News Digest — 5/30/24
Alleged Israel Attacks On Syria’s Central Region And Baniyas City, Syrian State Media Says
Israel launched air attacks on Syria’s central region as well as the coastal city of Baniyas, Syrian state media said on Wednesday evening (29th) citing a military source.
“At approximately 19:30 pm, the Israeli enemy launched an air-aggression attack from the direction of Lebanese territory, targeting a site in the central region and a residential building in Baniyas…leading to a number of deaths,” the source was quoted as saying.
Syrian state media reported earlier on Wednesday (29th) that the country’s air defenses had intercepted “hostile targets” over Homs, without giving further details.
There was no immediate word on the incidents from Israel, which typically does not comment on specific reports of strikes in Syria.
For years Israel has been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.
Reported Israeli strikes on Syria have intensified sharply since the start of the war in Gaza last October 8th.
In April, Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel after a presumed Israeli strike that destroyed a building in Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus killing several Iranian officers including a top general.
Two Soldiers Dead In Ramming Attack Near Shechem
Two Israeli soldiers were critically wounded in a ramming attack on Wednesday (29th) in the Shechem (Nablus) area on Route 5077 near the Jewish town of Itamar.
The perpetrator fled the scene, making a U-turn and escaping back to Shechem.
The IDF stated: “IDF soldiers are pursuing the terrorist who carried out a ramming attack at one of the entrances to Nablus and fled the scene. Aircraft, intelligence collection forces, and special forces are participating in the efforts to search for the terrorist.”
Sometime later on Wednesday (29th) the terrorist turned himself in to security forces.
Rescue teams from Rescuers Without Borders and IDF medical teams tended to the wounded and evacuated them to the hospital.
United Hatzalah EMTs Itiel and Ayala Levi stated: “We were told at the scene that two pedestrians were hit and as a result they were critically and seriously wounded. We tended to one of the victims whose condition is critical, And an additional victim was evacuated by helicopter and we were told his condition was severe.”
Binyamin Regional Council Head and Yesha Council Chairman Israel Gantz said in response to the attack, “This evening we once again saw how the enemy here in Judea and Samaria seeks our destruction – everywhere, whether in Samaria or in Bat Hefer.”
“The answer should be through actions – the government and the IDF must act in the field targeting the foundations of the enemy and against those who support them. We strengthen the hands of the IDF soldiers who work with dedication for the security of the country,” he added.
UPDATE: The IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit on Thursday morning (30th) cleared for publication that two soldiers were murdered in the ramming attack near Shechem (Nablus) on Wednesday evening (29th) : Staff Sergeant Eliya HIlel, 20, from Tel Zion, and Staff Sergeant Diego Shvisha Harsaj, 20, from Tel Aviv.
Both served in the Nahshon Battalion of the Kfir Brigade.
Gallant Warns Nasrallah: Lebanon Will Pay The Price For Reality You Created
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday (29th) warned that the Hezbollah terror group, with its incessant attacks on Israel, was putting Lebanon into a “harsh reality” that would take its toll on the country’s residents.
During a visit to the IDF’s Northern Command, Gallant also presented photos and details about senior Hezbollah commanders Israel has killed during eight months of cross-border clashes since October 8.
“Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is dragging Lebanon into a harsh reality,” Gallant said. “The ones who will pay the price are the residents of Lebanon and Hezbollah forces.”
The minister went on to taunt Nasrallah over Hezbollah’s denial that Israel was killing its senior commanders amid the border clashes.
Standing in front of a large poster featuring what he said were nine Hezbollah commanders, Gallant identified each one by name and their role within the Iran-backed terror group.
The nine Hezbollah officers are equivalent to the rank of brigadier general in conventional militaries, according to a statement from the Defense Minister.
“I ask him — all these people aren’t yours?” Gallant said.
“This is the same Nasrallah who said two weeks ago that there are no casualties among the Hezbollah terrorists,” he added.
There are over 320 dead terrorists including some senior terrorists. If you continue, we will escalate,” Gallant warned.
Last month Hezbollah denied Gallant’s claim that Israeli forces have killed half of the Iran-backed terror group’s commanders in southern Lebanon, saying only a handful were slain.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with the Israeli army since the day after its Palestinian ally Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border almost daily, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
The Hezbollah attacks, which have included rockets and drones launched at northern border communities, continued Wednesday (29th). The IDF said its Iron Dome air defense system shot down two drones that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.
So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in 10 civilian deaths on the Israeli side as well a s the deaths of 14 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 322 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon, but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 62 operatives from other terror groups, and a Lebanese soldier have been killed.
Israel has threatened to go to war against Hezbollah to restore security to the north of Israel, where tens of thousands of civilians are currently displaced.
Knesset Advances Legislation labeling UNRWA As ‘Terror Organization’
The Knesset Plenum approved a preliminary reading of legislation designating the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a “terror organization” on Wednesday (29th). The bill, which must clear further legislative hurdles, would pave the way for Israel to sever ties with the UN agency.
Specifically, the legislation authorizes the Foreign Ministry to make the final determination on the terror designation. The agency would then be stripped of its diplomatic immunity, tax-exempt status, and other legal benefits.
The bill’s preliminary reading passed by a vote of 42-6.
Following the vote, MK Avigdor Liberman, who heads the right-wing opposition Yisrael Beiteinu party, said on X, “Today is more clear than ever that UNRWA, which assisted in the murder, kidnapping and rape of Jews during the Oct.7 attack, does not assist refugees, but only the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strp.”
UNRWA has been under fire for months,with Israeli officials demanding the agency be stripped of its authority in Gaza and defunded amid revelations that members of the agency’s staff participated in Hamas’ October 7 attacks.
Israel’s largest bank froze UNRWA’s account in February over suspicious financial transfers that the agency failed to adequately explain. Israeli forces discovered a Hamas complex located directly under the UNRWA’s Gaza City headquarters. Computer servers belonging to Hamas were directly connected to UNRWA’s electricity system.
Soldiers have found weapons stored in UNRWA facilities on multiple occasions.
Jerusalem’s deputy mayor accused UNRWA of undermining Israeli sovereignty over the city, among other things.
Reports released by IMPACT-se and UN Watch documented UNRWA employees expressing support for the October 7 attacks on social media.
The UN probed Israeli accusations against 19 UNRWA staffers. But to Israel’s ire, the investigations were dropped as UN officials claimed the evidence presented was insufficient. As a result, Israel is bypassing UNRWA in distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian refugees are the only refugee population with its own dedicated UN agency. The rest of the world’s refugees fall under the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Israeli officials have called for UNRWA to be closed and for Palestinian refugees to be brought under the responsibility of the UNHCR.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’ attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 129 remaining hostages, 39 are believed dead.
Senator Lindsey Graham Blasts Anti-Semitic Judge Heading The International Court Of Justice
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham excoriated the International Court of Justice Wednesday (29th) over the court’s recent ruling demanding Israel freeze its military operations against Hamas in and around the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Last week, the court issued a bombshell 13-2 ruling ordering the IDF to “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
On Wednesday (29th), South Carolina’s senior senator, Lindsey Graham, lambasted the International Court of Justice during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
During the meeting, the two took aim at both the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice over their recent decisions against Israel.
Earlier this month, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Graham vowed that the U.S. will take action to punish the ICC for its decision, and accused the ICJ chief justice, Lebanon’s Nawaf Salam, of anti-Semitism.
“This is one of the most challenging times for the State of Israel since its founding,” Graham said. “There are so many problems and challenges to overcome, but one of the problems you never have to worry about is America.”
“I promise you that we will do what we can, Mr. Prime Minister, to hold the ICC accountable for this outrage against the people of Israel.”
“To the International Court of Justice, you’re a joke. The head judge of the ICJ is a raving anti-Semite,”
Netanyahu lauded the senator as Israel’s strongest ally. “We have no better friend, and I mean it, than Senator Lindsey Graham.”
Wednesday’s visit marks Graham’s fifth trip to Israel since the October 7th invasion of southwestern Israel by Hamas.
Revealed: Hamas Robbed Gaza Banks To Fund Fighting Against Israel
IDF Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee on Wednesday evening (29th) revealed a document written by a senior Hamas terrorist documenting the fact that the terror group robbed a Gaza bank in order to fund the fighting against Israel.
According to the document, the war brought Hamas severe financial difficulties. For this reason, armed terrorists broke into branches of the Falestine bank in Gaza, stealing over 400 million NIS.
“At the beginning of February, Hamas strongmen threatened the staff of the Falestine bank in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, telling them to remove the cash from the bank’s ATMs, and on April 16, they stole hundreds of millions of shekels from the branch. Two days later, they broke into another branch in Gaza City, stealing tens of millions of shekels. On April 19, the terrorists carried out another robbery, at the Gaza City’s main branch, stealing hundreds of millions of shekels,” Adraee wrote.
“What will the residents of Gaza think, when they see they are becoming poorer from day to day because of the bloody adventures of these baby-murdering tyrants?” he asked.
“Hamas is stealing from the civilians in the Gaza Strip in order to fund its own survival, with absolutely no shame and is funding its terror activities at the expense and out of the pockets of the Strip’s residents,” Adraee stressed.
