Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-11-13 at 07:07

HEADLINES Ex-hostages allege Hamas torture during captivity Israel Greece Cyprus pact widens regional security IDF hits Hezbollah infrastructure near Blue Line The time is now 2:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report. Two former hostages told the United Nations torture committee about grave abuse during their Gaza captivity, describing 33 moves, hunger, degradation, and coercive treatment by Hamas. Keith and Aviva Siegel said they seek accountability, not mercy, as they testified to officials entrusted with human rights and the treatment of detainees. Their testimony adds to a body of evidence that international observers are using to examine Hamas’s conduct and the welfare of civilians in Gaza. In the broader region, Israel has been strengthening security and defense cooperation with Greece and Cyprus, a partnership viewed with concern in Ankara. A high‑level visit from Israel’s Acting National Security Council head and the prime minister’s military secretary to Athens signals a deepening trilateral alignment, with discussions focusing on defense capability and regional stability. Reports describe Greece’s increasing military readiness and ongoing talks about advanced air defense systems for a package including David’s Sling, Spyder, and Barak missiles. The proposed deal, valued at roughly 3 billion euros, underscores a regional trend toward diversified defense architectures and integrated early warning, with Athens also weighing the strategic implications of Turkey’s stance toward Europe’s security framework. Turkey has voiced unease about the tightening security ties among Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, reflecting a broader Turkish sensitivity to shifts in its neighborhood. In this environment, Athens has signaled a willingness to shape defense cooperation in ways that could complicate Turkish calculations, while Israel and Cyprus pursue energy and security arrangements that aim to reduce mutual vulnerabilities in a volatile region. In southern Lebanon, the Israeli Defense Forces carried out strikes targeting infrastructure linked to Hezbollah, as regional media reported operations in the early hours of the morning. The army described the attacks as directed at a weapons warehouse and subterranean facilities used by the organization, part of a pattern of cross-border activity that periodically escalates tensions along the Blue Line. Lebanese and regional observers note that the tempo of such exchanges has implications for regional security and international mediation efforts. Across the West Bank and Gaza, security and political dynamics continue to collide with daily life. In Jerusalem, the clash between security needs and civil liberties remains a fixture of policy debates, including discussions inside the Knesset about how to treat security detainees who require medical care. Some lawmakers have proposed moving hospital care for terror suspects from civilian hospitals to prison facilities to minimize contact with civilian patients. Officials emphasize that any care must meet medical ethics and international standards, while critics warn that diverting care could degrade medical outcomes and complicate public health priorities. Present officials say hospital stays for security detainees are rare, with the prison system reporting only a small fraction of detainees treated outside prison facilities; the debate continues as lawmakers call for a balance between security concerns and humane, medically appropriate care. On hostage-related issues, Israeli officials say Hamas has intelligence about the whereabouts of remaining captives and remains, even as the group asserts difficulties in recovering the remains of those who have died. The friction between claims from Hamas and assessments by Israeli security agencies underscores the persistent fragility of negotiations and the fragility of trust in wartime environments. In the broader international framework, observers note how jihadist groups have evolved over the last decade. Analysts describe ISIS and al-Qaeda as having reconfigured their networks, with Africa and parts of Asia becoming centers of activity. European threats increasingly involve homegrown, inspired violence rather than tightly controlled external plots, underscoring the challenge for Western capitals and regional partners to adapt counterterrorism strategies in a shifting landscape. This context matters for regional security calculations, including the risk calculus facing Israel, neighboring states, and allied powers. On the domestic front, the federal government in the United States has resolved a weeks‑long funding lapse, with President Trump signing legislation to end the longest shutdown in recent memory. The administration framed the move as a stand against coercive tactics, a reminder that American policy decisions—whether tied to aid, diplomacy, or security commitments—shape how partners in the Middle East approach risk, alliance, and cr