The Israel Defense Forces on Monday published video footage showing paratroopers entering Syria to protect the residents of northern Israel following the collapse of the regime led by President Bashar Assad.

"The combat team of the paratroopers and other forces is conducting 'forward defense' in the area to prevent any threat and is deployed in the buffer zone at strategic points," the army said.

Soldiers of the 210th "Bashan" Division began proactive operations on Sunday night to ensure "the protection of the residents of the Golan Heights in light of the internal events in Syria," the IDF added.

In addition, IDF infantry, armored and engineering units have been reinforced along the northern border to fend off possible threats.

Syrian President Bashar Assad fled Damascus on Sunday as rebel groups stormed the capital, ending his family's five-decade rule.

Intelligence chiefs have warned that the collapse of the regime has the potential to create turmoil in which threats against Israel could develop.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has ordered the IDF to create a secure area free of strategic weapons and terror infrastructure beyond the buffer zone with Syria, the Defense Ministry said earlier on Monday.

Katz said he had instructed the military to establish full control over the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, which was established under the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Damascus and Jerusalem that ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is scheduled to travel to Israel on Thursday for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior government officials, Ynet reported on Monday.

Sullivan's visit will coincide with a meeting of the Israeli Security Cabinet at Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv.

According to the report, the Biden administration official will discuss the Lebanon ceasefire, the sudden fall of the Syrian regime and developments in hostage talks with Hamas.

In addition to the meeting with Netanyahu, Sullivan is planning to sit down with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, as well as with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office earlier on Monday denied a Qatari report that a "serious" advance had been made in indirect negotiations between Jerusalem and Hamas for a ceasefire deal that would include the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian terrorists.

"These reports are not true," the Hostage Affairs Directorate in Netanyahu's office said in a message sent to captives' families.

The London-based, Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed outlet had reported that negotiations between Israel and Hamas had reached an advanced stage, with the terror group identifying the hostages and terrorists set to be swapped as part of a ceasefire.

According to the report, Hamas handed mediators an initial list of the Israeli hostages to be included in a forthcoming exchange deal. The report suggested that those who needed medical treatment and the elderly were first on the list, along with four captives with U.S. citizenship.

On-and-off indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to renew last year's hostage release agreement have dragged on for months, with the United States, Egypt, Qatar and others acting as intermediaries.

According to official figures, 96 of the 251 hostages who were taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault remain in Gaza after 430 days.

The Palestinian terrorist group is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the coastal enclave in 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed during "Operation Protective Edge" in 2014.

One of the rhinos in Israel’s Ramat Gan Safari gave birth to a healthy male calf on Monday morning named “Re’i,” "My friend" in Hebrew.

Re’i is the 34th rhino born in the Safari and weighs roughly 50 kilos (110 pounds).

“The Safari’s tradition is to designate the calf with a name that starts with the first letter of his mother’s name,” the Ramat Gan Safari said in a statement, referring to his 15-year-old mother, Rihanna.

“In the spirit of our times, we felt we couldn’t remain indifferent to what’s happening in the country. That’s why we chose the name ‘Re’i,’ which symbolizes many things for us since the beginning of the war until today—we all need to act for one another and be there for each other,” the statement read.

Re’i is Rihanna’s fourth calf, following the births of Ruvi, Rami and Rainy Rafiki in recent years, and they are both healthy and well, the Safari, whose formal name is the Zoological Center Tel Aviv-Ramat Gan, said.

As early as March, the handlers at the Safari suspected that Rihanna was pregnant. They first suspected this when her udders seemed to fill up, and later her breech started to swell.

Although an adult rhinoceros can weight more than a ton and a half, the handlers in the Savannah Department noticed these minor changes.

Rihanna started exhibiting behavior typical of female animals before calving. She distanced herself from other female rhinos in the group and kept to isolated areas in the Savannah.

Rihanna furthermore rose and sat continuously, and generally demonstrated behaviors of restlessness, the Safari said.

After a year and a half of pregnancy, Rihanna went into labor. When her labor intensified, the caregivers took their distance from the mother to allow her a calm calving experience, which apparently took a few hours, per the Safari.

Rihanna is a southern white rhinoceros, which is a subspecies of the white rhinoceros. In the 19th century they almost became extinct, with a population of fewer than 100 due to sport hunting and land clearance in Africa. Species of the southern white rhinoceros were taken into conservation and are today estimated to number 18,000.

This is a little awkward, but it’s not the first time it’s happened.

Here’s the U.S. government’s Rewards for Justice site on the guy who just took over Syria:

"Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Muhammad al-Jawlani, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Golani and Muhammad al-Julani. Al-Jawlani leads the al-Nusrah Front (ANF), al-Qa’ida’s (AQ) affiliate in Syria. In January 2017, ANF merged with several other hardline opposition groups to form Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While al-Jawlani is not the leader of HTS, he remains the leader of AQ-affiliated ANF, which is at the core of HTS.

"In April 2013, al-Jawlani pledged allegiance to AQ and its leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. In July 2016, al-Jawlani praised AQ and al-Zawahiri in an online video and claimed the ANF was changing its name to Jabhat Fath Al Sham ('Conquest of the Levant Front')."

And, not mentioned here, but the future caliph of ISIS helped set Al-Jawlani up in business.

But I think we have some information on where he is now. And we’re talking to his people, who are talking to our people. Maybe someday we’ll do lunch.

"The United States has been passing messages through the Turkish government in recent days to the rebel groups involved in the lightning blitz that suddenly took down Mr. al-Assad, mainly warning them against teaming up with militants from the Islamic State," according to The New York Times. "The groups responded through the Turks with assurances that they had no intention of allowing the Islamic State to be part of their movement, according to U.S. and Turkish officials briefed on the messages."

Not only are we turning over what little authority we have to the Turkish state sponsors of the terrorists, but the idiots at Foggy Bottom are wasting that on telling HTS not to ally with ISIS. We already know they won’t ally with ISIS. There was a pretty bad breakup, and ISIS tends to be petty on those points. Jawlani doesn’t need ISIS and isn’t likely to ally with it anyway.

"U.S. intelligence agencies and top officials in the Biden administration are still in the process of evaluating the group and its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, who is eager for legitimacy and has mounted what one senior U.S. official characterized as a 'charm offensive' aimed at allaying concerns about the organization’s intentions and past affiliations," the Times continues.

"The way the official put it, 'A charm offensive might mean that people are turning over a new leaf and they think differently than they used to, so you should hear them out. On the other hand, you should be cautious because charm offensives can sometimes be misleading.'"

Just ask the Taliban and the suckers who fell for their charm offensive.

"But now Mr. Biden and his top advisers are debating the extent to which they should engage directly with the rebel groups going forward, according to the officials, who described internal deliberations on the condition of anonymity..." the Times states.

"U.S. officials said that the Biden administration was allowed to talk to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its leader even though they are on the terrorist list, but that it could not provide them with material support."

Give them time.

Notice there’s no mention of taking that $10 million reward seriously. Just a reluctance (for now) to violate the law by providing material support to terrorists. Biden’s people found ways around that with Iran. I have confidence that given a second term they would have figured out a lot of ways in Syria.

As it is, I imagine we’ll be sending a whole lot of aid to Syria. And it amounts to the same thing.

So much for "Stop This Terrorist."

Geert Wilders, the head of the Party for Freedom, the Netherlands' largest political faction and a member of the ruling coalition, visited Samaria on Monday morning at the invitation of the Samaria Regional Council.

Council head Yossi Dagan said that Wilders, as part of his tour of the area, received a briefing at an observation point "in the seam line area on the narrow 'waist' of the State of Israel, which illustrates the security importance of Samaria for the residents of the center of the country."

Dagan told the visiting political leader: "There are only 70 kilometers [44 miles] from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, with the hills of Samaria dominating the area, accounting for 55 kilometers, [or 34 miles, of those 70 kilometers]."

Wilders responded by acknowledging that this is a "very small area," adding, "Not everyone will understand this, but I do."

The Dutch politician arrived in the Jewish state on Sunday for a 36-hour visit. After he touched down at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Sunday night, Wilders met with Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel "and other dear friends" in Tel Aviv, he said on social media.

Wilders said he was "proud and privileged" to return to Israel after more than seven years, "meet their leaders and politicians and visit beautiful Judea and Samaria where I used to live for some time in the '80s."

Later on Monday, Wilders is scheduled to meet with President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Energy Minister Eli Cohen, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and other lawmakers, according to the Dutch MP.

Last month, Wilders said that he would be pursuing police action after his travel plans to Israel were leaked to the media, allegedly by Dutch civil servants, which reportedly led to the postponement of his visit.

"Today, I spoke with the Internal Investigations Department [of the Dutch police]. I will be filing a report because of the leak of my itinerary in Israel," Wilders said. According to him, the NRC daily reported on the confidential plan "shortly after our embassy in Israel was informed."

"This endangers my safety, as well as that of my security guards. Totally unacceptable," the Dutch leader concluded his statement.

Wilders has lived under strict 24/7 police protection since 2004 after receiving death threats over his criticism of Islamic terrorists and extremists.

NRC claimed that the meeting between Wilders and Dagan would run counter to the policies of Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, a member of the junior coalition partner New Social Contract Party. He supports the creation of a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

Veldkamp was scheduled to fly to Jerusalem for an official visit last month, but Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar canceled it due to the Dutch diplomat's support for the International Criminal Court arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Wilders—a staunch supporter of Israel's right to the entire Land of Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea—resided in the Jewish state for two years during his youth and has reportedly visited the country more than 40 times. After he graduated from secondary school, he spent a year as a volunteer at Moshav Tomer in the Jordan Valley.

In 2018, Wilders declared, "The more Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria the better, for that land is Jewish—and Jordan is Palestine!"

Following Wilders's win in the 2023 Dutch general election, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority condemned him for saying Arabs should be offered the right to settle in Jordan and elect their government.

Hamas, which the European Union has listed as a terrorist organization, accused him of making a "fascist statement that violates international law," and called on the United Nations to condemn his positions.

"Hamas complaining about international law," Wilders mockingly responded in a post on X, ending with a clown emoji.

Israel on Monday denied a Qatari report that suggested a “serious” advance in indirect negotiations between Jerusalem and Hamas for a "temporary ceasefire" deal that would include the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian terrorists.

“These reports are not true,” the Hostage Affairs Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office said in a message to the captives’ families.

“We continue to work tirelessly to bring the hostages home, while maintaining strict information security regarding the matter. We recommend relying exclusively on information from the official sources,” the message read.

Earlier on Monday, the London-based, Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet reported that negotiations between Israel and Hamas have reached an advanced stage, identifying the hostages and terrorists set to be swapped as part of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

According to the report, Hamas handed the Egyptian mediator a preliminary list of the Israeli hostages to be included in a forthcoming exchange deal. The report suggested that those who need medical treatment and the elderly were listed first by Hamas, as well as four hostages holding American citizenship.

The terrorist organization also submitted to officials in the Egyptian General Intelligence Service a list of the names of Palestinian prisoners it wishes to see released from Israeli prisons, the report read.

A source informed of the ongoing talks told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the negotiations are “unprecedentedly serious” and that Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States are involved.

The agreement sets the terms for a transitional period in which Israel Defense Forces would gradually withdraw from parts of the Gaza Strip, which would later create the opportunity for a "permanent ceasefire."

Hamas envoy Khalil al-Hayya visited Cairo on Sunday to discuss the details, the report said. An Israeli delegation is set to arrive in the Egyptian capital later on Monday to discuss the proposed terms.

Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, whose body is being held by Hamas in Gaza, told JNS ahead of boarding a flight to Washington on Monday, “I think that there’s a bit too much optimism. Everyone is speaking except for Hamas. I also don’t like the idea that lists of names are being exchanged in the first place. What we all want to know is how the last hostage comes out.

“An agreement on how to free the 100 hostages, whether it’s in 60 days or 90 days, must be reached, and that’s what the families are looking for. I have not heard anyone speak about the last hostage coming out,” he continued. 

Itay Chen, from Netanya, was stationed at the Nahal Oz army base as part of a tank unit when he was captured along with three other soldiers on Oct. 7, 2023. The Israel Defense Forces declared him dead on March 12.

Chen stressed the importance of treating all hostages equally.

“There are seven [American] hostages and we should not make distinctions of physical status, it’s not in accordance with our Jewish values and it is not humanitarian. Even those who were killed need to come out,” he said. 

During his trip to D.C., Chen will meet at the White House with Republican and Democratic leaders to push for a comprehensive deal to secure the freedom of every captive.

Tzvika Mor, whose 23-year-old son Eitan remains captive in Gaza, told JNS on Monday, “To this day, there is no definitive news regarding a deal. Our intelligence officer has said so. There is no deal at the moment, it will take time.

“Hamas wants Israel out of the Gaza Strip and Israel cannot allow Hamas to renew itself. Hamas is very weak and afraid of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, afraid of Israel and the fact that Syria broke down. Hamas is now isolated without Hezbollah and with Israel planning to confront Iran. I think that’s the reason they went to Egypt for negotiations,” said Mor, who co-founded the Tikva Forum, which represents hostage families who advocate for a complete military victory over Hamas. 

“In my opinion, if we control the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian aid which Hamas is stealing, Hamas will break down,” he continued.  “Overall, I am optimistic. I think that our situation is improving every day.”

The war in Gaza has been raging for 14 months, ever since Hamas launched the deadliest single-day attack against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023, in which roughly 1,200 people were murdered and 250 others were taken into captivity in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has urged the warring sides to reach a ceasefire agreement before his inauguration on Jan. 20.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told representatives of hostages’ families groups that the fall of the Assad regime, weakened by Israel’s determined stand against Hezbollah and Hamas, could help advance a deal for the return of the hostages.

“The time is ripe for a deal to release the hostages,” Netanyahu said, adding that he was “ready for a ceasefire to promote the return of abductees.”

Netanyahu held separate meetings in Jerusalem, one with the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum and the other with the Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages.

The two groups differ on the best way to free the hostages, with the Tikva Forum opposing the former’s call for a deal at any price, arguing there are collective national interests to be considered.

Meanwhile, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also foreign minister, expressed optimism over the weekend that a ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement in Gaza can be reached before Trump’s inauguration.

The Gulf state, which publicly suspended its involvement in negotiations on Nov. 9., confirmed that it had resumed its mediating role after sensing that a momentum for a deal “is coming back,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“We hope to get things done as soon as possible. We hope that the willingness of the parties to engage in good faith continues,” he said.

In an exclusive interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump outlined his plans for his upcoming term, addressing pressing issues in the United States and globally.

Trump expressed pessimism regarding the fate of the 100 hostages still held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. "I'm not a big believer in the fact that there are too many of them living, sadly," Trump stated.

"I hate to say it, I think you have far fewer hostages than people think," he added.

Regarding Israel's war against the Palestinian terrorist group, Trump made it clear to NBC that while he hopes for an end to the conflict, Jerusalem must secure a decisive victory. "I want [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] to end it, but you have to have a victory," Trump stated.

He addressed the growing criticism of Israel and the dismissal of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, comparing it to Holocaust denial: "You know, you have Holocaust deniers. Now you have Oct. 7 deniers, and it just happened. No, Oct. 7 happened. What happened is horrible."

Trump also elaborated on the rebellion against former Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and the regime's collapse.

"It's amazing, because he stayed for years under you would think much more adverse conditions, and all of the sudden, just rebels are going and they're taking over large pieces of territory," he said. "People have bet against him for a long time, and so far that hasn't worked. But this seems to be different."

The president-elect also praised his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for his role in the Abraham Accords normalization agreements, crediting him with laying the groundwork for broader peace in the Middle East.

In the interview, Trump reiterated his commitment to expanding the agreements to foster "real peace" in the region, framing it as a cornerstone of his foreign policy agenda for the coming years.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

The Israeli Air Force has struck suspected sites for the production of chemical weapons and long-range guided missiles in Syria to prevent them from falling into hostile hands, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Monday.

"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," Sa'ar told the Associated Press.

"The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens," he reiterated in his remarks to the wire agency. Sa'ar did not provide details about when or where the airstrikes were conducted.

The Syrian regime pledged to give up chemical weapons in 2013 after a mass attack on its own civilians in Ghouta in southwest Syria that year. Estimates of the death toll range from 300 people to more than 1,500.

In August 2023, an Israeli report warned of the possibility of Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists taking possession of chemical substances stored by the Syrian regime and using them to produce chemical weapons for use against IDF soldiers or civilians.

On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad fled Damascus as rebel groups stormed the capital, ending his family's five-decade rule.

"The tyrant Bashar Assad has been overthrown," a rebel spokesperson declared in a statement carried on state television on Sunday morning. 

Following the events, the IDF was deployed to the buffer zone with Syria and "several other places necessary for its defense." The military said the move was taken to "ensure the safety of the communities of the Golan Heights and the citizens of Israel."

Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier on Monday morning that he ordered the continued destruction by the IDF of strategic weapons that were previously held by the Syrian regime and Iranian-backed militias, to prevent their falling into the hands of terrorists.

Among the arms taken out by the IDF are "surface-to-air missiles, air defense systems, surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, long-range rockets and coast-to-sea missiles," the Defense Ministry said.

Four Israel Defense Forces soldier were killed in Southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire currently in effect, the military announced on Monday.

The slain troops were identified as Maj. (res.) Evgeny Zinershain, 43, from Zichron Ya'akov; Capt. (res.) Sagi Ya'akov Rubinshtein, 31, from Lavi; Master Sgt. (res.) Binyamin Destaw Negose, 28, from Beit Shemesh; and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Erez Ben Efraim, 25, from Ramat Gan.

All four served in Battalion 9263 of the 226th Brigade, the IDF said.

Israeli forces have killed some two dozen Hezbollah terrorists since the start of the Nov. 27 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday. The Israeli Air Force has also struck dozens of Hezbollah positions during the same period, the military stated.

Under the terms of the truce, Israeli forces are to withdraw from Lebanon by late January, while Lebanon's army enters those areas vacated by the IDF. Hezbollah has violated the ceasefire repeatedly since the day it took effect, according to the IDF.

The IDF said on Sunday that forces of its 7th Armored Brigade, working under the command of the 98th Division, discovered weapons warehouses hidden in civilian areas of Southern Lebanon.

In one operation, troops found "hundreds" of anti-tank rockets, mortar grenades and a car with a rocket launcher mounted on top, the military said, adding that the forces also "located and destroyed" several tunnel shafts that led to underground Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure.

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday night announced the death in Gaza of Cpt. Avraham Ben Pinchas, 24, a platoon commander in the 401st Armored Brigade’s 46th Battalion, from Harasha in Samaria.

According to a preliminary probe, his tank was hit by a Hamas missile during a counter-terror operation in Rafah city.

The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27 currently stands at 381, and at 813 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, according to official IDF data.

Additionally, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, a member of the Israel Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was fatally wounded during a hostage-rescue mission in Gaza in June, and civilian defense contractor Liron Yitzhak was mortally wounded there in May.