February 5, 2019
The Israeli Military Have a Unit Prepared to Leave at a Moment’s Notice
The Israeli military have a unit prepared to leave at a moment’s notice anywhere in the world a natural disaster strikes. They have had stellar operations in Haiti, the Philippines, Nepal, Japan, and now they can count Brazil as one of the countries they have assisted. President Bolsonaro commended the Israeli military: “The brave Israeli troops finish their mission today in Brazil. On behalf of the Brazilian people I thank the state of Israel for the services provided in Brumahadino MG in partnership with Brazilian armed forces and Firefighters.”
The burst dam in the region took the 100 soldiers to aid the Brazilian people. Israel was the only nation to send aid. That last phrase holds great significance. Israel came to the aid when no other nations did. Over and over Israel proves that they are a nation who cares for the needs of the world. Because for them, “He who saves a life is as if he has saved the world.” This military unit demonstrates that fact brilliantly.
(Tim Munger, The Friends of Israel Staff Writer)
40 UN Ambassadors Visit City Of David
A delegation of 40 UN ambassadors visited the City of David Friday (1st), led by Israel’s UN Ambassador, Danny Danon.
The ambassadors met Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Israel Priza laureate David Be’eri and Vice President of the City of David Foundation Doron Spielman.
Lion told local media: “I am excited to be here and I have no doubt that they will become our ambassadors in their countries and in the UN. I have no doubt that they are touched by the history of Jerusalem.”
Danon showed the ambassadors a 2,000 year old Hebrew coin that was used by the Jewish rebels just before the destruction of the Second Temple.
“The relationship between the Jewish people and its eternal capital, Jerusalem, began over 3,000 years ago,” he declared, “and this coin is only one of the many proofs of this. No UN decision can erase this bond, and no one can argue with this archeology.”
(israelnn.com)
Netanyahu To UN Envoys: ‘Iran Controls Government Of Lebanon’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday (3rd) that “a great shift has taken place in the Middle East. That shift is the rise of the aggressive theocracy of Iran that seeks to conquer the Middle East, eliminate Israel, and dominate many other parts of the world.”
Netanyahu was speaking in Jerusalem to a delegation of visiting UN ambassadors prior to a flight in which they were taken on a tour of Israel’s northern border. His comments came in the aftermath of the formation of a new government in Beirut.
On Thursday (1/31), Hizbullah came away strengthened as Lebanese political factions ended a nine-month deadlock and agreed on a new government.
Hizbullah’s gains include control of the health ministry, which has one of the country’s largest budgets and receives significant assistance from the international community. US officials on Friday (1st) warned Hizbullah against using the post to finance its own operations.
“We call on the new government to ensure the resources and services of these ministries do not provide support to Hizbullah,” said a State Department spokesman, Robert Palladino.
“This is yet another example of Hizbullah openly holding Lebanon’s security and prosperity hostage,” said Rachel Mikeska, a spokeswoman for the American Embassy in Lebanon. She added that the United States was “prepared to take whatever actions are necessary to protect the interests of the Lebanese people.” She did not elaborate.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri downplayed the importance of the US warnings. Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry remains in the hands of a Hizbullah ally, Ali Hassan Khalil.
Said Netanyahu: “Iran has proxies. One of them is Hizbullah. Hizbullah just joined the government of Lebanon. That’s a misnomer; they actually control the government of lebanon. It means that Iran controls the government of Lebanon.”
“It’s important to send this very powerful message that just as we stopped the terror tunnels coming into Israel, we will stop all the aggression: from Lebanon or from Syria or from Iran itself,” said Netanyahu to the ambassadors.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Israel Begins Construction Of Smart Fence Along Gaza Border
Israel’s Defense Ministry announced that it has begun the construction of an upgraded security barrier along the Gaza Strip on Sunday (3rd).
“On Thursday (1/31), we began working on the final component of the barrier project along the Gaza border,” said Brig.-Gen. Eran Ophir, head of the army’s fence-building administration. “The barrier is unique and especially suited to threats from the Gaza Strip and will provide a maximum response to prevent entry into Israeli territory.”
The new barrier will be just over 40 miles long, stretching along the route of the border from the new sea barrier near Zikim Beach in the north to Kerem Shalom crossing in the south. Made from galvanized steel, it will weigh about 20,000 tons and will reach a height of about 20-feet.
The project is being carried out by the Defense Ministry’s Engineering and Construction Department and the Border and Sewage Administration.
The smart-fence is the above-ground part of Israel’s underground barrier which has a system of advanced sensor and monitoring devices to detect tunnels. The Defense Ministry stated that the work on the underground barrier “will continue in parallel to the work on the fence.”
The barrier is similar to the one on the Egyptian border, but it has significant improvements and includes innovative security elements,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that the smart-fence has been specially adapted to security threats and will have an additional component for the defense of communities in the Gaza border vicinity.
(jpost.com)
Crowds Chant ‘Death To Israel’ As Iran Marks 40 Years Since Islamic Revolution
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran on Friday (1st) started celebrating the 40th anniversary of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the US-backed shah, overturned 2,500 years of monarchical rule and brought hard-line Shiite clerics to power.
The climactic events that year in Iran – where footage of revolutionaries in the streets gave way to black-and-white images of blindfolded American hostages in the US Embassy hostage-crisis – not only changed Iran’s history but also helped shape today’s Middle East.
The anniversary starts every year on February 1 – the day Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned home from France after 14 years in exile, to become the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Across Iran, sirens rang out from trains and boats and bells chimed at 9:33 am Friday – the exact time Khomeini’s chartered Air France Boeing 747 touched down 40 years ago at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport.
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of the Influential Experts Assembly which appoints the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, delivered a keynote speech Friday (1st) saying, in part, “America’s power is on the decline – we should not be afraid of America,” to which the crowds shouted the slogans “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
The 10-day anniversary festivities, known as “The Ten Days of Dawn” end on February 11.
(timesofisrael.com)
Brazil’s President Thanks Israel For Post-Dam Disaster Aid
“The brave Israeli troops sent by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finished their mission here in Brazil,” Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tweeted over the weekend. “On behalf of the Brazilian people, I thank the state of Israel for the services provided in Brumadinho MG in partnership with the Brazilian Armed Forces and firefighters.”
A team of 100 Israeli military personnel arrived in Brazil last week to assist in search operations after a dam collapsed in Brumadinho in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. The Israeli delegation included medics, rescue specialists and a scuba unit.
Israel was the only country to send a team of this kind to Brazil.
“Following a situational assessment and discussions with local officials, it emerged that search and rescue was the main need at the Brazilian disaster site,” the IDF said at the time.
The IDF team was unable to locate any survivors of the disaster, but recovered some 20 bodies.
One of the Israeli soldiers who took part in the mission was an army psychologist, who spoke about the traumatic impact of the dam collapse, saying, “One of the bodies we recovered turned out to be a partner of the diver who drove us to the disaster area. He was very distressed when he realized his friend didn’t survive.”
34 people were declared dead in the disaster, and hundreds are still missing according to reports.
(algemeiner.com)
