Israel Moves Prisoners Ahead of Gaza Deal Exchange as US Troops Landhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5196136-israel-moves-prisoners-ahead-gaza-deal-exchange-us-troops-land
Israel Moves Prisoners Ahead of Gaza Deal Exchange as US Troops Land
FILE: People embrace after released Palestinian prisoners are released amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 28. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Israel Moves Prisoners Ahead of Gaza Deal Exchange as US Troops Land
FILE: People embrace after released Palestinian prisoners are released amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 28. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
Israel has begun transferring prisoners to two jails ahead of their release as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, designed to lead to the release of hostages held by Hamas, the prison service said Saturday.
Thousands of staff, including prison officers, "operated throughout the night in order to implement the government's decision: 'The framework for the release of all Israeli hostages'," a statement said, AFP reported.
Under the truce deal Israel is supposed to release 250 prisoners, including some serving life sentences for deadly attacks. In exchange, Hamas has until Monday to hand over its 48 remaining Israeli hostages -- living and dead.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians made their way back to their Gaza neighborhoods on Saturday, weaving through dust-shrouded streets as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war and a ceasefire held in its second day.
Aid groups urged Israel to reopen more crossings to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and about 200 US troops arrived in Israel to help retrieve hostages and monitor the ceasefire with Hamas.
According to The AP news, the US troops will set up a center to facilitate the flow of aid as well as logistical and security assistance. The head of the US military’s Central Command said he visited Gaza on Saturday to prepare it.
“This great effort will be achieved with no US boots on the ground in Gaza,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement, noting that his command would lead the center.
Aid is just one issue for Palestinians returning to their destroyed homes.
“When people get there, they’re going to find rubble. They’ll find that their homes and their neighborhoods have been reduced to dust,” UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram told The AP on Friday from central Gaza.
“A ceasefire alone is not enough,” Ingram added, and called for a “surge of humanitarian aid that begins to address the tremendous damage that has been done over the past two years.”
From Tehran to Beirut: Who Controls Hezbollah's Decision to Go to War?https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5338614-tehran-beirut-who-controls-hezbollahs-decision-go-war
A photo of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and senior official Hashem Safieddine at Beirut's Sports City during their funeral last February (Reuters)
From Tehran to Beirut: Who Controls Hezbollah's Decision to Go to War?
A photo of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and senior official Hashem Safieddine at Beirut's Sports City during their funeral last February (Reuters)
As Lebanese citizens await the repercussions of the US and Israeli election results on their country's domestic situation, and whether these will lead to a regional war involving Lebanon or a major political agreement that inevitably includes it, reports have recently emerged of reassurances conveyed to several Lebanese officials that Hezbollah does not intend to participate in any future war in support of Iran.
For many, however, these reassurances appear insufficient, given the experience of the latest round of fighting. At the time, Hezbollah was reportedly said to have informed Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that it would not join the conflict, only to reverse its position and open fire toward Israel on March 2.
Some reports at the time pointed to conflicting decisions between the group's political and military wings, with the position of those controlling operations on the ground, and Tehran behind them, ultimately prevailing.
This raises serious questions about whether decision-making within Hezbollah remains centralized, with a political and organizational leadership whose decisions are binding on all its institutions, or whether the military wing and commanders on the ground now have the final say.
More importantly, does Hezbollah still retain any independence in its decision-making, or are strategic decisions concerning war now determined in Tehran according to Iranian interests and calculations?
Assessments differ between those who believe Hezbollah continues to operate under a centralized organizational structure that leaves no room for conflicting political and military decisions, and those who argue that the transformations the group has undergone, particularly following the latest confrontations and the losses suffered by its leadership, have made military decision-making more closely tied to Iran and significantly weakened the political leadership's room for maneuver.
What Is the Decision-Making Shura Council?
Political writer Dr. Qassem Qassir, who closely follows Hezbollah's positions, explained that the group's leadership is represented by the Decision-Making Shura Council, which makes decisions binding on all its bodies and institutions, including the Political Council and the Jihad Council.
Qassir denied that the Political Council could adopt one position while the Jihad Council made a conflicting decision.
"There is one centralized decision made by the Decision-Making Shura Council, and everyone abides by it," he said.
According to Qassir, the council includes Hezbollah's secretary-general, the head of its Executive Council, the head of its parliamentary bloc, the head of its Political Council and the secretary-general's political aide.
But what about the reassurances reportedly delivered to Lebanese officials that Hezbollah does not intend to become involved in another war?
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Qassir stressed that "there are no serious, definitive guarantees or promises of this kind."
He explained that Hezbollah determines its position according to developments on the ground and cannot make decisions in advance without knowing the nature of unfolding events.
He also argued that the likelihood of war had diminished following the US and Israeli elections, as Washington and Tel Aviv were preoccupied with their domestic affairs, unless Israel decided to launch a new attack on Lebanon.
The Decision Lies With the Revolutionary Guards
Political writer Ali Al-Amin, editor-in-chief of the Janoubia news website, offered a different assessment.
He argued that "the final say within Hezbollah has always belonged, and continues to belong, to those on the ground," adding that the military wing controls operations and represents a direct and effective extension of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Amin asserted that "the decision to ignite a war in Lebanon, whether during the previous round or in any future confrontation, is primarily an Iranian decision governed by Iranian interests. Hezbollah has no real room to alter or oppose it."
Al-Amin also pointed to recent statements by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei about opening the battle across multiple fronts and geographical areas.
He argued that these remarks "reflect a single rhythm controlled by Tehran, which the other parties are required to follow."
Al-Amin maintained that the room for maneuver once available to Hezbollah's political wing under former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and other senior leaders no longer exists, given the changes that have affected the group's structure and leadership.
Sudanese Army, RSF Clash in Fierce Battles in Kordofanhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5338514-sudanese-army-rsf-clash-fierce-battles-kordofan
A man walks on his home debris following a strike in Imtidad Nasser, a neighborhood east of Khartoum's airport, Sudan, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
Sudanese Army, RSF Clash in Fierce Battles in Kordofan
A man walks on his home debris following a strike in Imtidad Nasser, a neighborhood east of Khartoum's airport, Sudan, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
Fierce fighting in western Sudan raged for a second straight day after the army launched simultaneous attacks on Rapid Support Forces (RSF) positions in North and West Kordofan on Thursday, with both sides making conflicting claims of battlefield gains.
The Sudanese army has released no official details of the fighting, but Major Mutawakkil Ali Wakil, spokesman for the army-allied Joint Force, said the two forces had launched sweeping operations across Kordofan, recapturing Umm Sumayma, Kazgeil, Al-Hammadi and Abu Quoud.
The operations inflicted heavy losses in fighters and equipment on the RSF, he said.
"Our forces destroyed 40 combat vehicles and seized another 43 with all their equipment," Wakil said in a statement, adding that troops were pursuing RSF fighters who had fled the battlefield.
He said the Joint Force would continue fighting alongside the army and allied forces until all RSF-held territory was recaptured.
Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin (not pictured) during their talk on the sidelines of the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Russia, 30 October 2026. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV / POOL
The Joint Force's claims of territorial gains could not be independently verified.
The Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements, which previously joined the Sudanese army in its war against the RSF, includes the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Jibril Ibrahim, and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, headed by Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi.
Pro-RSF media platforms, however, painted a sharply different picture, claiming RSF fighters had ambushed the advancing troops, killed large numbers of them and seized fully equipped combat vehicles before retaking the contested areas.
The platforms suggested the army had retreated to El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state, after suffering setbacks on several fronts.
Neither side typically acknowledges losing territory until its opponent declares full control.
The latest clashes follow months of advances by the army and allied forces, which have recaptured key areas of North Kordofan while pushing to gain control of neighboring West Kordofan, a state rich in oil.
Reports have circulated for days that the army was preparing sweeping counteroffensives to reclaim RSF-held territory in West Kordofan.
The towns of Kazgeil and Al-Hammadi have already changed hands several times between the warring sides.
The army has not officially disclosed its latest troop movements, but commanders have previously signaled plans for offensives on multiple fronts to reclaim RSF-held areas.
They said the goal was to retake towns across West Kordofan and open a route into the Darfur region in western Sudan.
Jordan Steps up Security with Overnight Raids as Terrorism Threat Resurfaceshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5338502-jordan-steps-security-overnight-raids-terrorism-threat-resurfaces
Jordanian police stand guard in front of the Sri Lankan Embassy, background, after an assailant killed a security officer at a guard booth outside the compound in Amman, Jordan, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
Jordan Steps up Security with Overnight Raids as Terrorism Threat Resurfaces
Jordanian police stand guard in front of the Sri Lankan Embassy, background, after an assailant killed a security officer at a guard booth outside the compound in Amman, Jordan, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
Just days after the deadly attack on Saint George Church in Hamoud village in southern Jordan and retaliatory airstrikes against ISIS in southern Syria, another attack struck the capital, Amman, on Thursday, killing one security officer and wounding another.
The assailant, described as a “terrorist,” had recently been released from prison after serving a sentence in a 2020 terrorism case involving plans to carry out attacks.
Attacks on security personnel guarding ministries, embassies and government institutions are not new. But Thursday’s assault has revived concerns about the threat posed by lone-wolf attackers and their possible links to ISIS.
Observers say the attack may have appeared isolated, but that does not rule out instructions being delivered through online accounts linked to the militant group.
ISIS makes no secret of its hostility toward Jordan. Communications between the group and the cell behind the Hamoud Church attack revealed a list of potential targets.
Civilians and members of the security forces stand outside the Sri Lankan embassy after a stabbing attack that killed one Jordanian security officer and wounded another, in Amman, Jordan, November 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
Retired security experts warn that bladed weapons are easy to conceal and use, particularly when attackers strike without warning. The threat is compounded by the nature of police work, which requires Public Security Directorate personnel to maintain close, direct contact with civilians.
Jordanian security under attack on multiple fronts
Jordan's efforts to combat terrorism and extremism have made it a target for militant groups.
A string of attacks in recent years has claimed the lives of civilians and security personnel and struck sovereign state institutions, raising questions about the methods used to monitor and pursue militants at home and abroad.
ISIS's targets extend well beyond security forces.
Civilians and members of the security forces stand outside the Sri Lankan embassy after a stabbing attack that killed one Jordanian security officer and wounded another, in Amman, Jordan, November 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
The Hamoud Church attack in Karak killed nine people and wounded 40. More troubling, however, was what appeared to be an attempt to sow sectarian discord between Muslims and Christians in a governorate widely regarded by Jordanians as a symbol of religious coexistence.
The challenge for security agencies lies partly in the unpredictable nature of lone-wolf attacks.
Even suspects under surveillance may develop plans suddenly, driven by revenge or extremist religious edicts urging the killing of security personnel.
Experts argue that surveillance alone cannot contain the threat. They say rehabilitation must become a priority, particularly through open dialogue between terrorism convicts and moderate religious leaders.
One figure involved in such efforts is Bassam al-Amoush, a former Muslim Brotherhood leader and former member of the Islamic Action Front who is now affiliated with the Umma Party.
Al-Amoush won parliamentary seats on the Islamic Action Front ticket in several elections before leaving the party over internal disagreements. He has since engaged imprisoned ISIS members in discussions aimed at exposing the religious violations committed by terrorist and takfiri groups.
The concern is not theoretical.
Several perpetrators of terrorist attacks in Jordan had previously been convicted of terrorism offenses, served their sentences and returned to civilian life.
Image taken from a video of militants during their attack on the church in the Jordanian village of Hamoud
Human rights reports indicate that terrorism convicts are held in shared prison wards, while years behind bars have failed to dislodge the extremist beliefs that underpin their ideology.
Those beliefs remain deeply rooted among militants, whether they operate in organized cells or as lone wolves living within their communities.
The latest attack has brought those concerns into sharper focus.
The assailant who targeted a security guard outside the Sri Lankan Embassy on a major road in western Amman had previously pledged allegiance to the ISIS leader in 2019.
He was arrested in 2020 and sentenced to nine years in prison in 2022, raising questions about the gap between his sentence and the time he actually served.
A similar pattern emerged among those involved in the Hamoud Church attack in Karak, with former terrorism convicts featuring prominently among perpetrators of attacks in Jordan.
The threat has also been fueled by years of cross-border recruitment.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq have used social media to recruit young Jordanians, while militant cells spread along Jordan's northern border.
Some of those areas remain outside the control of Syria's new government, providing potential bases for threats to Jordanian national security.
Sleeper cells and fears of coordinated attacks
Security experts say the pattern points to possible links between militants inside Jordan and organizations abroad, as well as the presence of sleeper cells within the kingdom.
After years of relative dormancy, ISIS has reassessed its operations, plans and the distribution of its cells among communities in southern Syria, exploiting weak security and vast areas beyond effective state control.
Security assessments suggest the group has adapted its deployment and methods to changing conditions, taking advantage of Jordanian security forces' focus on countering Iranian attacks against Jordan and Gulf states since late February.
A bloodstain at Saint George’s Greek Orthodox Church, where gunmen opened fire during a funeral the previous day, in the village of Hamoud, Karak, Jordan, October 24, 2026. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
The threats come from more than one direction.
ISIS remains active to Jordan's north, while Tehran-backed Shiite militias operate along its eastern border with Iraq.
Despite their differences, the groups share an interest in targeting Jordanian security.
Such threats also have roots in areas once supported by Syria's former government, including territory that housed drug-manufacturing facilities and cross-border smuggling networks used to threaten Jordan through various means.
Informed sources say Jordanian security officials are increasingly concerned about renewed, intensive communications between sleeper cells inside the kingdom and terrorist organizations abroad.
The concern has fueled calls to widen surveillance using databases of Jordanians affiliated with terrorist groups, including those still in prison and those who have been released.
The priority, according to the sources, is to close potential security gaps before militant groups can exploit them.
One question remains particularly pressing.
Some perpetrators of the Hamoud Church attack had been released from prison only shortly before the assault. The attacker behind Thursday's operation had also recently completed his sentence.
Could they have received instructions from convicted militants with whom they had shared prison cells?
Fears that security gaps could complicate intelligence gathering and investigations prompted Jordanian security agencies to launch a sweeping series of raids across the kingdom as the case unfolded.
The operations began Thursday night and continued into early Friday, reaching northern, central and southern Jordan.
Security forces raided areas including Southern Mazar in Karak governorate and Irbid in the north, as well as Marka, Al-Rajm al-Shami and Jubeiha in and around northern Amman.
The raids also extended to Russeifa in Zarqa governorate.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
