President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Trump announced Tuesday. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel’s interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!” (AP))

Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog met with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House today, where the two leaders discussed pressing issues related to the ongoing regional conflict and security concerns. During the meeting, held in the Oval Office, Herzog stressed Israel’s top priority, saying, “The most important thing now is to return the kidnapped people.” Biden affirmed his support, replying, “I agree.” In a symbolic gesture, President Herzog presented Biden with a special gift: a Jerusalem stone found at the foot of the Har Habayis, bearing Biden’s name in Hebrew – “Yosef.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a powerful message to the Iranian people, urging them not to lose hope and envision a future free from the oppressive rule of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In a direct address, Netanyahu shared his belief that ordinary Iranians hold the power to bring about change. “A few weeks ago, I spoke directly to the people of Iran. Millions worldwide, including millions within Iran, viewed that message,” Netanyahu began, noting the significant responses received from Iranian citizens. “Today, I want to speak to you again.” Netanyahu criticized Khamenei’s regime for its costly attack on Israel, estimating the recent missile assault at $2.3 billion.

Sarah Yasour, the head teacher at the kindergarten that was hit by an attack drone in the northern city of Nesher on Tuesday morning, was praised as a heroine for saving the lives of 20 children and the staff. The neis was especially potent since for unknown reasons, no sirens sounded in the city and she brought the children into the shelter only as a precaution, saving their lives. “We truly experienced a neis shel ha’nissim,” she said, thanking Hashem for the Hashgacha. She also thanked her staff, saying: “It wasn’t only me, it was all the staff.

Two people were killed after a rocket strike in Nahariya, a northern coastal city, a short while ago. Magen David Adom responded and found two victims in critical condition. Sadly, they were both Niftar a short while later. MDA EMT Dor Vaknin said that this was a warehouse hit by a rocket. Vaknin says “we arrived quickly at the scene, where there was significant destruction and an active fire. We conducted medical assessments on two men who were lying unconscious and suffering from severe injuries. Unfortunately, their injuries were too severe, and after our assessments, we had to pronounce both of them deceased.” The IDF reports that 10 rockets were launched in the attack, with some intercepted and others hitting populated areas or open spaces in the Western Galilee.

Elon Musk’s super PAC spent around $200 million to help elect Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the group’s spending, funding an effort that set a new standard for how billionaires can influence elections. The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO provided the vast majority of the money to America PAC, which focused on low-propensity and first-time voters, according to the person, who was not authorized to disclose the figure publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, the Biden-Harris State Department has reportedly gone into emotional triage mode, hosting a therapy session for staff to cope with the election outcome. According to sources familiar with the session who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon, an internal email sent across the department invited employees to “Managing Stress During Change”—a one-hour gathering where they could process their feelings about Trump’s win. The Employee Consultation Services in the Bureau of Medical Services organized the session, promising participants “tips and practical strategies for managing stress.” A licensed therapist led the session, and a second one is already lined up for next week.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, one of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, met President-elect Trump in Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, two Israeli officials and two U.S. officials told Axios. According to the report, the meeting focused on briefing Trump on Israel’s plan regarding Gaza, Lebanon and Iran in the next two months. “One of the things the Israelis wanted to sort out with Trump is what are the issues he prefers to see solved before January 20 and what are the issues he prefers the Israelis to wait for him,” a U.S. official said. The US officials mentioned several issues that Israel wanted Trump’s take on: efforts toward a possible Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, a post-war Gaza plan, and an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal.

In the wake of the Biden administration’s threats to tighten its arms embargo on Israel if it doesn’t increase the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, Israeli’s security cabinet approved a series of steps to facilitate the transfer of aid to those oh-so-innocent civilians in Gaza. The move follows the latest threat made by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday in his first phone call with newly appointed Defense Minister Yisrael Katz. The Biden administration has continually and aggressively strong-armed Israel into increasing aid to Gaza despite being well aware that Hamas steals most of the aid and convoys are often used to slip weapons, ammunition, and money into the Strip for terror purposes.