News Digest — 11/25/24
Several Israelis Hurt By Relentless Hezbollah Fire As 250 Rockets Fired At North, Center
Several people were wounded by rocket fire on Sunday (24th) as the Hezbollah terror group fired more than 250 rockets and drones at northern and central Israel in several salvos throughout the day, according to the military and medics.
In northern Israel, a man in his 60s was hit by shrapnel to the stomach while working in a field in the Kfar Blum area, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service. He was seriously injured, and taken to Ziv Hospital in Safed for treatment.
In Haifa, two men in their fifties were lightly hurt by shrapnel during a rocket barrage on the northern port city, MDA said. The barrage also caused damage to a residential building in the area.
Earlier on Sunday (24th), a woman in her 50s was lightly injured by shrapnel following rocket fire on the Western Galilee around 7:30 a.m.
Central Israel was again targeted in the evening Sunday (24th), with several missiles fired, some intercepted while others fell in open areas.
In the aftermath of a strike on Petah Tikva, Magen David Adom said that it treated a 70-year-old woman suffering from smoke inhalation due to a car that caught fire as a result of a rocket impact. She was said to be in moderate condition.
Amid the heavy rocket fire from Lebanon Sunday (24th), the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for two buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, ahead of airstrikes by Israel on Hezbollah assets.
A short while later, reports in Lebanese media indicated that Israel was carrying out strikes in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs. Elsewhere in Lebanon, the IDF said that it had also struck the Hezbollah launcher that was used in the attack on Haifa earlier on Sunday (24th), and released footage of the attack.
Earlier on Sunday (24th), the IDF confirmed reports that it had launched airstrikes at the Jusiyah Crossing on the Syrian-Lebanon border Saturday night (23rd), after it was being used by Hezbollah to transport weapons.
The crossing had already been struck before by the IDF last month. The military said fighting jets hit military infrastructure in the vicinity of the crossing, which it said was used by the Hezbollah terror organization to transfer weapons from Syria to Lebanon.
Israel has struck several other crossings between Lebanon and Syria in recent months, amid efforts by Iran to supply Hezbollah with arms.
Since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’ October 7 onslaught, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the terror group.
Hezbollah has since expanded its attacks to also target cities in central and northern Israel with rockets, in addition to the attacks on the border.
Israel also stepped up its offensive on Hezbollah in Lebanon in Late September, launching extensive airstrikes and operations that took out most of the group’s leadership, including its long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel then launched a ground operation into southern Lebanon, with the aim of clearing Hezbollah strongholds in the area and making it safe for evacuated residents of northern Israel to return to their homes.
As of last month, the IDF estimated that over 12,400 rockets and drones have been fired at Israel from Lebanon during the war. Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel since October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 44 civilians.
In addition, 71 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ground operation launched in September.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups have also been killed in Lebanon.
Jordanian Official: Shooting Near Embassy, A Terrorist Attack Against Security Forces
Jordan’s Minister of Government Communications, Muhammad Mubaidin described the early Sunday morning (24th) shooting near the Israeli Embassy in Amman as “a terrorist attack against public security forces,” the Xinhua news agency reported.
The Jordan Public Security Directorate said a gunman opened fire on a patrol in Rabieh, near the Israeli Embassy. Security forces were dispatched to the scene, where they identified the shooter, who attempted to flee.
The suspect was pursued and eventually cornered by security forces, leading to an exchange of fire.
The assailant was shot dead, while three security officers sustained minor injuries. They were transported to the hospital for treatment.
“Any attempt to harm national security or attack public security officers will be met with the full force of the law, and will face just retribution,” said Mubaidin.
The investigation into the attack is ongoing. While authorities have not indicated whether the shooting was related to the nearby Israeli Embassy, the embassy in Jordan has in the past been the scene of anti-Israel protests.
In March, Jordanian anti-riot police arrested dozens of demonstrators who were trying to march toward the Israeli Embassy.
Two days earlier, riot police fired teargas to push back hundreds of protestors.
The protestors reportedly chanted “No Zionist embassy on Jordanian land,”in one of the slogans that have become customary at protests that call on Jordan to scrap its peace treaty with Israel.
The authorities allow protests outside the Israeli Embassy, but say authorities cannot tolerate any attempt to storm the embassy.
Jordan signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994 but many locals are against the treaty. In addition, the Jordanian parliament, which is made up mostly of Islamists, remains anti-Israel and its members have more than once called to annul the peace treaty.
Murdered Simply For Being Jewish: Outraged Israelis Grieve Murder Of UAE Rabbi
Israelis reacted with outrage and grief in reaction to the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirati authorities found his body on Sunday (24th) after he disappeared on Thursday (21st).
“Anti-Semitism is not just a thing of the past. Hatred of Israel is a plague that is rampant around the world today,” said Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in response to the murder.
“I mourn with sorrow and outrage the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan,” tweeted President Isaac Herzog.
“This vile anti-Semitic attack is a reminder of the inhumanity of the enemies of the Jewish people,” Herzog noted, adding that the murder “will not deter us from continuing to grow flourishing communities in the UAE or anywhere – especially with the help of the dedicated commitment and work of the Chabad emissaries all over the world.”
According to Israeli media reports, the killers are thought to be Uzbek nationals working on behalf of Iran, who fled to Turkey.
UAE says it arrested 3 suspects in the murder of the Chabad rabbi “in record time.”
Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism, Amichai Chikli, blamed Iran. “The horrific murder of Chabad emissary Zvi Kogan, may his blood be avenged, is a criminal, anti-Semitic terrorist act for which the terrorist state of Iran is responsible. It is our duty to overthrow this regime, the root of evil in the Middle East,” Chikli said.
Dr. Yoel Guzansky, Head of the Gulf Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) criticized the United Arab Emirates for its reluctance to refer to the event as an anti-Semitic terror attack or blame Iran.
“The UAE government seeks to downplay the murder of the Chabad emissary,” Guzansky said. :They are not rushing to blame Iran due to the improving relations between the two countries.”
A statement by the Emirati Foreign Ministry released on Saturday (23rd) only referred to Kogan as a “missing Moldovan citizen.” It made no reference to Kogan’s Israeli nationality, nor did it identify him as a rabbi.
“This incident damages their image and could harm tourism from Israel, “ Guzansky added.
Amid a major spike in attacks against Israelis and Jewish targets worldwide since Hamas’ October 7 massacres, Israel has issued travel warnings for countries across the Middle East.
Israel and the UAE signed the Abraham Accords in September 2020.
US Senator Threatens Sanctions On Allies Over Arrest Warrant For Israeli Leaders
A senior United States senator warned American allies not to cooperate with the International Criminal Court at The Hague in its efforts to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, threatening to impose sanctions on states which honor the arrest warrants.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of two Republicans representing South Carolina, castigated the International Criminal Court Saturday (23rd) over its decision to issue arrest warrants to Netanyahu and Gallant over their handling of the war against the Hamas terror organization, claiming there was sufficient evidence of violations of international law to justify their arrests.
“Israel is in a fight for its very life,” Graham told Fox News.
“The Jewish state is under siege from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran has directly attacked Israel. And we live in an upside-down world where the prime minister of Israel and the defense minister of Israel are being prosecuted by a court in Belgium.”
Graham also ripped the court on technical grounds, both for granting state standing to the Gaza Strip and for taking action against a state, Israel, which is not a party to the Rome Statue of the ICC.
“The court ruled that Gaza is a state – no, there is no Palestinian state under international law. And Israel is not a member of the International Criminal Court, and neither are we.”
“This is an anti-Semitic body and this court is to literally put in jail the prime minister of Israel and the defense minister for Israel defending itself from multiple terrorist organizations.”
The senator warned American allies, including Canada and Britain, that any attempt to enforce the ICC arrest warrants would prompt the US to impose sanctions which would “crush” their economies.
“If you are going to help the ICC, as a nation, enforce the arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant…. I will put sanctions on you as a nation. You are going to have to pick either the rogue ICC versus America.”
“I’m working with Tom Cotton to have legislation passed as soon as we can to sanction any country that aids and abets the arrest of any politician in Israel.”
“To any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, – if you try to help the ICC, we’re going to sanction you.”
On Thursday (21st), Graham took to X to respond to the ICC ruling, calling the decision to issue the arrest warrants “rogue and politically motivated.”
“Any nation or organization that aids or abets this outrage should expect to meet firm resistance from the United States, and I look forward to working with President Trump, his team, and my colleagues in Congress to come up with a powerful response.”
Rare Ancient Amulet Featuring King Solomon Discovered In Turkey
Archaeologists have unearthed a rare ancient amulet bearing biblical imagery in Turkey, marking a significant historical discovery. The remarkable artifact, comparable in size to a large coin, features an elaborate battle scene and carries a sacred inscription. Researchers from Karabuk University made the discovery in Hadrianopolis, a Roman-period city situated near the Black Sea coast. Scientific analysis dates the amulet to at least 1,500 years ago.
The amulet’s primary face depicts an intricate engraving of King Solomon astride a horse, wielding a spear against Satan. Biblical texts identify Solomon as the son of King David and the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem, a figure revered in Judaism and Christianity. Encircling the scene, an inscription reads, “Our Lord has conquered evil.” The reverse side features the name of four angels: Michael, Gabriel, Israfil, and Azrael.
The discovery holds particular historical significance, as only one comparable artifact has previously been found in Jerusalem. The amulet’s presence in Hadrianopolis corresponds with the city’s established military importance, where earlier excavations confirmed the historical presence of a conquering cavalry unit. The city’s archaeological significance extends beyond its military heritage.
The site has yielded numerous well-preserved mosaics within its ancient churches, featuring religious imagery and animal motifs. The excavations have also revealed an array of tombs, ancient baths and defensive fortifications.
