments, it will become a legal case and I won’t be able to help you.”
And now a look at the scenarios opened by Israel, updated at 12:00 PM on December 10. American drones carried out an attack in Marib province, Yemen, killing two senior figures in the al-Qaeda organization. On the evening of Monday, December 8, US military drones targeted a motorcycle near a farm in the al-Hadhun area, northeast of the city of Marib. The attack killed Abu Ubaidah al-Hadhrami, an al-Qaeda field commander, and Anis al-Hasili, a senior intelligence and security official for the group.
Al-Hadhrami was a prominent member of the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda, known for publishing a pamphlet titled “This Is How We Were Killed in the Name of Jihad,” in which he criticized ISIS’s actions against al-Qaeda. In recent months, he had also engaged in activities in support of Gaza. Anis al-Hasili, meanwhile, was a senior al-Qaeda intelligence official and maintained close ties with Mabkhout bin Aboud al-Sharif, head of the Islah Party organization in Marib. Over the past two decades, more than 386 operations have been conducted against al-Qaeda members in Yemen.
Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, backed by the United Arab Emirates, has begun withdrawing its forces from the Hadhramaut and al-Mahrah regions of eastern Yemen. Meanwhile, the National Shield Forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, continue to mass in northern Yemen, anticipating a clash with the Houthis.
The Lebanese army is conducting exercises in Al-Qaa, Aakoura, and Hanoush Farm. The following is a summary of Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory on December 9, 2025. Israeli artillery fired illuminating shells at the edge of the city of Yaroun. Israeli machine-gun attacks from the newly developed position on Hammams Hill toward the edge of the city of Khiam and from the Ruwaisat al-Alam position toward the outskirts of the city of Kfar Shouba.
And further machine gun fire was heard toward the Ras Naqoura area. Israeli forces blew up several buildings in the dawn hours in “Wadi al-Asafir,” in the southern neighborhood of the city of Khiam. An Israeli force infiltrated the center of Adissa and blew up a house near the town hall square on the main road. The Israeli Air Force bombed the valley between the two cities of Azzah and Roumine. The Israeli Air Force launched a series of raids on the Safi area in the Iqlim al-Tuffah heights. According to Lebanese accounts, Israel is preparing to turn southern Lebanon into a trading zone for Israel.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Association in Gaza claims that the IDF has arrested and conducted field investigations on over 100 Palestinians in the West Bank and arrested approximately 200. In Gaza, IDF vehicles are advancing toward the Bani Suhaila roundabout, east of Khan Yunis.
The mayor of Gaza told Al Jazeera: “The low pressure has caused the water level to rise, flooding shelters and blocking roads.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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