The Festival of Lights in Israel this year should shine exceptionally bright because the war clouds overhead have lifted, and Israel occupies the strongest relative position in its dangerous region since its founding in 1948. Israel shares borders with Egypt, Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, and it is all but quiet on each of these fronts since October 7, 2023, although it is never quiet living in the Middle East!
Furthermore, in 2025, Israel achieved a military and political ‘Hat Trick’ by neutralizing the Iranian-sponsored terror groups Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Houthis in Yemen, while with America’s help, it countered the Iranian nuclear threat against everyone in the region. U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers dropping fourteen bunker-busting munitions buried Iran’s atomic programs under tons of rubble, completing the job in June.
In my January 1 post at the beginning of this year entitled “Forecast 2025 – Expect a Trump/Netanyahu Alliance”, I wrote, “To defeat this Evil Axis, a Trump/Netanyahu partnership could capitalize on the recent events which halted Iran’s role as Middle East puppet-master and eliminate it as a viable Axis of Evil partner with Russia and China”.
Israel did not need America’s assistance, however, when the Mossad pulled off a counter-intelligence coup for the history books, when it sold thousands of explosive-loaded pagers and walkie-talkies to Hezbollah to beat Israel’s ability to locate their leaders on their mobile phones. Executed on September 17 and 18, 2024, these devices were simultaneously exploded, killing or maiming Hezbollah operatives and leaders, and creating havoc with their communications and morale thereafter.
A total of seven Hezbollah leaders were killed in Lebanon in the second half of 2024, leaving the terrorist group virtually leaderless in 2025. Israeli intelligence developed sources to limit the lives of major adversary leaders for Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran. Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s leader since 1992, was killed by an Israeli airstrike on its underground headquarters in southern Beirut on September 19, 2024. Israeli forces or air strikes in the past year have killed all the top leaders of Hamas. This includes an attack on the international Hamas headquarters in Qatar. The Hamas leaders have no safe havens!
The Israeli air assault on Iran’s air defenses and nuclear manufacturing facilities in June and July 2025 also targeted and killed operational commanders of the Iranian air defense systems, clearing the way for American B-2 crews to finish the job with their unique bunker-buster bombs.
Preapproved by over thirty nations, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu capped off Israel’s successful year with Trump’s 20-point Hamas cease-fire proposal on September 29, signed by Hamas and Israel on November 9, and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council on November 17. All living Israeli hostages held by Hamas were quickly released in exchange for Hamas captives held by Israel; the bodies of Israeli hostages trickled in as they could be located, with one current remaining body still to be found and delivered.
The remaining points in the Trump plan are still being implemented, negotiated, or argued over. The last few hundred Hamas die-hard units are still claiming their weapons in their last tunnels under Gaza, but Hamas is clearly defeated, and major fighting is over.
Iran no longer calls the shots in the Middle East, and its status within Putin’s and Xi’s Axis of Evil in the region is greatly diminished.
The Australian massacre of fifteen Hanukkah celebrants on Bondi Beach in Sydney this past week will dampen Jewish celebration of the event. Until Western governments make anti-Semitism socially and politically unacceptable and unprofitable, Israeli successes will, unfortunately, trigger protests and violence. But that should not detract from 2025 being a good year for Jews everywhere.
Have a Happy Hanukkah!
TW3
December 18, 2025
John Whitmore Jenkins
