* Iran Arrests Over 100 Christians as Warning Not to Evangelize at Christmas Over the past week, Iranian authorities have arrested more than 100 Christians as part of the government's fresh crackdown on those who have left the Islamic faith and embraced Jesus.
* Israeli Air Force flies over Lebanese-Syrian border - first time in 3 months The Israeli Air Force made several passes over the Lebanese-Syrian border on Sunday, Dec. 16, for the first time since the crisis with Moscow erupted in September, DEBKAfile's military sources report.
* UN appeals to the world to fund the PA's "Pay for Slay" policy Yesterday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) issued a joint statement in which they launched a US$350 million appeal to "address critical humanitarian needs of Palestinians."
* Iran, Turkey, Russia Threaten Israel in Eastern Mediterranean The Russian eastern Mediterranean naval presence is growing. Russia secured for itself the naval base at Tarsus and the air base at Khmeimim in Syria.
* My 4-Year Career Reporting on Messiah and Why I Know It's Happening Four and a half years ago, I was hired by Breaking Israel News to write feature articles about the geula (redemption). It was a subject no other Jewish or Israeli news site covered and nine years of intensive study in yeshiva left me disturbingly unprepared to write about a subject so essential to my religion.
* In 2019, Mideast economic troubles loom as wars wind down As the Middle East ushers in 2019, the decade's ruinous conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq seem to be winding down after exacting a painful price - many thousands killed, millions uprooted from their homes and entire cities reduced to rubble.
* Russia, Iran and Turkey agree on Syria constitutional body, call for talksThe committee is part of the Sochi agreement and will include 50 members from the regime, 50 opposition members, the rest will be independent.
* Brexit: Dutch PM warns his voters against emulating 'chaos' of Britain's departure from EU One of Theresa May's closest European allies has warned his voters against emulating the "chaos" caused by the UK's decision to leave the European Union.
* Turkey Aiming to Head a Global Islamic Union Governed by Sharia Turkey's Strategic Research Center for Defenders of Justice is planning to organize an "International Islamic Union Congress" every year until 2023, to address the "Islamic confederal state" it aims to establish across the Muslim world.
* Half Recognition There is something absurd about the Australian recognition of the heretofore unknown entity of "west Jerusalem" as Israel's capital, much like Russia's recognition in April 2017.