Overview

• A mass-casualty terrorist attack  at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia was perpetrated by the ISIS inspired, Sajid and Navid Akram.

• With the goal of advancing to Phase II of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met in Miami with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt, marking the most consequential diplomatic meeting since the October hostage release.

• On  December 17, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced progress on a gas deal with Egypt, publicly framed as a victory. 

• U.S. Central Command, alongside the Jordanian Air Force, conducted 70 airstrikes using 100 munitions across Deir ez-Zor and the Syria-Iraq border, in retaliation for the killing of three U.S. personnel near Palmyra.

• Greece, Cyprus and Israel reached a new milestone  in their alliance,  announcing the formation of a joint rapid reaction force to counter Turkish aggression, comprising of 2,500 troops from the 3 countries.

Gaza 

Trump’s Gaza Plan

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated clearly that ending the war and financing reconstruction is impossible without Hamas disarmament. The U.S. is reportedly preparing for near-term deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), alongside the establishment of a technocratic governing authority and a “Peace Council.”

• Diplomatic pressure is building for Turkey…