ISSUES

At CUFI, we are focused on several key issues with the goal of defending Israel’s strength, security, and sovereignty.

If you want to keep up with all things Israel, sign up for CUFI’s Daily Briefing – our daily news roundup created exclusively for CUFI members. Every morning, Monday through Friday, receive an email with some of the top headlines in the news so you are always informed and ready to debunk lies with the truth.

Iran

Iranian Army Announces ‘Large-Scale’ Drone Exercise

01/04/2020
The drones will undertake short and long range 'combat and surveillance' simulations

Iran's army is set to hold a "joint and large-scale" drone drill with its different divisions primarily in central Iran on Tuesday, the state news agency IRNA reported.
The two-day drill will involve "hundreds of operational drones of the army's...

Iran

Iran’s IRGC Seizes South Korean Tanker In Naval Piracy

01/04/2021

Hours after the US said it would turn around the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was already hunting for vessels to harass. They wanted to find a ship to seize, much like they had mined six ships in the Gulf of Oman in May and June 2019, seized a British ship in the summer...

Iran

US Orders Aircraft Carrier To Remain In Gulf After ‘Recent Threats’ By Iran

01/03/2021

WASHINGTON — The US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz will remain in the Gulf due to “recent threats” by Iran, the Pentagon said Sunday, following reports the ship was returning home in what some read as a sign of de-escalation.

The Nimitz has been patrolling Gulf waters since late November, but American media said this week that the...

In The News

Report: UAE Foils Iranian Attack Against Israelis On Anniversary Of Soleimani Killing

01/04/2021
Authorities arrest Iranian cell on suspicion of planning to carry out attack against Israeli destinations

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) thwarted an Iranian terror attack that was planned to take place in Dubai on the anniversary of the killing of top commander Qasem Soleimani, Hebrew-language broadcaster Channel 12reported on...

US-Israel Relationship

Israeli Defense Ministry Completes Iron Dome Delivery To The US Army

01/03/2021

Israel delivered the second of two Iron Dome defense system batteries to the US Army over the weekend, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.

The move was carried out by the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), a division in the ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D).

The batteries will be...

In The News

Hundreds Of Ethiopian Jews Immigrate To Israel On First Day Of The New Year

01/03/2021

The new year is off to a great start for 300 new Ethiopian immigrants, who just made aliyah in the first immigration flights of 2021.

The flights, arriving on the first day of the year, were part of Operation Rock of Israel, the latest airlift to help Jews in Ethiopia make aliyah and were carried out by the Jewish Agency and other...

Antisemitism

Four Brooklyn Synagogues Vandalized, Police Search For Suspect

12/30/2020

New York City police released footage on Wednesday of a man suspected of vandalizing four Brooklyn synagogues last weekend.

In a video published by PIX11 News, the man is seen vandalizing the Young Israel of Midwood, one of a string of similar incidents that took place on Saturday night. The other three synagogues targeted were...

Iran

Iran Tells IAEA It Plans To Enrich Uranium To Up To 20% At Fordow Site

01/02/2021

Iran has told the United Nations nuclear watchdog it plans to enrich uranium to up to 20% purity, a level it achieved before its 2015 accord, at its Fordow site buried inside a mountain, the agency said on Friday.

The move is the latest of several recent announcements by Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency that it plans...

Iran

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Chief Vows Strong Blow To ‘Any Action’ From ‘Enemy’ United States

01/02/2021

Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami vowed Saturday to respond to any "action the enemy takes," in a visit to a strategic Gulf island, amid rising tensions with the US.
"We are here today to evaluate and be assured of our powerful capabilities at sea and against enemies who sometimes boast... and threaten," he asserted....

Hezbollah

Hezbollah Aggression Against Israel ‘Increasingly Likely,’ IDF Official Says

01/01/2021
'Chances of a sudden, full-blown escalation are on the increase'

A resumption of aggression by the Shi'ite Lebanese terror group Hezbollah against targets in northern Israel is merely a matter of time, a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official told the Hebrew-language Israel Hayom news site on Friday.
The official, who was...

Israeli Society

Israel’s minority community

12/30/2020
CUFI Coffee Break
Lesson 47
The State of Israel is fully committed to equality under the law for ALL its citizens, regardless of religion, race or nationality—including its large minority community which makes up roughly one quarter of Israel’s population.

Israel is the only state in the Middle East where Christians and their holy...

Palestinian Authority

Palestinian Authority To Pay Three Months Pay For Slay Salaries To Terrorists

12/30/2020

The Palestinian Authority (PA) intends to pay convicted terrorists three months worth of "salary" before the end of the year, according to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).

The PA holds a practice of paying Palestinians that have committed terrorist acts against Israelis and monthly stipends to the families of the terrorists that...

US-Israel Relationship

First American Woman Graduates Israeli Army’s Pilot Course

12/31/2020

Boston native Lt. O (whose full name cannot be disclosed) recently made history as the first American woman to graduate the prestigious Israel Air Force pilot course.

Lt. O finished the three-year course as a flight engineer. She joins the ranks of the small number of women who have completed the course in the 25 years it has...

In The News

Israel-Gulf Ties To Grow In 2021, Experts Predict

12/31/2020

A dozen experts have predicted a wide range of increasing partnerships and connections between Israel and Gulf countries in the new year. This will cover a spectrum of activity from technology to academic and political developments. The rapid change since the Abraham Accords began in August has led to one of the fastest growing...

In The News

US B-52 Bombers Fly Over Middle East In Show Of Strength Aimed At Iran

12/30/2020
'We are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed at Americans or our interests,' CENTCOM warns

The strategic nuclear-capable US B-52 bombers flew over the Middle East on Wednesday in a show of force aimed at Iran, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
According to the US CENTCOM, the two bombers took...

Iran

Israel Opposes Any And All Versions Of Iran Deal, Says Prime Minister’s Office

12/30/2020

Israel opposes any return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, contrary to the impression recent statements may have given, a senior Prime Minister’s Office official told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

“Israel is unequivocal that under no circumstances should there be a return to that bad deal,” the official said.

The remarks came...

Antisemitism

Anti-Jewish COVID Theories Top List Of Worst Antisemitism Outbreaks

12/30/2020

The human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) on Tuesday announced its top ten outbreaks of antisemitism and anti-Israelism for 2020, with various conspiracy theories blaming Jews for the COVID-19 pandemic earning the lead spot.

“From the earliest stages of the pandemic in February 2020, far-right extremists across...

In The News

Israeli Water Tech Sees Opportunities In The United Arab Emirates

12/30/2020

Israeli water treatment technology is being sought after in the United Arab Emirates in the wake of the Abraham Accords.

Thani Al-Shirawi, Deputy Managing Director of Oasis Investments, says that “after normalization, with Israel being advanced in the water filtration business, it was a no-brainer to look for a partner in Israel...

In The News

1 Killed, 3 Injured In Alleged Israeli Airstrike Near Syria-Lebanon Border

12/30/2020

Syrian air defenses responded to an alleged Israeli airstrike near the Syria-Lebanon border on Tuesday night, which has left one soldier dead and three others wounded, according to a Syrian military source, SANA reported. 

The source added that the strike targeted an air defense unit in the area.

The open source intelligence...

In The News

IDF Prevents Several Suspects From Infiltrating Israel Through Lebanon Border

12/29/2020

One of the suspects climbed over security fence, briefly entered Israeli territory

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) prevented several suspects from infiltrating Israel through the border with Lebanon, the army said in a statement.

According to the IDF, several suspects approached the security fencebetween the two countries on...