Drones are seen at a site at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on April 20, 2023. Photo: Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

i24 News – Israeli security services indicated that they are monitoring the exercises and training of the Iranian army to ensure that there is no hidden intention behind the drills, Israeli national broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday.

This comes amid growing calls for Israel to take action against Iran, after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel Beiteinu chairman and lawmaker Avigdor Liberman told Kan he supported a strike against Iran. “Without Iran, there is no Yemen,” the former defense minister said. “We must decide whether we wait to receive missiles from Iran or if we carry out a preemptive strike, calming Iran and eliminating its nuclear program.”

“We must move forward, we do not need to wait for missiles to explode here, in the heart of the country,” he said.

Over the past weeks, the Houthis have escalated their rocket and drone attacks against Israel. The Iran-backed group even launched missiles at the Jerusalem area.

“The government is trying to normalize this madness,” Liberman said. “We can eliminate the Iranian nuclear program ourselves. We have no choice. Following the announcement by the Director General of the IAEA that Iran has violated every agreement, we should have convened the cabinet for a marathon discussion. We do not need to wait, they have never given up the idea of destroying the ‘Zionist entity.’”

Last Tuesday, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stating that the Iranian attack on October 1 was justified following the confirmation of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran by Defense Minister Israel Katz.

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A person waves a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, as people gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the Umayyad Mosque, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Photo: December 20, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo

i24 News – The new administration’s president in Syria, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, conducted an interview with the Saudi Arabia-based Al Arabiya channel on Sunday to address key issues facing the country. Toppling Assad’s regime ensured and guaranteed the security of the region, the Gulf, and Syria for the next 50 years, he said, noting that the transition of power is “as smooth as possible.” Syria will witness many steps and stages until a new president is elected for Syria. Elections will be held in Syria in four years at most, with a timeline for a constitution expected for three years.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham organization will be disassembled, al-Sharaa said, which will be announced at an upcoming National Dialogue Conference.

“We hope the incoming Trump Administration will not follow the policy of its predecessor,” he told the Saudi channel.

Al-Sharaa criticized the UN’s lack of action, which “failed to secure the release of a single detainee or facilitate the return of a single refugee.”

“Negotiations are ongoing with the SDF to resolve the crisis in northeastern Syria,” he said, with the goal being, eventually, to integrate the militia into the national army.

“There will be no division of Syria in any way,” he said. The Kurdish area will not be a launching ground for PKK attacks against Turkey, al-Sharaa added.

Regarding the transitional government, he called them “essential for the period and not intended to exclude anyone.” This comes after worries by minorities that he will turn the state into an jihadist fundamentalist country. Faction-sharing, however, could derail the process for a fully-formed government.

He said that citizens have rights to express opinions peacefully, following protests by various groups in the wake of the fall of Assad, as long as public institutions are not harmed.

“During the liberation process, we ensured that there were no casualties or displacement,” al-Sharaa said.

He added that he made sure not to attack Iranian positions, which was a good will gesture to the Islamic Republic that will pay in dividends.

“I don’t consider myself a Syrian liberator but everyone who offered sacrifices liberated the country,” he said.

Al-Sharaa said that all who took part in the former regime’s crimes will receive their punishment and will be prosecuted.

He concluded that Syria does not want Russia to leave the country so as not to damage the relations between the two countries – despite the stalwart support Moscow gave the Assad regime.

The post Syria’s New Leader Says Elections Expected in 4 Years, Constitution in 3 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Illustrative. Children land at Ben-Gurion Airport and are greeted by Nefesh B’Nefesh co-founders Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Tony Gelbart, as well as Israel’s Minister of Aliyah and Integration, Sofa Landver. Photo: Shahar Azran.

i24 News – About 35,000 Jews have made Aliyah (immigration to Israel) since October 7, 2023, according to figures published on Sunday by the Jewish Agency for Israel. Of these 35,000 people, originating from a hundred different countries, 31,000 have immigrated to Israel in the year 2024. A third of all immigrants were aged 18-35 years old.

The Jewish Agency’s Global Aliyah Center in Jerusalem has recorded a massive increase in the opening of aliyah files in Western countries. The Massa organization, jointly created by the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government, has meanwhile continued to bring thousands of young Jews to Israel despite the war.

The agency has also worked to mobilize Jews in the diaspora to help Israel. According to the data, 11,000 families affected by terrorism in Israel have received donations, emergency aid, and reconstruction assistance from Jews in the Diaspora. The donations amounted to a total of 80 million shekels ($20.8 million).

Since October 7, 2023, the Jewish Agency has also worked to strengthen the security of Jewish communities outside of Israel by sending over 2,300 emissaries to 65 countries. These individuals have also helped to mobilize support for the State of Israel on the world stage and to raise public awareness about the release of hostages. The Agency’s Security Fund has invested more than 19 million shekels ($5 million) for the safety of these Jewish communities in the face of a sharp increase in antisemitic acts.

“The mutual commitment between the Jews of the world and Israel is a ray of light in one of the most challenging periods in our shared history,” said the director of the Jewish Agency, Yehuda Setton, as quoted by the Jerusalem Post. “We worked together to strengthen Israel in the shadow of war and the security of Jewish communities following waves of antisemitism around the world. The Jewish Agency will continue to build the strategic partnership between Diaspora Jews and Israel and enable every Jew in the world to take part in building our shared future.”

“The Jewish Agency works to strengthen and revitalize the State of Israel in a variety of ways that are possible thanks to the connection we forge with Diaspora Jews,” said Major General (res.) Doron Almog, the chairman of the Jewish Agency. “This is a connection of existential importance that is an expression of strength and unity.”

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