Hezbollah Says It Would Stay Out Of Limited US Strikes On Iran, Leadership Attack Is Red Line
A Hezbollah official said Wednesday (25th) that the Iranian-backed group would not take military action if the United States carries out “limited” strikes in Iran, but warned that any attempt to target Iran’s top leadership would trigger intervention.
The official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Hezbollah had drawn a clear line between restricted US military action and strikes aimed at destabilizing Iran’s ruling system.
“In the event of limited US strikes on Iran, Hezbollah’s position will be to not intervene militarily,” the official said. Any move to bring about the fall of Iran’s leadership or to target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be considered a “red line,” the official added.
The comments come amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran.
The New York Times reported Sunday (22nd) that Trump is considering a limited strike to pressure Iran to meet US nuclear demands, with the option of a broader campaign later this year if negotiations fail.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has previously said the group is operating from a “defensive position” but has warned that a US attack on Iran would be seen by Hezbollah as a direct threat.
The Hezbollah official told AFP that a US attempt to unseat Iran’s leadership would likely lead Israel to launch a war against Lebanon. Lebanese officials have expressed concern that any escalation between Washington and Tehran could quickly spread.
A Lebanese official told AFP that authorities fear a sequence, beginning with a US strike on Iran, followed by Hezbollah action against Israel and then a large-scale Israeli response.
On Tuesday (24th), two senior Lebanese officials said Israel had conveyed an indirect message warning it would strike Lebanon hard, including civilian infrastructure such as the airport, if Hezbollah became involved in a US-Iran conflict.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said in Geneva that Israeli strikes in such a scenario could include,”strategic infrastructure such as the airport, adding that Beirut had urged Hezbollah to avoid actions that could endanger civilians. “This war does not concern us,” Raggi said.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also appealed for restraint, warning in a newspaper interview that Lebanon should not be dragged into another conflict after paying a heavy price in recent fighting.
Israel and Hezbollah last fought in 2023 and 2024, with a ceasefire reached in November 2024 following an Israeli ground invasion and air campaign that severely weakened Hezbollah leadership.
Indian Prime Minister Modi To Knesset: India Stands With Israel, Am Yisrael Chai
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Knesset Wednesday afternoon (25th) together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Indian Prime Minister wrote in the Knesset’s guest book: “I am honored to be the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset. India and Israel share a deep commitment to freedom, pluralism and the rule of law. Our shared values are the foundation for a strong and deep partnership between the two peoples. We will continue to work together to promote peace, innovation and prosperity, and contribute to a just, fair and sustainable world.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu noted in his speech: “Israel is stronger than ever, and India is stronger than ever, Either the jihadist axis of evil will break us or we will break it. And we are breaking it and will break it, thanks to the heroism of our fighters.”
He noted the strong bond between the countries and between him and Narendra Modi, and mentioned how the Indian leader was one of the first to stand by Israel after the murderous terrorist attack on Oct. 7.
Netanyahu told his Indian counterpart: “In a world where anti-Semitism is rising, India stands out. A civilization where Jews were never persecuted by the state, only welcomed. We don’t forget that. Thank you India.”
Narendra, my dear friend, I am deeply, deeply moved by your visit here today,” Netanyahu said. “Because I have to be diplomatic, I will not rank it. I’ll get into trouble. But I’ve never been more moved than by your visit here with us, a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Indian-Israeli alliance, and a great leader on the world stage.”
Prime Minister Modi, in his address,expressed his condolences for the casualties of the Oct. 7 massacre and the subsequent war, stating that “the response to terrorism should be zero tolerance”
“I carry with me the deepest condolences of the people of India for every life lost and for every family whose world was shattered in the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7,” Modi said. “We feel your pain. We share your grief. India stands with Israel firmly with full conviction in this moment and beyond.”
At the end of the remarks, the Indian Prime Minister proclaimed, “Am Yisrael Chai,” the Hebrew phrase which means, “The people of Israel live,”
Knesset Approves Bill Strengthening Orthodox Authority Over The Western Wall
The Knesset voted Wednesday (25th) to give preliminary backing to legislation strengthening Orthodox authority over the Western Wall plaza and limiting the ability of the Supreme Court to interfere in the administration of the Jewish holy site.
The bill was drafted by MK Avi Maoz, the lone representative of the right-wing Religious Zionist party Noam, and won the backing of 56 MKs with 47 lawmakers voting against the bill.
The vote sends the bill to committee for review before it is approved in the follow-up readings.
If passed into law, the bill will give the Chief Rabbinate authority over the Western Wall plaza, undercutting a recent Supreme Court ruling enjoining the state to expand and upgrade a prayer space at the Western Wall allotted for mixed-gender non-Orthodox prayer.
The ruling last Thursday (19th) was seen as a symbolic victory for the Reform and Conservative movements which have long-sought to use Supreme Court-mandated changes to the status quo at the holy site as a means to further weaken the Orthodox religious establishment in Israel.
The proposed law gives the Chief Rabbinate full authority to define what behavior or actions constitute “desecration” of Jewish holy sites, and mandates that the Religious Affairs Ministry must consult with the country’s two Chief Rabbis before altering regulations for Jewish holy sites like the Western Wall plaza.
“Today the Knesset set a clear boundary to High Court intervention, in the sanctity of the Western Wall,” MK Maoz said after the vote. “It is unacceptable that a court should determine what constitutes desecration at the holiest site for the Jewish people.”
“This law returns authority to its natural and proper place – the authority of Israel’s chief rabbis – and prevents the High Court from continuing to shape the character of the Western Wall contrary to halakha and to the intent of the legislature. This is a value-based, national, and historic step.”
Isaac Herzog Returns To Ethiopia: Strengthening Israel’s Ties With Africa
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is on the move again. Barely two weeks after his return from Australia, Herzog began a two-day state visit to Ethiopia on Tuesday (25th).
Israel has a long history with Ethiopia, dating back to the time of Queen Makeda, the Queen of Sheba who according to the Bible visited King Solomon in Jerusalem.
In more recent times, Emperor Haile Selassie visited pre-state Israel and had a house in Jerusalem to which he fled in May 1936, following the Italian invasion of his country. Selassie was reinstated in May 1941.
Over the years, Israeli military personnel gave much assistance to Ethiopia, even before the official establishment of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Israel.
In March, 1963 both Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin spent a week in Ethiopia as the guests of Selassie. In the 1960s, there was a large Israeli military presence in Ethiopia training Ethiopian forces.
After the Yom Kippur War, ties between the countries were severed, although there were security relations beneath the radar.
Full diplomatic relations were established in 1992. With embassies in both countries.
Israel has long placed a high priority on relations with Ethiopia, more so now, as Ethiopia recently hosted an African summit meeting in Addis Ababa, and several African states are anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian.
Herzog’s schedule in Ethiopia includes meetings with President Taye Atske Selassie, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Abiy Ahmed Ali, and leaders of the local Jewish community.
In all probability, the latter will want to know how much more time needs to elapse before people who have been waiting for years to be reunited with family members in Israel, can board a plane bound for Ben Gurion International Airport.
Report: Major US Protests Against Israel Outnumber Demonstrations Over Iranian Crackdown 100 To One
If you noticed that there weren’t a lot of protests against the Iranian regime’s brutal treatment of its own people compared with protests against Israel for its conduct in the Gaza war, you weren’t imagining things.
A new report released last week from the Jewish People Policy Institute shows 100 to one ratio of pro-Gaza to pro-Iranian protests.
The study compared a 22-day window of time covering the protests in Iran and the ensuing crackdown with a 22-day period of Israel’s invasion into Rafah and found that during the Rafah invasion, the United States saw 2,120 protests against Israel versus 25 protests during the Iranian crackdown.
Not all of those 25 protests were in support of Iran, either. Some of them protested US involvement in the conflict.
In addition, the report found twice as much media coverage in the Rafah window as in the Iranian window.
During the Rafah invasion, which lasted for months, dozens to hundreds of people were killed.
In contrast, the Iranian government killed at least 100 times more people — possibly 1000 times more people, according to some estimates – in a single two-day period.
According to the JPPI website, the president of the institute,Yedidia Stern, said, “the research aimed primarily to demonstrate that when Israel conducts a ‘defensive war’ against armed terrorist organizations that attacked it, it is judged harshly.”
By contrast, Stern noted that when the Islamic regime massacred its own citizens, who are ‘defenseless,’ the response from the international community was relatively modest,” the website noted.
For context, it is important to review what happened in Iran.
On Dec. 28, the shopkeepers at major bazaars in Iran went on strike. This is unusual in itself, since the merchant class tends to be supportive of the government.
But soaring inflation, over 40%, and a plummeting currency ignited a wave of fury that inspired store owners to close up shop.
The protesters took on a life of their own, as thousands of Iranians joined and made the regime, more than the economy, the target of their frustration, chanting, “Death to the dictator” and “Long live the king,” referring to the crown prince in exile Reza Pahlavi, son of the shah who was deposed in the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The Iranian regime cracked down on the protesters in their usual charming manner by shooting them.
In one particularly grisly incident, protesters fled into the twisting alleyways of a bazaar to escape the gunfire of security forces, but one of the stores caught on fire, and the hot winds spread the fire quickly.
The protesters had no choice but to run back out, straight into a hail of bullets, as a ring of gunmen had surrounded the perimeter and shot them to death when they broke out of the raging inferno.
The authorities also shut down the internet, plunging the country into a communications blackout that served two purposes: to prevent the protesters from organizing and to hide their murderous activities from the rest of the world.
The regime succeeded on both counts. The protests quickly fizzled out, and we still don’t know how many were killed.
However, some reports put the death toll at upward of 35,000 people, the overwhelming majority of whom were killed on Jan. 8 and 9, the two bloodiest days of the protests.
In two days, the Iranian regime, with the cooperation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij, a paramilitary group that serves as an arm of the IRGC, and other security forces shot and killed more civilians than the IDF killed in one year of war with airstrikes.
Israeli Technology Powers 100 Satellites Worldwide – Rafael Kahar
Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has developed technology that is powering more than 100 satellites worldwide. Once a satellite is launched and placed in orbit, any malfunction in its propulsion system can turn an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars into useless space debris. Rafael holds a rare record of 100% success in satellite propulsion, making it a preferred supplier for the European Space Agency and the French Space Agency.
Where satellites once had to carry tons of fuel merely to maintain their position, Rafael’s new ion electric engines offer efficiency 5 to 10 times greater than conventional engines. This enables satellites to be lighter, remain operational in space for more than 15 years, and carry more advanced imaging and communications equipment.
