News Digest — 1/14/25
Missile From Yemen Activates Sirens Across Central Israel
Rocket sirens sounded across Tel Aviv and central Israel following a missile that was launched from Yemen early Tuesday morning (14th).
The IDF stated that several attempts were made to target the missile and that it was finally intercepted.
MDA teams treated 11 people who were injured on their way to bomb shelters as well as four others suffering from anxiety.
Landings and takeoffs at Ben Gurion Airport were briefly delayed due to the rocket launch, Ynet reported.
Around two hours later, additional rocket sirens sounded in Netiv Ha’assara, one of the communities that border the Gaza Strip, but they were proved false.
On Monday afternoon(13th) sirens sounded in several areas of the West Bank following a missile fire from Yemen, which was intercepted by the IAF.
These most recent sirens sounded only a few days after Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom launched coordinated airstrikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen.
Before that, the Yemen-based terrorist organization had been making headlines in recent weeks for firing missiles and drones at Israel over multiple nights at a time.
Nukhba Terrorists Will Not Be Released As Part Of Hostage Deal
A diplomatic source told the Jerusalem Post that Nukhba terrorists who took part in the October 7 massacre will not be released in exchange for hostages.
Although some of the Palestinian prisoners slated for release in the hostage deal are serving life sentences for serious crimes, they are not part of the Nukhba terrorist forces.
The diplomatic source also confirmed that none of the 33 hostages selected for release in the first phase of the deal are confirmed dead.
Israel is expected to remain in “territorial assets,” including the Philadelphi corridor and a security perimeter. However, there are conflicting reports regarding how long the IDF will remain in these areas.
Israel’s senior delegation in Doha, including Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and Mossad director David Barnea, are currently in Qatar until an agreement is reached.
The agreement to release 33 hostages in the initial phase has reportedly been approved by Israel and Hamas and may be announced for certain on Tuesday (14th) or Wednesday (15th)
Sources have reported that after the initial release of captives, further releases would be discussed on the 16th day of the agreement.
There are mixed accounts of the timing of the IDF withdrawal from Gaza, with some sources saying that troops would be gradually reduced, with the military remaining in the Philadelphi corridor until the last day of the agreement.
There is also some indication that the agreement, to be announced within hours or days, could still fall apart.
Still to be held is a required cabinet vote and a high Court of Justice ruling on petitions opposing the deal.
If the deal is approved, some sources say the first group of hostages will be released promptly after the announcement.
Although the list of hostages to be released in phase one originally included 34 names, the number now is 33 after the discovery of the body of Yousef Ziadne by the IDF this week.
Danon To UNSC: ‘Ensure UNIFIL Enforces Ceasefire This Time’
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon addressed the United Nations Security Council in an urgent letter calling on the council to ensure that UNIFIL actually enforces the ceasefire with Lebanon and does not permit massive Hezbollah violations of the agreement as it did from 2006-2024.
Danon wrote, “Israel is committed to the implementation of the Ceasefire Understandings with Lebanon. It is important to note that before the recent hostilities that erupted on October 8, 2023 as a result of unprovoked attacks by Hezbollah from Lebanon, one day after Hamas’ massacre, invasion and atrocities on October 7, Israel alerted this esteemed Council for years on the severe breaches of Resolution 1701 and the ensuing risks posed to regional security. Israel has sounded the alarm bells in consistent letters and briefings, alerting that Hezbollah was building a massive military infrastructure south of the Litani River and beyond, that advanced weapons systems were being smuggled from Iran into Lebanon in flagrant breach of UNSCR 1701, but unfortunately no action was taken. Over the years, we urged UNIFIL to act according to its mandate and to accurately reflect this alarming situation in its reports, but to no avail.”
He noted, “We understand now, first-hand, the severe repercussions of this inaction by the UN for Israel, as over 22,000 rockets, over 1,500 anti-tank missiles and over 700 drones were fired by Hezbollah at Israeli communities throughout the war, forcing over 63,000 Israeli civilians to evacuate their homes for more than a year, up until today.”
“I call on the Security Council to ensure that UNIFIL works in a much more robust and effective way to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the recent ceasefire understandings… and to insist that all terrorist infrastructure present in Lebanon is removed and make sure any attempt to smuggle arms to Hezbollah is thwarted,” he said.
The Ambassador emphasized, “Israel will not compromise on the security of its citizens. We will not return to the years before October 8, 2023, and we will not tolerate Hezbollah’s violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Russia And Iran To Sign Strategic Partnership Pact On Jan. 17, Kremlin Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will hold talks in Russia on Jan. 17 after which they will sign a long-awaited comprehensive strategic partnership pact, the Kremlin said on Monday (13th). The agreement comes as the Islamic Republic nears a breakthrough point to becoming a nuclear state.
In its announcement, the Kremlin said the two leaders will discuss options for further expanding ties between Moscow and Tehran, including in trade and investment, transport and logistics, and humanitarian spheres. Putin and Pezeshkian will also talk about regional and international issues, it added.
Russia’s announcement comes hours after a report appeared in the London Times about Iranian officials traveling on diplomatic missions to Russia to bolster its military capabilities.
According to the report, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s close advisor Ali Larijani held secret trips to Moscow to meet with senior officials there in an effort to secure Russia’s help for Iran’s nuclear program, and for its aerial defenses, after having been damaged in the Israeli attacks late last year.
According to the Times, Western intelligence sources said Tehran was requesting Russian assistance in matters related to its nuclear program after years of cooperation that included the supply to Iran of nuclear fuel for a 1,000 megawatt light-water nuclear power reactor.
One source said that since Russia was dependent on Iranian drones in its war with Ukraine, there were concerns that it would be willing to cross red lines, previously observed, regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The Times report comes as Iran was preparing to resume negotiations with the so-called E3 group – the UK, Germany,and France in Geneva, to reach a new nuclear deal. One such meeting was scheduled for Monday (13th) and the paper said that its revelation of the secret meetings held by Iranians and Russians, would likely raise more concern over Iran’s real intentions, in the West.
Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran and other countries hostile towards the U.S., such as North Korea, since the start of the Ukraine war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in October that Moscow and Tehran intended to sign the strategic partnership pact which would include closer defense cooperation.
The United States accused Tehran in September of delivering close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, and imposed sanctions on ships and companies it said were involved in delivering Iranian weapons. Tehran denies providing Moscow with the missiles.
Iran announced on Monday (13th) that it had received a new shipment of a 1,000 UAVs, in what can be considered a signal to Israel and the United States should they be considering an attack on its nuclear facilities after U.S. president-elect Trump takes office.
The Iranian Tasnim news agency said the drones have been deployed to different sites around the country. They have the capability of traveling to a distance of over 1,243 miles and cause severe damage. They have the ability of autonomous flight and can penetrate advanced defense systems and will not only increase Iran’s ability to defend its borders but also attack targets at a great distance.
Israeli Cardiac Mission Saves Children’s Lives In Zambia
Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), an Israeli humanitarian organization providing free cardiac healthcare to children in countries where such care is limited or nonexistent, recently treated 25 children suffering from congenital heart defects in Zambia.
The mission, conducted in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, brought together an international team of medical professionals from Israel’s Wolfson Medical Center (WNC, where SACH is based), Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCH) and Zambia’s National Heart Hospital (NHH).
The team included cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, ICU specialists, technicians and nurses. Over the course of four days, the medical professionals performed dozens of open-heart surgeries at NHH.
Additionally, the team performed catheterizations, advanced procedures that allow for the repair of heart defects in children without the need for open-heart surgery.
SACH will donate essential medical supplies and a portable echocardiography machine, utilized in both the operating room and catheterization lab, to help local teams build on the success of the mission.
Working closely with Zambia’s Health Ministry since 2017, SACH has treated more than 100 Zanbian children and trained local medical professionals in advanced cardiac care in Israel.
The latest mission was led by Tanzania’s Dr. Godwin Godfrey Sharau, and Zambia’s Dr.Mudaniso Kumani Ziwa, both of whom trained in Israel under the mentorship of WMC Director of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Dr. Lior Sasson.
“The specialized training they received at Wolfson Medical Center has empowered them to perform complex heart surgeries and train others, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond Israel,” Sasson said
“Witnessing the successful collaboration of these skilled professionals, who were once our trainees, fills me with pride and hope for the future of children with heart disease around the world.”
Dr. Ziwa added: “Thanks to the training and resources provided by Save a Child’s Heart, we are now equipped to deliver world-class care to children in Zambia. This mission signifies the start of a brighter future for countless families and the continued growth of our center of excellence toward achieving global standards.”
Jordan Signs Deal With French-Led Group To Build Massive Desalination Plant
AMMAN, Jordan – Jordan, one of the world’s driest countries, signed an agreement on Sunday (12th) with French-led investors to build one of the world’s largest desalination plants.
Jordan’s official Petra news agency called it the country’s biggest-ever infrastructure project, which Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan has told Parliament is valued at more than $5 billion.
French infrastructure specialist Meridiam is leading the project in partnership with SUEZ, Orascom Construction, and Vinci Construction Grants Projects.
On its website, Meridiam said the project would supply more than 300 million cubic meters of drinking water to Amman and Aqaba, serving in excess of three million people.
“This project will increase the total annual available domestic water supply by almost 60 percent” for households, and will also include about 276 miles of pipelines to transport the desalinated water from the Red Sea, Meridiam said.
Jordan’s Water and Irrigation Minister Raed Abu al-Saud emphasized the project’s “transformative potential,” noting it would “mark a significant shift in Jordan’s water security landscape,” according to Petra.
The project will take about four years to complete, the prime minister said last month.
It follows Jordan’s pullout from a plan that would have linked the Dead Sea and the Red Sea by pipes in Jordan.
In 2013, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians signed a memorandum of understanding on that project, which included plans to build a desalination plant in the Red Sea.
But against the backdrop of popular anger in Jordan, due to stagnation in the Israel-Palestinian peace process, then-water minister Mohammad al-Najjar said in June of 2021 that the Red Sea-Dead Sea project was “now a thing of the past.”
Israel provides Jordan with water as part of the 1994 peace treaty.
In November, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced that his country would back out of a United Arab Emirates -brokered deal from 2021 intended to have Jordan supply solar energy to Israel in return for Israel giving it additional desalinated water.
But in March, Amman reportedly asked to extend the deal by an additional year. Israel replied to Jordan with a request that Jordanian officials moderate their vocal criticism of Israel.
