Russia probes car bomb that killed top general, Moscow suspects Ukranian involvement

Author: Published: December 22, 2025

The investigators published a video showing the wrecked car, with blood visible on the driver’s seat.

An investigator works at the scene where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff's army operational training directorate, was reportedly killed in a car bomb in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2025.
An investigator works at the scene where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff’s army operational training directorate, was reportedly killed in a car bomb in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2025.
(photo credit: Russia’s Investigative Committee/Handout via REUTERS)
ByREUTERS
A Russian general was killed by a car bomb in southern Moscow on Monday, Russian investigators said, adding that they suspected Ukrainian special services could have been behind the attack.

The bomb exploded under the Kia Sorento driven by Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff’s army operational training directorate, as he left a parking space at 06:55 Moscow time.

Russia’s State Investigative Committee said that Sarvarov died as a result of his injuries.

The committee said that one of the versions being investigated is that the bomb was planted by Ukrainian special services. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

An investigator works at the scene where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff's army operational training directorate, was reportedly killed in a car bomb in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2025. (credit: Russia's Investigative Committee/Handout via REUTERS)
An investigator works at the scene where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff’s army operational training directorate, was reportedly killed in a car bomb in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2025. (credit: Russia’s Investigative Committee/Handout via REUTERS)

Russian court jails eight men for life over Ukrainian truck bomb attack

A Russian military court last month sentenced eight men to life in prison over their purported role in a deadly Ukrainian truck bomb attack on the bridge that links southern Russia to Crimea, in a ruling celebrated by war bloggers.

Ukraine’s SBU domestic intelligence agency claimed responsibility for the attack, which in October 2022 ripped through part of the 19-km (11.8-mile) bridge, killing five people and damaging what was a key supply route for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and the bridge was a flagship project for President Vladimir Putin, who opened it for road traffic by driving a truck across in 2018.

The driver of the truck carrying the explosives was killed in the attack, as were four civiliansin a passenger car nearby, and a section of the bridge partially collapsed.

The eight men convicted on terrorism charges were accused of being part of an organized criminal group that helped Ukraine carry out the bombing.

Vasyl Malyuk, the head of Ukraine’s SBU, said in 2023 that the explosives had been concealed in metal cylinders hidden inside large rolls of plastic film. The SBU had used others in the plot but had kept them in the dark about what was really going on, he said.

US, Jordanian forces conduct joint strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria, Hegseth confirms

Author: Published: December 20, 2025

The attacks come after US President Donald Trump vowed to retaliate after an attack on US personnel last weekend in Syria by a suspected Islamic State terrorist.

US soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard sign GBU-31 munitions systems in the US Central Command area of responsibility December 18, 2025 as the US military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on US personnel.
US soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard sign GBU-31 munitions systems in the US Central Command area of responsibility December 18, 2025 as the US military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on US personnel.
(photo credit: US Air Force Photo/Handout via REUTERS)
ByGOLDIE KATZ
Updated: 
The United States, collaborating with Jordanian forces, struck over 70 Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed.

The series of strikes, dubbed “Operation Hawkeye Strike,” targeted Islamic State infrastructure and weapons sites, according to a statement released by Hegseth on social media.

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US fighter jets and attack helicopters, supported by Jordanian Armed Forces aircraft, were used to drop over 100 precise munitions on the targets.

“This is not the beginning of a war-  it is a declaration of vengeance,” Hegseth said, “if you target Americans, anywhere in the world, you will spend the rest of your brief, anxious life knowing the United States will hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you.”

 

US President Donald Trump confirmed that the US is “inflicting very serious retaliation” against those responsible for the deaths of two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter who were killed during an Islamic State ambush attack on December 13.

“We are striking very strongly against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a place soaked in blood, which has many problems, but one that has a bright future if ISIS can be eradicated,” Trump said in a social media post. “All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned-  YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE USA.”

CENTCOM commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, described the operation as “critical to preventing ISIS from inspiring terrorist plots and attacks against the US homeland,” adding that the US will “continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region.”

A US Airman attaches a GBU-31 munitions system to an F-15E Strike Eagle in the US Central Command area of responsibility, December 19, 2025, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike as the US military launched large-scale strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria. (credit: US Air Force Photo/Handout via REUTERS)
A US Airman attaches a GBU-31 munitions system to an F-15E Strike Eagle in the US Central Command area of responsibility, December 19, 2025, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike as the US military launched large-scale strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria. (credit: US Air Force Photo/Handout via REUTERS)

Syrian response to the strikes

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs additionally released a statement following the strikes, reiterating its “steadfast commitment to fighting ISIS” and emphasizing the “urgent necessity of strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism in all its forms.”

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom Trump referred to as a “man who is working very hard to bring Greatness back to Syria,” was “fully in support” of the strike, according to Trump’s social media statement.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Rubio: No peace if Hamas retains the ability to attack Israel

Author: Published: December 20, 2025

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warns Hamas must fully disarm to ensure peace, as Washington seeks partners for Gaza stabilization and urges Lebanese control over Hezbollah.

Israel National News

Published: 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a press conference on Friday that the United States will not commit to specific terms of a Hamas disarmament plan but emphasized that any arrangement must ensure the terror group cannot threaten Israel.

Asked whether Washington could accept Hamas’s reported willingness to surrender its heavy weapons while retaining lighter ones, Rubio said, “I’m not going to get into the details of those types of negotiations.”

“I would just ask everyone to focus on what are the kind of weapons [and] capabilities that Hamas would need in order to threaten or attack Israel as a baseline for what disarmament needs to look like,” he continued.

“If Hamas is ever in a position in the future that they can threaten or attack Israel, you’re not going to have peace,” Rubio warned. “You’re not going to convince anyone to invest money in Gaza if they believe another war is going to happen in two, three years… That’s why disarmament is so critical.”

“What that entails, we’re going to leave that to the technical teams to work on,” he added. “It would have to be something that our partners can pressure them to agree to. It also has to be something that Israel agrees to for that to work.”

Rubio also addressed the planned International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza, saying the Trump administration must first clarify the mandate before seeking firm troop commitments.

“In fairness to all the countries we’ve talked to about having a presence on the ground, I think they want to know specifically what the mandate will be and what the funding mechanism,” he told reporters, when asked about reports of Pakistani participation.

“We’re very grateful to Pakistan for their offer to consider being a part of it, [but] I think we owe them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to firmly commit,” Rubio said.

He added that he feels “very confident that we have a number of nation states acceptable to all sides [that] are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilization force,” despite reports that Washington is struggling to find contributors.

“We’re trying to make a lot of progress here,” he said. “The next step is announcing the Board of Peace, announcing the Palestinian technocratic [committee] that will help provide daily governance.”

“Once that’s in place, that will allow us to firm up the stabilization force, including how it’s going to be paid for, what the rules of engagement are, what their role will be in demilitarization and so forth,” Rubio added.

Turning to the northern front, Rubio expressed cautious optimism about talks between Israeli and Lebanese authorities, saying Washington hopes they “will create outlines and a way forward that prevents further conflict.”

He acknowledged that Israel has “pledged to continue taking military action against Hezbollah if it feels threatened.”

“We all would hope that we could avoid that… The best way to avoid it is to have a strong Lebanese government that can actually control the country, and [ensure] that Hezbollah is no longer an armed threat to Israel or to the Lebanese state,” he said.

“That’s what we’re committed to… achieve,” Rubio concluded. “I can’t speculate on what the talks will lead to, but we’ll do everything we can to make them productive.”

(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)

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