Israel Brief: Sunday, December 7
Rafah’s last tunnels, Iran’s northern leash, and a state that finally plans for the war it’s in.
Shavua tov, friends.
Gaza is quiet only on paper: engineering teams are collapsing Rafah’s tunnel grid while three more terrorists die crossing the Yellow Line and one fallen hero, Ran Gvili, z”l, still lies in Hamas’s hands. In the north, mapped evacuation boxes, fresh drills on Hermon and Dov, and a Lebanese foreign minister who admits Hezbollah disarms only when Tehran says so all point in one direction: we are in the preface, not the epilogue. Iran’s network keeps tightening — militias in Iraq, cash into Syrian uprisings, cyber and propaganda into the West — even as Washington declares the Middle East a diminishing priority. At home, the army stamps women in Yahalom as permanent, pushes to lengthen service, and demands a real Oct 7 commission while the legal guild clings to its throne and fringe “hilltop youth” discover the state actually has police.
Here’s the map before we dive into the sectors.
⚡️Flash Brief: The Day in 90 Seconds or Less
Gaza: IDF blows more Rafah structures, kills three Yellow Line infiltrators, as Mashaal rules out disarmament or outside oversight. See The War Today.
Hostages: Israel’s Cairo delegation tells mediators Hamas can reach Ran Gvili’s body; his family and crowds demand no Phase Two until he is home. See The War Today & Developments to Watch.
North: Air Force hits Syrian air defenses, Lebanon’s FM admits Hezbollah disarms only with Iranian approval, and major drills kick off on Hermon and Mount Dov. See The War Today & Developments to Watch.
Iran / Axis: US envoy calls Lebanon a failed state and Iraq’s PM “powerless,” while reports say Israel may strike Iran again within a year. See Developments to Watch & Israel and the World.
Inside Israel: IDF makes women in Yahalom permanent, Katz and Smotrich discuss returning conscription to 36 months, and Haredi hardliners plan nationwide road blockages over the draft. See Inside Israel.
Law & politics: Zamir demands a state Oct 7 commission, Netanyahu’s pardon bid continues to sit on Herzog’s desk, and leaks show tight MAG–AG–judge contacts as the Brothers in Arms funding trail raises eyebrows. See Inside Israel.
Diplomacy & info-war: Doha hosts the Islamist PR gala, Israel’s LA consulate says Iran and Qatar bankroll violent protests, Congress moves to crack Iran’s internet wall, and BBC finally orders antisemitism training. See Israel and the World & Briefly Noted.
The through-line today is compression. Rafah’s last battalion is being squeezed in a smaller and smaller box while the political circus in Doha and New York pretends Hamas will politely disarm for a Board of Peace it openly mocks. The northern front looks more like 1973’s intelligence map with 2025’s tools: ISR saturation, public strike boxes, and Lebanese officials saying out loud that Iran holds the key to Hezbollah’s guns. Inside the house, the military speaks the language of responsibility and manpower; the legal system still speaks the language of status and impunity.