Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-05 at 21:07 cover art

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-05 at 21:07

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-05 at 21:07

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 HEADLINESGaza Popular Forces Name Ghassan Al-DuhainiExiled Assad Loyalists Fund Thousands Of FightersUNIFIL Ends 2026 Mandate, Border At RiskThe time is now 4:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.This is the hourly update at 4:00 PM. Leaders, loyalties, and lines of influence are shifting across the Middle East and surrounding regions, with security concerns and alliances shaping a complex regional picture.In Gaza, Ghassan Al-Duhaini has been named to replace Abu Shabab as leader of the Popular Forces, signaling a continuation of the movement’s leadership transition after the death of Yasser Abu Shabab. The deputy, who has been documented among militia operatives and seen uplifting morale, will assume responsibility for the group’s activities in Gaza as it seeks to maintain its role in supporting and coordinating local security efforts amid ongoing tensions on the border and in the coastal enclave.Across the region, a high-stakes struggle is unfolding in Syria that centers on exiled loyalists of the Assad era. Former military intelligence chief Kamal Hassan and billionaire cousin Rami Makhlouf are financing parallel operations aimed at mobilizing tens of thousands of fighters in coastal Syria and Lebanon, with the objective of asserting influence over Alawite-dominated areas and reclaiming influence lost during the regime’s downfall. Recent assessments place the potential combat strength of these networks in the tens of thousands, although the ground remains uncertain and commanders say fighters are paid poorly and weathering competing loyalties. The exiles’ plans intersect with Russia’s still-formidable, though cautious, role in the region; Moscow has not yet publicly embraced these efforts and has emphasized its priority of maintaining access to bases in coastal Syria. In an effort to counter these plots, Syria’s new government has deployed Khaled al-Ahmad, a former Assad loyalist who became a paramilitary leader for the regime, to persuade Alawite ex-soldiers and communities that their future lies with the post-Assad leadership. Analysts describe the situation as a continuation of the Assad power struggle, now reframed as a contest over the future of Syria’s Alawite community rather than a bid to restore the family’s political control alone.The persistent concern over Syria’s destabilization and its implications for neighboring states is underscored by a broader regional awareness of the danger of sectarian flare-ups. In Tartous, Governor Ahmed al-Shami acknowledged the existence of a subterranean command-room network believed to have supported Assadist forces, though he stressed that the system has been significantly weakened since the regime’s consolidation of power. The struggle is not simply political; it carries the risk of rapid, sectarian violence that could draw in regional actors. Syrians in coastal cities continue to live with the fragility of the current settlement, even as the new government cites ongoing efforts to heal divisions and prevent renewed conflict.In parallel, the United Nations has pressed the Syrian regime to advance justice for minority groups, including Druze and Alawites, accusing the authorities of a range of abuses, including summary executions and detentions. The UN’s position highlights international concern about accountability amid ongoing regional turmoil and the potential for human rights abuses to fuel further instability.Lebanon’s border environment remains sensitive as well. Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam told a visiting United Nations Security Council delegation that a follow-up force will be needed along the southern border once UNIFIL’s term ends at year’s end 2026. The Security Council voted to end UNIFIL’s mandate, a move that Israel has long argued would require ongoing protection and coordination on the ground to prevent a security vacuum near the border with Israel. In the broader border region, Israel has conducted air operations against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, with warnings issued in advance of strikes. The Lebanese reaction to regional shifts and the fate of UNIFIL’s successor force will be watched closely for indications of how the volatile border will be managed going forward.On the security front, CENTCOM praised Syria’s security forces for disrupting several weapon shipments intended for Hezbollah. The recognition reflects ongoing efforts by regional and international partners to prevent weapons from reaching non-state actors aligned with militant groups and underscores the broader concern about Hezbollah’s operational capabilities along the Lebanon-Israel front.In other news with regional resonance, a major hate crime sentencing in New York City drew attention to antisemitism in the United States, as Salem Seleiman, 30, was sentenced to two years in prison for participating in a 2021 assault on a Jewish man near a pro-Israel ...
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