Israel at war day 461: What happened in Gaza, West Bank?

The IDF on Thursday made a surprising announcement that it is continuing some attack missions against Syrian military capabilities and not merely holding onto buffer zones which it seized in early December when the Assad regime suddenly fell.

In early December, the IDF announced it had massively attacked Syria's chemical weapons, air force, long range missiles, navy, and other dangerous items to avoid them falling into the hands of the incoming Syrian regime led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's Ahmed al-Sharaa, aka Abu Muhammad al-Julani.

However, since then it has been less public about any moves on the attack, mostly keeping a quiet defensive watch over the new buffer zone with Syria.

The bill seeking sanctions against members of the International Criminal Court over its issuing of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant passed 243-140 in the Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday, marking the body’s second vote in favor of the legislation.

The “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” reintroduced this week by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), received overwhelming Republican support.

Israeli officials are worried Hezbollah might resume fighting once the first phase of the ceasefire ends on January 27, an official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

They fear that the terrorist group might pick up arms again if the IDF doesn’t withdraw to the agreed-upon points in southern Lebanon.

The IDF announced that it struck weapons that were being loaded onto a vehicle inside a Hezbollah military compound in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

"The IDF is committed to the ceasefire understanding between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF remains deployed in southern Lebanon and will operate against any threat," said the military.

 Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides held meetings with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed on Thursday, the Cypriot presidency said, discussing with each how to reinforce regional security.

A Cypriot government source said Christodoulides met separately with the two officials. It was not immediately clear if there was also a joint meeting. Bin Zayed's visit to the island was not previously announced.

The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed the commander of Hamas's "Sabra Battalion," Osama Abu Namos, during a strike last week, the military announced on Thursday evening.

Other significant terrorists from the battalion were also eliminated.

Israel's military intercepted three drones, both likely fired from Yemen, on Thursday evening, the IDF announced shortly after the incidents. 

In the first incident, the IDF confirmed it intercepted a drone from Yemen after sirens sounded in Gvulot, a kibbutz in southern Israel.

Subsequently, the IDF said an additional drone, which was likely fired from Yemen, was intercepted by the Israel Air Force over the Mediterranean Sea. It added that no sirens were sounded during that incident, in accordance with protocol. 

In the third incident, the IAF intercepted a drone over the Mediterranean Sea before crossing into Israeli territory.

This is a developing story. 

The Palestinian Authority has been considering changing its policy of providing financial rewards to the families of terrorists, according to a Thursday Walla report.

"There may be a significant shift in this policy," the PA's legal representative reportedly said during a compensation lawsuit filed against it.

According to a recent study conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, in 2024, the scope of the PA’s pay-for-slay payments to terrorists decreased by 30-40%.