US shoppers spent $13.3 billion online on Cyber Monday, according to Adobe Inc., up 7.3% over 2023 and slightly beating the firm’s initial forecast of $13.2 billion.
Adobe ascribed the strong showing to shoppers waiting for the biggest discounts and using buy-now-pay-later loans to splurge on pricey items.
Monday was the busiest online shopping day of the year and capped a strong Cyber Week. Spending during the five-day period, which runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, reached $41.1 billion, up 8.2% over the previous year, Adobe said in a statement.

Israel Prison Service (IPS) Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi was detained Monday, along with two senior police officers, as part of a probe into alleged corruption, the Department of Internal Police Investigations said.
While most details of the case are under a court-imposed gag order, local media reported that at least some of the accusations pertain to the alleged passing of confidential files to Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose office oversees both the prisons and the police.

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Beirut on Tuesday that should the Nov. 27 ceasefire collapse, Jerusalem’s response would potentially go beyond just targeting Hezbollah.
Speaking during a visit to Israel’s northern border, Katz said that Israel would “work with all our might” to enforce the terms of the truce, vowing “maximum response and zero tolerance” with regard to violations, according to Reuters.
“Yesterday was the first test, [Hezbollah] shooting at Mount Dov,” he said, adding, “We reacted strongly and this is exactly what we will do.”

The family of Keith Siegel, held by Hamas since being taken from his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, announced the passing of his mother.
In an emotional Facebook post, Siegel’s daughter, Elan, shared the family’s anguish: “My father’s mother has passed away, and my father couldn’t say goodbye to her because he has been held captive by Hamas for over a year.”
The daughter recalled the horrific ordeal Siegel has had to endure since taken by the Islamic terrorists on that fateful morning, when thousands invaded Israeli territory and killed more than 1,200 and took some 250 captive. Siegel’s wife, Aviva, was among those who returned as part of the Nov. 2023 swap with Hamas.

Syrian state media reported on Tuesday that Israel had carried out an airstrike against a vehicle on the road to Damascus International Airport.
An Israeli official confirmed the Damascus strike to Kan News.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based organization associated with the Syrian opposition that maintains a network of sources in Syria, reported that an Israeli drone strike resulted in one death and one injury.
According to Arab media reports, a Hezbollah member was killed in the strike.
Israeli fighter jets on Sunday night intercepted an Iranian plane over Syria suspected of transporting weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, forcing it to return to Tehran.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) expressed support for President-elect Donald Trump’s warning that “there will be hell to pay” if the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza are not freed by the time he takes office on January 20. Graham took to social media platform X, writing, “Well said, President Trump. I hope people in the Middle East are listening. They should be. Let’s end this madness now.”

IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley and former Trump impeachment attorney David Schoen discuss the implications of President Biden pardoning his son on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in an unannounced late-night TV address, accusing the country’s main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and of anti-state activities.

Representatives from Fatah and Hamas, meeting with the facilitation of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, have come to a series of agreements that could pave the way for indirect negotiations with Israel on both a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
According to the newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, this arrangement would involve the return of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the freedom of imprisoned terrorists. A senior Hamas representative confirmed on Monday that the discussions in Cairo had made notable strides and that an agreement was reached to create a civilian committee to oversee governance in the Gaza Strip. Only a few minor procedural matters remain to be worked out.

The Israeli Air Force struck Hezbollah terrorist assets across Lebanon in response to the Iranian proxy’s firing of two mortar shells across the border hours earlier in violation of the Nov. 27 ceasefire.
Among the targets of the strikes was the launcher used in the Har Dov attacks, in the area of Berghoz in Southern Lebanon. Dozens of other launchers were also hit, along with Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure, according to the Israel Defense Forces.