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18-year-old suspect arrested in Austin synagogue arson case

A suspect has been arrested related to a fire set at an Austin synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel, on Oct. 31.

Franklin Barrett Sechriest, 18, was arrested Wednesday by arson investigators with the Austin Fire Department. Investigators identified Sechriest using surveillance footage that showed the license plate on the car he allegedly used to…

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Kristallnacht: The light extinguished 83 years ago still burns bright

Thousands of houses of worship and public institutions around the world were illuminated this week to mark the observance of Kristallnacht.

“Synagogues were burned down on Kristallnacht, and the world stood by and remained silent,” says Shmuel Rosenman, chairman of the March of the Living.

On November 9, 1938, the Nazis burned1,400…

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For 2nd time in a month, IDF fighter jets escort US bombers through region

For the second time in a month, the military said Thursday that Israeli F-15 fighter jets escorted United States B-1 bombers through the region, in a tacit threat to Iran.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the fighter jets accompanied two B-1B heavy bombers and an American KC-10 refueling jet through Israeli airspace as they headed west…

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Four Israeli creations make Time Magazine’s ‘Best 100 Inventions of 2021’

Four Israeli tech companies were named in TIME Magazine’s annual list of ‘The Best 100 Inventions of 2021’ released this week.
The “groundbreaking inventions” included Covid and malaria vaccines, a toy robot to support hospitalized children, and other “inventions that are making the world better, smarter and a bit more fun,” TIMES said.
To…

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NY’s Democratic governor blasts anti-Israel party members

New York Governor Kathy Hochul slammed members of her party who oppose Israel during an address to the Jewish community on Wednesday.
“As a member of Congress a decade ago, I stood firm with Israel when they were under assault, and even more recently as a Democrat now I reject the individuals in my party who are making this an issue and…

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‘I Will Not Be Intimidated’: Israeli Ambassador to UK Evacuated After Event Amid Pro-Palestinian Protest

British ministers denounced on Wednesday the harassment of Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom by anti-Israel protestors after an event at the London School of Economics (LSE) the previous night, which saw her swiftly evacuated by security as protesters tried to reach her car.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “disgusted” by the…

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Rift Opens Between Syrian Dictator Assad and Head of Iran’s Terrorist Army in Syria

A major rift has opened between Syrian President Bashar Assad and the head of Iran’s terrorist army in Syria, Arabic-language media reported Wednesday.

According to the Saudi news outlet Al Hadath, a source described as familiar with the issue said that Assad and other high-ranking members of the Syrian regime have “excluded” Mustafa Jawad…

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Assad regime said to shun Iranian commander for nearly starting war with Israel

Syria’s leadership has shunned the commander of Iran’s Quds Force in the country after he almost caused an “unwanted regional war” with Israel, according to a report Wednesday.

Mustafa Javad Ghafari has also been “excluded” over a series of actions he took that were viewed by dictator Bashar Assad as “a major breach of Syrian sovereignty at all…

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Israel, UAE, Bahrain, US launch drill in Red Sea in apparent message to Iran

The navies of Israel, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain launched a joint exercise in the Red Sea this week, the American military said, in an apparent threat to their shared adversary, Iran.

The exercise comes just over a year after Israel normalized ties with the UAE and Bahrain. Though Israel has conducted exercises…

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On 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, Austria dedicates new memorial to murdered Jews

On the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht and in a clear gesture that it is finally taking public responsibility for its past, the government of Austria unveiled the Shoah Wall of Names Memorial, its first public Holocaust memorial. Located in Ostarrichi Park in the center of Vienna, it pays tribute to the 64,440 Austrian Jewish children, women and…

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Drone strikes Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria

An unidentified drone carried out strikes on Iranian-backed militias near the Syrian-Iraqi border in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to an opposition-linked war monitor.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike targeted weapons caches belonging to pro-Iranian militias in the Bukamal region of eastern…

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New York Times invests in Israeli firm OpenWeb at $1b valuation

The New York Times Company was among a series of investors who participated in a $150 million Series E funding round for Israeli company OpenWeb, the developer of online community engagement and content solutions for publishers and brands worldwide.

The investment was led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight…

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On eve of Kristallnacht, activists ‘rename’ Vienna streets honoring antisemites

Activists “renamed” some 23 streets in Vienna overnight Monday-Tuesday which they said honor antisemites, former members of Hitler’s Nazi party, and even soldiers and officers in the SS and SA paramilitary groups known for their participation in the Holocaust.

The protest was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogroms…

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US changes its UN vote from ‘no’ to ‘abstention’ on UNRWA affirmation

The Biden administration abstained – but did not reject – a General Assembly resolution affirming the right of return for Palestinian refugees to sovereign Israel.

In doing so, it broke with the voting pattern on Israel set by former US President Donald Trump in which all such texts received an automatic “no” vote.

The Obama administration,…

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Iranian cyber group targets Israel, Saudis, Africans

New revelations have been uncovered about the Iran-based Lyceum cyber-attack group targeting Israel, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia and others in Africa in a report by two cyber intelligence firms on Tuesday.

The two firms, Accenture, which has a major Israeli branch, and US-based Prevalion, released research tracing cyberattacks between July…

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Iran claims to scare off US drones near its war games in Gulf

Iran fended off two American drones trying to approach the site of a major Iranian military drill in the Gulf, local media claimed Tuesday.

“These aircraft (RQ-4 and MQ-9 US drones) changed their route after approaching the borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the air defense’s interception and decisive warning,” state broadcaster…

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Hamas: If Israel doesn’t meet our demands, its captives won’t see the light of day

Deputy Hamas chief in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya told Al-Jazeera on Monday that if Israel doesn’t pay the price of an alleged prisoner-exchange deal in the making, “its captives won’t see the light of day.”

Al-Hayya’s interview with the Qatar-owned satellite news network came on the heels of a report on Sunday that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas…

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Israel sends COVID-19 assistance to hard-hit Romania

The fourth wave of COVID-19 has hit Romania hard. The country is confronting its worst wave of infections since the pandemic started nearly two years ago, with 500 deaths a day and over 10,000 new infections every 24 hours. Romania’s health system is starting to collapse.

Israel is coming to Romania’s rescue, offering both human and technical…