★SYRIA
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ISIS Infiltrator In Syrian Ranks Kills Three Americans
Three Americans were killed on December 13, 2025, while conducting a joint U.S.-Syrian patrol as part of the U.S.-led Global Coalition against ISIS near a former military intelligence compound outside Palmyra, a site once run by the Assad regime and now used by Syria’s new intelligence service under President Shar’a. The attack, which lasted only several minutes, saw the gunman open fire at close range on the U.S. forces with an automatic rifle, injuring three other American soldiers and two Syrian security officers before he was shot dead and helicopters evacuated casualties to al‑Tanf. Noureddine al‑Baba, spokesman for Syria’s Interior Ministry, said the attacker was a serving member of Syria’s Internal Security forces, flagged within the same ministry for extremist leanings and slated for dismissal after an internal assessment, but the decision had not been implemented because of weekend timing.
Trump mourned “three great Americans” and vowed “very serious retaliation” for this and any future attack on U.S. forces. Envoy Tom Barak argued the incident “reinforces, not invalidates” a partner‑led strategy built on “capable Syrian partners” such as the Syrian army. Israeli outlets explicitly describe the Palmyra shooting as an insider attack by an ISIS‑linked member of Syria’s security forces and use it to argue that Shar’a’s post‑Assad security institutions remain infiltrated and that their recruitment, vetting, and internal counterintelligence are still weak. Iranian outlets blamed U.S. intervention and Barak’s Syria strategy for fueling terrorism and cast the U.S.–Syrian “capable partners” model as the real source of violence. They also portrayed the Sharaa–Trump partnership as enabling Israel to exploit Syria’s post‑Assad weakness to expand its reach and secure long‑term advantages in territory, water, and energy. On Sunday, December 14, Syrian officials announced that ISIS launched a new attack near Maaret al‑Numan in Idlib, roughly 250–300 kilometers northwest of Palmyra, killing four Internal Security personnel in an ambush on a highway patrol.
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★ISRAEL
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Sydney Gunmen Massacre Hanukkah Crowd At Bondi Beach
Two gunmen opened fire on a public Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, killing at least 15–16 people and wounding dozens more as roughly 1,000–2,000 attendees gathered around a Chabad‑organized menorah‑lighting on the promenade. The attackers, described by Australian authorities as motivated by antisemitism, used rifles to target the crowd for several minutes before one was shot dead and the second seriously wounded and detained; police later reported finding improvised explosive devices linked to the suspects’ vehicle and said no additional gunmen were at large. A 43‑year‑old Syrian refugee from Idlib shopkeeper, Ahmed al‑Ahmed, tackled and disarmed one shooter while unarmed and was himself shot twice by the second gunman positioned above the scene, an intervention praised by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who all said his actions likely saved many Jewish lives.
The dead include Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Holocaust survivor, and at least one Israeli citizen, making the attack one of the most lethal assaults on Jews outside Israel in decades and, according to Jewish communal sources, the deadliest abroad since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 atrocities. Australian Jewish organizations say the massacre caps years of sharply rising antisemitic incidents, from harassment and vandalism to arson attempts and Iran‑linked plots against community institutions, while Israeli officials and some commentators accuse Canberra of “pouring fuel on the antisemitic fire” through policies such as recognizing a Palestinian state and, in their view, underreacting to anti‑Israel agitation. Australian leaders strongly condemn the attack, reject claims of official complicity, and emphasize enhanced protection for synagogues and Jewish schools, while internationally President Trump and other U.S. figures frame the Bondi shooting as a warning about global antisemitic and jihadist threats and call for closer Western coordination on intelligence, vetting, and community security.
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Gunfire Targets Hanukkah Home And Jewish Concert Abroad
In Redlands, California, a suspected drive‑by shooter shouted antisemitic slurs, including “F*** the Jews,” while firing roughly 20 airsoft rounds at a Jewish family’s Hanukkah‑decorated home; no injuries were reported, and police are investigating the incident as a likely hate crime during ADL warnings that such attacks must not be normalized. The same weekend in Amsterdam, several hundred pro‑Palestinian demonstrators denounced IDF chief cantor Shai Abramson’s Hanukkah concerts outside the Concertgebouw, some breaching police barriers and throwing smoke devices before Dutch officers arrested 22 people in what Jewish leaders condemned as targeted harassment of a visibly Jewish cultural event rather than a legitimate protest.
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Netanyahu Hosts Greece, Cyprus Leaders in Strategic Summit in Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will host Greek and Cypriot leaders in a trilateral summit seen as a political message to Türkiye during regional tensions. The meeting coincides with a visit by US envoy Tom Barrack and follows reports of Greek-Israeli defense talks and Athens’ major military modernization plans.
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Hamas Rejects Disarmament, Confirms Senior Commander Saad Killed
Hamas rejected calls to disarm and confirmed the death of senior commander Raad Saad in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. Senior official Khalil al-Hayya also opposed any international force governing Gaza, accusing “occupation agents” of killing a Hamas internal security officer.
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★IRAN
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US Destroys Chinese Military Shipment Bound for Iran Missile Program
US forces destroyed a Chinese military shipment bound for Iran after seizing it in the Indian Ocean, US media reported. The cargo contained components potentially usable in Iranian conventional weapons and missile development, and was intercepted to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its missile arsenal, according to US officials.
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Iran, Russia Hold Talks at Rare Turkmenistan Peace Forum
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of a rare international summit in Turkmenistan, reaffirming close coordination on Iran’s nuclear program, energy cooperation, and transport projects, as the two deepen strategic ties during Western sanctions.
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★THE GULF
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Saudi Crown Prince Meets China’s Foreign Minister on Regional Developments
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Riyadh to discuss bilateral ties and regional and global developments. The meeting reviewed ways to deepen cooperation, and the crown prince received a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping during growing Saudi-Chinese trade and investment ties.
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UAE Launches First Locally Branded Bank-Issued Gold Bar
The UAE launched its first gold bar carrying a local banking brand, issued by Emirates NBD, marking a first for a domestic financial institution. Announced by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the move aims to expand gold-linked investment products and strengthen Dubai’s position as a global gold trading hub.
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★AFRICA
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Israel Delivers Gas Deal, Rejects Corridor Concessions Sought by Egypt
Israel has effectively met Sisi’s demand to approve the $35 billion, 15‑year Leviathan gas export deal to Egypt, but continues to resist Egyptian calls to withdraw from the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors along the Gaza–Egypt frontier, leaving Cairo’s broader conditions for a trilateral Egypt‑US‑Israel summit unmet and underscoring persistent friction over post‑war border arrangements and Gaza access.
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Egypt, Qatar’s Al Mana Sign $200 Million Sustainable Aviation Fuel Project
Egypt signed a $200 million agreement with Qatar’s Al Mana Holding to establish a sustainable aviation fuel plant in the Sokhna area of the Suez Canal Economic Zone. The project will produce 200,000 tons annually from used cooking oils, with Shell purchasing output starting in late 2027.
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Floods Kill 21 in Morocco’s Atlantic City of Safi
At least 21 people died after sudden, violent floods hit Safi on Morocco’s Atlantic coast following intense thunderstorms, authorities said. Torrential rains caused flash floods within an hour, inundating dozens of homes and shops, sweeping away vehicles and roads, and disrupting traffic, as rescue operations and searches for missing persons continued.
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★ Disclaimer: This publication is a digest of various news sources compiled by the Early Phoenix team and edited by Rania Kisar. The items are curated, concise summaries of news items hyperlinked within each story. The items and summaries presented do not necessarily represent the views of the American Center for Levant Studies.
