The groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized power in Syria after overthrowing Bashar al-Assad, continue to send warm messages to Israel.

Maher Marwan, the newly appointed governor of Damascus under HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, told NPR, the U.S. public radio outlet, that the government seeks to establish cordial relations between Israel and Syria.

“Our problem is not with Israel,” NPR quoted Marwan as saying, speaking on behalf of Jolani.

“Israel may have felt fear,” Marwan added, stating that they harbor no fear of Israel. “That’s why it advanced a little [in Syria], bombed [Syria] a little, etc.”

Israel, according to NPR, has been striking strategic military facilities in Syria since the fall of Assad and the seizure of parts of the Golan Heights, fueling fears of annexation.

Nevertheless, Marwan remarked that such fear is “natural” and conveyed a message as a representative of the political viewpoint of Ahmed al-Shara (Jolani) and the foreign ministry.

“We don’t want to get involved in anything that threatens the security of Israel or any other country,” Marwan said, avoiding any reference to the Palestinians or the war in Gaza, NPR reported.

Further, Marwan urged the United States to facilitate improved relations with Israel.

“There is a people who want to live together. They want peace. They don’t want conflict,” he stated.

An unnamed U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, told NPR that the United States had conveyed HTS’s message. The official added that the U.S. did not advise either country in any way.

“We want peace, and we can’t be against Israel or anyone else,” Marwan concluded.

Officials within Israel’s negotiating delegation have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz of making statements that could jeopardize the ongoing ceasefire and prisoner swap negotiations with Hamas.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, members of the Israeli negotiating delegation claimed that Defense Minister Katz’s remarks concerning the Philadelphia Corridor could “blow up the negotiations.”

“It is clear that we are in critical days when the list of abductees (prisoners in Gaza) must be taken, and these are days that require flexibility and goodwill,” Israeli officials noted. They urged Netanyahu and Katz not to exploit this sensitive moment by declaring that they will not end the war and that the Israeli military will maintain control over Gaza. “These statements have caused great damage; they are truly shocking,” the officials added.

Although these remarks do not outright preclude the possibility of a deal, officials suggested that Katz’s comments, following Netanyahu’s interview with The Wall Street Journal, were counterproductive to achieving an agreement.

Netanyahu’s office issued a statement dismissing the concerns as “another false echo of Hamas propaganda from unknown sources in the negotiating team, which acts with a political agenda.” The statement reaffirmed Netanyahu’s determination to secure the return of all kidnapped soldiers and achieve broader objectives, including the elimination of Hamas and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

The office emphasized that negotiators should focus on their primary mission—returning captured Israeli soldiers from Gaza.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, head of the Future Var Party and a former prime minister, accused Netanyahu of lacking the commitment to finalize an agreement for the return of Israeli prisoners of war. “If Netanyahu was determined to reach an agreement, he would go to Cairo or Qatar to finalize it. The kidnapped are dying every day in Gaza, and Netanyahu has condemned them to death,” Lapid argued.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a prisoner swap and ceasefire in Gaza continue under the mediation of Qatar and Egypt. The Israeli delegation recently returned from Qatar on December 24 for internal consultations after a week of negotiations.

Netanyahu has faced accusations, both domestically and internationally, of stalling on a prisoner swap deal for political reasons. During a visit to the Philadelphia Corridor, located on the Gaza-Egypt border, Katz stated, “Israel will remain in control of Gaza’s security, and the security zones and buffer zones in the Gaza Strip will remain under its control.”

On December 20, Netanyahu told The Wall Street Journal that “the war will continue until Hamas is completely eliminated, and we will not accept the presence of Hamas on Israel’s borders.”

It is estimated that 101 Israeli prisoners remain in the Gaza Strip.

As the United States and Israel prepare to launch a comprehensive operation against the Houthis, the Arab coalition, backed by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, has initiated a military offensive in the city of Taiz, located in southwestern Yemen.

In a statement issued by the Taiz Military Unit affiliated with the Arab coalition, it was reported that eight Houthi fighters were killed during an attack on a position held by army forces in the air defense front, northwest of the city center. Additionally, the statement noted that 15 Houthi personnel were wounded, while no details were provided regarding casualties on the side of the army units.

A subsequent statement released by the army yesterday claimed that the Houthi attack on the same front had been successfully repelled.

The city of Taiz holds strategic importance due to its location along a key road connecting it to the southern provinces, including Aden. The Houthis have maintained control over the capital Sanaa and several other regions since September 2014. In response, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition has supported the Yemeni government against the Houthis since March 2015.

With the withdrawal of Hezbollah from the conflict following a ceasefire, the overthrow of the Assad administration in Syria, and the decision by Iraqi militia forces to cease attacks on Israel, the Houthis remain the only group actively targeting Israel as a response to the violence in Gaza. In this context, both Israel and the United States are reportedly preparing for a large-scale operation against the Houthis, targeting their positions intermittently.

The Houthis, in turn, have escalated their threats, warning of potential strikes on U.S. targets in the Middle East if military operations in Yemen persist. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the group’s Supreme Political Council, declared in a video posted on his X account (formerly Twitter):

“We warn the Americans not to target Yemen. Otherwise, we will attack American interests in the Middle East regardless of any red lines.”

He further stated:

“Either Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Yemen will stop, or we will target sensitive American targets that can ‘convey our message.’”