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.

Antisemitism

Anti-Israel protester attempts to firebomb synagogue in Turkey

A man threw a firebomb at the Beth Israel Synagogue in Izmir, Turkey.

The attacker’s Molotov cocktail, thrown on March 28, fell to the sidewalk and did not damage the synagogue. The incident was first reported on Tuesday by the Turkish-language Salom Jewish news website.

The unidentified attacker reportedly told police that he attacked the...

Israeli Technology

With Beresheet, Israel becomes 7th country to achieve lunar orbit

Engineers confirmed early Friday morning that the Beresheet spacecraft was successfully captured by lunar gravity during a tricky maneuver the night before, making Israel the seventh country in the world to successfully send objects into orbit around the moon.

The United States, Russia (as the USSR), Japan, China, the European Space Agency and...

Iran

Iran killed more US troops in Iraq than previously known, Pentagon says

The Pentagon is upping the official estimate on the number of U.S. troops in Iraq who were killed by Iranian-backed militias, now putting that number at at least 603.

Officials previously said that Iran was linked to the deaths of roughly 500 troops.
That means roughly one in every six American combat fatalities in Iraq were attributable to Iran....

Israeli Technology

With Turkish loss of the F-35, Israel keeps its aerial superiority

The Pentagon’s decision to stop the delivery of equipment related to the F-35 stealth fighter jet to Turkey due to Ankara’s decision to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defense system will allow Israel to keep it’s aerial superiority in the Middle East.

Washington’s move follows repeated warnings both from the United States and NATO allies to...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

Satellite images show site in Aleppo allegedly struck by Israel

Satellite images released by the Israeli intelligence firm ImageSat Intl. (ISI) on Thursday show the destruction of an industrial zone in Aleppo in northern Syria allegedly struck by Israel in late March.

The images show destruction to two structures, a hanger and a building, in the north-western part of the Sheikh Najjar industrial area, both...

Micro-History

2,000-year-old image of 9-stem menorah found in rare Jewish site in Beersheba

A rare well-preserved large Second Temple-period Jewish settlement, watchtower, and subterranean passages are currently being unearthed near Beersheba in Israel’s Negev Desert, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Thursday. Among the artifacts uncovered at this important site is an intriguing depiction of a nine-stemmed menorah, which...

Syria

Syria vows to recapture Golan from Israel ‘by all means’

Syria will not shy away from using force to reconquer “every inch” of the Golan Heights, the country’s foreign minister threatened Thursday.

“Syria will liberate the occupied Golan by all means and all choices are on the table,” Walid Muallem said at a press conference in Damascus alongside his Venezuelan counterpart.

“US President Donald...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

Inside the 37-year search for IDF soldier Zachary Baumel

Over the course of nearly 37 years, Israeli intelligence officers searched for the remains of fallen tank commander Zachary Baumel, who went missing in the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub against the Syrian army in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.

This week, nearly four decades later, Sgt. First-Class Baumel’s body was returned to Israel and will be brought...

Micro-History

Body of soldier Zachary Baumel missing since 1982 Lebanon battle brought home

The remains of an Israeli soldier believed killed in a 1982 battle with Syrian forces in Lebanon were returned to Israel this week, the military said Wednesday, ending a 37-year search.

Staff Sgt. Zachary Baumel went missing in the 1982 First Lebanon War’s battle of Sultan Yacoub, along with two other soldiers whose whereabouts remain unknown.
...

Hezbollah

Hezbollah established new missile factory in Beirut- report

Hezbollah has built a new missile factory in Beirut with the help of Iran, a Channel 13 report revealed on Monday night.

Israeli intelligence reportedly shared the new information with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who warned Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri of the secret facility on his state visit to Lebanon in March and expressed his...

Israel Defense Force (IDF)

Would-be Palestinian attacker shot dead in West Bank

A would-be Palestinian attacker was shot dead Wednesday morning during an attempted stabbing near Huwara in the West Bank. The man was shot by two armed Israeli civilians, including his target.

The attacker was evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva in critical condition and died shortly afterwards. No one else was harmed in the incident....

United Nations (UN)

Israeli UN Envoy Hails General Assembly’s Condemnation of Antisemitism Following Diplomatic Battle

Israel’s envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday hailed the passage of a General Assembly resolution on hate crimes that was amended to include a specific condemnation of antisemitism as “an Israeli achievement at the UN and a crushing loss to the forces of hatred.”

Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, pointed out in a statement that the...

Israeli Society

First lady Nechama Rivlin in stable condition after ‘quiet night’ in hospital

The wife of President Reuven Rivlin was in stable condition Wednesday morning, but still under sedation and on a respirator, after a sudden deterioration in her condition the prior evening prompted her hospitalization.

Nechama Rivlin was rushed to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva with difficulty breathing almost three weeks after receiving a...

Hamas

Jerusalem Post Arab-Israeli Conflict Hamas threatens families of captured Israelis: ‘accept our terms’

“You will see your sons only if you accept the terms of the Resistance,” read a Hamas-attributed post released on Tuesday threatening the families of IDF Lt. Hadar Goldin, St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.

The tweet featured pictures of family members of the four captured Israelis.

Later on Tuesday, the Al-Qasam Brigade...

Israeli Society

Israel Inaugurates Embassy in Rwanda

Israel opened an embassy in the central African country of Rwanda in its capital Kigali, on Monday. This is Israel’s 11th embassy in Africa.

The embassy “symbolizes the policy of Israel’s return to Africa, as was announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu three years ago and in light of which he visited the continent four times and...

Hamas

PA stops referring Palestinian patients to Israeli hospitals

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry has stopped referring Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to Israeli hospitals, a Palestinian official confirmed on Monday.

Government-affiliated and independent Palestinian news outlets first reported late last week that the PA ceased referring Palestinians to Israeli hospitals.

“We will no...

Iran

US planning new Iran sanctions, may target oil waivers — report

A US official said Washington was considering bolstering sanctions against Iran Monday, as Tehran protested that existing financial constraints placed by the US were hampering recovery efforts as the country continued to be hammered by deadly floods.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the new sanctions could come in May, a...

US-Israel Relationship

US cancels shipments of F-35 equipment to Turkey

The United States has put a hold on delivering F-35 fighter aircraft equipment to Turkey over Ankara’s "unacceptable" plans to buy a Russian air defense system, according to the Pentagon.

Until Turkey forgoes the delivery of Russia’s S-400 long-range air defense system, "the United States has suspended deliveries and activities associated with...

Hezbollah

Report: Through Pompeo, Israel warns Lebanon of new Hezbollah missile plant

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reportedly conveyed to Lebanon a message from Israel warning Beirut of action by Iran and Hezbollah to covertly construct a new missile production facility in the country.

The covert facility produces precision missiles and constitutes a threat to both Israel and Lebanon, Pompeo said, according to...

Hamas

Joined by Netanyahu, Brazilian president makes trailblazing trip to Western Wall

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was joined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Western Wall on Monday, becoming the first foreign head of state to visit the site together with a senior Israeli official.

His unprecedented step could be seen as a tacit recognition of Israeli sovereignty over that location in Jerusalem’s Old City, which...