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The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen fired a ballistic missile and drones at three commercial vessels on December 3. Additionally, the USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, downed a drone headed in its direction, though the “specific target” of the attack was unclear, according to a United States Central Command (CENTCOM) statement. “The weapons here are being supplied by Iran,” U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on December 4. “Iran, we believe, is the ultimate party responsible for this.” CENTCOM said the United States, along with its partners, will “consider all appropriate responses” to the incidents.

The Houthis, Tehran’s terror proxy in Yemen, boarded and seized the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader cargo ship via Mi-171Sh helicopter in the Red Sea on Nov. 19, taking 25 crewmembers captive. This piracy, which follows recent Houthi missile and drone attacks against Israel, is part of a larger strategy by the Islamic Republic of Iran to undermine maritime security and American interests while attempting to encircle, attack, and exhaust Israel.

From lighting a menorah, to giving out gelt, to eating cheese—find out how these Hanukkah traditions began.

Each year, Jews around the world celebrate an eight-day winter holiday known as Hanukkah (also spelled “Chanukah” and several other ways) on the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, typically falling in November or December on the Gregorian calendar.

The eight-day Festival of Lights marks an event dating to the second century B.C.E.

1. What Does Hanukkah Celebrate?

Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem during the second century B.C., following the triumph of a small group of Jewish rebels, known as the Maccabees, against their oppressors the Greek-Syrians, who had defiled the temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs within its sacred walls. In order to rededicate the temple, the Maccabees had to light a menorah that would burn within the temple at all times. However, they only had enough pure olive oil to last for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, leaving time to find a fresh supply of oil.

The IDF says troops of the 460th Armored Brigade and the Nahal Brigade’s 50th Battalion discovered one of the largest caches of weapons yet during operations in the northern Gaza Strip.

There is often an opinion among the public that small countries cannot be influential and powerful because they are unimportant. Proponents of such a position claim that small states, due to their small surface area and small population, must submit to the larger powers in the region. Such a point of view is unconvincing assessment that does not take into account either history or the current geopolitical picture.

With the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas crossing the 55-day mark, no breakthrough seems to be in sight that could bring hostilities to a stop despite the successful exchange of some hostages. As Palestinians in Gaza continue to face the brunt of Israeli military reaction to the terror attacks of 7 October orchestrated by Hamas, tensions over the crisis can increasingly be seen expanding into other theatres, particularly where Iran-supported militias are looking to act together as part of a ‘resistance’ narrative.