According to the report, Iran has rebuilt its ballistic missile production capabilities and is now manufacturing missiles at a pace and scale that could pose a significant challenge to Israel. Although Iran's production infrastructure was severely damaged during the campaign against it last June, foreign assistance, primarily from China, has enabled Tehran to resume large-scale activity, with the aim of producing about 3,000 missiles a month.

Such quantities would severely strain Israel's air defense systems, prompting Jerusalem to consider another strike to neutralize Iran's capabilities before they are operational. The report also said Israel is concerned that Iran has resumed activity at its nuclear facilities, which could again become targets, despite claims by both Trump and Netanyahu that they had already been destroyed.

Five fronts

The Iranian front is only one of five expected to dominate the talks. Netanyahu is expected to push it to the top of the agenda, while Trump will seek answers on the other fronts as well.

In Syria, Trump wants to advance a security agreement with the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa, which is demanding that Israel withdraw from territory it seized last December. Israel has repeatedly made clear that as long as the situation in Syria remains unstable and the intentions of the new government are unclear, it will maintain its presence in the Syrian Golan Heights and on Mount Hermon. Trump will have to choose between Israel's security interests and those of his favored partner al-Sharaa, who enjoys active backing from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In Gaza, Trump wants to move ahead with Phase II of the agreement, which would include the deployment of forces in the Rafah area as a step toward demilitarizing and rehabilitating the Strip. Israel is currently tying any progress to the return Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last Israeli hostage in Gaza. In Washington, however, there is growing doubt that Israel would allow the process to move forward even then. US officials believe Israel is looking for pretexts to derail the deal and return to fighting. They were angered by an Israel Defense Forces strike west of the Yellow Line on Friday, just as they voiced open displeasure last week following the killing of senior Hamas terrorist organization official Raad Saad.

Differences also extend to Judea and Samaria, against the backdrop of violence by far-right activists. Under pressure from moderate Sunni states, mainly Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, the administration is concerned about declared plans to establish new communities there and about the potential erosion of the status quo on the Temple Mount. Trump, who had hoped to announce a breakthrough in Israel's relations with Saudi Arabia and the broader Arab world by the end of the year, is now focused on preserving the status quo, a difficult task given that Israeli policy is also driven by domestic political considerations in an election year.

The fifth front is Lebanon, where Trump has expressed support for Israel's tough stance against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization. Late last week, another meeting was held in Naqoura between Israeli and Lebanese representatives, but it failed to significantly narrow the gaps between the sides. Israel has also provided Washington with intelligence on a long list of Hezbollah violations that the Lebanese government has ignored, including cooperation between the Lebanese Armed Forces and Hezbollah.

A senior official said Saturday that Netanyahu will have to maneuver among all these fronts and may be required to make compromises on some of them. The Americans, he said, are seeking to reduce the number of active combat fronts, while Israel wants to keep all its options open. For now, IDF operational plans are on hold until after the meeting. Barring an unexpected development, a major escalation on any front appears unlikely in the immediate term.

The post Iran and Gaza expose growing Israel–US gaps ahead of Trump–Netanyahu meeting appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

With an Israeli flag hanging on the wall behind him, the detainee detailed trips to Iran, voyages across Africa, clandestine meetings with Hezbollah's chief military commander Fuad Shukr, and directives flowing directly from the organization's leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Throughout the year he remained in captivity, Imad Amhaz, known as "The Captain," systematically laid out the complete picture behind one of Hezbollah's most secretive and organized operations – a strategic, creative, and ambitious project dubbed "The Clandestine Maritime File." Only now can the existence of this underground initiative be disclosed for the first time, along with fresh details about the commando mission to abduct Amhaz from the heart of Lebanon – a bold and extraordinary operation that remained submerged in the depths of memory due to the torrent of wartime events.

This narrative, which could easily become a Hollywood film, might begin on the night of November 2, 2024, when a handful of Shayetet 13 commandos silently raided the Lebanese coastal town of Batroun, located 87 miles from the Israeli border, and removed Amhaz while he slept in his bed without firing a single shot. Alternatively, the story could open with a close-up of Colonel A., head of Naval Intelligence, standing on the dock at the Shayetet base in Atlit, welcoming the fighters returning home from the successful operation, merely patting their shoulders and verifying everyone's health and safety. The account might also start with a scene unfolding in the basements of Dahieh, starring Secretary-General Nasrallah, Chief of Staff Shukr, and "The Captain," where the three architects weave a hair-raising conspiracy.

However, the story begins with A., a quiet, slender 23-year-old woman who, had you passed her on the street, you would never imagine was primarily responsible for one of the war's most astonishing operations.

A. started her path as an "Arabist" (an Arab world specialist) in Unit 8200, subsequently transferring to serve as an analyst in Naval Intelligence. Today, she serves as a permanent staff member with the rank of Sergeant First Class, whose role is to track anyone who could pose a threat to Israeli Navy vessels. "We have, in Naval Intelligence, operational methods and capabilities that allow us to search for almost anyone in the fringes," she stated.

At the end of 2021, A. began monitoring a mid-level Hezbollah operative named Imad Amhaz, whose organizational nickname was "Jarich." Amhaz, 39, a Shiite native of the Bekaa Valley, joined Hezbollah in 2004. In 2007, he completed a several-month military course in Iran, and upon his return to Lebanon, joined Unit 7900 as a radar operator – Hezbollah's coastal missile unit that has deeply troubled Naval Intelligence personnel since the Second Lebanon War and the deadly strike on the INS Hanit.

The interrogator asked Amhaz: Who knew about the project?

The operative responded: "Who was aware of this was the team itself, Nur al-Din, the operator, Male,k who was the head of the bureau of Fuad Shukr (Hezbollah's Chief of Staff who was eliminated in July 2024), Fuad Shukr himself, and Abu Musa, who came after Fuad Shukr but didn't stay for long. All were killed except Nur al-Din. I don't know if he was also killed while I wasn't (in Lebanon)."

Q: Did you meet with senior officials? For example, with Fuad Shukr?

Amhaz answered: "The first time we returned from the file, he asked to meet with us... This file is related to the maritime domain ... These can be defensive or offensive operations... As long as you have a ship, money, and people, you can operate against anything. Israel is the main target."

Q: Does Hezbollah operate against other targets as well?

Amhaz confirmed: "The organization sees the US as an enemy, for example."

To all appearances, Imad Amhaz was just another Hezbollah operative among dozens who appeared on A.'s radar. Yet something about him was unusual. Despite being a devoted operative who was educated in the Hezbollah youth movement, Amhaz was not a devout Shiite. He spent much of his time at the gym, his body decorated with muscles and tattoos. One of these was a portrait of his wife, who was herself tattooed. "She had tattoos of roses," A. said. "During his interrogation, he shared that he and his wife had many fights, and at one point, they separated. After that, he had to hide the tattoo with her portrait until they eventually reunited. He is not the perfect partner – one who likes to play the field and loves to live the bachelor life, even when he is not single. He cultivates his muscles, a true hedonist. In short, he was not the conservative operative. During this period, I tracked several figures, but Amhaz was always at the back of my mind. Each time I returned to him to see what was new. I tried to understand why he was exposed, what his value was as a Hezbollah operative."

Q: It sounds as though you knew him well.

"Yes. I knew his daily routine, his weaknesses, his character – everything."

Q: And what can you say about his character?

"That he is a good soldier. When he is given an order, he says 'yes' and executes it."

To identify a big fish

I met A. in the office of the Head of the Naval Intelligence Department, Rear Adm. A., who has held the most senior position in Naval Intelligence for the past year. Several floors below us is the unit's "Pit" (underground command center), from which the operation to abduct Amhaz was managed. Joining the conversation was Lt. Col. D., who began her military career as a combat soldier in the Snapir Unit (naval port security unit), fell in love with the sea, and rose through the ranks to become head of the Targeting and Direction Branch in the Naval Intelligence Department.

The branch's production floor is filled with analysts like A., all of whom are Arabic speakers who serve as intelligence detectives. "Fishermen," as the veteran seaman Rear Adm. A. phrased it. "It is like casting a line and seeing which fish is caught on the hook. The point is to identify, amid the blur of people on the other side, who could be a 'big fish' and then focus on him. This is exactly what happened with Amhaz."

From the moment she began to take an interest in Amhaz and to focus more and more of her intelligence resources on him, A. discovered that he held mysterious meetings with senior Hezbollah officials. One of them was Ali Abed al-Hassan Nour al-Din. Nour al-Din is married to the daughter of Fuad Shukr, who, until his assassination in July 2024, served as the Hezbollah Chief of Staff and the right-hand man of Hassan Nasrallah. As such, Nour al-Din managed several of Hezbollah's secret projects, those directed personally by Shukr and Nasrallah. And now, for some reason, it turned out that he was meeting secretly with the muscular and tattooed Amhaz. "They sat at the same table and passed messages," Lt. Col. D. said. Later, during his interrogation in Israel, Amhaz would reveal that he also met Fuad Shukr himself. "This was a great excitement for him," D. said. "The connection to senior officials gave him pride and motivation."

During the interrogation, the goals of these secret meetings were also fully clarified. It turned out that several months before A. began to focus on him, Amhaz was chosen to be the central axis in an ambitious Hezbollah venture – the kind of secret projects that Nour al-Din managed for Shukr and Nasrallah. Amhaz, the organization's leadership decided, would become the captain of the "Secret Naval File."

"A very, very secret strategic project, an event that could have changed the situation against us and also against other countries," Rear Adm. A. said. "This is the big fish we caught on our hook."

"The big surprise"

The "Secret Naval File" germinated sometime in 2016. From fragments of information that reached Israeli intelligence over the years, it became clear that the goal was generally to create a Hezbollah "terror ship" – an infrastructure that would allow the organization to independently operate a large civilian merchant vessel that could roam the seas without suspicion, enter civilian ports, and carry out attacks that would change the balance of terror against Israel and its allies. "To take a civilian vessel under cover and place offensive capabilities on it as far as the imagination can go," Rear Adm. A. said. "Think about September 11 – you take a civilian platform and use it to carry out a strategic terror act. This was the goal."

The project, which, due to its importance, was directed personally by Hassan Nasrallah and Fuad Shukr and whose management passed to Nour al-Din after their elimination, was, as stated, highly compartmentalized and included only a small handful of secret partners. "Nasrallah and Shukr treated this as their big surprise," A. said. "Because of this, everything was managed in a very centralized manner, without intermediate ranks."

After several years of delays due to budget difficulties and internal organizational problems, in 2021, by order of Nasrallah, the project gained momentum. One of the first steps was to choose the captain of the future terror ship, someone who could manage the project from a maritime perspective. The Captain.

Amhaz was the one chosen for the role. Beyond his mysterious meetings with Nour al-Din, he began sailing between European and African countries and gained experience as a worker on cargo ships, all under the guise of an innocent civilian. "He simply boarded ships as a civilian and sailed with them with the aim of gaining maritime experience," D. said. "The ambition was to log enough sea time, rise through the ranks, and eventually become a civilian captain who could lead a civilian merchant ship himself. Alongside the practical hours, he also studied theory, and he progressed. This path gave him both operational experience and civilian cover so that once he became a certified captain of a civilian ship, he would not be suspected. In fact, he was operating under cover."

What kind of attacks did the leadership plan to carry out using the terror ship that Amhaz would sail? One can only imagine – the hijacking of a passenger ship, an attack on the Karish gas field, a raid by dozens of armed operatives through Israel's Haifa or Ashdod ports. "In the interrogation, we insisted with Amhaz, saying to him, 'Come on, tell us what you planned,'" D. said. "But then we realized the goal was still only to build the capability, this muscle. He said, 'Whatever the organization decides, we will know how to do.' For them, everything was on the table – from hitting strategic points to striking the soft underbelly of Israel."

As part of his training as a civilian captain, Amhaz was absent from his home in the village of Qmatiye for many long months, where he lived with his wife and children. "In the process, he received a salary from Hezbollah, and while he was absent from home, the one who took care of his family was Nour al-Din," A. said.

In 2024, he returned to Lebanon, and in September, he began studying for a captain's degree at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute, a civilian institution located north of Beirut in the town of Batroun, a Christian-majority area where Hezbollah has only a minimal presence. Amhaz also rented a vacation cabin in Batroun, even though his home was about an hour's drive away. "He could finish the school day and drive home, yet he chose to rent an apartment in Batroun and sleep there," Lt. Col. D. said. "This is part of his hedonism, perhaps also part of his desire to concentrate on his studies." And Amhaz concentrated very much on his studies. "A diligent student," D. said. "Even in the interrogation, you see that he is an educated person, not a peasant who just came to fight."

In December 2024, after three years of preparation and several more weeks of study in Batroun, Amhaz was supposed to receive his coveted captain's diploma. He never received it. "The moment Amhaz moved to live in the coastal town of Batroun, I realized there was an opportunity here," A. said. "I understood that he could be plucked."

Setting out

Part of the role of analysts like A. in the Targeting and Direction Branch is not only to research the enemy on the other side of the border but also to direct operations toward them. When A. realized that she had indeed caught a big fish on her hook, she began to pull. "A. is the one who brought the initiative, the tug on the sleeve to set out on an abduction operation," her commander, Lt. Col. D., said. "She came and said, 'Someone is interesting here, let's bring him.' And from the moment this idea was thrown into the air, we, as commanders, said, 'There is a cool idea here, let's examine it.'"

The idea, which A. first raised during September 2024, progressed through the chain of approvals at a dizzying speed. "Everyone understood that there was someone privy to the secret, who was part of a strategic capability that Hezbollah is building," D. said. "Beyond that, the timing was good. We were already in Operation Northern Arrows (the military offensive against Hezbollah) and amidst an escalation in the campaign against Lebanon, and it was possible to dare more and challenge the boundaries and carry out operations of this type."

Naturally, the unit chosen to carry out the abduction was Shayetet 13, the elite commando unit of the Navy, which was practically born for operations of this kind. In the Shayetet, they took the mission with both hands, drew on all the intelligence A. had to provide about Amhaz and his daily routine, and within a few short weeks, they prepared a detailed raid plan. "The Shayetet enlisted immediately; they were very enthusiastic," D. said.

Although this was a dangerous move intended to take place deep in enemy territory, within a short time, the operation to abduct "The Captain" had received all required approvals, including that of the prime minister. "It was necessary to convince the appointed levels that the risk level for the force justified this operation," Rear Adm. A. said, who was present at some of these dramatic meetings. "These are places where you feel the weight of responsibility."

When A. received the news that "her" operation was moving forward, she found it hard to believe. "I was in shock, they were so on board," she smiled with embarrassment.

The operation was carried out on the night between November 1 and 2. Around 1:00 a.m., a small force of Shayetet soldiers positioned themselves at the entrance to Amhaz's vacation cabin in Batroun. The operation was accompanied by Naval Intelligence personnel from within the Navy's Pit in the Kirya (IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv). "It is as if you are part of the force," A. recalled. "We are not physically with them, but we understand exactly what is happening on the ground. Many times, the executing force looks to intelligence for guidance, asking whether the target is at the objective and whether everything is working according to the plan. When you answer 'yes, he is there,' it is a moment with a lot of responsibility, but also a moment of a dream coming true."

According to reports in the Lebanese media, the abduction operation was carried out by a force of about 25 combat soldiers and lasted only four minutes. In a short video recorded by a security camera in the area of the operation, Shayetet personnel can be seen in their combat gear leading Amhaz down one of the streets, his head covered by a shirt.

In an urgent military inquiry conducted in Lebanon in the days following the abduction, it was claimed that the Lebanese Navy did not identify the Israeli infiltration into Batroun and that German naval forces, who are supposed to secure the maritime arena in the area under the UNIFIL mandate, did not report any suspicious movement during the night. "The army cannot identify small boats that slip under the radar," the Lebanese Chief of Staff Joseph Aoun, today the President of the State, was quoted as saying in a local newspaper.

By the time the inquiry was published, Amhaz was already deep in Israeli territory, having vomited several times on the way from Batroun and shown signs of anxiety. "I held my breath until the moment the commandos returned to the country's territory," A. said. "It was a sense of relief. I have been on this thing for two years, and here – we finally reached that moment."

Lt. Col. D. said, "If it were possible to open champagne in the army, we would have done it."

Rear Adm. A. said, "For me, in this event, there were two moments of satisfaction. The first was when they realized the force had arrived in Israel along with Amhaz, and we knew our soldiers had returned safely. I waited for them on the beach at the Shayetet base in Atlit, and it was a great pride. Shayetet 13 is a wonderful, mission-driven unit. It is a cliché, but there is no mission they cannot meet. The second moment of satisfaction came after several days of interrogations, when we realized we had not caught a small fry. The moment he spoke about the 'Secret Naval File,' about what he knows how to do – and it took several days – we realized we had done something valuable that truly contributed to the security of the State of Israel."

Not exactly an "innocent civilian"

The interrogation of Amhaz indeed revealed new details to Naval Intelligence that they had not known about the "Secret Maritime File" and the extent of Hezbollah's seriousness in implementing the project. "At first, he completely denied any connection to Hezbollah," A. related. "But slowly, as time passed, he began to open up. He gave us a lot of information about the file and also revealed to us the meetings with Shukr."

Rear Adm. A. said, "Before that, we knew a general story, and he not only confirmed it for us but fleshed out the details for us. This gave us the understanding that there was a real, actual project here, with intentions."

The publication of details from Amhaz's interrogation, for the first time, may certainly change the narrative built in Lebanon around his abduction. His family took the trouble to demonstrate and be interviewed wherever possible to claim that Amhaz is merely a civilian seaman who was abducted through no fault of his own. "My son is a civilian maritime captain who took a course at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Batroun," his father, Fadel, said in a newspaper interview. "My son is at sea most of the time and has no connection to parties. He is not connected to politics."

The Prime Minister of Lebanon at the time, Najib Mikati, also announced the day after the operation that Lebanon would file an official complaint with the UN Security Council regarding the abduction of Amhaz, and the Lebanese Transport Minister said that Amhaz was a "captain of civilian ships."

"We are now sending a clear message," Lt. Col. D. said in response. "The Navy is not bored and does not abduct innocent civilians. This is an exceptional operative in Hezbollah who was entrusted with a secret project that was supposed to surprise Israel completely. He is as far from innocent as possible."

The Lebanese attempt to attach a civilian image to Amhaz fit well with another move that took place about a year after his abduction – the release of the Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov from captivity in September 2025, who was kidnapped in Iraq and held there by a pro-Iranian terror organization. The official Iranian news agency Tasnim claimed then that Tsurkov was released in exchange for two Lebanese figures held by Israel, including Amhaz.

In the Naval Intelligence Department, they are not aware of any such thing, and in any case, Amhaz is still in Israeli hands while Tsurkov is at her home. In our conversations, we were unable to confirm that the release of Amhaz was part of the move to release Tsurkov.

Despite Amhaz being in our hands, the analyst A. and her commanders are not at rest. "For us, the operation is not over," D. said. "We are still following the 'Secret Naval File,' and Nour al-Din, who stands at the head of the file, is still with us. To our understanding, he is still promoting this project, and perhaps other secret files as well, and it is important to us that he knows the account with him is open."

Q: By the way, did you meet Amhaz after he was brought to Israel?

D. said, "A. and I were in the same corridor with him, but we only looked at him. Interrogation is less our field. The unit responsible for his interrogation is 504, and there is a clear division between us. Even if Amhaz noticed us, he has no idea who we are and what our connection to him is."

A. said, "We saw him from a distance, but we did not speak with him."

Q: And how did it feel to see "The Captain" like that, face to face, after two years in which you tracked him from afar?

"Shocking," A. said. "Absolutely shocking."

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For those who managed to watch the footage from the attack, extremely disturbing images show community members who came to light the first Hanukkah candle: Human rights lawyer, Arsen Ostrovsky, covered in blood, recorded himself in a moment of unimaginable fear. Masses of people are seen fleeing for their lives in terror. The similarity between these images and the images of Nova Festival attendees who recorded themselves in moments of sheer terror conveys the same sense of helplessness when live fire is opened on civilians who cannot defend themselves, but the connection between October 7 and the Sydney attack runs even deeper than that.

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Throughout the conversation with him, more and more prayer requests arrived for those wounded in the mass-casualty attack that occurred in his city. He said that one of the terrorists was young, born in 2001, according to a photo of his driver's license that circulated in Jewish groups in the city.

Video: PM Albanese on the Hanukkah massacre / Credit: Reuters

"I agree 100% with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who placed responsibility on the Australian government," Dr. Zeloof said firmly. "Australia has leadership that has allowed countless antisemitic incidents and let them pass without response. After the October 7 massacre, there were violent demonstrations calling 'death to Jews' and 'Jews need to be choked with gas.'

"There was one massive demonstration that blocked the Sydney bridge, the main artery of the city, and all this without response. Even when there are attacks on Jewish-owned businesses, there is almost no response from law enforcement authorities. This is a very dangerous slippery slope."

During the attack, Dr. Zeloof was celebrating the first evening of Hanukkah at another massive Jewish event in the north of the city. He testified that everyone was in shock, but no one was surprised. "There was deep sorrow in us and tremendous anger at the government that does nothing against this toxic wave.

"But without a doubt, the writing was on the wall. I spoke with people from the Jewish community's security, and they told me that such a scenario is their ultimate nightmare. They prepared for it. There were many community security personnel at the event I attended, and there was almost no police at all. The police only arrived after the attack began. Of course, I would have been happy to see much more police at such events."

Dr. Zeloof left England several years ago because he felt he couldn't carry his Jewish identity openly in the streets for fear that people would attack him. Until about two years ago, he felt safe in Australia, but recently, when those same feelings returned and arose there too, the Zeloof family has been planning their upcoming move to Israel in another two and a half months. He wants to emphasize that this step does not come from rejection or fear, but rather from love of Israel and a desire to be in a place where Jewish history is unfolding.

This evening, before he calmed his children and put them to sleep, he remembered how, when the news about the attack arrived at the event he attended, he saw Jews removing their kippas and fleeing in a run. "I am devastated and shocked by this attack, and I fear that following it, Jews will participate less in public events to strengthen Jewish identity and support for Israel. At the same time, I fear that such events will repeat themselves because I have no faith in the government to act forcefully against the desire to murder Jews. In my opinion, this is only the beginning."

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If you follow this issue, this name will sound familiar. Around 200 leading industry figures have now signed a petition calling for his release from Israeli prison, with the hope that the Palestinian prisoner will become the leader of a future Palestinian state. Among the signatories to the petition you will find names that haven't escaped notice around the world, such as British actors Sir Ian McKellen and Benedict Cumberbatch, musician Sting, and also Jewish actresses Miriam Margolyes – known mainly from the Harry Potter film series – and Hannah Einbinder, joining actors who have already expressed their anti-Israel views over the years, Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem.

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In light of the clear support of Hollywood's stars for Barghouti, one can only wonder – who does Hollywood want to crown as "Palestinian Mandela" and the future leader of a Palestinian state?

15-year-old Fatah operative 

Born in a village near Ramallah in 1959, Marwan Barghouti joined the Fatah terrorist movement under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) at the mere age of 15. Israeli authorities detained him for the first time at 19, and he served a two-year prison sentence for his involvement as an operative in a Fatah unit that executed a terrorist attack. During the first intifada of the late 1980s, Barghouti gained political prominence in the West Bank by directing Palestinian clashes with Israeli forces. He enrolled at BirZeit University to study History and Political Science, but his campus political work for Fatah, and his involvement in establishing Fatah's youth movement, triggered another imprisonment and subsequent deportation to Jordan.

Barghouti returned to Judea and Samaria in 1994, enabled by the terms of the Oslo Accords. He supported the Oslo Accords and even engaged in dialogue with Israeli political figures, an approach that significantly differed from his previous behaviour within Fatah. He began positioning himself against Yasser Arafat, then-leader of Fatah, particularly over disagreements with the Palestinian Authority. At the same time, he seized the opportunity to consolidate his power further within Fatah, whether through participation in mass demonstrations or by aiding and promoting terrorists from the Tanzim – Fatah's ground forces, who pioneered terrorist strikes against Israel during the Second Intifada, which he led in 2000.

When the second intifada erupted that September, he was directing marches toward Israeli checkpoints and provoking riots against Israeli soldiers. His compelling speeches aimed at urging Palestinians to use violence to drive Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During intensifying violence, Fatah spawned a new terrorist branch designated the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which conducted strikes against Israelis – including a March 2002 suicide bombing that claimed 30 lives.

Israeli authorities accused Barghouti – still commanding the Tanzim – of holding a prominent position in the Brigades, and Israeli forces arrested him in April 2002 by tracking his phone. Israel charged him with terrorist organization membership and dozens of murder counts for ordering deadly attacks, with courts convicting him of five charges in 2004 and imposing five life sentences plus 40 years.

The court found Barghouti accountable for a June 2001 attack in Ma'ale Adumim that resulted in the death of Greek monk Tsibouktsakis Germanus, a January 2002 kidnapping and murder of American citizen Yoela Hen, a March 2002 attack at Tel Aviv's Seafood Market restaurant that killed three individuals, Eli Dahan, Yosef Habi, and Salim Barakat, and a car bombing in Jerusalem.

The connection to Hamas 

Despite two decades of imprisonment, Barghouti has preserved much of his political power – including playing a key role in facilitating negotiations between Hamas and Fatah in February 2007 prior to Fatah's bloody ouster from the Gaza Strip, and securing election to Fatah's party leadership in absentia in 2009.

Throughout negotiations between Hamas and Israel since October 7, Hamas has repeatedly demanded Barghouti's release, despite his membership in the rival Fatah organization. Hamas' demand for his release connects to debates about Gaza's "day after" – Mahmoud Abbas' succession as the president of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas' future involvement in Palestinian political affairs. Since Abbas is unpopular among Palestinians, and Hamas is looking to extend its reach to the West Bank, Barghouti, who, according to polls, has garnered significant support from Palestinians, has become Abbas' natural successor.

Last March, Fadwa Barghouti began campaigning for her husband, hoping he might replace Abbas as president. Her campaign, which included meetings with high-ranking officials in the Arab world and the US, has also received support from pro-Palestinian Hollywood stars, as Barghouti is portrayed as a leader who will "unify" the Palestinian people in both Gaza and the West Bank.

Hamas previously attempted to secure Barghouti's release during negotiations for the return of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped in 2006. Still, even then, Israel firmly refused, and the deal was carried out with the release of over 1,000 security prisoners in exchange for Shalit. To this day, this deal continues to stir controversy in Israeli society. Given the risks associated with freeing Barghouti, his release remained off the table during the Iron Swords negotiations as well.

The post Notorious among Israelis but loved in Hollywood: Who is Marwan Barghouti, the Palestinian prisoner activists are trying to free? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

However, in 1975, when she was 10 years old, her life was turned upside down. "The fear of dying shaped my worldview more than anything," Gabriel, an American journalist and author, said in an exclusive interview. "My September 11 or October 7 happened when a combined force of Palestinians and Muslims bombed my family's home. I was injured and hospitalized, and we found ourselves living in a shelter.

"I remember running to the shelter almost every night at the beginning of the Civil War, and the sounds of bombs around us. We expected death every day. We lived in constant fear. One day, we heard that our town was about to be attacked, and that our Christian militia would not hold the line. I remember putting on my burial clothes and waiting to be slaughtered. I wanted to look beautiful when I was dead, knowing that when they came to slaughter me, there would be no one to bury me. At this stage, I was 13, and I didn't plan to go to college or think about any future, because I didn't believe I would live to age 20."

Tragedy, ultimately, saved the Lebanese girl from additional, larger tragedies. Her mother was wounded in an attack, and Hanaan (who later changed her name to Brigitte) accompanied her when she was taken for medical treatment in Israel. The experience at Ziv Medical Center in Safed was formative for her. The Israeli doctors treated all the wounded with endless dedication, which profoundly affected her opinion and her values.

Later, she settled in the US, and after the September 11 attacks, she established the organization ACT for America there, designed to curb Islamic extremism. In other words, she survived a tangible danger in her country - and dedicated her life to an activity no less dangerous.

And today, in an era when many prefer to avoid confrontation with Islamic extremism and ignore the threats it poses to the free world, Brigitte Gabriel is a rare figure: a woman who does not hesitate to stick to uncompromising truth, even when it costs her dearly, in a stubborn and dangerous struggle for the freedom of democratic societies.

The enormous political influence of her activity includes, among other things, legislation, public campaigns, and exhausting work with the American Congress. Honesty, courage, and willingness to stand against political currents and cultural fashions have become her hallmarks. In a world that prefers political correctness and caresses, she is the loud and clear voice of the uncomfortable truth. A voice that does not hesitate to declare that "Israel is the pillar of light of freedom in the Middle East."

When Gemayel wanted peace

As a daughter of a Christian family, she visited here for the first time even before her mother's injury. "It was in 1979 or 1980," she recalled. "We made contact with my father's uncles in Haifa and joined them at the 'Good Fence' (the border crossing between Israel and Lebanon during the civil war). We lived with them for a week in Haifa, on Hagefen Street, at the foot of Stella Maris, near the French consulate. My parents were full of admiration for Israel, for its progress and its beauty, and I also fell in love with Israel and with what I saw in it: the order, the cleanliness, the equality between women and men, the respect of the leaders for the citizens. All this was very, very different from war-torn Lebanon that I knew.

"I remember the emergency room at Ziv Hospital, which was full of wounded from Lebanon – Muslims, Christians, and Druze – alongside Israeli soldiers. The doctors treated everyone according to the severity of the injury. They didn't see political affiliation, religion, and not nationality. They saw human beings who needed help. I couldn't believe my eyes. For my mother, it was a life-saving experience. For me, it was a life-changing experience.

"The stay at the hospital changed the way I listen to information, the way I see people, and my understanding of the conflict. I saw up close the love, the compassion, and the desperate desire for peace among the Jews toward their neighbors. Israelis from all over the country came to help the Lebanese wounded."

She described all this in her book, a New York Times bestseller, "Because They Hate," which she describes as "a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the conflict and its human impact."

Q: As a daughter of a Christian family in Lebanon, did you understand the conflict in the country and its background?

"Yes. The Christians in Lebanon welcomed the Palestinians, gave them shelter and food, while no other Arab country wanted more refugees. Lebanon was the only country that absorbed a third wave of Palestinians. As a country with a Christian majority, we lived based on Judeo-Christian values of kindness, love, compassion, empathy, tolerance, and generosity - and what was the reward from the Palestinians? Massacre, hatred, killing, and intolerance.

"They wanted to use Lebanon as a base for attacks against Israel and to throw the Jews into the sea. And out of pure hatred, they were also willing to kill those who extended a loving hand to them. This is something we, Christians and Jews, don't understand. It's contrary to everything we believe in. Therefore, the Christians in Lebanon understood very well, and at a very early stage, what Israel is dealing with regarding the Palestinians. This is also the reason Lebanese Christians worked with Israel from 1975 until almost 2000, and why Bachir Gemayel, Lebanon's president-elect, was assassinated. He sought to bring peace between Lebanon and Israel."

Q: And what's happening there today, after Israel's war with Hezbollah? Does the possibility of an alliance with Lebanon's Christians still exist?

"Yes, but action must be taken quickly. My generation, the one that experienced the war before Hezbollah's brainwashing, which began in 2000, wants peace with Israel. Christians in Lebanon have much more in common with Israel than with other Arab countries. We share the same Judeo-Christian values.

"Many Christians aged 50 and above remember the friendship between Israel and Lebanon in the '70s and '80s. Many of them were also trained in Israel or by Israel. They remember how Israel stood by their side in the civil war, and their beloved president-elect, Bachir Gemayel, who wanted peace with Israel. Unfortunately, today Christians are led by fear of assassination, threats to their families' lives, and therefore they're afraid to speak.

"After Israel crushed Hezbollah and killed Nasrallah, I reached out to Lebanon's president-elect through a mutual friend, and proposed holding a private and secret meeting at my home in the US with an Israeli official, to begin drafting a peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel. I said that even if Lebanon isn't ready now, secret talks could begin and a framework could be prepared to be presented in two or three years. The answer was a big 'no.' They were afraid even to consider it. I hope that now, as they see what President Trump is doing with other Arab countries, they'll dare to move forward."

Q: As someone who fled civil war and persecution, do you also feel identification with the Palestinians?

"Palestinians, like Jews who were scattered across the world following persecution, live today in different countries with different passports. These people are not refugees – they are citizens of those countries. Children born and raised in those countries are not Palestinian refugees, and must not be viewed as such.

"Jews were expelled from Arab lands and dispersed throughout the world, including to Israel. There are more than one million Jewish refugees from Arab countries, and they live today in different countries and hold different citizenships. Their children are Americans, French, Canadians – not Yemenites, Egyptians or Iraqis. While they still celebrate their culture and cook their foods, they are proud citizens of the countries they live in. Palestinians, on the other hand, still call themselves refugees after four generations - even though they have lived in the West for decades, and their children and grandchildren are no longer connected to the land of Judea and Samaria or Gaza."

Convert or die

Since October 7, Gabriel has felt that Israel is losing the public relations battle, and offers explanations: "Jews try to speak for Israel using legal language and historical facts, and Palestinians use emotion to distort facts. Israel's spokespeople are usually middle-aged men with heavy Israeli accents, who go on air and start talking about this or that clause in UN Resolution 242. They present a logical argument.

"Palestinians, in contrast, talk about the suffering of children, and paint the conflict in graphic words. The moment people start to feel the child's pain, emotion takes over, and they stop listening to logic. This is why Israel loses the PR war. Israel needs more fluent women, speaking perfect English, who will tell stories about children in trauma."

Q: There are quite a few Jews today in international media, and yet Israel's side is barely heard. How do you explain this?

"They want to show both sides to prove they are decent people. Therefore, they invite their enemies on air and give them 50% of the time to present their claims. Palestinians, in contrast, play on one team –Q:  the Palestinian team. They will never give a platform to their enemies. Their time is dedicated 100% to Palestinian propaganda, and in addition, they receive another 50% of others' media time. I can't count how many times I was prevented from appearing on programs because of Jewish journalists who feared I was 'too tough' on Palestinians, and wanted someone 'less controversial.'"

Q: What, in your opinion, don't people in the West understand about Israel's struggle against terror?

"They simply don't perceive terrorists as terrorists. Western media calls them 'freedom fighters', 'an oppressed people fighting for freedom.' They don't understand the depth of hatred and the thirst for revenge in the Islamic world. The Muslim Middle East views Jews as 'najis', impurity according to the Quran, and requires them to convert to Islam or die. This is an idea so foreign to Western ears that they simply don't know how to deal with it. They don't understand why Israel 'kills and oppresses' people who supposedly 'just want freedom.'

"Israel is fighting extremist Islamist terrorists who hate Jews, Christians, and non-Muslims. Islam divided the world in two: 'Dar al-Islam' – the House of Islam (the Islamic nation and land), and 'Dar al-Harb' - the House of War (the land and peoples not yet conquered by Islam). ISIS, al-Qaida, al-Shabab, the Houthis, Boko Haram, Hamas, or any other name you choose for terror organizations - they all share the same ideology of hatred and intolerance toward everything non-Muslim. Israel holds the line in the Middle East, and helps us with intelligence and everything we need to defend ourselves and Western civilization from these jihadists."

Gabriel identifies the problem also among circles and figures from the conservative side in the US, like Tucker Carlson and his ilk. "People around the world tend to see reality through their own experience," she explains. "They're incapable of understanding that Palestinian mothers educate their children to die just to kill those they hate. That parents put an explosive belt on a child, send him to blow himself up at a checkpoint, and when he dies, they celebrate and name streets after him.

"Today even conservative voices in the US are turning their backs on Israel, because they pity 'innocent Palestinian women and children', and accuse Israel of 'genocide.' This is why our work in educating conservatives is so important. The good news is that American conservatives understand that Israel and the US share a common enemy – Islamic extremists."

Toxic algorithm

Q: You've been warning for years about the penetration of Islamist ideology into Western societies. Does it seem to you that the West has already awakened to the danger, or does denial still prevail?

"The West is beginning to wake up, especially after October 7. The pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas demonstrations, in which protesters in various Western countries tore their country's flag while waving PLO flags, shocked many. People in the West are now worried about Islamic penetration and the open expression of resentment toward the culture and host countries.

"Crime, lawlessness, property destruction, and demonstrations of resentment toward Western countries - all these are happening today in every major Western city, from Sydney to London, from New York to Paris. Muslim immigrants are not assimilating – they organize within their communities, create enclaves, and threaten the local way of life and the authorities."

Q: Do you identify a similarity between today's radical Islam and movements in Lebanon in the '70s and '80s?

"There is nothing new under the sun. In the '70s, Palestinians massacred Christians, slit throats, severed limbs, and stuffed them into mouths, tore children in half, and cut open the bellies of pregnant women. They did this in Turkey against the Armenians in the 19th century, in Lebanon, and two years ago in Israel. When I said this 25 years ago, people in the West didn't want to believe it and accused me of exaggeration. Now you in Israel understand it, because you lost family members and friends - and still, the world doesn't believe Palestinians are capable of such acts."

"One of the reasons for this is social media, which spreads propaganda. Most young Americans have no knowledge of the world. They don't know the history of their own country, much less the history of another country. People today get their news from Instagram, and not from reading newspapers or articles that explain the conflict. Everything is driven by emotion and fake images, which spread faster than truth, and the algorithm, of course, plays a central role in shaping consciousness, by feeding them only one point of view, and showing them more of what they want to hear - without exposing them to opposing opinion."

Q: You criticize the idea of multiculturalism when it becomes cultural relativism. What's the alternative you propose?

"The West must control immigration policy better. In the past, there were immigrants who chose to come to the West to be educated, build new lives, and assimilate into the new land. Today, they import people who didn't really want to immigrate to France or America because they were impressed by the culture, but also because of the benefits these countries offer.

"We have a new wave of immigrants arriving with a sense of entitlement. They don't just feel they have a right to enjoy our tax money – they demand that we adapt ourselves to their culture, to their way of life, to their way of thinking. They try to transform Western countries and the freedoms that enabled our prosperity into the same hellish countries they fled from. They demand that we limit our freedom of expression and our exchange of ideas so we don't offend them.

"So yes, we need fresh blood in our countries – it's good, it renews and brings ideas - but we must be selective about who enters and how we assimilate them, for everyone's benefit. Europeans ignored this problem for too long, and Europe has become Eurabia. They tried to silence everyone who warned. For years, people like me and othershave  warned against importing an ideology that completely clashes with Judeo-Christian values and with Western freedoms. The West's problem is that we project our Western values onto evil people who don't share them with us."

Q: Why, in your opinion, do many Western feminists remain silent about the oppression of women in Islamist societies?

"They're silent because if they speak, they'll have to criticize Islam as an oppressive religion. They'll have to discuss, for example, the marriage age, which is 9. In our culture, this is considered pedophilia. In Islam, the Prophet Muhammad married a 6-year-old girl and had sexual relations with her at age 9, and he is considered the perfect person whom every Muslim man tries to emulate. According to Islam, women are property of men, as stated in the Quran and hadith. If Western feminists want to talk about beating, rape, and oppression of women in Islamic countries, they need to look at the Quran and at the ideology driving such cultures, but they're incapable of doing this and connecting Islam to anything negative."

Q: Is there hope for reformist and moderate voices within Islam?

"Yes, there is hope, but many such voices are needed, and they need to speak about real reform – adapting the religion to the 21st century. The problem is that many of them don't truly understand the religion, and they're 'reformers' only in their imagination. Therefore, when radicals and moderates argue, the radicals win, because the law is on their side. While we view ISIS as something evil, they are actually implementing Islam as Muhammad himself did, including beheadings and throwing homosexuals off buildings."

Power brings respect

The October 7 massacre returned her to the horrors of childhood and triggered the post-traumatic stress disorder she has carried with her since then. She was in complete shock for five days. Only on October 12, while sitting in her hotel room, did she gather the strength to watch the news, and broke down.

"I knew I had to do something," Gabriel recalled. "I immediately posted my first video from the hotel. I wanted to come volunteer in Israel, but I understood I could help more through the media and my platforms. I reach 8 to 10 million people per day through them, and in the first two months of the war, my videos reached 50 million views. People copied and shared them. I did every possible interview. There were days when I did 14 interviews in a row, from 7 in the morning until 11 at night."

She was not surprised by the wave of pro-Hamas demonstrations after October 7. According to her, the massacre awakened the hidden antisemitism in the West, and Jews (in the diaspora) were more surprised by the demonstrations than other people. "Jews lived in denial. They thought that if they showed understanding to the enemy and neglected their own people, then the enemy, meaning Palestinians and Muslims, would love them and see how 'nice' they are. After October 7, they were forced to understand that they had very few friends outside the Jewish community – and people like me, whom the Jewish mainstream sought to distance, were the only ones trying to help."

Now, with Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York City mayoral election (and following support from a Jewish governor and 30% of Jewish voters), Gabriel's thesis gains reinforcement. She predicts that Mamdani's win will be a disaster, and notes that the man is surrounded by Palestinian activists of the worst kind, like Linda Sarsour, who will serve in senior positions on his team.

Q: What message would you like to convey to Israelis who feel quite isolated in the world today?

"You will never be alone. There are good people in the world who will stand by your side, fight for you, and with you. There are those who see the truth clearly – and are willing to pay a personal price to defend you and your right to live in your Jewish state. Because of my uncompromising support for Israel, I lost my Lebanese community, I can't visit Lebanon, and I live with death threats against my family and me. I paid a heavy price, but I would do it again, because it's the right thing to do. This is how I was raised: to stand by good and fight evil."

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Sources in Lebanon have written off the Egyptian initiative, which was based on the complete disarmament of Hezbollah in the area south of the Litani River and a commitment not to use weapons in areas north of it against Israel.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese News Agency reported that an Israeli force blew up a residential building on the outskirts of the village of Meis al-Jabal in southern Lebanon.

In addition, European diplomatic officials in Beirut were reported to have quoted American envoy Morgan Ortagus as saying that Israel intends to carry out "large and harsh strikes" against Hezbollah, particularly in Dahieh and the eastern Bekaa region, if the terror organization does not hand over precision missiles and drones by the beginning of the new civil year.

It was also noted that US Ambassador to Beirut Michel Issa conveyed a message that the diplomatic track is separate from the war track against Hezbollah. Issa met with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and later explained, "Israel separates between negotiations with the Lebanese government and its war with Hezbollah. What is happening is an attempt to reach a solution."

Against this backdrop, all parties were reported to be waiting for the end of the current month – the final deadline of the Lebanese army's plan to collect Hezbollah weapons in the area south of the Litani River and move north. Hezbollah has emphasized that the ceasefire agreement applies only to the area south of the Litani, while Israel and the US are waiting for steps by the army.

At the same time, informed sources told Al-Akhbar that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reference to economic cooperation with Lebanon was not made in a vacuum. According to the sources, the Israeli side raised the matter in meetings of the oversight committee.

The sources noted that when the issue of economic cooperation was raised, according to the American vision for rehabilitating the border region, Lebanese representative Simon Karam made clear that "Lebanon first wants the occupation to end, the attacks to stop, residents of the area to return to their homes and villages, and no interference with the rehabilitation process. Lebanon sees this as a mandatory condition for any discussion about the future of this region."

The sources added that Lebanon has previously heard such ideas from American envoy Tom Barrack, including a proposal for an infrastructure project in the border area. For example, it was reported that "security stability will enable a process of building an economic cooperation zone" in which Gulf investors would operate. According to the sources, Tom Barrack estimated that "disarmament [of Hezbollah] is a difficult thing, and it is not possible to convince people to give up weapons without offering an alternative."

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UNRWA functions across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, delivering aid, schooling, medical services, social assistance, and housing to millions of Palestinians. The administration has accused the organization of Hamas ties, charges UNRWA has forcefully disputed.

Washington previously served as UNRWA's largest funder before halting contributions in January 2024 following Israeli claims that approximately a dozen UNRWA staff participated in the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas assault that ignited the Gaza conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently charged in October that the agency had evolved into "a subsidiary of Hamas," which America designated a terrorist organization in 1997.

Current American deliberations have not clarified whether the focus encompasses the entire agency or targets specific UNRWA officials or operational segments, and authorities appear undecided on the precise sanctions instrument they would employ, according to Reuters.

Potential measures State Department figures have explored include designating UNRWA a "foreign terrorist organization (FTO)," the sources indicated, though whether that option – which would severely isolate UNRWA financially – remains actively under consideration is uncertain.

Imposing terrorism-based sanctions on UNRWA would constitute a remarkable and extraordinary step, given America's UN membership and role as host nation for the United Nations, which established the agency in 1949.

William Deere, who leads UNRWA's Washington office, stated the organization would be "disappointed" if American authorities were genuinely exploring an FTO designation. He termed such action "both unprecedented and unwarranted."

"Since January 2024, four independent entities have investigated UNRWA's neutrality including the US National Intelligence Council. While occurring at different times and from different perspectives, they have all come to the same conclusion: UNRWA is an indispensable, neutral, humanitarian actor," Deere stated.

A State Department official responding to inquiries called UNRWA a "corrupt organization with a proven track record of aiding and abetting terrorists," according to the report. "Everything is on the table," the official stated. "No final decisions have yet been made."

State and other agencies possess multiple sanctions mechanisms, generally enabling asset freezes and travel restrictions aimed at specific individuals and entities. Numerous vital American allies provide UNRWA funding, prompting questions whether foreign officials could face penalties for supporting an organization if Washington sanctions UNRWA or its personnel on terrorism grounds.

The UN has stated nine UNRWA employees may have participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and were fired, according to the report. A Hamas commander in Lebanon – killed by Israel in September – was also discovered to have held a UNRWA position.

Individuals directly familiar with the UNRWA deliberations, who requested anonymity to reveal confidential discussions, privately voiced multiple humanitarian and legal apprehensions given the organization's unique role assisting displaced Palestinians.

Political appointees at State installed since Trump's term began have generally championed the drive to impose terrorism sanctions on UNRWA, the sources stated, according to the report. Numerous career State officials – including lawyers who craft designation language – have resisted, those sources added, Reuters reported.

In recent weeks, potential sanctions have been discussed by officials in State's Counterterrorism Bureau and Policy Planning Staff members, an influential internal policymaking entity, one source stated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent years calling for UNRWA's dismantlement, accusing it of anti-Israeli incitemen. Since January 30, Israel has banned UNRWA operations on Israeli territory.

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Outgoing Mayor Bhalla issued an official statement later in the day, clarifying that the initiative was undertaken at the request of residents of Palestinian descent and that it reflects a longstanding tradition in the city. "I want to be clear that the act of raising this flag is not, in any way, shape or form, intended as a political statement by the City of Hoboken," he wrote. "Celebrating diversity is a part of Hoboken's character." Bhalla emphasized that no one at city hall noticed the sensitive date on which the event was scheduled and that the flag was removed immediately after the matter was brought to his attention. "I want to state unequivocally that this association was not known when the scheduling was approved."

According to reports, the flag was raised in the morning hours and removed later in the day after the city hall received concerned inquiries from residents and community activists. Jabbour, who was elected mayor and will assume office next year, wrote on social media that the decision was made without public discourse. "An official flag raising outside City Hall should be a message of welcome and celebration," she wrote. "However, today we see the consequences of decisions made without broad community dialogue and without any involvement from my council colleagues."

#Hoboken pic.twitter.com/lyj20zUxIH

— Tiffanie Fisher, Councilwoman (@Tiffanie_Fisher) December 9, 2025

She further emphasized that the fact that the flag was raised on the day marking the outbreak of the First Intifada is "insensitive" and pledged to reexamine the city's flag-raising policy in the future.

Jewish City Council member Phil Cohen also addressed the incident. He emphasized that "neither I nor any of my council colleagues were updated about the decision" and noted that "December 9 is the anniversary of the First Intifada, something that would have been revealed had there been more transparency or dialogue with community leaders." According to him, "Had they asked me, I would have urged the mayor not to raise the flag today, especially when the Israeli flag was not raised at city hall this year." Cohen added that he spoke with Mayor-elect Jabbour, and they both agreed there is a need "to rethink flag-raising ceremonies and cultural events, in a transparent and unifying manner for all parts of the community."

Roy Feuerstein, a Hoboken resident, described a large, cohesive, and growing Israeli and Jewish community in the city. According to him, "There is currently an estimate of approximately 400 Israeli families" and he describes entire areas in the city where dozens of families are concentrated. "We live in an area called 'the kibbutz,' we're talking about roughly fifty Israeli families." Feuerstein emphasized that there is extensive community activity such as children's groups, Independence Day events with participation of more than a thousand people, and a close connection that has strengthened since October 7 between Israelis and the local Jewish community. "A kind of connection was created, there is a joint WhatsApp group of Jews and Israelis, and the community is very mobilized."

Regarding the flag incident, Feuerstein recounted that "someone posted a picture that suddenly a Palestinian flag was placed at the City Hall building" without advance notice, which sparked "a flood in all the Israeli groups." He describes a massive outreach from residents to city hall, and after a few hours "suddenly someone announced that the flag came down."

Feuerstein described the community's response as unequivocal. "There was relief because we managed within two to three hours to reverse such a thing." According to him, the incident reflects not local hatred toward Israelis but politics. "This is purely about a mayor thinking about his political career... he finishes this month and moves to be in the county representative in New Jersey, and is trying to court the Arab vote." Roi emphasizes that despite the event, Hoboken is still "a place where the Israeli community is very established, the environment is very supportive" and that it is "a very nice place to live."

Nevertheless, this move continues a series of controversies surrounding flags in the city. In November 2024, a ceremony of raising the PLO flag sparked public debate, and an Israeli flag raised at city hall about two months after October 7 was stolen three times, according to reports in local media.

Ahead of the change of administration at city hall, Jabbour promises to formulate a transparent and clear policy that will prevent recurrence of such incidents and allow Hoboken residents to celebrate their heritage without harming other communities.

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Jebelli made the remarks after a female student, from an audience of conservative students supporting the regime, held up a sign stating that Iranian citizens learned what was happening in the war through the Qatari television channel Al Jazeera and not through the local broadcasting authority. The act prompted the senior official to address the loss of credibility by his organization.

"One thing damaged our credibility, and I wish this issue hadn't come up now so I wouldn't have to mention it," Jebelli said. He added, "One thing damaged our credibility, and that was the shooting down of the F-35 aircraft. Were we in the sky to witness the crash of the fighter jet? Were we behind the defense system? Someone from military sources informed us, and then in the end they understood for some reason that the information was not reliable and gave us another update. Media sources should not stake their credibility on the reliability of other institutions and organizations," Jebelli said.

The reports about shooting down Israeli fighter jets over Iranian skies repeated themselves in Iranian media and were accompanied by bizarre images of crashed aircraft that were distributed on social networks. The images themselves were quickly revealed to be particularly sloppy fakes and the reports about shooting down the stealth aircraft were usually shelved and deleted just hours after they appeared.

Despite the admission of damage to broadcasting credibility, Jebelli continued to claim during his speech that his country succeeded in striking Israel's "computer system" and essentially caused it to cease functioning. Jebelli claimed that "we stunned the world through resistance" and continued to hold the regime's accepted line that the confrontation with Israel in June, which had devastating results for the Iranian leadership, was actually a victory for the Tehran regime.

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