Israel Update 17.7.25

ISRAEL’S INTERVENTION TO SAVE SYRIAN DRUZE

Previously:

PM Netanyahu had said that Israel is operating “against regime gangs” in Syria referring to clashes in southern Syria’s Sweida region. “We are working to save our Druze brothers”

Sectarian fighting began last Friday, after armed Bedouins attacked and robbed a young Druze man en route to Damascus. The assault was part of a broader wave of recent kidnappings targeting Druze residents by Bedouin militias. In retaliation, Druze gunmen abducted several members of Bedouin tribes, and the violence escalated.Report here (paywall)

 

 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in the wake of attacks on the Druze: “We are seeing a recurring phenomenon of persecution of minorities, to the point of massacres and pogroms. Sometimes it’s carried out by regime forces, sometimes by jihadist militias that are part of the regime’s base – and usually it’s both.”
“But now, in southern Syria, we are seeing extremely disturbing images – the murder and humiliation of civilians. And I ask: What else has to happen for the international community to speak out? What more are they waiting for?”
After Israel carried out airstrikes to defend the Druze, Sa’ar detailed Israel’s “known, limited, and clear” interests in Syria: “First, to maintain the status quo in southern Syria – near our border – and to prevent the development of threats to Israel in that region. Second, to prevent harm to the Druze community, with whom we have a strong and close bond through the Druze citizens of Israel.” Report here

 

 

As of Wednesday afternoon, the IDF had undertaken 160 aerial attacks on Syrian regime forces in and around Sweida in southern Syria, where regime forces were slaughtering Syrian Druze. The IDF had also attacked portions of Syria’s Defence Ministry and Presidential Palace in Damascus.
IDF sources said Israel was trying to convince Syrian regime forces to withdraw from Sweida and leave the Syrian Druze their autonomy. The IDF said the regime has 200 militia men committing atrocities against the Druze in Sweida, while another 1,000 Syrian army forces have the city surrounded and cut off. The IDF said it would continue to bomb Syrian regime forces to show them the cost of their military actions in Sweida Report here

 

 

Earlier today, Syrian government forces and allied militias began withdrawing from the mostly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria. However, reportedly some pro-government troops remained in southern districts of Sweida, carrying out looting.
The main hospital in the city remains captured by the army, with bodies, mostly of members of the Druze community, scattered in the hallways after the morgue became full. Among the deceased were 10 men from the Radwan family, executed by security forces. Sources in Jordan say government forces and allied militias have killed more than 200 Druze, including civilians, since Sunday. Report here

 

 

Druze leaders in both Israel and Syria argue this is not a local flare-up but a calculated move by the new Syrian regime. Evidence suggests the Syrian Army was acting in coordination with Sunni militias to intimidate the Druze minority.
On Tuesday there were reports that nearly 100 Druze had been shot and stabbed to death by Sunni militias. Graphic videos posted online showed the mutilated bodies of victims, beatings, and humiliation of Druze prisoners. Report here (paywall)

 

 

Groups affiliated with the world’s most dangerous jihadists are being folded into Syria’s armed forces. Up to 3,000 fighters from the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) – a Uyghur-led jihadistgroup tied to al-Qaeda – have been integrated into Syria’s new military. Report here

 

Footnote

An RAF Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (drone) eliminated a known ISIS terrorist in northwestern Syria on June 10, the UK Ministry of Defence has announced. Report here

 

THE HEAVY TOLL OF THE WAR AGAINST HAMAS

 

An IDF officer, Cpt. Reei Biran, 21 was killed in an apparent accident in the southern Gaza Strip last Thursday, bringing Israel’s toll to 41 since it renewed its ground offensive against Hamas in March.Two soldiers were wounded, moderately and lightly, by anti-tank fire.    Report here

 

Three IDF soldiers, Staff Sgt. Shoham Menahem, 21, Sgt. Shlomo Yakir Shrem, 20, and Sgt. Yuliy Faktor, 19, were killed and an officer was seriously wounded when their tank was hit by a blast on Monday, The IDF believe that the explosion may have been caused by a malfunctioning shell that detonated inside the turret and not a Hamas attack. Report here

 

Last week, IDF Master Sgt. Abraham Azulay, 25, was killed in Khan Yunis during an attempted abduction by Hamas terrorists. Report here

 

Footnote: The IDF recently released a handwritten document from a Hamas operative proving that the group used the European Hospital in Khan Yunis as a base for combat operations and fired on Israeli troops from within the facility. Report here

 

 

IRAN

 

A Filipina woman Leah Mosquera, 49, wounded in an Iranian ballistic missile strike on a residential area in Rehovot last month,  succumbed to her wounds on Sunday, making her the 29^th fatality of the 12-day war with Iran in Israel. She had been working as a caregiver. Report here

 

 

PM Netanyahu said that Iran “rushed to weaponize enriched uranium after the fall of Hizbullah and the collapse of the axis…We said, within a year they will have a nuclear bomb, and they will use it. Unlike other nuclear powers, they will actually use it, and they will wipe us out.”  Report here

 

 

A strategic adviser to the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, posted a video a depicting nuclear strike on Israel.Report here including image

 

 

Intelligence officials in the UK believe that Iran is hosting the headquarters of al-Qaeda, giving the terrorist leadership a lifeline. Parliament’s security and intelligence committee reported, “Being based in Iran has allowed [al-Qaeda] to retain some oversight of franchises internationally, creating a complex intelligence landscape, as Iran is a less accessible environment for the West than other parts of the Middle East – which, in turn, may have increased the [al-Qaeda] threat.” Report here

 

 

HOUTHI ATTACKS CONTINUED

 

A missile targeting Israel’s Dead Sea area was successfully intercepted on Wednesday evening. Report here

 

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (PA)

 

Security guard, Shalev Zvuluny, 22, was shot and killed when two Palestinian gunmen, both members of the P.A. police,  opened fire in the carpark of a Gush Etzion shopping centre, south of Jerusalem. Report here

 

 

The official PA daily wrote: Two young men were shot by the Israeli occupation army and died as Shahids.( Martyrs) Report here

 

 

While U.S. officials continue to characterize the PA security forces as a “moderate, professional” partner, its personnel have repeatedly participated in or facilitated terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. According to senior PLO official Jibril Rajoub, PA security personnel account for 12% of all Palestinian terrorists held by Israel. Some 78 PA security personnel were recorded either executing, attempting, or directly enabling terrorist attacks between 2020 and 2024. Report here

 

“Terrorists in Uniform” – a new report by Itamar Marcus.

Senior officers in the PA security forces simultaneously have senior roles in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, an internationally designated terror organization. When these terrorists are killed, they are honoured by the PA with military funerals, and when convicted terrorists are released from prison, they are welcomed back into the PA security forces as heroes.Report here

 

 

GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION (GHF)

 

Johnnie Moore, who oversees the U.S.-backed GHF, described a corrupt and complicit international aid system that empowered Hamas for years…” Hamas controlling aid isn’t the exception – it’s the rule.” GHF operates large-scale distribution centres aimed at bypassing Hamas and getting food directly to Palestinian civilians.
“It’s incredibly telling that the first thing Hamas wanted to negotiate was preserving the UN’s monopoly on Gaza aid,” Moore said. He accused UN agencies of maintaining a monopoly that, in practice, enabled Hamas to control nearly every food parcel that entered Gaza. Moore said Hamas is now stealing food from civilians after they collect it. “We actually have video of Hamas terrorists intercepting aid beneficiaries and taking their food as they return home.”
The GHF has been quietly supported by staff within major aid organizations who are fed up with the system. “We have a growing list of whistleblowers from the international aid community,” Moore said. “They believe the entire sector is corrupt from the top down.” He recently met with EU leaders in Brussels, where “many admitted the old system empowered Hamas, but they’re still too invested in it to change.” Report here

 

More than 20 Palestinian civilians were killed on Wednesday at a GHF site in Khan Yunis.
“19 of the victims were trampled and one was stabbed amid a chaotic and dangerous surge, driven by agitators in the crowd,” GHF said.
“We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd – armed and affiliated with Hamas – deliberately fomented the unrest.”
“For the first time since operations began, GHF personnel identified multiple firearms in the crowd, one of which was confiscated. An American worker was also threatened with a firearm by a member of the crowd during the incident.”
“This horrific event follows a deeply troubling pattern in recent days. False messages about aid site openings…have circulated widely on Telegram and other platforms, fueling confusion, driving crowds to closed sites, and inciting disorder.” Report here

 

 

ISLAMIC SUPPORT FOR HAMAS

 

 

On June 27, hundreds of religious scholars and clerics from across the Muslim world held a conference in Istanbul, and issued the “Charter of the Islamic Nation’s Religious Scholars” to give religious sanction to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and to reject calls to disarm Hamas. The charter states, similarly to Hamas ideology, that the conflict with Israel is a religious one between Muslims and infidels, and that Hamas’s “resistance” against Israel constitutes “jihad for the sake of Allah.” Report here

 

 

HEZBOLLAH

 

The Shiite jihadists of Hezbollah violate the ceasefire agreement with Israel more than seven times a day on average, according to IDF data. Israel has flagged upward of 1,200 violations by Hezbollah in its report to the US-led five-country monitoring panel tasked with supervising the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.Report here

 

 

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION

 

Exodigo, a fast-growing Israeli startup, is positioning its AI-powered underground intelligence platform as a potential game-changer for defence technology.
Traditional ground-penetrating radar and seismic sensors often struggle with resolution, particularly in dense terrain or urban areas.
By fusing multi-sensing technology with cloud-based AI, Exodigo produces high-fidelity 3D underground maps without physical intrusion. Report here

 

 

DAIRY RECORD

 

A cow named Kharta from Kibbutz Sa’ad has produced 18,208 litres a year, the highest individual milk production record for a cow in Israel. It has also been recognized as a world record holder for milk production. Report here

 

 

MEDICAL INNOVATION

 

Driven by the war and the surging number of soldiers and civilians suffering from severe burns, researchers from Tel Aviv University and Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Centre have developed a unique bioengineered skin to use for grafting in burn victims. The groundbreaking innovation, made entirely from a patient’s own cells, is stable, easy to handle and flexible. The artificial skin can speed up healing, close wounds in half the time compared to current methods, and may transform the treatment of severe burn injuries.  Report here

 

 

ROMANIA

 

The Romanian Defence Minister recently announced this that his government aims to import Israel’s  Iron Dome air defence system to protect against short-range missiles.Report here

 

 

SATELLITE

 

 

Israel’s most advanced communications satellite, Dror-1 developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, was successfully launched into space from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, on a Falcon 9 two-stage rocket, manufactured by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.Report here

 

 

SPORT

 

Israeli Guy Sasson and his Dutch partner Niels Vink won the Wimbledon quad (wheelchair) doubles tournament on Saturday, marking the second Grand Slam title of the year for the duo, following their success at the French Open last month. It was Sasson’s first Wimbledon victory. He said”  “As the lion roars and as the young lion rises (a reference to the names of the Israeli operations in Iran and Gaza taken from a verse in the Bible). The people of Israel live.” Report here

 

 

COMMENT & OPINION

 

Syria

 

Seth J Frantzman: Israel’s decision to take decisive action in Syria to try to deter attacks on the Druze has shown that it is possible for countries to work to pre-empt massacres or genocide… Israel’s support of the Druze is important because it shows Israel is willing to act on behalf of a minority group. This doesn’t come in a vacuum. Druze in Israel serve in the army alongside Jewish Israelis. Joint service in the army creates close bonds. Article here

 

Gaza

 

 

Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp : In the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Hamas is making demands that Israel cannot possibly accept. Hamas still thinks it is Israel that must surrender…Hamas still remains dangerous, with thousands of armed killers on the books. Of course the IDF can’t withdraw in the face of that.
What makes Hamas think it still has the muscle to dictate terms to the side that is so obviously winning the fight? It knows it is no longer popular among the citizens of Gaza. During a recent visit to Gaza, I met around 100 Gazan civilians. Many of them told me how much they hate Hamas and want rid of them. So strong was their feeling, cheered by those around them, that I believe it’s likely they are representative.
The dreadful truth is that Hamas gets greater encouragement to continue fighting from widespread support in the West and the misguided and unjust condemnation of Israel from many political leaders and international institutions. They demand Israel stop fighting, yet never make any demands on Hamas. Our leaders have helped to prolong the war and increase the killing. Instead of looking to reward terrorism by recognizing a Palestinian state, they should be helping to make Hamas give up hope and demand a ceasefire followed by a negotiated end to hostilities on Israel’s terms. Article here (paywall)

 

 

 

Khaled Abu Toameh: “Gaza will not surrender no matter how long the war continues,” said Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the Hamas Politburo. This statement shows that Hamas is determined to fight Israel until the last Palestinian in Gaza. Hamas wants an end to the war while staying in power and pursuing  jihad to murder Jews and eliminate Israel. A ceasefire, even if temporary, will allow Hamas to rearm, regroup, and launch more attacks against Israel.
Commenting on al-Risheq’s remarks, Gaza-born Palestinian human rights advocate Hamza Howidy wrote on  X: “He speaks from comfort abroad, while Gazans starve in ruins…Every time negotiations move forward, Hamas escalates the rhetoric and, for sure, prolongs this war. Refusing to surrender, in his words, means one thing: more Gaza children will be sacrificed to prolong his movement’s survival.”
If Hamas really wanted to end the war, it could immediately and unconditionally release all the hostages, lay down its weapons, and relinquish control of Gaza. Hamas leaders continue to live in a fantasy world. They are convinced that despite the death and destruction they brought on their people, they can continue ruling in Gaza after the war. The U.S. needs to insist that all terror groups in Gaza be dismantled and driven out of power as part of any ceasefire deal with Israel.   Article here

 

 

Jonathan S. Tobin: Although Israel has become extremely unpopular around the globe and even lost favour with many Americans as a result of the war with Hamas in Gaza post-Oct. 7, most Israelis value their security over the opinions of spectators. Israelis prefer to be live pariahs rather than a fondly remembered people to be memorialized.
The choice facing Israel and the Jewish people is clear: If they refuse to let themselves be slaughtered and their state demolished, then they’re going to be mightily judged by a double standard applied to no other nation or people on the planet. Somehow, Israelis are portrayed as heartless people because they support removing existential threats in the form of genocidal Islamist terrorist movements such as Hamas, Hizbullah, the Houthis and their Iranian paymasters.
If Israelis are indifferent to international opinion, it’s because they know they’ve taken risks for peace and paid for them not only in bad press clippings but in oceans of blood. Israelis and Jews understand what it means to be faced not only with fanatics who seek their deaths but the very real possibility that they may succeed. The mass murder, torture, rape, kidnapping and wanton destruction that took place on Oct. 7 was just the trailer for what the Palestinian Arabs intend for the rest of Israel…
The Jews need a state and the ability to defend themselves far more than the good opinion of the multitudes that didn’t wait until the bodies of the Oct. 7 victims were buried to start sympathizing with the murderers. Article here

Bret Stephens: A core misconception about Israel’s policy since Oct. 7 is that the country has favoured military action at the expense of diplomacy. The truth is that Israel’s decisive battlefield victories have created diplomatic openings that have been out of reach for decades and would have remained so if Israel hadn’t won (them).Article here (paywall)

 

An interview with Mosab Hassan Yousef – “The Green Prince”, a Hamas leader’s son who became a Mossad agent.

Hamas has spent 37 years building momentum, and people (Gazans) seem to forget they voted for them. They forget they funded Hamas from their own pockets—not just Iran. You need to understand: Hamas members pay out of their own pockets. It’s part of their religious obligation. Businessmen too—all under the table. How do I know? Because I was in Hamas leadership. I saw where the finances came from. Average people would walk into the mosque with tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars or dinars and slip it into my father’s pocket or the back seat of his car.

Full interview here

 

TASE

 

Ruchir Sharma: Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, the best-performing major stock market in the world is…Israel. After taking an initial hit, the market recovered fully in four weeks, and since then is up 80% in dollar terms. This ascent continued through the recent 12-day war with Iran…Despite all the international criticism of Israel for its multiple military offensives, a surge in foreign buying has fuelled the rally in its stock market. ft.com; Article here (paywall)