Netanyahu Prepped to Talk Syria with Putin in Russia This Week

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Illustrative. Photo courtesy of the office of the President of Russia.

With Israel reportedly in the skies over Syria striking weapons bound for terrorists and Russia in the same skies defending the Syrian regime in that country’s civil war, coordination has been key to avoid tragic wartime mistakes. And that’s not the only reason why the top leaders of Israel and Russia will be meeting this week. According to a report from The Times of Israel, the American-Russian mediated Syrian ceasefire is of particular concern to Israel.

The reason for that concern? Iran. The report noted that Israel is alarmed that Iran is seeking to establish a physical base in Syria. The Times of Israel said that such a situation would help enable Iran to develop a contiguous corridor from Iran to Lebanon, traveling via allies in Iraq and Syria. With Iranian-sponsored-terrorist-group Hezbollah in Lebanon, such a land link poses multiple concerns.

In the meantime, the reason publicly announced in an Israeli press release regarding the meeting with Russia is to coordinate their air forces in Syria, in addition to discussing “the latest developments in the region.” … Continue Reading

Iran Has So Many Missiles They Have Storage Space ‘Problem’

Will Israel need to defend itself against Iranian missiles? The David’s Sling missile defense system. Photo courtesy of the IDF.

Iran’s missile capabilities have been making headlines, especially after they fired multiple missiles into Syria to strike terrorists in that country and as the United States has repeatedly condemned new Iranian missile tests as threatening. Turns out Iran isn’t just testing missiles, they’re stockpiling them too—and so many they are running out of room to store them.

“The rate of our missile production is so high that we are faced with the problem of space,” PressTV reported Brigadier General Hossein Salami as telling state television last weekend. Salami, the second-in-command of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), also warned the United States that a military confrontation with Iran would result in Israel’s “destruction.” He was quoted by PressTV as saying, “A war in the Persian Gulf would be a fluid one that would move far beyond the imagination of the Americans and engage all the areas bearing their interests; it would be drawn toward the Zionist regime and its destruction.”

And Salami isn’t the only one threatening Israel—apparently that missile strike on Syria was meant as a warning to Israel too. … Continue Reading

Palestinians, Iranians Battle Israel in the Sports World… By Not Playing

Palestinian teen shows nationalistic pride, by refusing to play sports against Israelis? Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock

Israel’s enemies often sound and act very open to confrontation, but in the world of sports they aren’t even competing or are told not to do so. In August alone, two Iranians were banned for life from the national soccer team for just playing against an Israeli team while a teenage Palestinian kickboxer refused to spar against an Israeli. According to The Jerusalem Post, the Palestinian withdrawal allowed the Israeli to advance to eventually win a bronze medal in the IFMA Youth muaythai World Championships.

The Palestinian Ma’an News Agency quoted Palestinian Association of Kickboxing and Muaythai Muhammad Ahmad Zeidani as saying the Palestinian teen refused to compete with the Israeli because the Palestinians haven’t made an official decision “over whether to face Israeli athletes in any sporting event.” Israeli Prime Minister’s Office Spokesman Ofir Gendelman slammed the Palestinian withdrawal on Twitter. He tweeted that the Palestinian Authority “abuses sports&incites against peace: A Palestinian kickboxer refused to fight his opponent b/c he was Israeli.” Meanwhile, the Iranian penalty for playing against Israelis drew criticism even inside Iran. … Continue Reading

Israel Foils Hamas Money Laundering Ring Linking Turkey to Hebron

Hamas’ complicated money-laundering scheme. Photo courtesy of the ISA.

A terrorist money-laundering plot involving a cast of Hamas militants and their affiliates in two different countries had managed to get almost $200,000 into the heart of Israel’s Judea and Samaria region (also known as the West Bank). That is, until Israeli security forces recently busted the ring.

Hamas used couriers who went to Turkey to obtain funding “under the guise of business trips,” said a press release last week from the Israel Security Agency (ISA). Once in Turkey, the couriers met up with a Hamas command center militant who provided the couriers with tens of thousands of dollars. These monies were then used to purchase goods in Turkey, which in turn were shipped to the Israeli city of Hebron. There, the goods would be sold and “the funds given to Hamas militants in Hebron, minus fees,” according to the ISA.

Noted the press release, “The uncovering of the infrastructure indicates the unrelenting motivation of Hamas militants in Turkey and the Gaza Strip to the increase of Hamas terrorism in Judea and Samaria.” With the investigation complete, the IDF military prosecutor was set to file indictments on the guilty partners soon. … Continue Reading

Israeli Cyber Defense Center Has Blocked ‘Dozens of National-Level’ Attacks

Prime Minister Netanyahu at cyber center. Photo courtesy of Kobi Gideon / GPO

With cyber attacks targeting governments, businesses and other groups around the global regularly, Israel set up a national cyber event response center in September 2016. Since then, the center has been involved in blocking “dozens of national-level cyber-attacks” along with addressing “hundreds of cyber events,” according to an Israeli press release.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently toured the National Cyber Defense Authority (NCDA) facility that houses the center. He emphasized the importance of the center’s work. “The cyber threat is one of the biggest threats against both developing countries and our country,” Netanyahu was quoted by the press release as saying. “There are very many elements in the world that can disrupt our lives, steal bank accounts, obstruct our energy supply and cause accidents and sabotage in field after field. The threat here is very great.” … Continue Reading

Regional Tensions Diffused after Israeli Security Guard Attacked in Jordan

PM Netanyahu speaks with Israeli Amb. Shlain & embassy security guard.

The Israelis managed to successfully work out the return of an embassy security officer from Jordan on Monday after the officer was forced to defend himself against a Jordanian attacker, killing him. The motive behind the Jordanian attack is unclear. It came against the backdrop of Arab anger over Israel installing metal detectors to prevent terror attacks at the entrance to the Temple Mount, which houses the Islamic Dome of the Rock shrine and has sparked major protests.

However, the Jordanian news agency Petra reported that the incident occurred after a disagreement at the officer’s apartment at the Israeli embassy over work being done by Jordanian carpenters. Petra claimed that after the dispute turned physical, one of the carpenters stabbed the Israeli, who shot and killed the carpenter. The landlord of the apartment was also killed in the incident. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the Israeli was attacked from behind and stabbed with a screwdriver. Both reports indicated the Jordanian struck first and the Israeli responded in self-defense.

Yet despite that fact, the potential for a diplomatic crisis remained, especially given the Temple Mount tensions. In just one day, the Israeli was returned home to Israel and the crisis appears to have been averted. … Continue Reading