JERUSALEM, Israel – The Israeli government is signaling it may not be finished with Iran, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Concerns are growing over terrorist groups rearming and renewed Israeli and U.S. military action in the Middle East.
Israel’s political and military leaders are openly warning of another confrontation with Iran. The prime minister is expected to present plans for a possible new strike when he meets President Trump next week.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated that Iran remains the central threat in what he called the longest and most complex war in Israel’s history. He accused Iran of being the driving force behind the terrorist proxies’ encircling Israel, the financing and arming of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Iraqi militias.
Zamir cautioned that Israel’s enemies should not doubt that the IDF is prepared to strike again. “Our enemies once again felt the reach of the IDF’s long arm, which will continue to strike whenever required, in fronts both near and far,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claims the Islamic Republic has rebuilt all facilities damaged during June’s 12-day war, and he warned Israel against launching another attack.
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U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) is also sounding an alarm. He met with Netanyahu and indicated that Israel’s enemies are rebuilding their strength.
Graham declared, “While I celebrate the ceasefire – it was a major accomplishment – having the hostages brought home was in its own way a miracle, ninety days after the ceasefire, Hamas is not disarming, they’re rearming.”
He added, “Ninety days after the ceasefire, they’re consolidating power in Gaza, they’re not giving it up.”
Graham also asserted that Israel should strike if Iran shows any sign of rebuilding its nuclear or missile programs. “If you see an effort to regenerate the enrichment program, hit it. If you see an effort to build more ballistic missiles to terrorize Israel that may one day get to Europe, hit now,” the senator advised.
In Australia, thousands gathered at Sydney’s Bondi Beach just one week after a deadly anti-Semitic attack on the first day of Hanukkah.
Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, the father-in-law of one of the victims, observed, “Darkness is not defeated by anger or force. Darkness is transformed by light, and that light begins with what each of us chooses to do next – and returning to normal is not enough. Sydney can and must become a beacon of goodness.”
The rabbi’s message echoed all the way to Jerusalem, where on the final night of Hanukkah, Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the Jewish communities in Australia.
“Tonight, on the eighth and final candle of Hanukkah, I want to say to the Jews of Australia: the people of Israel are with you,” Herzog intoned. “Despite being thousands of miles apart, we feel your pain…we see your courage under fire, we share your sense of abandonment, shock, and horror.”
The United States is also taking action against terrorism in the Middle East. President Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. launched a series of airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria.
“We hit the ISIS thugs in Syria who were trying to regroup after their decimation by the Trump administration five years ago,” Trump declared. “We hit them hard. I ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots (two Iowa National Guardsmen and a U.S. interpreter) last week.”
From Iran’s nuclear ambitions to rising antisemitism, leaders in the U.S. and Israel say the fight is far from over, and the coming year could shape the future security of Israel and the region.
