Israeli Air Force jets struck dozens of targets across Syria on Sunday, neutralizing weaponry at risk of falling into hostile hands amid the rapid collapse of the Assad regime. Israel also secured the Syrian side of Mount Hermon to expand the demilitarized buffer zone and strengthen key defensive positions along the border.

Israel struck a chemical weapons factory belonging to the former regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to prevent it from falling into rebel hands. The attack occurred just days after the United Nations Security Council was warned about potentially large quantities of unaccounted-for chemical warfare agents in Syria.

Israel rushed to send reinforcements to the Golan Heights as they border Syria, where Islamic rebels rapidly gain territory, threatening long-time Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power.

Israel’s military said Friday it had “eliminated” a mastermind of aerial attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, when 1,200 people were killed by Hamas and other air strikes targeting Israeli forces.

Egypt has presented Hamas with an updated proposal to free some of the roughly 100 remaining hostages and initiate a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli officials said.

Reversing more than 20 years of prior policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Australia on Tuesday voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution that calls for Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza to the pre-1967 borders, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. The resolution passed by 157-8 votes with seven abstentions and the United States and Israel voting ‘no.’

The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday rushed to achieve a “two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” amid ongoing clashes in Gaza between what is left of Hamas and Israel’s military.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a rare government meeting in the northern city of Nahariya on Tuesday, stating, “to deliver a clear message to the North: We’re committed to the North.” He added, “We are enforcing the ceasefire and, with an iron fist, acting against any violation – minor or serious.”

Israel’s prime minister praised U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump on Tuesday for indirectly threatening Hamas with force unless they release all hostages ahead of his January 20 inauguration.

Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon blamed each other for the deadliest clashes since their ceasefire came into effect last week, adding to global fears that the region will remain embroiled in armed conflicts.

President-elect Donald Trump warned that Hamas would face severe consequences if the hostages taken on October 7 are not released before he takes office in January.

Amid intense fighting in Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, Israeli Air Force fighter jets tested the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon on Saturday with strikes targeting infrastructure in Syria near a border crossing with Lebanon. Israel stated the site was “actively” being used by Hezbollah for weapons transfers.

Saudi Arabia has softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that “a public commitment” from Israel to a two-state solution “could be enough” for the Gulf kingdom to normalize relations with the Jewish nation, according to Saudi and Western officials.

The Biden administration is moving forward with a $680 million arms package to Israel, including thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits and hundreds of small-diameter bombs, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday, as reported by the Financial Times.

A confidential clause in the U.S.-Israel side agreement to the Lebanon ceasefire, known as the “Iranian clause” and reportedly focusing on Iran, was a key element of Israel’s acceptance of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.