This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Hamas submits names of hostages and their condition ahead of potential prisoner swap, including U.S. citizens
The Hamas terrorist group has submitted a list of hostages it proposes to free in the first stage of a ceasefire deal with Israel in addition to a list of Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel that it wants released, the London-based pan-Arab news site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reports.
Citing a source close to the talks, the report claims Israel is evaluating the list and could send a delegation to Cairo later today (Monday).
Saar: IAF hit Syrian chemical weapons, missile production sites
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar confirms Israel struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.
Sa'ar says that "the only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens."
"That's why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists.
U.S.-Israeli intelligence services surprised at speed of Assad's fall
Israeli and U.S. intelligence arrays failed to predict Assad's downfall. Even after the rebel offensive started two weeks ago, the assumption in Washington and Jerusalem was that even if the opposition forces managed to advance, Assad would somehow manage to cling to power.
But on Thursday, the tide began to turn. "We are seeing early signs of the collapse of the Syrian army," Israeli officials told JNS. These signs intensified over the weekend, until the fall of Damascus.
UAV fired from Yemen strikes residential building in central Israel
Residents in the central city of Yavne reported a loud explosion Monday morning followed by smoke rising from a building in the city.
Witnesses in the affected building, where a fire had broken out, claimed they saw a drone in the sky before the explosion.
"I heard a strange buzzing sound and then a loud noise," one neighbor recounted. Authorities are investigating the incident, especially as incoming warning alerts did not sound.
IDF special forces seize Syrian side of Mt. Hermon, secure key southern Syria border area
Following the fall of Syria's long-standing dictator Bashar al-Assad, and a lightning advance from Turkish and Qatari-backed Islamist insurgents, the Israel Defense Force moved to quickly secure – without opposition – the Syrian side of Mt. Hermon. The part that is in Israel is the highest point in the entire country and provides excellent visibility to the fertile valleys in the Galilee below, providing it with a crucial strategic importance.
Reports of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's demise in a supposedly mysterious plane crash proved premature, as it was revealed Sunday, Russia's President Vladimir Putin granted him, and his family, political asylum. Assad was due to have given a televised address acknowledging his resignation as president, but events quickly overtook that plan, and now stateless, he fled the country.
An Israeli civilian from the northern city of Nof Hagalil was arrested for carrying out missions on behalf of Iran, the Shin Bet security agency and police say, the latest in a series of espionage cases.
The suspect, Artyom Zolotarev, 33, was detained in November over suspicions he was "committing security offenses related to contact with Iranian intelligence officials and carrying out security missions in Israel under their direction, for financial gain," according to the Shin Bet.
The IDF on Monday named four reservists of the 226th Brigade's 9263rd Battalion killed when an underground compound collapsed during operational activity in southern Lebanon.
They were named as Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, 43, from Zichron Yaakov, a company commander; Capt. (res.) Sagi Ya'akov Rubinshtein, 31, from Lavie, a platoon commander; Master Sgt. (res.) Binyamin Destaw Negose, 28, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Erez Ben Efraim, 25, from Ramat Gan.
Sheikh Loai, the commander of the Syrian Druze force that liberated Sweida, a province with a considerable Druze population, spoke with Ynet on Sunday amid celebrations following the fall of President Bashar Assad's regime.
"As soon as the rebels began liberating northern Syria, we realized we had to act and remove all symbols of the tyrant Assad's rule, from police stations to military bases," he recounted.
Sweida, located in southern Syria, is the largest Druze stronghold in the Middle East, covering 5,550 square kilometers (2,142 square miles) and home to around 300,000 residents. Assad made significant efforts to limit the independence of the Druze community within his territory.
Australian police said on Monday they are hunting for three suspects over an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue, which has been designated as a terrorist act. Mask-wearing attackers set the Adass Israel Synagogue ablaze before dawn on Friday, police said, gutting much of the building. Some congregants were inside the single-story building at the time but no serious injuries were reported.
Recent excavations at the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre, Antalya, Turkey, have revealed a limestone sarcophagus that may be the burial site of Saint Nicholas, the Greek bishop whose life and deeds inspired the legend of Santa Claus.
This discovery is part of the ongoing "Legacy for the Future Project," led by Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University and initiated by Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The sarcophagus, found within the church's two-story annex, is believed to be the original burial site of Saint Nicholas, who lived in the ancient city of Myra during the 4th century A.D. Measuring approximately two meters in length and buried at a depth of 1.5 to 2 meters, the sarcophagus features a raised lid and a pitched roof consistent with burial styles of the region. Its proximity to the church – constructed in the 5th century by order of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II – adds credibility to the theory that this was the saint's original resting place.
