Israel's Buffer Zone in Southern Syria

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 correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, who served as the IDF’s point man on hostage negotiations since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught, says that Hamas has “objective” difficulties in finding the body of  Ran Gvili, the last deceased hostage in Gaza. We learn what is happening in Gaza and the potential power vacuum left in the southern anti-Hamas militia following the death of its leader Yasser Abu Shabab.

The IDF confirmed carrying out a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon overnight, saying it targeted Hezbollah sites, including a training facility used by the terror group’s elite Radwan Force. Fabian describes how the IDF strikes generally come after the mechanism put in place following the November 2024 ceasefire doesn't act.

A year following the fall of the Assad regime, Fabian explains how the buffer zone was immediately taken by the IDF, which will be very hesitant to release at least two strategic points.

We are then updated on a widespread operation that took place in the West Bank over the past couple weeks and an uptick in attacks against soldiers there.

And our final stops on our tour are Egypt and Jordan, both relatively quiet borders, but with their own particular challenges. Fabian weighs in.

Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, 922 soldiers, officers, and reservists, including several dozen local security officers, have been killed across its various arenas. Today, we focus on those who were wounded -- physically and emotionally -- and how the army is moving forward.

To finish the program, we learn about a pilot program integrating female recruits into the Combat Engineering Corps’ elite Yahalom unit and why it is deemed a success, paving the way for women combat engineers to become a permanent role in the military.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Trump to host Netanyahu on December 29 for talks on advancing Gaza plan

Anti-Hamas militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab killed in ‘internal clash’ in Gaza

Palestinian who sped car toward troops in Hebron killed, as is passerby; soldier lightly hurt

Over half of soldiers treated in rehab centers have mental health issues, stats show

IDF declares trial of women combat engineers in elite Yahalom unit a success

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: A military helicopter evacuates the injured from the Ziv Medical center in Tzfat wounded by a missile fired by the terrorist organization Hezbollah, February 14, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

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