Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Rockets were fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from Gaza at southern Israel Friday night. These aren’t the only rockets from the Strip in the past week or so. We hear what this uptick represents.

On Wednesday, the IDF confirmed that it had withdrawn its troops from the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon in accordance with the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. What kind of presence remains in southern Lebanon?

Exactly a week ago, the first IDF tanks and troops pushed into southern Syria, seizing control of the former Syrian army posts located within a buffer zone that has existed between the countries since 1974, after a rebel uprising took place there by a coalition of various Druze tribes and opposition groups going by the name of Southern Operations Room. We hear what little is known about their leadership and ideology and Fabian reports on what he saw at an IDF's forward defense post, just beyond the buffer zone.

On Thursday, the IAF said that after over a decade of evading air defenses over the skies of Syria during a campaign against Iran’s supply of weapons to Hezbollah, it had achieved total air superiority in the area and therefore, there is an opportunity to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. Fabian weighs in.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

IDF says rockets fired at south on Friday were launched from aid warehouse area

IDF confirms withdrawal from southern Lebanon’s Khiam in accordance with ceasefire

Katz says IDF troops will stay atop Syrian side of Mount Hermon during winter months

We don’t know how the rebels will act, IDF commander tells ToI inside southern Syria

New Israeli strikes said to target Syrian military sites, underground missile bunkers

IDF sees chance for strikes on Iran nuke sites after knocking out Syria air defenses

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IMAGE: A convoy of IDF vehicles approach a United Nations position on the border between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights on  December 11, 2024. The Syrian Army Tel Kwdana post can be seen in the background. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel) 

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