June 1, 2018
Incendiary Kite Terrorism Rages On Despite Gaza Ceasefire
While mortar and rocket barrages from Gaza stopped with the attainment of a ceasefire, incendiary kite terrorism never stopped, with fires breaking out on Thursday (5/31) in the regions’ Be’eri and Kissufim forests, where acres of wood went up in flames.
The fires were eventually subdued and no one was harmed, but Israeli communities in the south are angry at the fact of thousands of acres of wheat which have been set ablaze and destroyed in a two-month period.
Since April there have been over 300 terror-related kite fires.
(ynetnews.com)
IDF Forces Uncover Explosive Stash, Nab Palestinian Terror Suspects
IDF forces carried out counter-terrorism operations throughout Judea and Samaria on Wednesday night (5/31), arresting 17 Palestinian terror suspects.
Forces operating in the Palestinian village of Kafr Masaken Sha’abiya, in Samaria, exposed 15 kg of explosives, and detonated them in a controlled environment.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Steinitz: Assad Lying About Iranian Presence In Syria
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of lying Thursday (5/31) after the embattled leader claimed in an interview that there were no Iranian forces in the country.
“There are Iranian forces and there is Iranian presence in Syria, everybody knows that. Iranian troops and even a general was killed in Syria, both recently and in the past,” Steinitz said.
“This isn’t the first time Assad lied. He also said there were no chemical weapons in Syria, and that he never used chemical weapons – and we know the truth behind that,” he went on to say.
“We know Iran has a plan to take advantage of the civil war in Syria to turn it into a military base against the State of Israel. We’re determined to prevent this,” Steinitz said.
(ynetnews.com)
Report” Iranian Forces, Hizbullah Prepare To Leave Southern Syria
Iranian-backed forces, including Hizbullah, are preparing to withdraw from southern Syria against a backdrop of regional and international negotiations currently underway between the United States, Russia and Jordan over the war-torn country’s future, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Thursday (5/31)
Specifically, the London-based organization reported, Iran and Hizbullah are planning to withdraw forces from the Dara and Kuneitra areas near Israel’s northern border.
Russian news outlets had recently reported that Moscow wants to cut a deal that would see Russian military police deployed to areas near Israel. The agreement would envisage the pullout of all Iranian forces from the area and require Syrian rebels to surrender heavy weapons.
(jpost.com; reuters.com)
Russia Understands Israel won’t Tolerate Iran On Border, Lieberman Says
Russia understands Israel’s security concern about Iran in Syria, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Thursday (5/31) after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoygu in Moscow.
“Israel appreciates Russia’s understanding of our security needs, especially with regard to the situation on our northern border,” Lieberman said.
(jpost.com)
Top IDF Officer: Iran May Use Gaza Terrorists Again To Distract From Syria
A top commander in the Israeli army said Thursday (5/31) that if Iran finds itself in trouble in Syria, it could again mobilize its ally in Gaza, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, to attack Israel as a distraction.
The senior officer in the IDF’s Southern Command, in a briefing to Israeli journalists, also said Hamas and Islamic Jihad had improved their combat tactics in this week’s round of cross-border violence by launching many rockets and mortars from underground positions, and using timers to delay the launches until their fighters were no longer around to be targeted.
(timesofisrael.com; afp.com)
UN: Kuwait Blocks US Resolution Condemning Attacks On Israel – Kristina Harazim
Kuwait has blocked a US-drafted United Nations Security Council statement that strongly condemned the attacks by Gaza militants on Israel Tuesday (5/29). Kuwait said it blocked the statement to allow for consideration of a draft resolution it has put forward on the protection of Gazan civilians.
Earlier in May, Kuwait blocked another US-proposed statement that criticized Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ remarks about Jews and the Holocaust as “unacceptable.”
(euronews.com)
Gaza Riots Planned For Next Week
The Supreme National Council of the March of the Return processions is preparing to mark the anniversary of the Arab Defeat in the Six Day War (1967) in early June.
The expected activity will take place on Tuesday, (5th), in the so-called “return camps” located along the Gaza border with Israel.
The largest and most violent riots took place on May 14, the day on which the United States relocated their embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. At least 60 people were killed mostly Hamas terrorists.
(israelnn.com)
In Rare Move, Russian Embassy To Host Its National Day Party In Jerusalem – Raphael Ahren
The Russian Embassy in Israel is hosting its annual National Day reception in Jerusalem, in a nod to Moscow’s recent recognition of the western part of the city as Israel’s capital.
Russia’s incoming ambassador, Anatoly Viktorov has been inviting guests to a June 14 reception at Sergei’s Courtyard, a historic complex in the Jerusalem neighborhood known as the Russian Compound, which Israel authorities handed to Russia a decade ago in a goodwill gesture.
(timesofisrael.com)
Time Square To Turn Blue And White To Celebrate 70 Years Of Israeli Independence
The Israeli consulate in New York, in conjunction with the Culture and Sport Ministry, will hold a first-of-its-kind event in New York City to mark Israel’s 70th-anniversary celebrations. The event, which will be open to the general public, will take place on June 3 at Time Square in Manhattan.
The festivities will kick off at 8 p.m., when Time Square will be painted blue and white and turn into the largest party in the world.
Israel’s consul general in New York, Dani Dayan, said, “I am proud to be part of this historically unique event. An unprecedented surprise awaits the people of New York and its environs. I invite all the people of New York, whoever they may be, to be part of history and celebrate with us.”
(israelhayom.com)
