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Over the past 80 years, there have been costly intelligence failures in the United States and Israel despite sufficient intelligence collection and the presence of classic warning signals. For the United States, the attacks on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 could have been prevented or ameliorated because we had deciphered Japanese diplomatic codes that revealed the Japanese instructions to their embassy in Washington to destroy coded materials and to break relations with the United States. These are classic warning signals.

On December 5, 2023 Al-Masirah TV (Houthis-Yemen) aired a report on a march of the Khawlan Bin Amer tribe in Yemen in support of Gaza. An elderly participant told the Al-Masirah reporter that he hopes to end his life in Palestine and be martyred there. A young man said: “We are ready everywhere – on land, at sea, and in the air.” An amputee told the reporter that he and his mujahideen brothers are prepared to continue on this path “until we are cut into pieces, even if the only thing that remains are our heads.” The column of uniformed men can be seen passing a banner with the Houthi slogan: “Allah Akbar! Death to America! Death to Israel! Curses upon the Jews! Victory to Islam!”

Although Jews usually, but not always, share a common gene pool, they are not a race because any non-Jew who converts to Judaism will be recognized as being Jewish by all those rabbis who share a commitment to the same denomination of Judaism as the rabbi who did the conversion.

In the early days of November a considerable amount of journalistic ink was spilled countering a report that appeared on several social media sites. On October 31 a post on X, formerly Twitter, stated: “Breaking: Yemen declared they are now at war with Israel.” According to Newsweek, it was viewed 7.1 million times. The news site USA Today reported that a similar post had appeared on Instagram, and went on to state categorically that the story was untrue. One after another, the news media scrambled to deny the report.

Gaza has suddenly captured the world’s attention. On October 7, 2023, thousands of terrorists from Gaza invaded Israel, massacred over 1,200 Israelis, and abducted some 248 hostages back into Gaza, including women and children. Israel responded by declaring war on the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas and launching Operation Iron Swords with three primary goals: return the hostages; destroy Hamas’s military capabilities; and ensure that Gaza will never again be a threat to the Jewish state. The future governance of Gaza remains an open question, with the Palestinian Authority, Israel, and Egypt all declining that role.

Following the December 3, 2023 attacks by the Houthi Ansar Allah movement against three commercial ships in the Red Sea and against the Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS CARNEY – which responded to distress calls and provided assistance – on the same day, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement in which it asserted, among other things that, “These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security. They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world… The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners.”[1] At the same time, Israeli media reported that following the Houthi attacks, Israel was sending ships and submarines to the Red Sea.[2]

Approximately seven mortar rounds landed in the US Embassy compound in Baghdad during an attack early on Friday, a US military official told Reuters, in what appeared to be the largest attack of its kind in recent memory.

A recent decision by Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court to remove Mohammed al-Halbousi from the position of speaker in the Iraqi parliament has reignited discussion regarding the constitutional legitimacy of the court’s rulings.

The development has prompted many to question whether the court’s decisions are driven by constitutional principles or influenced by political motives.

Military says terror group launched projectiles from next to tents housing civilians; troops push further into Khan Younis, Jabaliya; 5 soldiers killed, taking ground op toll to 89

Rockets fired at Israel on Wednesday were launched from within humanitarian zones set up in Gaza to allow civilians a safe haven, Israel’s military charged Thursday, as troops pressed into major Hamas strongholds in northern and southern Gaza amid heavy fighting.

Latest Developments

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.