HEADLINESBondi Beach attack kills 16, injures 38Iran FM visits Beirut to reshape HezbollahAntonio Kast wins Chile presidencyThe time is now 7:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.At 7:00 PM, this is your hour-by-hour briefing on the fast-moving developments shaping the Middle East and the wider world’s response to the ongoing crisis and its reverberations. In Sydney, investigators say a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach was the target of a terrorist attack. Sixteen people were killed and roughly 38 injured when two gunmen opened fire on the crowd gathered for a “Chanukah by the Sea” event. Police say about 50 shots were fired, and the attackers were killed in the exchange of fire. Among the dead are several members of the Jewish community linked to Chabad, including Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a Chabad emissary who served at Bondi, and Rabbi Yaakov Halevi Levitan, along with a Ukrainian Holocaust survivor, Alex Kleytman, who died shielding his wife Larisa. Also killed were Dan Elkayam, a 27-year-old Paris-born IT analyst who had recently moved to Australia, and Reuven Morrison, an immigrant to Australia from the former Soviet Union who had strong ties to the Bondi community. A 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old man were among those confirmed dead, with about 40 others hospitalized in varying condition. In the hours after the attack, antisemitic conspiracy theories claiming the event was a false flag circulated on social media, countered by authorities and Jewish organizations who emphasized the abundance of evidence indicating a terrorist act. In the wake of the Bondi incident, security has been heightened at Hanukkah observances and Jewish community events around the world. New York, Berlin and London announced increased security measures for Hanukkah gatherings as a precautionary step. Police and security services in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru in India were put on high alert for potential threats against Jews or Israelis during Hanukkah, with enhanced surveillance and protective posture in transit areas and venues frequented by Jewish travelers and visitors. The overarching message from officials is a warning against antisemitic rhetoric and any attempt to exploit the tragedy to inflame hatred.In Amsterdam, hours after the Australian attack, antisemitic and anti-Israel protests disrupted a Hanukkah celebration, prompting condemnation from Dutch authorities and Jewish organizations. The rapid flare-up of hostility abroad highlights the persistent threat posed by antisemitism alongside the ongoing security challenges facing Jewish communities during holiday observances.On the diplomatic front, reports from Beirut indicate Iran’s Foreign Minister visited the Lebanese capital with the aim of shaping broader political changes within Hezbollah. Sources described Tehran’s interest in reorganizing leadership within the group, with the foreign minister expected to meet directly with Hezbollah figures to brief Tehran on the state of play. The developments come as regional mediators pursue broader discussions about the ceasefire framework and the aims of outside powers in the region.In the Middle East, Hamas marked its 38th anniversary by tying the milestone to the October 7 attacks and to what the group described as Israeli violations of a ceasefire framework. The statement underscored the continuing tension over the ceasefire and the conditions mediators have been negotiating with a broader agreement in view, even as fighting and violence persist in various theaters.Beyond the region, several political developments drew attention. In Chile, conservative Antonio Kast won the 2025 presidential race with about 58 percent of the vote, becoming the first conservative to win the presidency since the end of the country’s military dictatorship in 1990. In the United States, officials disclosed that Trump advisor Tom Barrack will travel to Israel for talks on Syria, aiming to align security interests and address US concerns about Israeli activity in Syrian territory.Security and violence also moved domestic headlines. In the United States, the investigation continued into a fatal shooting at Brown University, with the suspect identified as Benjamin Ericsson, 24, of Wisconsin. In Michigan, a demonstration in Dearborn unfolded after a reported shooting involving the National Guard in Washington, DC, with participants calling for revolution in the wake of the security incidents in the capital. On the humanitarian and historical front, survivors and witnesses from Bondi described the devastation and the sense of loss within the Jewish community. The attack has intensified discussions about antisemitism worldwide, as communities pledge to stand in solidarity with Jewish populations facing threats and hatred.In summation, the episode at Bondi Beach has sharpened the imperative for security at Jewish and other minority community events globally, prompted renewed...
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