The United States has proposed a plan to include Turkey in the international force in Gaza without deploying Turkish troops there. This proposal would limit Turkey’s role to logistical support from bases in Jordan and Egypt. Meanwhile, Israel firmly opposes the sale of F-35 fighters to Ankara.
Israeli media are reporting that an attack on Israel by the Iranian military and leadership is currently being considered, according to a source close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Not only that, but at the January 4 cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “It is very likely that we are on the threshold of a moment when the Iranian people will take their destiny into their own hands.” Israeli intelligence believes the protests in Iran directly threaten the survival of Khamenei’s regime and could lead to its complete collapse.
The operation against Iran will be renamed “Operation Iron Strike.” It is unknown when or where the military operation will take place.
According to Channel 13: “Iran has realized that Israel is planning an immediate attack, which is why it wants to begin this time.” The station also states: “Israel is considering conducting a similar operation in Iran, following the one in Venezuela.”
Tensions also continue over the implementation of Phase Two of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas. Smotrich to Netanyahu: “It is not allowed under any circumstances to open the Rafah crossing.” The reopening of the crossing is part of the agreements to allow aid to reach the Palestinian population.
According to Israeli Army Radio, “Hamas is rearming by using large, unexploded Israeli bombs in the Gaza Strip and producing large explosive devices. It is also producing anti-tank missiles and mortar shells, and efforts are underway to reconstruct missiles capable of penetrating deep into Israeli territory.”
A US source, speaking anonymously, told The Global Eye that the United States and Israel could launch military strikes against Iran before the end of February.
In a changing scenario, in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey have demanded that Hezbollah hand over its weapons to the Lebanese government. The warning stated that this was Hezbollah’s “last resort” to prevent Lebanon from becoming politically and economically isolated and from potentially triggering a war with Israel, further exacerbating negative attitudes toward Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in an interview with the Lebanese network LBCI, commented on the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament: “The weapons should belong to all Lebanese and be under government control. No one wants to throw them into the sea or hand them over to Israel, as they say.”
On December 5, a Syrian delegation led by the Foreign Minister is participating in the current round of negotiations with Israel under American coordination. Discussions focus on reactivating the 1974 agreement to ensure Israel’s withdrawal by December 8.
In response to Israel’s withdrawal from Syria, the Israeli website Walla reported, citing security sources, that elements of the Israeli military have warned that Iran is working in coordination with hostile parties to target Syrian President Ahmad Shar’a, based on what it described as intelligence indicating real threats to his life and the stability of his regime. According to Walla, Israel has decided, following these meetings, not to withdraw from the security zone adjacent to Syria, including the Mount Hermon area, considering that the October 7 elections require maintaining an Israeli military presence inside Syrian territory. This presence has been described as a “primary shield” to protect population centers along the Syrian-Israeli border. The report emphasized that Israeli security policy divides military activity in Syria into three main areas. The contact zone along the international border, where Israeli forces are active to protect nearby settlements and ensure Israel’s security. The expanded security zone, which extends approximately 15 kilometers into Syrian territory, includes villages, towns, and roads, and the army works to prevent the infiltration of armed men. The area of influence, which extends from southern Sweida to the outskirts of Damascus, is defined as a demilitarized zone where Israel monitors developments to prevent the entry of foreign hostile forces, the introduction of advanced weapons, or the establishment of military bases. The site quoted a senior Israeli army security official as saying that “senior military commanders supported the Defense Minister’s position rejecting withdrawal from these areas.”
In a related context, Walla noted that a senior American official questioned, in conversations with Israeli officials, the Israeli army’s lack of control over larger areas within Syrian territory, considering that the army was capable of penetrating further. According to the report, an Israeli official responded that the goal was not to impose control over local populations, but to establish a security zone that would protect Israel’s internal front and allow for better support for those he called “our Druze brothers.”
And now, a look at the military scenarios updated as of January 5, 6:00 PM. Mass protests and riots continue in Iran. The demonstrations have degenerated into clashes with police, resulting in at least one death and one injury, according to the Fars news agency. The protests in the country began on December 28th. Residents are dissatisfied with rising prices, high inflation, and sharp fluctuations in the Iranian rial exchange rate.
Protesters in western Iran are carrying combat weapons. This is the Kurdish area strongly supported by Israel and Israel’s ally Azerbaijan, and where a Mossad base is located. Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz are the cities with the largest numbers of Jewish believers in Iran.
Meanwhile, the Russians have equipped Iranian Shahed drones with anti-aircraft MANPADS. According to Hadashot, since early January, “large-scale US intelligence activities have been observed along Iran’s borders and coasts.” On January 5, Iranian police announced the arrest of a Mossad agent among the rioters. Following statements by Trump and Netanyahu, the head of the Iranian judiciary stated: “This time we will show no mercy to the rioters, because the Zionist entity and the United States have officially declared their support.”
Iranian media reported that martial law had been imposed in several cities across the country due to mass protests. According to initial reports, Iranian security forces had managed to gain full control of the situation during the uprisings that had engulfed the country amid economic instability.
In Yemen, the command of the Second Military District, subordinate to the UAE-backed “Transitional Council” in Yemen, stated: “Our military positions will remain under our control and we will not cede any of them.” Following this statement, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council began bombing Saudi-backed government forces.
Aden Independent Channel (AIC), affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), reported on January 4 the escape of al-Qaeda members from the political security prison in Mukalla.
The station reported that several al-Qaeda-affiliated prisoners managed to escape from the political security prison in Mukalla, exploiting what it described as a security breach in the city. It did not specify the number of escapees or the exact time of the incident.
It emphasizes that the UAE has previously used extremist groups as a political tool against Saudi Arabia, potentially to the detriment of the security and stability of Hadhramaut.
As of January 2, Al Jazeera, citing an alleged leak from the former commander of the Syrian 25th Division (“Tiger Forces”), General Suheil al-Hassan, reported that over 160,000 armed militants and former soldiers of Bashar al-Assad’s army are dispersed across the country and ready to overthrow the al-Sharaa government.
The UK Ministry of Defence announced that Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 fighters, supported by a Voyager KC2 tanker aircraft, carried out a joint strike with French Air Force aircraft on Saturday, January 3, against an underground facility occupied by ISIS near Palmyra, central Syria.
The first five days of the year have seen a progressive and steady escalation of Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon. The following locations were hit: the town of Breik; a vehicle hit in the town of Breqaa was targeted by an Israeli drone strike. Marj Armata in the highlands of the Iqlim al-Tuffah region was also hit; Mount Mashghara; Wadi Azza – Zifta; and the outskirts of Ansar. The “Tabna” area on the outskirts of al-BisarIya
Jet fighters are active as far as Hermel. A vehicle was hit in the border town of Khiyam, and an attack on a vehicle in Safad al-Batikh killed both drivers. The Israelis also dropped numerous incendiary bombs in the no-man’s land of the burning fields of Aitaroun.
On January 4, Lebanese sources reported that the Israelis tested some sort of weapon/missile that flew over southern Lebanon and was spotted in the Ghazieh area.
On January 5, Israel’s i24 news channel reported an unusual incident that occurred over the weekend at Nevatim Air Base, one of the Air Force’s most sensitive bases. The base’s operations officer detected a drone flying over the base area for several minutes, and forces were called to the scene.
During searches, the suspect was identified as a 21-year-old man, and his drone remote control was confiscated. During interrogation, he stated, “I was filming the ponds, since I live nearby.” However, all aspects of the investigation are being verified, including the suspicion of espionage on behalf of Iran. The General Security Service (Shin Bet) is involved in the investigation due to the site’s security sensitivity.
Two victims were rescued from the collapse of a five-story house belonging to the Al-Shina family in Al-Maghazi camp, in the central Gaza Strip.
A major demolition operation took place near Dar Al Salam hospital, east of Khan Yunis.
MGB, Israel Police, and IDF: We have exposed an arms smuggling network operating in the Negev using drones. Four members of the network, Israeli citizens and residents of Masudin al-Azam, were arrested about a month ago following a joint investigation by the MGB and the Israel Police.
An investigation conducted by the MGB and the police revealed that members of the network were involved in major arms smuggling operations from the Sinai border using drones. During one smuggling attempt, four MAG machine guns were seized, transported on a drone shot down by the IDF.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that during the smuggling operations, members of the group intercepted IDF communications and participated in other smuggling operations along the Sinai border.
In the Negev, on January 5, a protest against Ben Gvir and his police took place, with thousands of people mourning the body of the martyr Muhammad Hussein, killed by occupation police in the village of Al-Tirabeen in the Negev.
In Gaza, Palestinian prison authorities complain that Israel leaves prisoners without water for 12 hours a day. “Israeli prison authorities are depriving prisoners of water as a ‘collective punishment,’ a new policy they are implementing against them to isolate them and double their suffering.”
Israel continues to carry out excavation and clearing work east of Jabalia, north of the sector.
Settlers from an outpost settlement near the Beit Furik plain, east of Nablus, have closed several agricultural roads in the plain, in a new escalation aimed at tightening restrictions against farmers and seizing and confiscating land.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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