Middle East Report, Jan. 5, 2016

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A Hizbollah roadside bomb blew up an IDF patrol at the Shebaa Farms on the Hermon slopes Monday afternoon, Jan. 4. No casualties were caused. This attack was just the first of a continuous offensive Hizbollah is planning, that will spread from the Lebanese-Israeli ceasefire lines to the Golan.
The Israeli force answered Monday’s attack with tank artillery fire against the southern Lebanese town of Al-Wazzani and was answered by rocket fire from Lebanon.

Hizbollah announced that it had blown up a bomb on the ceasefire line at the Shebaa Farms targeting a civilian car carrying a “senior Mossad officer.

The next Hizbollah communiqué said: The Martyr al-Quntar Unit blew up a bomb against an Israeli patrol in the Shebaa Farms, destroying a military vehicle and causing casualties.
In a third communiqué, Hizbollah said the car attacked carried a “senior Israeli army officer” – amending its previous claim of a Mossad officer.
The Israeli army temporarily closed all northern roads to civilian traffic in case the Hizbollah attack spreads into a major clash.

The rising tension between Tehran and Riyadh may serve Iran and its Lebanese proxy as an opportunity to attack Israel. The leader of that proxy, Hizbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, had repeatedly threatened to punish Israeli for the assassination of its high profile terrorist planner Samir Quntar in Damascus on Dec, 20. Quntar was freed by Israel as part of a prisoner swap in 2008, three decades after he was convicted of killing four Israelis. In September, the United States placed Quntar on its terror blacklist, saying he had "played an operational role, with the assistance of Iran and Syria, in building up Hizbollah's terrorist infrastructure in the Golan Heights."

Kuwait announced Tuesday morning that it has recalled its ambassador from Tehran to protest the ransacking of Saudi diplomatic facilities in Iran. It became the latest Saudi ally to take diplomatic action in solidarity with Riyadh, which severed ties with Tehran on Sunday after two of its diplomatic missions were stormed. 

Avi Lipkin discusses ISIS in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8pygsBm2zs



Sitrep for Yemen Jan. 5, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qBoXC18ToY

Sitrep for Syria Jan. 5, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NEhGaT1rOY



Iraqi army prepares to liberate Fallujah, watch the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJjVwX-ARqo