In The News

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Two US troops killed in rocket attack on base near Baghdad

Two US troops and a British national were killed in a rocket attack on Iraq’s Taji military camp north of Baghdad on Wednesday. Unidentified aircraft carried out airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria soon after the attack, killing at least 18 Iraqi nationals.

A US official told AFP that one US soldier, one US contractor and…

Lebanese man pleads guilty to violating U.S. export laws

A Lebanese national charged with conspiring to export drone parts and technology from the U.S. to Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws.
Issam Hamade pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Minnesota. His brother, Usama Hamade, faces similar counts and is also…

U.S. Sending Missile Defense to Iraq After Attack from Iran, Which Already Has A New Weapon

The United States is deploying missile defenses to Iraq in the wake of January’s strikes from Iran, which has since unveiled a new missile capable of cross-border attacks.
Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that the Pentagon was “in the process of bringing air defense…

Officers foil attempted stabbing outside Jerusalem Old City – police

Border Police officers arrested a man who attempted to stab them outside Jerusalem’s Old City, the Israel Police said Tuesday.
According to police, the man took out a knife and attempted to attack the officers stationed at a police post near Damascus Gate.
The officers wrestled the man to the floor and arrested him. No injuries were reported.
The…

Israeli-made oral vaccine for coronavirus on track, but testing will take months

An effective Israeli-developed vaccine for coronavirus is on track to be ready for testing within “a few weeks,” though it won’t be available for months because of the lengthy and sometimes bureaucratic testing and approval process, a member of the development team said Tuesday.
Chen Katz told The Times of Israel that the new oral vaccine for…

US Sanctions Idle at Least Quarter of Iranian Oil Rigs

At least a quarter of Iran‘s oil rigs are out of action as US sanctions strangle the Islamic Republic’s vital oil industry, according to a Reuters review of financial documents and industry sources, dealing a potentially long-term blow to its oil industry.

The lack of rig activity could damage the OPEC member’s capacity to produce oil from older…

Israel uses anti-terror conference in Morocco to rally world against Iran

Israel used its participation in an international anti-terrorism conference in Morocco last week, which was dedicated mainly to the re-emerging threat from al-Qaeda, to call for stronger action against Iran.
Upon returning to Israel from the two-day conference in Marrakech, Dana Benvenisti-Gabay, the head of the Foreign Ministry’s regional…

After Soleimani, Iran sends Shamkhani to Iraq to take control

Iran sent Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, to Iraq in order to try to control Iraq’s political future, according to reports and insider accounts. Shamkhani is a key figure in Iran. Even as Iran struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic which has led to more than 7,000 infections and deaths among…

NYC woman indicted for hate crime after attacking Israeli student on subway

“She was yelling at him, shouting at him, ‘Allahu Akbar’… ‘Allah will kill you,’ the victim told Fox News
New York City prosecutors have formally indicted a woman suspected of assaulting an Israeli college student after verbally abusing her on the subway.
Footage of the incident, filmed in late December, shows 38-year-old Zarinah Ali using…

Netanyahu: All those traveling to Israel ordered to 14-day quarantine

Netanyahu added that the move was essential to protect public safety, and will be upheld for two weeks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that all travelers entering Israel will be required to enter into a 14-day quarantine amid concerns over the novel coronavirus.
“After a day of complex discussions, we have made a decision,”…

Prosecutors to seek death penalty for Poway synagogue shooter

SAN DIEGO, California — Prosecutors in California plan to seek the death penalty against a former college student accused of carrying out a 2019 attack on a San Diego-area synagogue that left one woman dead and three others wounded.
The San Diego County prosecutors said during a court hearing Thursday that they will ask for the death sentence…

In further sign of detente, Israel attends anti-terrorism conference in Morocco

In yet another indication of warming ties between Jerusalem and some Arab countries, an Israeli official this week actively participated in an anti-terrorism conference in Morocco.

The name of the Israeli official who attended the so-called Warsaw Process Counterterrorism and Illicit Finance working group in Marrakech on Wednesday and Thursday…

Canadian Arabic newspaper publishes article accusing Jews of blood libel

An Arabic-language Canadian newspaper has published an article praising Palestinian terrorists and accusing Israel of burying prisoners alive and stealing their organs. Al-Meshwar, which circulates in the Greater Toronto area, dedicated half a page in its February 28 edition to an article titled “The Abuse of the Martyrs and the Manipulation of…

Archive of secret Iranian nuclear documents draws fresh scrutiny as Tehran stockpiles enriched uranium

In early 2003, a group of Iranian scientists began scouring the country on a secret quest for a place to dig an unusual tunnel. They searched Iran’s vast Lut Desert until they finally found what seemed to be the right spot, a Mars-like dead zone regarded as one of the hottest and driest places on Earth.

Conditions in this stretch of salty…

NFL players travel to Middle East, train with Israeli Defense Forces

Two NFL players trained with Israeli soldiers on Thursday as part of an introduction to the country’s military drills.
Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson and free-agent cornerback Josh Norman completed obstacle courses and took lessons in Krav Maga at Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel, before receiving a briefing about the…

Growing Support for ‘Never Again’ Holocaust Education Program Among US SenatorsAgain’ Holocaust Education Program Among US Senators

New legislation to teach schoolchildren across America about the horrors of the Holocaust received a significant boost on Wednesday after it was endorsed by five more US senators.

The latest development means that the number of senators sponsoring the bipartisan “Never Again Education Act” has risen to 52.

If passed, the act would create a new…

IDF halts major air defense drill with US as coronavirus restrictions intensify

The Israel Defense Forces called off a major air defense exercise with the United States on Wednesday night, a day after it launched, following stricter safety restrictions issued by the Health Ministry aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

The biennial Juniper Cobra exercise — one of the IDF’s largest international drills — was…

Damascus says Israeli airstrikes target bases near Homs, southern Syria

Damascus said early Thursday that Israel was carrying out airstrikes in central and southern Syria and that its air defenses had engaged the missiles.
The state-run SANA news agency said “our air defense confronted an Israeli missile attack in the southwest of Quneitra province” in the south and also an area in the center of the country. …