Podcasts about Golan Heights

It was just at the crack of dawn. First light of the new day was just starting to show over the top of the Golan Heights. Still too dark to see anything. The men in the boat fumbled around because they knew where their tackle was, they knew what the boat was like, they knew where everything was by hand, by touch. They had fished a lot at night, so they didn't have any problem with that.But on the shore, off to one side, they could see a little fire burning. They had fished all night long, and they were frustrated because they hadn't caught a thing. And, you know, fishing the way they fished was fairly hard work. And nighttime for them was the time—with daylight coming, hope for catching a lot of fish was beginning to diminish. But that little fire was burning over there. Someone was moving around the fire, and a voice came out across the sea there, about some hundred yards or so away where they were."Boys, have you caught anything?"And one of them put his hand to his mouth and says, "No!"He said back, "You're fishing on the wrong side of the boat. Try the right side."Now, that must have in itself been a little bit of frustrating advice to those fellows out there because they'd been professional fishermen, off and on, all their lives. And there's just not a whole lot of difference between the right side of the boat and the left side of the boat.And one of them says, "There's no point in doing that."He says, "Well, you had a better idea?"He said, "No, I don't."So they threw the net out the right side of the boat. And before they got anything done at all, the net began to get very heavy. There was a lot of vibration coming up the lines, and they realized they had gotten themselves a load of fish.And about that time, John leaned over to Peter and said, "It's the Lord. It's the Lord."And Peter, who had been fishing naked all night (it must have been pretty warm), grabbed something and put it on him and jumped in the water. They were only 100 yards offshore, so they rowed their boat to shore, dragged the net behind them and up on shore, and they got counted over 160 fish they had in that net.But Jesus already had a fire going, had fish propped up against it, cooking away; and he'd taken bread and put it up, toasting the bread against the fire; and so they had breakfast already well underway.After breakfast, Jesus said to Peter (and the way I read the account, I think it was kind of privately when he said it, perhaps walking along the shore after breakfast as the sun was beginning to come up), "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these?"And Peter said, "Lord, you know I love you."And Jesus replied, "Feed my lambs."He walked a little further along, and he turned again and he said, "Simon, son of Jonas, do you truly love me?"And he said, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you."And Jesus fixed him with a glaze in his eyes and says, "Feed my sheep."And then finally he said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?"And Peter was grieved because he said it to him the third time, and I can understand why he might have been. And he said, "Lord, you know everything. You know I love you."And Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."Now, I can understand why Peter was grieved, but here's my question for you today (my first question of many): Why did Jesus call his love into question? Why was it questionable? Was it perhaps that he had denied the Lord three times? Most commentators who read this, most preachers who preach on it, make that comparison just like that. Peter denied Christ three times. Christ made him affirm his love back to Christ three times. There was reason for it.You know, to deny your best friend, your closest friend, is a betrayal. And Peter had in every sense betrayed Christ. His love certainly could be called into question, and so Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Galilee did so."Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?"And now my next question for you: What if Jesus had asked you the same question three times?"Robert, do you love me? Feed my lambs.""James, do you love me? Feed my sheep.""Shirley, do you love me? Feed my lambs."Would it cross your mind to wonder why Jesus would need to ask you that question? Why? I mean, "Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?"Because you do have to understand, I hope, that there are more ways to betray somebody or to deny somebody than the way Peter did. There are other ways to do it, as well.I don't doubt for a moment that Peter loved Jesus. I mean, how could you not love a man like him after having spent this amount of time with him? When you read about Jesus, you see the character of the man, you see the charisma of the man, the love of the man. And you remember that Peter and all these guys had been up and down every road in Galilee and Judea with him. They'd camped out on the roadside at night. They'd eaten from the same pot so many times they couldn't even count them. They shared the same bread. They passed it around together. They actually slept next to each other on the ground.How, after all that period of time, would Peter not love Jesus? I don't think there's much of a question as to how that would be so.But we only know Jesus secondhand. We haven't had that chance. We haven't had that time. How could we possibly know Jesus like Peter did to love him as Peter loved him? But Jesus had to ask him anyway.So I suppose he would ask me, as well."Ronald Dart, do you love me?"And it's a painful question. But it's a question I have to answer. And so do you."Do you love me?"

It was just at the crack of dawn. First light of the new day was just starting to show over the top of the Golan Heights. Still too dark to see anything. The men in the boat fumbled around because they knew where their tackle was, they knew what the boat was like, they knew where everything was by hand, by touch. They had fished a lot at night, so they didn't have any problem with that.But on the shore, off to one side, they could see a little fire burning. They had fished all night long, and they were frustrated because they hadn't caught a thing. And, you know, fishing the way they fished was fairly hard work. And nighttime for them was the time—with daylight coming, hope for catching a lot of fish was beginning to diminish. But that little fire was burning over there. Someone was moving around the fire, and a voice came out across the sea there, about some hundred yards or so away where they were."Boys, have you caught anything?"And one of them put his hand to his mouth and says, "No!"He said back, "You're fishing on the wrong side of the boat. Try the right side."Now, that must have in itself been a little bit of frustrating advice to those fellows out there because they'd been professional fishermen, off and on, all their lives. And there's just not a whole lot of difference between the right side of the boat and the left side of the boat.And one of them says, "There's no point in doing that."He says, "Well, you had a better idea?"He said, "No, I don't."So they threw the net out the right side of the boat. And before they got anything done at all, the net began to get very heavy. There was a lot of vibration coming up the lines, and they realized they had gotten themselves a load of fish.And about that time, John leaned over to Peter and said, "It's the Lord. It's the Lord."And Peter, who had been fishing naked all night (it must have been pretty warm), grabbed something and put it on him and jumped in the water. They were only 100 yards offshore, so they rowed their boat to shore, dragged the net behind them and up on shore, and they got counted over 160 fish they had in that net.But Jesus already had a fire going, had fish propped up against it, cooking away; and he'd taken bread and put it up, toasting the bread against the fire; and so they had breakfast already well underway.After breakfast, Jesus said to Peter (and the way I read the account, I think it was kind of privately when he said it, perhaps walking along the shore after breakfast as the sun was beginning to come up), "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these?"And Peter said, "Lord, you know I love you."And Jesus replied, "Feed my lambs."He walked a little further along, and he turned again and he said, "Simon, son of Jonas, do you truly love me?"And he said, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you."And Jesus fixed him with a glaze in his eyes and says, "Feed my sheep."And then finally he said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?"And Peter was grieved because he said it to him the third time, and I can understand why he might have been. And he said, "Lord, you know everything. You know I love you."And Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."Now, I can understand why Peter was grieved, but here's my question for you today (my first question of many): Why did Jesus call his love into question? Why was it questionable? Was it perhaps that he had denied the Lord three times? Most commentators who read this, most preachers who preach on it, make that comparison just like that. Peter denied Christ three times. Christ made him affirm his love back to Christ three times. There was reason for it.You know, to deny your best friend, your closest friend, is a betrayal. And Peter had in every sense betrayed Christ. His love certainly could be called into question, and so Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Galilee did so."Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?"And now my next question for you: What if Jesus had asked you the same question three times?"Robert, do you love me? Feed my lambs.""James, do you love me? Feed my sheep.""Shirley, do you love me? Feed my lambs."Would it cross your mind to wonder why Jesus would need to ask you that question? Why? I mean, "Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?"Because you do have to understand, I hope, that there are more ways to betray somebody or to deny somebody than the way Peter did. There are other ways to do it, as well.I don't doubt for a moment that Peter loved Jesus. I mean, how could you not love a man like him after having spent this amount of time with him? When you read about Jesus, you see the character of the man, you see the charisma of the man, the love of the man. And you remember that Peter and all these guys had been up and down every road in Galilee and Judea with him. They'd camped out on the roadside at night. They'd eaten from the same pot so many times they couldn't even count them. They shared the same bread. They passed it around together. They actually slept next to each other on the ground.How, after all that period of time, would Peter not love Jesus? I don't think there's much of a question as to how that would be so.But we only know Jesus secondhand. We haven't had that chance. We haven't had that time. How could we possibly know Jesus like Peter did to love him as Peter loved him? But Jesus had to ask him anyway.So I suppose he would ask me, as well."Ronald Dart, do you love me?"And it's a painful question. But it's a question I have to answer. And so do you."Do you love me?"

The complexities upon complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict make a peaceful solution very hard, if not highly unlikely. In recent days, BizNews was on the ground with both Palestinians and Israelis whose lives have to be balanced on the pretty non-negotiable differences in ideology and religion. These voices include Dr. Sabri Saidam of Fatah's Central Committee (in Ramallah, West Bank); political analyst Haviv Gur (in Jerusalem); Lieutenant-Colonel Eyal Dror, Commander of the Reserve Forces in the Golan Heights (on the border with Syria); Lieutenant-Colonel Sarit Zehavi, Founder of the Alma Research Centre on the war with Hezbollah (on the border with Lebanon); Orit Tzedikovitch, spokesperson of Kibbutz Kfar Azza (on the border with Gaza) one of the hardest hit in the October 7 terror attack; Nova Festival massacre survivor Rita Yedid (at the memorial park for the slain); Ruth Wasserman-Lande, former Knesset member, on Iran's grand strategy (in Tel Aviv); as well Israeli history expert and private travel guide Daniel Cedar on how the war has devastated the tourism industry in the region.

The brothers welcome artist and activist Wael Tarbieh from the occupied Golan Heights to discuss the Israeli colonization of the region since 1967, the mixed ethnic and confessional makeup of the Indigenous population, and their decades-long steadfastness in retaining their political and legal identity. For more information on the ethnic cleansing of the Golan, check out Al Marsad https://golan-marsad.org/category/map-en/ Watch the video edition on our Youtube channel Date of recording: March 24, 2025. Follow us on our socials: X: @MakdisiStreet YouTube: @MakdisiStreet Insta: @Makdisist TikTok: @Makdisistreet Music by Hadiiiiii *Sign up at Patreon.com/MakdisiStreet to access all the bonus content, including the latest one*

Though one of the oldest wine-growing regions in the world, Israel is still exploring its potential after Muslim rule after World War I. Victor Schoenfeld, Head Winemaker, and Walter Whyte, VP of Sales for Yarden Imports, explain how Golan Heights Winery has set the bar for the quality of Israeli wine and spreads its wines globally, both within the Jewish community and beyond.  Detailed Show Notes: Victor Schoenfeld - CA native, went to UC Davis, recruited to Golan Heights Winery in 1991Walter Whyte - managed officers' clubs in the military and learned about wineGolan Heights Winery (“GH”) backgroundFounded 1983 to export wine of high quality26% exported today (production to increase 30%, primarily for export)NE Israel, Syrian border, 33rd parallel (like San Diego)Volcanic plateau, Mediterranean climate, high elevation (1,200-4,000 ft)19 varietals, known for traditional method sparkling, Yarden CabernetZelma Long, former consultantPrice points range from $15 (Mt Hermon) - Yarden Cab ($50) - $80+ - $1,000 (Cru Elite)Manage 40% of vineyards (to increase), rest on long-term contracts500 vineyard blocks, harvested & vinified separatelyHas two propagation vineyards and a nurseryIsraeli wine historyJournal of Science (2023) - identified two winegrape domestication events 11,000 years ago - Caucasus (Georgia) and Western Asia (Israel)Discovered ~30 ancient wine artifactsGolan Heights is the coolest climate region in IsraelMuslim rule 738 - WWI - old varieties died outIsraeli war impactsMinimal grape growing impacts (1 missile fell on vineyard), but emotionally challengingSupport in the US for Israeli wine, reduction in sales in Europe after Oct 7, 2023 eventsIsraeli wine marketGH demand > supply in IsraelPer capita consumption is low; a large segment does not drink due to religionThe food scene has exploded in the last 20 years, but many restaurants do not serve Israeli wineTop 5 markets - US, Canada, Europe, Far East (Japan)Top US markets - NY, NJ, CT, FL, TX, IL, CAHistorically, wines went to religious markets, expanding into secularinternationally marketed as high quality, not as kosher; Angelo Gaja distributes in ItalyDifferentiating GH“Oldest new world winery in existence”Marketing messages: World-class wine, kosher, then from IsraelHigh elevation, volcanic soils on 33rd parallel (Etna is 37th)MarketingGrass roots, get people to taste the wineActive in Jewish organizations, ads in Jewish publications, tasting events sponsored by Jewish groupsStrong presence in Kosher wine storesAll GH wines are kosher2 types - Mevushal (cooked/pasteurized) - required for some, esp Kosher restaurants (catering, weddings, bar mitzvahs); Non-mevushalMany wineries do bothEverything used in winemaking needs to be certified kosher (e.g., yeast)Can't use things like isinglassGH's whole facility is kosher“Could double business if made mevushal,” but will not to maintain qualityFood and wine pairing is not typical. Traditional Middle Eastern cuisine, “mezze,” has a lot of different flavors at oncePassover dinner is coursed, and every adult must drink four glasses of wine (or grape juice)Yarden Cru Elite - $2,000 per pair265 pairs related, including NFT, sold directly from wineryCelebrate the 40th anniversary with collectorsCabernet Sauvignon, single vineyard, single block, two single barrelsLaunched at an Israeli restaurant in Singapore Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Israel continues to send a strong message to Syria's new jihadist government that it will not tolerate a new terror front on the Golan Heights. Israel carried out airstrikes today against Syrian military bases and engaged in a firefight with jihadis near the border. Meanwhile, concerns over a brewing showdown between Israel and Turkey in Syria continue to grow, even as Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is beset by mass protests at home. Are there prophetic implications in the chaos? Watch now! Check out our YouTube channel to never miss the Watchman Newscast live updates during the week and be sure to subscribe. WATCH Stakelbeck Tonight episodes for free on TBN+ here. The Watchman Newscast with Erick Stakelbeck features host Erick Stakelbeck's breakdown and understanding of current events and how they play an impact on Biblical Prophecy, Israel, and how it all impacts the world, no matter where you live. Tune in for more understandings on the major issues and news that matter to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Parsons, Order of Nine Angles, nexicons/gates. acausal realms, Tree of Wyrd, Cybernetic Cultural Research Unit (Cccru), Ccru's Tree of life, Merkabah/chariot mysticism, Ezekiel's wheel, the angelic hierarchy, Neo-Platonism, Neo-Pythagorianism, theurgy, Merkabah growing out of earlier indigenous mysticism, astro-magick, UFOs/interdimensional beings, why Merkabah and related systems are superior to Crowley's, Golan Heights, whether Israel's occupation is retake several ancient star gates, did Jack Parsons fake his death? L. Ron HubbardMusic by: Keith Allen Dennishttps://keithallendennis.bandcamp.com/Additional Music: OMhttps://www.amazon.com/Advaitic-Songs-OM/dp/B0083GJ1F8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=EFBRITTR0QD6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.q5OozP-gaAM3IL7DJAtx-OC998NJiCUinOY8lyHYgKxbCa5crZtIVZi62pcJo-vP.HPRzQwYHsEhkShgjm12SU0ZWsLV91v-bKFqxt_B8GdI&dib_tag=se&keywords=om+advaitic+songs+vinyl&qid=1741938241&sprefix=om+ad%2Caps%2C249&sr=8-1 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While walking through the Golan Heights, Jesus asks a strange question. When Simon Peter takes a leap of faith, Jesus changes his name and makes

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's effort to reshape the Middle East aligns neatly with US President Donald J. Trump's notion of big power geopolitics. In 2023, Mr. Netanyahu outlined elements of his vision in an address to the United Nations General Assembly. The prime minister held up a map that erased Palestine and showed the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, as part of Israel. Mr. Trump's plan to resettle Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians elsewhere and turn the war-ravaged Strip into a high-end beachfront real estate development has allowed Mr. Netanyahu to officially embrace the notion of ethnic cleansing for the first time, even though ultranationalist members of his Cabinet have long propagated expelling Palestinians from the territory. US and Israeli officials said concern that Hamas may repurpose some 30,000 unexploded ordnances was one reason why Mr. Trump proposed resettlement. Even so, Mr. Trump's plan fits a pattern, following his recognition in his first term as president of Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Since then, Mr. Netanyahu's big power vision of the Middle East has evolved substantially as a result of the toppling in December of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a Turkish-backed group with jihadist antecedents.

Israel's expansionist policy in Syria's Golan Heights and its support for the Druze and Kurdish minorities are justified by Israeli officials on the grounds that they are protecting natural allies and countering Turkish influence. Yet Syria expert Joshua Landis says Israel's actions are having the opposite effect, making Syria's new Islamist leaders more dependent on Turkey for their protection.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing. Israel carried out an airstrike in Syria on Monday evening, targeting a military facility near the city of Tartous, in the country’s northwestern coastal region. And today, the Defense Ministry says it is carrying out activities to clear explosives from an area of the Golan Heights near the Syrian border. Fabian updates on IDF activities inside Syria. We spend the rest of the episode on the series of IDF probes into the failures on October 7, 2023. We learn about the immediate failures, including that the attack was a surprise with no intelligence warning. Hamas had numerous forces and was attacking several areas simultaneously. And the IDF had far fewer forces and minimal capabilities available: When the attack began, involving over 5,000 terrorists, just 767 IDF troops were stationed on the border. And then we turn to specific investigations into the air force, the navy and the intelligence wing, and we learn about the series of disasters that led to the tragedies at the Nahal Oz IDF base and Kibbutz Kfar Aza. And finally, we zoom into one of the many tales of heroism that were highlighted in the reports, the story of Kfar Aza resident Brig. Gen. Yisrael Shomer, who fought off terrorists with a kitchen knife before securing a weapon and eventually killing 20. Please see today's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Israel attacks military site in northwestern Syria; no casualties reported Entire Gaza Division was overrun for hours, and IDF didn’t know it; 767 troops faced 5,000 terrorists IDF identified but ignored 5 warning signs of Hamas attack on eve of Oct. 7, its probe shows The intel on Hamas attack plan was there, but IDF simply refused to believe it, probe finds Before Oct. 7, IDF probe shows, Hamas duped Israel into thinking it did not pose a major threat IDF’s Oct. 7 probes show it misread Hamas for years, left southern Israel utterly vulnerable Terrorists took Kfar Aza in an hour. Recapturing it took the IDF days, probe finds ‘Systemic failure’: How Nahal Oz base, 850 meters from Gaza yet utterly vulnerable, fell to Hamas Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Members of Zaka walk through the destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, as they collect the dead bodies, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 15, 2023. (Edi Israel/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ISRAEL'S PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu says he doesn't intend to allow the armed forces of Al Qaeda offshoot HTS south of Damascus. Is this a step toward fulfilling the land promised to Abraham's descendants in Genesis 15?We discuss a new report from Avi Lipkin in Israel where he describes a new Middle East, with an Israeli-Druze autonomous zone across southern Syria from the Golan Heights to the Euphrates River, and a Kurdish autonomous zone east of the Euphrates connecting to the Kurdish zone in Iraq, linking to Israel's allies in Azerbaijan.Would this fulfill prophecy? That's up for debate, but one thing is certain—we are living in prophetic times.

Khawla Ibraheem is a playwright, actor and director based in the Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights. She is a regular at many theatres in Palestine and outside of Palestine she has collaborated with many theatres and institutions, including as a fellow at the McDowell, and as an artist in residence at the Sundance Theatre Lab. Khawla's one-woman play, A Knock on the Roof, opens at the Royal Court later this month.

Can Syria keep its promises? After the fall of Bashar al-Assad last December, the new rulers of Damascus are convening a one-day national dialogue conference. On paper, the outcomes sound promising: transitional justice, inclusive democracy and the disarmament of the country's numerous militias in favour of a unified national army. In practice, it's far more complicated. The US-backed Syrian Kurds in the north feel excluded and have no intention of surrendering their weapons while they continue to fight both IS group remnants and Turkey-backed militias.  Integrating them, while also building trust with the Islamist-led factions that brought Ahmed al-Shaara to power, won't happen overnight. We explore how this can be achieved and how far the West is willing to go, now that the EU has lifted sanctions. With Israel's ongoing air strikes and its demands for Syria's military to retreat from the Golan Heights, how can the international community support lasting stability and peace in a country that desperately seeks it?Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Ilayda Habip.

Syria is entering a new phase, and the regional balance of power is shifting. Gulf states, Turkey, and Israel are recalibrating their strategies, while the U.S., Russia, and China assess their next moves. Iran and Hezbollah, once deeply entrenched in Syria, are now facing new challenges. Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its presence in the occupied Golan Heights, and Trump is pressuring Egypt and Jordan to accept Palestinians expelled from Gaza.Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics, joins Rania Khalek to break down these developments and what they mean for the region.

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, with Donald Trump back in the White House, we are getting ready to witness another round of some very intense end times events and happenings. In his first term, Trump moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, declared Jerusalem to be the eternal capital of Israel, and affirmed that Israel had sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Those things represent the heady heights of things we really liked to see. On the other side, however, Trump was also used to put the world on lockdown, worked to create a highly poisonous fake vaccine that was forced on people, and signed his name to the Abraham Accords that, in all likelihood is the covenant that Antichrist confirms in Daniel 9:27. Here in 2025, newly re-elected President Trump is working feverishly to rid America of DEI, the Woke Agenda, and government waste and corruption, all things we very much like seeing. On the other side, however, his is also ushering in the age of cryptocurrency, the digital dollar, and American territorial expansion, things we very much do not like to see. On this episode, we bring you New Age NAR High Priestess Paula White, the woman Donald Trump has just appointed as head of the White House Faith Office. She is not a wolf in sheep's clothing, she is a wolf in wolf's clothing, and she is very bad news for the spiritual climate of America, but very good news for the timing of the Rapture.

"And it should here be mentioned that Donald Trump has publicly admitted to being bought and owned by Zionist oligarchs. The president openly acknowledged on the campaign trail that the first time he was president, megadonors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson were at the White House “probably almost more than anybody” demanding favors for Israel like moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and acknowledging Israel's illegitimate claim to the Golan Heights, which he eagerly granted. Miriam Adelson, who is Israeli-American, gave the Trump campaign $100 million last year." Reading by Tim Foley.

You know that giant prehistoric stone circle on the Golan Heights, Rujm el Hiri? Yeah, its not really aligned with the sun and stars and isn't the only big stone thing up there. So what is it? Beats us, but never underestimate the human need to get other people to pile up stones. And really, aren't we all aligned with the sun and stars?

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Political correspondent Tal Schneider and reporter Sue Surkes join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Israel allows thousands of Gazans to return to the north of the Strip, as per the hostage-ceasefire deal, following confirmation that hostages Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger and a third hostage would be released this week on Thursday, while three more hostages, all men, will be released on Saturday, Schneider notes. She also reviews the latest regarding the Hezbollah ceasefire, which is being extended until February 18, during which time the Lebanese army is supposed to to deploy to the eastern part of southern Lebanon, close to Syria and the Golan Heights, and stabilize what is currently seen as a fragile ceasefire. Schneider describes a recent visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz near the Gaza border, one of the kibbutzim hardest hit by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, where only half a dozen homes were left standing. IDF forces never reached Nir Oz on that day, and neither have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or many other ministers in the ensuing 15 months. Surkes talks about how some veteran Israeli aid workers are caught between considering the humanitarian needs of war-torn Gaza, which they haven't been able to enter since the war began, and mourning communities and individuals victimized by the brutal Hamas onslaught on October 7, 2023, which started the war. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Thousands of Gazans gather on coastal road as IDF blocks access to Strip’s north Israel: Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger, 3rd hostage to be freed Thursday; 3 more on Saturday Israel and Lebanon extend truce, with IDF troop withdrawal deadline moved to Feb. 18 22 killed in south Lebanon as IDF fires on suspects trying to break through to villages Israel fiddled while Nir Oz burned, but the kibbutz will rise again Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Displaced Palestinians make their way back to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on January 27, 2025. (Photo by Ali Hassan/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   First, tensions are once again flaring with Hezbollah, as Israeli leaders say they will not withdraw their troops from Lebanon by Sunday's ceasefire deadline, throwing the future of the peace deal into question. Then, turning to Israel's northeast, leaders in Jerusalem are signaling they intend to maintain their troop presence in a demilitarized buffer zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, sparking concerns about a potential confrontation. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rania Khalek was joined by historian Ussama Makdisi to discuss 15 months of genocide in Gaza. They explore academic complicity, Gaza's “scholasticide” (the deliberate destruction of Gaza's educational institutions), Israel's expansion into Syria and the Golan Heights, the history of Arab Jews, and the future of resistance in the region.The full interview is available to Breakthrough News Members only. You can become a member at Patreon.com/BreakthroughNews. Ussama's article discussed in the episode: https://newfascismsyllabus.com/opinions/the-catechism-debate/atonement-at-the-expense-of-another/Follow the Makdisi Street Podcast, co-hosted by Ussamma, here: https://youtube.com/@makdisistreet?si=lMFydkP1PuQ-PHOo

The music returns to New Orleans' Bourbon Street, while investigators say a New Year's attacker acted alone. A new Congress prepares for a House speaker vote. And villagers in the Golan Heights tell NPR about Israeli security operations near Syria's border.For more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Russell Lewis, Kelsey Snell, Martin Patience, Jan Johnson, and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Kaity Kline, Nia Dumas and Julie Depenbrock. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. And our technical director is Stacey Abbott.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

You're Listening to Parallax Views https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/ Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Recorded: 12-18-24 On this edition of Parallax Views, the coverage and analysis of the situaiton unfolding in Syria continues, this time with George Meneshian, an Athens-based policy analyst specializing in the Caucasus and MENA. Meneshian bring his knowledge of the Caucasus and MENA to the table to explain what the downfal of Bashar al-Assad and his replacement of the Jolani-led HTS means for the regions. Meneshian offers a crash course in what needs to happen now for Syria to be stable, what the U.S. and European role should be in dealing with HTS, concerns about HTS and Jolani's Islamist and jihadist past, Turkey's regional ambitions, what the situation in Syria means for Armenia and Azerbaijan, what the downfall of Assad means for Palestinians, the events that were set in motino by the Hamas October 7th attack of 2023, Israel's actions in post-Assad Syria and occupation of the Golan Heights, Turkey and the Kurdish Question, Iran, and much, much more.

Tommy and Ben discuss the latest developments out of Syria, including the rebel leadership's promises to disband and focus on building the state, international delegations and journalists making trips to Damascus, and Israel's bombing campaign on Syrian territory and plans to build more settlements in the Golan Heights. They also talk about trouble for some of Trump's cabinet nominees, concessions from Hamas in ceasefire negotiations, the impeachment of South Korea's president, a no confidence vote in Germany, trouble for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Prince Andrew's latest misadventure. Then, Tommy speaks to PBS NewsHour special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen from Aleppo, who gives an on the ground perspective from Syria.

Your daily news in under three minutes. At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

IDF airstrike on Khan Younis school kills at least 20, including children. Netanyahu announces new settlements in the Golan Heights. Trump gives conspiratorial explanation for the mysterious drones flying over the U.S. Trump states he might pardon NYC Mayor Eric Adams. New York officials are reportedly considering a “CEO hotline” after the assassination of Brian Thompson." HOST: Ana Kasparian (@anakasparian), Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE ☞  https://www.youtube.com/@TheYoungTurks FOLLOW US ON: FACEBOOK  ☞   https://www.facebook.com/theyoungturks TWITTER  ☞       https://twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM  ☞  https://www.instagram.com/theyoungturks TIKTOK  ☞          https://www.tiktok.com/@theyoungturks

As Syria navigates a fragile political transition, Israel has wiped out much of Syrian military assets, pushed further into Syrian territory, and approved a plan to expand settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. How will Syria’s new leadership respond? In this episode: Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (@ajaltamimi), Research Fellow, Middle East Forum Episode credits: This episode was produced by Khaled Soltan and Tamara Khandaker, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Hagir Saleh, Duha Mosaad, Chloe K. Li, and our host, Malika Bilal. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

On the DSR Daily for Monday, we cover Israel's plans for the Golan Heights, an impending no-confidence vote in Germany, drone sightings across the East Coast, and more. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Israel's prime minister says his government plans to double the Israeli population in the Golan Heights, an area considered a "strategic plateau" since Israel captured it from Syria in 1967. Also, South Korea's constitutional court is deciding whether or not to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. And, legendary tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain dies at the age of 73. Plus, a spicy Thai soup with a twist.Listen to today's Music Heard on Air.Donate today to help The World unlock a $67,000 challenge match!

//The Wire//2300Z December 16, 2024////ROUTINE////BLUF: OHIO AIR FORCE BASE BRIEFLY CLOSES AIRSPACE OVER THE WEEKEND DUE TO UAS ACTIVITY. NEW JERSEY “DRONE” SITUATION CONTINUES WITH LITTLE NEW EVIDENCE.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Germany: This morning a vote of no confidence was held in the Bundestag, resulting in Chancellor Scholtz's government collapsing. Snap elections are to be held in February.Canada: Finance Minister Freeland resigned her post this morning following conflict within PM Trudeau's cabinet. Freeland reported that Trudeau asked her to step down as Finance Minister to serve in another cabinet position over the weekend, which she replied to this morning by resigning outright.Syria: Israeli forces have continued their north and eastward axis of advance from the Golan Heights into Syria. Turkish activities in the North continue as well, though remain harder to discern as fighting continues in the remote terrain of northeastern Syria. However, indications are growing that the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) is preparing for a large-scale offensive against the Kurds along the eastern front.-HomeFront-Washington D.C. – The White House has continued the large-scale pardons issued by the outgoing Biden regime, with 39 pardons and 1,499 commutations being announced on Thursday.Wisconsin: A school shooting was reported at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison this morning. So far, 3x fatalities and 7x wounded were reported following the shooting, and the assailant took their own life at the scene.Ohio: Following the events in New Jersey over the past few weeks, Wright-Patterson Air Force base reported an airspace closure due to drones inhibiting flight operations. Friday night base officials observed many drones of varying sizes and configurations, which resulted in the issuance of NOTAMs number M1132, M1133, and M1134, which resulted in the complete closure of the airspace for several hours.New Jersey: No clear and indisputable evidence has been noted over the past few days to indicate what the recent “drone” crisis may be. Statements by officials have been mixed. New York claims to have requested “drone detection systems” from the federal government, and that these resources (whatever they are) are being deployed around the tri-state area.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: The implementation of a “drone detection system” in New York is interesting in that framing the response in this manner signals the lack of understanding regarding drone detection and surveillance. The U.S. government doesn't have a magic suitcase of tech that can make everything okay. There's much more to it than that; drone detection and mitigation technology is an extremely wide and varied subject area, with many different means of monitoring aerial objects. From NORAD's extremely capable suite of radar systems, to satellite-based technologies, to the intricate web of counter-drone technologies, down to the individual user level in many cases, there are a plethora of options for detecting what these “drones” might be, and where they originate from. This morning, President Trump alluded to as much, very bluntly stating that the U.S. government knows exactly what the situation is regarding the drones that have genuinely been observed. This matter-of-fact statement points to what is fairly obvious; the chances of the US government not already tracking every piece of technology in the United States, are zero. There is absolutely zero chance that at least two dozen different federal agencies haven't already weeded out the fake/erroneous reports from the genuine sightings, and already identified where these “drones” are coming from.More broadly however, in the realm of national security, sometimes wishing will indeed make it so. Right now, there are very real drone threats to critical infrastructur

After helping to overthrow leader Bashar al-Assad, Israel destroyed Syria's military capabilities and is seizing territory, annexing the Golan Heights and occupying more land. The Al-Qaeda-linked Salafi-jihadist rebels who now rule Syria, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have allowed Israel to do this. HTS leader (and former Al-Qaeda chief) Abu Mohammad al-Jolani said "We are not looking to engage in a conflict with Israel". Ben Norton reports. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEOiNDVFJ_o Topics 0:00 USA & Israel occupy Syrian territory 2:49 Israel destroys Syria's military capabilities 4:14 Israel expands illegal settlements in occupied Golan Heights 5:26 UN vote demands Israel withdraw from Syrian Golan 6:33 Israel supported Syrian rebels (including Al-Qaeda) 7:52 Netanyahu: "We are changing the face of the Middle East" 8:51 Israel threatens Iran 10:50 HTS leader al-Jolani wants peace with Israel 13:35 (CLIP) HTS refuses to criticize Israel 14:23 The US empire's "Syrian Revolution" 15:08 US State Dep't talks with Al-Qaeda 2.0 16:27 UK sends millions to rebranded Al-Qaeda 17:10 CIA armed & trained Syrian rebels 17:43 Syrian rebels vow neoliberal "free-market" shock therapy 19:08 Uyghur extremists declare war on China 21:34 HTS denies rights to Syrian women 23:00 HTS stoned Syrian women to death 23:30 Outro

Israel's government has approved a plan to encourage the expansion of settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was necessary because a "new front" had opened up on Israel's border with Syria, after the fall of the Assad regime. We hear from a former Israeli Prime Minister, who says the move is an unnecessary provocation.Also on the programme: We get a sense of the devastation in the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, where its feared hundreds of people have been killed by Cyclone Chido; and explore why America's ABC News agreed to settle its defamation case with Donald Trump.(Picture: Israeli military vehicles ride through Syria close to the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria Credit: REUTERS/Jamal Awad)

In our news wrap Sunday, dozens of people were killed in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, Israel said it wants to double the population of Israeli settlers in the Golan Heights along the border with Syria, and Trump named long-time foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell as his next envoy for special missions. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Rockets were fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from Gaza at southern Israel Friday night. These aren’t the only rockets from the Strip in the past week or so. We hear what this uptick represents. On Wednesday, the IDF confirmed that it had withdrawn its troops from the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon in accordance with the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. What kind of presence remains in southern Lebanon? Exactly a week ago, the first IDF tanks and troops pushed into southern Syria, seizing control of the former Syrian army posts located within a buffer zone that has existed between the countries since 1974, after a rebel uprising took place there by a coalition of various Druze tribes and opposition groups going by the name of Southern Operations Room. We hear what little is known about their leadership and ideology and Fabian reports on what he saw at an IDF's forward defense post, just beyond the buffer zone. On Thursday, the IAF said that after over a decade of evading air defenses over the skies of Syria during a campaign against Iran’s supply of weapons to Hezbollah, it had achieved total air superiority in the area and therefore, there is an opportunity to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Fabian weighs in. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: IDF says rockets fired at south on Friday were launched from aid warehouse area IDF confirms withdrawal from southern Lebanon’s Khiam in accordance with ceasefire Katz says IDF troops will stay atop Syrian side of Mount Hermon during winter months We don’t know how the rebels will act, IDF commander tells ToI inside southern Syria New Israeli strikes said to target Syrian military sites, underground missile bunkers IDF sees chance for strikes on Iran nuke sites after knocking out Syria air defenses Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: A convoy of IDF vehicles approach a United Nations position on the border between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights on December 11, 2024. The Syrian Army Tel Kwdana post can be seen in the background. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The unexpected toppling this weekend of the Assad regime by rebel forces brought a swift end to Syria's 13-year uprising-cum-civil war and over half a century of authoritarian rule. Syrians around the world have celebrated the development, with thousands walking free from the regime's hellish prisons. But in the aftermath, the situation remains volatile. Israel has struck targets inside Syria and moved troops deeper into the occupied Golan Heights, while international powers jockey for influence. Mohammed al-Bashir, who led the rebels' de facto government in northwest Syria, has been named interim prime minister.Syrian journalist Rami Jarrah was among those celebrating Bashar al-Assad's fall, but he's worried about what happens in his country now. He reported from Syria during the early uprisings in 2011 and throughout the civil war, including Aleppo in 2016 during the intense bombardment. On this week's episode of The Intercept Briefing, he says his own experience being detained and tortured by the Syrian government informs his concerns. “For a long time I had a serious grudge. I wanted revenge. Revenge that looked very ugly. And it's why I understand how a situation like Syria, where there is this change of power, and how dangerous that can be because the things I was thinking about after what happened to me and what happened to loved ones of mine. I could not have been trusted to have authority in my hands if we'd gotten a hold of the perpetrators or even people that maybe just corresponded to the perpetrators. I don't think I would have made sensible decisions. I think the last 4 or 5 years, I've been able to reflect,” he recounts.He says Assad and his family fleeing to Russia gives Syria a chance to move forward in a productive way. Had Assad stayed and fought, “we could have fallen into a civil war very quickly. … I think him fleeing sends a crippling message to those that supported him,” Jarrah says. “It made it much more likely that there could be a reconciliation process between those that supported Assad and those that were victims of Assad's system.”To hear more of the conversation, listen to this week's episode of The Intercept Briefing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing podcast from the Jerusalem office. We are continuing a new Friday tradition that we instituted last week and giving a deeper look into one aspect of the news. Today, we’re going to delve into Israel’s ever-evolving relationship and strategy with Syria. We turn back the clock to the foundation of Syria and take a look at each decade of Israel’s existence vis a vis its neighbor to the north. We see how this background plays into Israel currently filling the vacuum in the buffer zone between the two countries after rebel forces decimated the Asad regime’s forces in the past week. We learn that following a series of wars, Syria discovered that it would not win back the Golan Heights through force. Berman speaks about the decades-long peace talks between the two countries -- and what foiled them For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Israel rejects French call to withdraw from Syria buffer: ‘Necessary for defense’ France calls on Israel to exit Syria buffer zone as Spain, Germany urge restraint IDF building along UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in Syria, satellite images show Pro-Assad troops take over Golan UN post in demilitarized area on Israeli border UN calls for armed groups to leave Golan area separating Israel-Syria forces Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand guard on a security fence gate near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, December 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid and political correspondent Tal Schneider join host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Magid and Schneider speak about the cautious optimism of some Israeli government officials regarding renewed hostage talks, amid the arrival of US National security adviser Jake Sullivan to the region. Magid also looks at the request of Trump advisors who asked for the return of Hamas leaders to Qatar as they view the Gulf country's mediation efforts as vital to the hostage negotiations, and want the entire situation completed by the January 20 inauguration. Magid and Schneider discuss the latest in the Golan Heights and IDF activity in the buffer zone with Syria following the rebel group takeover. Several European countries asked for Israel's restraint as no one wants Israel and the rebel groups to set off on an antagonistic relationship. Finally, Schneider looks at the latest in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criminal trial, as the prime minister claims he was never favored by any of the Israeli media that he attempted to influence, but rather received hostile coverage. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Sullivan heads to Israel for Biden administration’s likely final hostage deal push 1st hostage to return from Gaza meets Trump, urges him to do all he can to free captives Security chiefs discuss hostage deal in Cairo as Israel sees growing chances Trump aides asked Qatar to recall ousted Hamas chiefs in bid to revive hostage talks Netanyahu argues ‘hostile’ Walla coverage, telecoms reforms prove bribery claims ‘absurd’ Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Hostage family members speak to the media after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, December 8, 2024. (Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phi Giraldi: Golan Heights on the Menu for Israel.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon and reporter Diana Bletter join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Part of Israel’s strategy to deter the Syrian rebel forces from expanding into Israel is the decision to fill the vacuum in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria with IDF forces. Bletter reports back from a trip to a Druze town within shouting distance of Syria -- Majdal Shamas, which saw 12 youths killed in July when a Hezbollah bomb struck a soccer pitch. We hear how the residents, many who have relatives living on the other side of the border, view the fall of the Assad regime. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally took to the witness stand on Tuesday in his criminal trial on corruption charges, the first time in Israeli history that a serving prime minister has appeared in court to testify as a defendant. Sharon was there and discusses the festive circus-like atmosphere in the courtroom as well as some choice Netanyahu anecdotes. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: In war-struck Majdal Shams, Assad’s fall sparks hope for Israel’s Druze In historic campaign across Syria, IDF says it destroyed 80% of Assad regime’s military Netanyahu, 1st PM to testify as criminal defendant, ridicules charges, denies illicit media ties Netanyahu regales court with story of John Kerry’s invitation to visit Afghanistan Coalition MKs, ministers line up at court to back Netanyahu as trial testimony kicks off Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Residents in the Israeli Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights celebrate on December 9, 2024, after Islamist-led rebels declared that they had taken the Syrian capital in a lightning offensive, sending President Bashar al-Assad fleeing and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Menahem Kahana / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

PREVIEW: SYRIA/IDF Colleague Jonathan Schanzer analyzes IDF's expanded deployment across Mt. Hermon, Golan Heights, and beyond the DMZ, examining future strategic risks. More tonight. 1898 Damascus

PREVIEW: ISRAEL/SYRIA Colleague David Daoud analyzes IDF operations advancing into the Golan Heights and Syrian DMZ. More later. 1870 Damascus walls

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it has troops operating in Syrian territory beyond the demilitarized buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It added that its strikes were to prevent weapons falling "into the hands of extremists" as Syria transitions to a post-Assad era. We hear from Damascus and ask how Syria's new rulers are likely to govern? Also on the programme: Investigators continue to interrogate Luigi Mangione, the suspect in New York's health insurance boss killing; and Google's new quantum computer chip is hailed as breakthrough technology, but what can it actually do?(Photo: Abu Mussab al-Halabi, a rebel fighter poses for a photograph after an interview in Presidential Palace, Damascus Credit: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

This week we talk about coups, the Arab Spring, and Bashar al-Assad.We also discuss militias, Al Qaeda, and Iran.Recommended Book: The Algebraist by Iain M. BanksTranscriptIn the early 2010s, a series of uprisings against unpopular, authoritarian governments spread across the Middle East—a wave of action that became known as the Arab Spring.Tunisia was where it started, a man setting himself on fire in protest against the nation's brazenly corrupt government and all that he'd suffered under that government, and the spreading of this final gesture on social media, which was burgeoning at the time, amplified by the still relatively newfound availability and popularity of smartphones, the mobile internet, and the common capacity to share images and videos of things as they happen to folks around the world via social media, led to a bunch of protests and riots and uprisings in Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, and Algeria, initially, before then spreading to other, mostly Arab majority, mostly authoritarian-led nations.The impact of this cascade of unrest in this region was immediately felt; within just two years, by early 2012, those ruling Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen had been toppled, there were attempts to topple the Bahraini and Syrian governments, there were massive protests in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Algeria, and Sudan, and relatively minor protests, which were still meaningful because of the potential punishments for folks who rocked the boat in these countries, smaller protests erupted in Djibouti, Western Sahara, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Mauritania.Several rulers and their ruling parties committed to stepping down soon, or to not run for reelection—some of them actually stuck with that commitment, though others rode out this period of tumult and then quietly backtracked.Some nations saw long-lasting periods of unrest following this eruption; Jordan had trouble keeping a government in office for years, for instance, while Yemen overthrew its government in 2012 and 2015, and that spun-out into a civil war between the official government and the Iran-backed Houthis, which continues today, gumming up the Red Sea and significantly disrupting global shipping as a consequence.What I'd like to talk about today, though, is another seriously disruptive sequence of events that have shaped the region, and a lot of things globally, as well, since the first sparks of what became the Arab Spring—namely, the Syrian Civil war—and some movement we've seen in this conflict over the past week that could result in a dramatically new state of affairs across the region.—In 1963, inspired by their brethren's successful coup in nearby Iraq, the military wing of the Arab nationalist Ba'ath party of Syria launched a coup against the country's post-colonial democratic government, installing in its stead a totalitarian party-run government.One of the leaders of this coup, Hafez al-Assad, became the country's president in 1971, which basically meant he was the all-powerful leader of a military dictatorship, and he used those powers to even further consolidate his influence over the mechanisms of state, which meant he also had the ability to name his own successor.He initially planned to install his brother as leader when he stepped down or died, but that brother attempted to overthrow him when he was ill in 1983 and 1984, so when he got better, he exiled said brother and chose his eldest son, Bassel al-Assad, instead.Bassel died in a car accident in 1994, though, so Hafez was left with his third choice, Bashar al-Assad, which wasn't a popular choice, in part because it was considered not ideal for him to choose a family member, rather than someone else from the leading party, but also because Bashar had no political experience at the time, so this was straight-up nepotism: the only reason he was selected was that he was family.In mid-2000, Hafez died, and Bashar stepped into the role of president. The next few years were tumultuous for the new leader, who faced heightened calls for more transparency in the government, and a return to democracy, or some form of it at least, in Syria.This, added to Bashar's lack of influence with his fellow party members, led to a wave of retirements and purgings amongst the government and military higher-ups—those veteran politicians and generals replaced by loyalists with less experience and credibility.He then made a series of economic decisions that were really good for the Assad family and their allies, but really bad for pretty much everyone else in the country, which made him and his government even less popular with much of the Syrian population, even amongst those who formerly supported his ascension and ambitions.All of this pushback from the people nudged Bashar al-Assad into implementing an increasingly stern police state, which pitted various ethnic and religious groups against each other in order to keep them from unifying against the government, and which used terror and repression to slap down or kill anyone who stood up to the abuse.When the Arab Spring, which I mentioned in the intro, rippled across the Arab world beginning in 2011, protestors in Syria were treated horribly by the Assad government—the crackdown incredibly violent and punitive, even compared to that of other repressive, totalitarian governments in the region.This led to more pushback from Syrian citizens, who began to demand, with increasing intensity, that the Assad-run government step down, and that the Ba'athists running the dictatorship be replaced by democratically elected officials.This didn't go over well with Assad, who launched a campaign of even more brutal, violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and the torture and execution of people who spoke out on this subject—leading to thousands of confirmed deaths, and tens of thousands of people wounded by government forces.This response didn't go over super well with the people, and these protests and the pushback against them spiraled into a full-on civil uprising later in 2011, a bunch of people leaving the Syrian military to join the rebels, and the country breaking up into pieces, each chunk of land controlled by a different militia, some of these militias working well together, unifying against the government, while others also fought other militias—a remnant of the military government's efforts to keep their potential opposition fighting each other, rather than them.This conflict was officially declared a civil war by the UN in mid-2012, and the UN and other such organizations have been fretting and speaking out about the human rights violations and other atrocities committed during this conflict ever since, though little has been done by external forces, practically, to end it—instead it's become one of many proxy conflicts, various sides supported, mostly with weapons and other resources, though sometimes with training, and in rare instances with actual soldiers on the ground, by the US, Turkey, Russia, Iran, the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Britain, France, Israel, and the Netherlands.This conflict has demanded the country's full attention for more than a decade, then, and it's had influence even beyond Syria's borders, as groups like the Islamic State, or ISIS has been able to grow and flourish within Syria, due to all the chaos and lack of stability, refugees from Syria have flooded across borders, fleeing the violence and causing all sorts of unintended disruptions in neighboring and even some further-afield countries where, in some cases, millions of these refugees have had to be taken care of, which in turn has influenced immigration-related politics even as far away as the European Union. Also due to that lack of internal control, crime has flourished in Syria, including drug-related crime. And that's lets to a huge production and distribution network for an illegal, almost everywhere, amphetamine called Captagon, which is addictive, and the pills often contain dangerous filler chemicals that are cheaper to produce.This has increased drug crime throughout the region, and the Syrian government derives a substantial amount of revenue from these illicit activities—it's responsible for about 80% of global Captagon production, as of early 2024.All of which brings us to late-2024.By this point, Syria had been broken up into about seven or eight pieces, each controlled by some militia group or government, while other portions—which make up a substantial volume of the country's total landmass—are considered to be up in the air, no dominant factions able to claim them.Al-Assad's government has received a fair bit of support, both in terms of resources, and in terms of boots on the ground, from Iran and Russia, over the years, especially in the mid-20-teens. And due in large part to that assistance, his forces were able to retake most of the opposition's strongholds by late 2018.There was a significant ceasefire at the tail-end of 2019, which lasted until March of 2020. This ceasefire stemmed from a successful operation launched by the Syrian government and its allies, especially Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, against the main opposition and some of their allies—basically a group of different rebel factions that were working together against Assad, and this included groups backed by the Turkish government.On March 5, 2020, Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Putin, which were backing opposite sides of this portion of the Syrian civil war, agreed on a ceasefire that began the following day, which among other things included a safety corridor along a major highway, separating the groups from each other, that corridor patrolled by soldiers from Turkey and Russia.This served to end most frontline fighting, as these groups didn't want to start fighting these much larger, more powerful nations—Russia and Turkey—while trying to strike their enemies, though there were still smaller scuffles and attacks, when either side could hurt their opponent without being caught.In November of 2024, though, a coalition of anti-Assad militias launched a new offensive against the Syrian government's forces, which was ostensibly sparked by heavily shelling by those forces against civilians in rural areas outside Aleppo, the country's second-largest city.On the 29th of November, those forces captured most of Aleppo, and then plowed their way through previously government-held towns and cities at a fairly rapid clip, capturing another regional capitol, Hama on December 5, and securing Damascus, the capitol of the country, on December 8.This ended the 13-year civil war that's plagued Syria since all the way back in 2011; Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, according to Russian and Iranian officials, and he resigned before he hopped on that flight; Russian state media is saying that Assad and his family have been granted asylum by the Russian government.This is a rapidly developing story, and we'll know more over the next few weeks, as the dust settles, but right now it looks like the Syrian government has been toppled by rebel forces led by a man named Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, a 42-year-old child of Syrian exiles who was born in Saudi Arabia, and who spent the early 2000s fighting against US occupation forces in Iraq as part of Al Qaeda.He apparently spent a few years in an Iraqi prison, then led an Al Qaeda affiliate group, which evolved into its own thing when he broke ties with Al Qaeda's leadership.This new group that he formed, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, tried to differentiate itself from groups like Al Qaeda by saying they didn't want to play a role in the global jihad, they just wanted to reform the government in Syria. As part of that pivot, they started governing and building infrastructure across the chunk of Syria they claimed, even to the point of collecting taxes and providing civilians with identity cards; though throughout this period they were also known for ruling with an iron fist, and for being hardcore authoritarians, dedicated to implementing a hard-line version of Islamist ideological law.In the midst of their blitz-like capture of Syria, though, representatives from this group have said they'll implement a religiously tolerant representative government, and they won't tell women in the country how to dress.Following the capture of Damascus, Syria's Prime Minister said that he would remain in the country, and that he was ready to work with whomever takes the reins as things settle down, happy to make the transition a smooth and peaceful one, essentially, whatever that might mean in practice.The US military has taken this opportunity to strike dozens of Islamic State facilities and leaders across the country, marking one of the biggest such actions in recent months, and military leaders have said they would continue to strike terrorist groups on Syrian soil—probably as part of an effort to keep the new Syrian government, whatever its composition, from working with IS and its allies.Russia has requested a closed-door meeting with the United Nations Security Council to discuss Syria's collapse, and it's been reported that they failed to come to Assad's aid because they're too tied up in Ukraine, and they weren't able to move forces from North Africa rapidly enough to do much good; though there's a chance they'll still shift whatever chess pieces they can to the area in order to influence the composition of the new government, as it's forming.Iran has said they welcome whatever type of government the Syrian people decide to establish, though it's likely they'll try to nudge that formation in their favor, as Syria has long been an ally and client state of theirs, and they are no doubt keen to maintain that reality as much as possible, and bare-minimum to avoid the establishment of an enemy along their border.And Israel has entered what's supposed to be a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights because this zone is on the Syrian border; they've also captured a buffer zone within Syria itself. They've launched airstrikes on suspected chemical weapon sites in Syria, to prevent them from falling into extremist hands, they've said, and Israeli leaders said they want to keep any issues in their neighbor from impacting Israeli citizens. And Iraq's government has announced that they're doing the same along their shared border with Syria, so the whole region is bulwarking their potential weak points, just in case something goes wrong and violence spreads, rather than being tamped down by all this change.Israel's prime minister, and other higher ups in the government, have also claimed responsibility for Assad's toppling, saying it was their efforts against Iran and its proxy forces, like Hezbollah, that set the stage for the rebels to do what they did—as otherwise these forces would have been too strong and too united for it to work.Notably, the now-in-charge rebel group has been a longtime enemy of Iran and Hezbollah, so while there's still a lot of uncertainty surrounding all of this, Israel's government is no doubt generally happy with how things have progressed, so far, as this could mean Syria is no longer a reliable corridor for them, especially for the purposes of getting weapons to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, along Israel's northern border.That said, this same group isn't exactly a fan of Israel, and is backed by Turkey, which has been highly critical of Israel's actions in Gaza and Lebanon.So it's an incredibly tumultuous moment in Syria, right now, and in this region, as a whole, because the conflict in Syria has been super impactful on everyone thereabouts, to varying degrees, and this ending to this long-lasting civil war could lead to some positive outcomes, like Syrian refugees who have been scattered across neighboring countries being able to return home without facing the threat of violence, and the release of political prisoners from infamous facilities, some of which have already been emptied by the rebels—but especially in the short-term there's a lot of uncertainty, and it'll likely be a while before that uncertainty solidifies into something more knowable and predictable, as at the moment, much of the country is still controlled by various militia groups backed by different international actors, including Kurdish-led forces backed by the US, and forces allied with Turkey in the north.So this change of official governance may shuffle the deck, but rather than stabilizing things, it could result in a new conflict catalyzed by the power vacuum left by the Assad government and its allies, if rebel forces—many of which have been labeled terrorists by governments around the world, which is another wrinkle in all this—if they fail to rally behind one group or individual, and instead start fighting each other for the opportunity to become the country's new dominant force.Show Noteshttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/world/middleeast/syria-hts-jolani.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/briefing/syria-civil-war-assad.htmlhttps://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/assads-rule-collapses-in-syria-raising-concerns-of-a-vacuum-95568f13https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/world/middleeast/syria-rebels-hts-who-what.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/12/07/syria-rebels-biden-intelligence-islamists/https://apnews.com/article/turkey-syria-insurgents-explainer-kurds-ypg-refugees-f60dc859c7843569124282ea750f1477https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-lebanon-news-7-december-2024-53419e23991cfc14a7857c82f49eb26fhttps://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-sweida-daraa-homs-hts-qatar-816e538565d1ae47e016b5765b044d31https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/world/middleeast/syria-damascus-eyewitness-assad.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/article/syria-civil-war-rebels.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/08/world/syria-war-damascushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%27ath_Partyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963_Syrian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafez_al-Assadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_revolutionhttps://www.cfr.org/article/syrias-civil-warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_civil_warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashar_al-Assadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenethyllinehttps://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/07/border-traffic-how-syria-uses-captagon-to-gain-leverage-over-saudi-arabia?lang=enhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_Syria_offensive_(December_2019_%E2%80%93_March_2020)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Syrian_opposition_offensiveshttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8j99447gj1ohttps://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-rebels-war-israel-a8ecceee72a66f4d7e6168d6a21b8dc9https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/09/world/syria-assad-rebelshttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/world/middleeast/israel-assad-syria.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/iran-mideast-proxy-forces-syria-analysis-c853bf613a6d6af7f6aa99b2e60984f8https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/briefing/irans-very-bad-year.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/syria-hts-assad-aleppo-fighting-2be43ee530b7932b123a0f26b158ac22https://apnews.com/article/syria-insurgents-aleppo-iran-russia-turkey-abff93e4f415ebfd827d49b1a90818e8https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/world/middleeast/syria-rebels-hama-homs.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_civil_warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring 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In this episode, Hugh Hewitt and Dr. Michael Oren, Israel's former Ambassador to the U.S., discuss the shifting dynamics in the Middle East, emphasizing Syria's turmoil, Hezbollah's weakening, and Iran's isolation. They stress the urgency of addressing Iran's nuclear ambitions and highlight Israel's strategic moves, including reoccupying parts of the Golan Heights amid regional instability.

//The Wire//2300Z December 10, 2024////ROUTINE////BLUF: POWER-PLAYERS CONTINUE PURSUIT OF THEIR OWN INTERESTS IN SYRIA. CONCERNING DETAILS EMERGE FOLLOWING PREVIOUS COUP ATTEMPT IN SOUTH KOREA.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Syria: The Israeli invasion in the south continues, with Israeli forces reaching the town of Qatana overnight. As of this morning, IDF armored elements were reportedly engaged in minor skirmishes within 10 miles of Damascus, with the axis of advance largely being undertaken from the Golan Heights, along the Syrian border with Lebanon. In the north, Turkey continues their large-scale bombing/shelling of various positions to the east of their historic occupation areas (AC: Turkey has maintained an invasion of northern Syria for a few years, which has been tied up in various legalese, but is essentially their own “buffer zone” invasion they carried out years ago, similarly to what Israel is currently carrying out in the south).Meanwhile, the war continues in eastern Syria between a conglomeration of random groups, the most prominent of which are the Syrian Defense Forces (or SDF, the US-backed coalition fighting various other groups in the autonomous eastern region of the country). This afternoon, the US CENTCOM director for the counter-ISIS mission in the east visited several military bases throughout the region, reaffirming American government support to their interests throughout the failed state.South Korea: Investigations into the actions of various military commanders during last week's coup attempt continue. Initial data (as made public by investigators) indicates that this coup attempt had been planned for some time, with some commanders allegedly engaging in planning efforts as far back as the summer of 2023.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: As a consequence of events on the Korean Peninsula, scrutiny has once again returned to President Yoon, who originally attempted to attribute his actions to innocent buffoonery. Now, it would seem that President Yoon had likely been planning this action as a real and genuine attempt to seize power, and not just politically grandstand. His failures, however, prevented his success. Many military leaders within the sphere of Capitol defense did not know of the coup plans, and thus the internal checks and balances prevented the speed and violence of action needed for the coup to work. Likewise, the foot-dragging of other lower-level soldiers, and the hesitation to carry out questionable orders without a doubt saved lives. Something as simple as a junior officer telling his guys to go take a ramen break for half-an-hour may very well have prevented calamity from befalling the nation.In short, the actions of low-level staffers and junior soldiers to act with magnanimity, not necessarily to pick a side during the coup, but to approach the situation with great discernment, reflect great credit on their devotion to their nation. Though very unconfirmed at this time, some rumors of an exceptionally serious nature have begun to mount following the revelations that have come to light over the past few days. Allegations have been made that President Yoon may have even attempted to stoke a war with North Korea to solidify his coup attempt. More specifically, he allegedly was planning to authorize a drone to fly over Pyongyang as a way of stoking a North Korean military response which would justify Yoon's coup. As this is a VERY serious implication/accusation, much more investigation is needed. After all, Yoon's political opponents have great motivation to hang him out to dry, even to include exaggeration or lies about Yoon's actions. As such, great care must be taken to avoid the situation spiraling out of control again; South Korea might not be out of the woods just yet with regards to activities transitioning out of the realm of traditional politics and more into

//The Wire//2300Z December 9, 2024////ROUTINE////BLUF: DANIEL PENNY FOUND NOT GUILTY, BLM PLANNING DEMONSTRATIONS. ISRAEL CONTINUES INVASION OF SYRIA. TURKEY POSSIBLY BEGINS INVASION OF SYRIA. USA CONDUCTS BOMBING CAMPAIGN IN SYRIA.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: Celebrations continue in Damascus as the leadership of the nation remains in question. So far, the most likely candidate to emerge on top is the current leader of HTS, Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani. Jawlani is a highly controversial figure who initially rose to power within al-Qaeda before becoming the leader of the “rebel” group which has seized control of the country. Following the fall, both Israel and the United States have carried out extremely significant deliberate targeting campaigns, which largely appear to have the goal of scorching the earth for any group that might come to power throughout what has become a Failed State.AC: Israel also continues their ground invasion from the Golan Heights, increasing their “buffer zone” to an unknown degree. Turkey has also been reported to have invaded the northern districts of Syria, likewise carving out however much of Syria they want for themselves, though at the moment reports are mixed as to how much Turkish forces have advanced beyond their pre-2019 incursion limits.South Korea: Following a vote in Parliament on Saturday, President Yoon has survived his impeachment attempt, and for now will remain the President.AC: Details regarding last-week's martial law escapade have become public following inquiries into the matter. Of note, more soldiers than previously known were activated and ordered to seize critical infrastructure, communications facilities, and various political buildings in Seoul. However, initial investigation has revealed that most of the soldiers deliberately took their time in complying with this order, which had the effect of allowing the Parliament the precious time to conduct a vote to nullify the state of martial law.-HomeFront-New York: Daniel Penny has been found not guilty on all charges. Immediately upon this announcement, demonstrations began, including a large-scale sit-in of Times Square. BLM leadership has directly and openly called for violent attacks to be carried out on Daniel Penny, and has encouraged BLM activists to conduct other attacks as well.USA: Various healthcare and/or insurance providers have sharply increased the security practices of senior leadership in the wake of the murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. Medica closed their headquarters building “out of an abundance of caution”, and several pharmaceutical companies (such as CVS) have removed all photographs and leadership details from their websites. Many companies have reportedly required employees to sign/agree to some form of morality pledge, or mandated various ethics training sessions. More significantly, many companies have also reported hiring armed security for chief executives.AC: Though the wicked flee when no one pursues, the efforts by companies to protect their leadership are more indicative of their faith in law enforcement, or more accurately their lack of it.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: The U.S. State Department has not commented on what the current standard is for national sovereignty. Currently, one nation in the Middle East has invaded a grand total of three of their neighboring nations, all with active American support. However, in Europe, one nation has invaded one of their neighbors, and the entirety of the United States government has pulled out all of the stops to counter that action. This detail is once again causing questions to be asked that most Americans are not yet ready to accept the answer for. Until that time, when frank discussions can be had without one losing their entire livelihood for asking a question, the status quo will remain.

Syrian rebels, over the weekend, seized the capital Damascus and forced President Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia. It ends thirteen years of civil war and more than fifty years of the al-Assad family's brutal reign. The lightening military advance by rebels was led by a former al-Qaeda affiliate which has caused a huge change in the region and has lessened the influence of Iran and Russia. FOX's Eben Brown speaks with Alex Hogan, FOX news foreign correspondent reporting from Tel Aviv, who says the rebels now face a monumental task in governing the country while Israel has taken action in the Golan Heights in order to secure the border with Syria. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing podcast. Israeli Air Force fighter jets on Sunday struck dozens of targets across Syria, taking out weaponry that Israel feared could fall into the hands of hostile forces in light of the dramatic fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime some two weeks into a lightning offensive by rebel groups. Also on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces seized control of a buffer zone between the Israel-Syria border in the Golan Heights, in what it described as a temporary defensive measure. We discuss why we have a buffer zone with Syria, when it was established and the legal standing of the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday claimed credit for starting the chain of events that led to the sudden fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, hailing it as an “historic day.” According to Berman, "Seeing that Hezbollah and Iran were exhausted and that Russia was stretched to the limit in Ukraine, Syrian rebels poured out of their statelet in the northwest, driving south until they took the capital." He explains some of the scenarios of what may happen next. On Sunday night, Netanyahu told the family members of hostages held in Gaza that the regime change in Syria could help advance a deal, while US President-elect Donald Trump said he did not believe there were many captives left alive. This morning, it was reported that mediated negotiations between Israel and Palestinian terror group Hamas to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip have advanced to the point where the sides are discussing lists of those who would be released. Berman updates. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel's ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Sinwar's ‘Al-Aqsa Flood' washed Iran's axis away, but new groups could reach Israel As Assad falls, Israeli jets destroy his deadly arsenals before they fall to rebels Netanyahu claims credit for starting ‘historic' process that led to fall of Assad regime Netanyahu tells hostage families fall of Assad regime could advance negotiations Israel and Hamas exchange lists of names for release as talks advance – report Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Troops of the elite Shaldag unit are seen on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, December 8, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rebel forces led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overtook Damascus, prompting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to flee the country and seek refuge in Russia. NBC's Raf Sanchez joins from the Golan Heights border with the latest developments in Syria. Council on Foreign Relations President Michael Froman explains what the Assad's fall could mean for politics in the Middle East and beyond. Next, the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has sparked security concerns for corporate leaders, as well as a surge of outrage online, as Americans seethe over denied insurance claims. Partnership for New York President Kathy Wylde says the reaction online is almost worse than the killing itself. Plus, TikTok is one step closer to being banned in the U.S., and Juan Soto signed an historic contract with the Mets. Eamon Javers - 02:46Raf Sanchez - 12:17Michael Froman - 17:36Kathy Wylde - 25:47 In this episode:Kathy Wylde, @Partnership4NYCEamon Javers, @EamonJaversRaf Sanchez, @rafsanchezBecky Quick, @BeckyQuickJoe Kernen, @JoeSquawkAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinKatie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie

//The Wire//1500Z December 8, 2024////PRIORITY////BLUF: SYRIA FALLS. ASSAD WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN. ISRAEL INVADES SYRIA.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: The Syrian government completely collapsed overnight, following little fighting in the capitol of Damascus. The Syrian “rebels” now control all parts of the Syrian government and the leadership of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has ordered an unconditional surrender.During the fray, aircraft observers noted one military aircraft (an IL-76T) attempting to flee the country before being shot down by unknown forces. Initial rumors circulated that Assad and his family were onboard the aircraft, however this is impossible to confirm at this time. Other rumors suggest that Assad successfully fled the country some time ago, and that he and his family are in hiding.Immediately upon this news, Israel (which had been staging armor in the Golan Heights for several days), launched a ground invasion of Syria to secure a wide buffer zone and expand Israel's territorial aspirations.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Even after nearly 15 years of war, the American people are still probably not ready to discuss what this war ended up really being about.More tactically, this somewhat perplexing and effortless fall of this ancient nation has an element of betrayal to it at present, as many of Assad's deputies and military generals have not fled the country, and instead are in the process of carving out their part of the warlord kingdom for themselves.The fate of the hundreds of American soldiers stationed at the al-Tanf garrison in the eastern part of the country remains unknown. Also unknown are the fates of any Americans (who may have been working for NGO groups) who sought to depart the country, but could not do so due to the airport in Damascus being rapidly overrun.Analyst: S2A1//END REPORT//