News Digest — 7/20/26
Iranian Missiles Target South Jordan, With Iron Dome Interceptors Fired
The IDF said Sunday (19th) it had detected ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the Jordan City of Aqaba, directly across the water from Eilat, warning that debris or fallout from the strikes could spill over into Israeli territory.
An IDF spokesperson said there may be spillover into Israeli territory as a result of the fire and that sirens could be activated in southern Israel as a precaution.
The military said that if a siren sounds, residents should enter protected spaces immediately and remain there until further notice, adding that for now there is no change to the Home Front Command guidelines and that the public will be updated if the assessment changes.
No sirens were ultimately activated in Eilat itself, although Israel’s Iron Dome launched interceptors over fears of falling debris.
In addition, a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned around in mid-air due to the launches.
According to the Times of Israel, the US Aegis system intercepted the missiles headed to Aqaba.
Aqaba sits directly across the Gulf of Eilat from the Israeli city and from Israeli communities in the Arava region, separated by only a few kilometers.
The immediate proximity has repeatedly raised concern within Israel’s defense establishment that interception debris or fragments of incoming missiles could land on Israeli soil, as has happened in past rounds of fighting in the area.
Earlier Sunday (19th), Jordanian authorities reportedly evacuated Aqaba’s international airport and seaport entirely, according to the US embassy in Amman, though Jordanian officials, per Al-Jazeera, denied that any evacuation had taken place.
The evacuation was said to follow specific and credible intelligence of a concrete threat.
Shortly afterward, the US embassy issued an urgent notice to American citizens in Jordan, instructing them to avoid the airport and seaport in Aqaba entirely and to stay away from military bases across the kingdom.
The developments came just hours after US Central Command confirmed that two American soldiers were killed and a third remains missing following a direct Iranian strike on a US military base in Jordan, the first American combat deaths in the country since fighting resumed in the region.
Officials in Washington told American media that beyond the two fatalities, dozens of American troops have been wounded in varying degrees over recent days amid repeated waves of strikes.
The fatal strike reportedly hit Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a strategic facility that has also previously hosted the advanced American THAAD missile defense system, which was itself damaged in earlier rounds of fighting.
US and regional defense officials have expressed deep concern over the technological capabilities Iran displayed in its recent attacks, with military experts noting the missiles used showed unusually high speed and maneuverability as they approached their targets, complicating interception efforts by Western defense systems.
Washington’s central worry is that Tehran is receiving close technological and intelligence assistance from powers such as Russia or China aimed at improving the accuracy of strikes on sensitive American assets. Media outlets aligned with the Iranian regime, meanwhile, moved quickly to publicize satellite imagery they say shows the strike destroyed hangers used to prepare fighter jets at the American base.
The American response was swift, with US forces launching a brand new wave of strikes on Iran, marking the eighth consecutive night of American attacks.
The exchanges triggered sirens and warning signals overnight in neighboring Kuwait and Bahrain as well, underscoring the potential for the fighting to spread into a wider regional war.
Jordan, a longtime Western ally and a quiet security partner of Israel, has found itself increasingly on the front line of the conflict, with the direct threat to Aqaba raising alarm within Israel’s security establishment given its immediate proximity to Eilat and the Arava.
Following the rapid escalation, the US State Department raised its alert and issued a global travel advisory, along with a specific warning for the Middle East explicitly naming Jordan and Israel.
Americans were urged to reconsider travel to the entire region given the potential for unpredictable escalation and concern that diplomatic facilities could become targets.
The public has also been warned of possible severe travel disruptions, mass flight cancellations and possible regional airspace closures in the immediate terms, effects already being felt in Middle East flight schedules.
Chief Of Staff In Judea And Samaria: ‘On High Alert, Prepared For Any Development In Iran’
The IDF is maintaining a high level of operational readiness and its air defense array has been placed on increased alert following launches carried out Sunday (19th) toward the Aqaba area, while closely monitoring developments in Iran, IDF Chief of Staff MG Eyal Zamir said during a situational assessment held at the Judea and Samaria Division.
Zamir reviewed the latest operational picture with forces in the field, the many counterterrorism achievements of recent weeks, and the readiness level of units ahead of upcoming missions. The Chief of Staff also held an open discussion with brigade commanders regarding the logistical and operational challenges facing them, both in the local arena and in the multi dimensional and multi-front campaign and expressed his deep appreciation for their continuous efforts to safeguard Israel’s security.
“Alongside the ongoing fight against terrorism in Judea and Samaria, we are closely monitoring developments in Iran and maintaining a high level of alert. We monitored the fire toward the Aqaba area today, and our air defense array is on alert to defend Israel’s citizens. We are prepared to immediately return to combat and will act with great force against anyone who seeks to harm us,” Zamir said.
He added: “I want to express my appreciation to the forces fighting day after day in the area and achieving significant results. Thanks to you, the scope of terror incidents in Judea and Samaria is among the lowest in recent years, alongside the determined fight against terrorism and strengthening the communities. Nationalist crime harms security and settlement. We cannot accept this, and we will continue working with the Shin Bet and police to eradicate this phenomenon.
Alongside the high level of readiness for multi-front warfare, the Judea and Samaria sector remains a permanent arena of focus. I am aware of the major challenges before you in the coming period, during which you will be required to maintain high readiness for rapid responses to emerging incidents and preserve security and stability in the sector.” the Chief of Staff said.
The Great Palestinian Election Scam – Khaled Abu Toameh
Palestinian Authority Leader Mahmoud Abbas has once again announced legislative and presidential elections, presenting the move as evidence of democratic renewal. Western governments and donors will undoubtedly welcome the announcement as a sign that Abbas is finally responding to long-standing demands for reform. They should not
Holding elections for the sake of holding elections is not reform. Elections alone do not create democracy, end corruption, or establish accountability. As seen in Russia, Venezuela, Iran and other dictatorships, elections are not signs of reform, but just choreographed burlesques.
The Palestinians desperately need transparent institutions, an independent judiciary, a free press, functioning checks and balances, and leaders who answer to the public rather than rule indefinitely by presidential decree. None of that exists under the PA in the West Bank or under Hamas in Gaza. Abbas, now 91, is serving the 21st year of a four year presidential term that began in 2005.
For decades, both Fatah and Hamas have systematically prevented the emergence of alternative leadership. Both bear responsibility for widespread human rights abuses, political repression, arbitrary arrests of opponents, media intimidation and corruption. Instead of building democratic institutions, they have built systems designed to preserve their own power.
Public opinion surveys over the past two years have repeatedly shown that Hamas remains one of the most popular political forces in Palestinian society and, in many cases, enjoys greater support than Abbas’ Fatah faction. New elections could once again hand victory to Hamas. Such a result would strengthen an Iranian-backed terrorist group that openly seeks Israel’s destruction, rejects peace, and continues to advocate armed jihad (holy war).
Why Do They Always Blame The Jews?
France defeated Morocco 2-0 in a World Cup quarter-final. The Jewish people had nothing to do with it. Yet within hours, crowds in European cities were chanting, “Hamas! Hamas! All Jews to the gas chambers.” In The Hague, police were pelted with bottles. Fires were set in Amsterdam. Rioting broke out on Edgware Road in London. A North African team lost a soccer match, and the immediate reflex was to call for the murder of Jews.
Why is it always the Jews? A soccer match, a pandemic, an economic crisis, a war, an assassination, a wildfire, an election – somehow, someone finds a way to blame the Jews. After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, conspiracy theories spread online claiming that Israel or the Mossad was responsible.
We have observed this pattern for 2,000 years. When the Black Death swept through Europe, Jews were accused of poisoning wells, and Jewish communities were burned alive for a plague they were dying from alongside everyone else. During the Spanish Inquisition, Jews were accused of corrupting the faith and were expelled, tortured or murdered. Every generation invents a fresh reason and attaches it to the oldest target.
There are 15 million Jews in the world of more than 8 billion people – less than 0.2% of humanity. Yet these tiny people are routinely accused of controlling nations. If Jews truly possessed the extraordinary power attributed to them, would they have spent centuries being expelled from country after country? Would Jewish schools and synagogues around the world require armed guards? Would Israel, a country smaller than New Jersey, have spent most of its existence fighting for the right to exist?
Duvi Honig, the writer, is founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce (Jerusalem Post)
France Commemorates 1942 Roundup Of Jews, After Plaque Honoring Rescuers Defaced
PARIS – France on Sunday (19th) commemorated the Vel d’ Hiv roundup, a mass arrest of Jews by French police in 1942, one of the most shameful acts undertaken by the country’s wartime government.
French police rounded up thousands of Jews over two days in July 1942, wresting children from their mother’s arms and dispatching everyone to Nazi death camps. At a time of rising antisemitism, France honors those victims every year as it tries to keep the memory alive.
France is home to Europe’s largest Jewish population and has seen a surge in antisemitic acts, including threats, vandalism and physical violence, following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing war.
A plaque in Paris, honoring a couple and their daughter who saved a 13-year–old child during the roundup, was recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations and was vandalized ahead of the ceremony, French authorities said.
“To attack the righteous is to desecrate the entire universe,” said Alice Rufo, a deputy defense minister. “The plaque will be restored. Their memory remains undiminished. In the face of antisemitism, in all its forms, the Republic will not yield an inch.”
Following the Nazi invasion of France in 1940, the country was ruled by a government commonly known as Vichy France, which collaborated with Nazi Germany.
Vel d’Hiv derives from the name of the Winter Velodrome that many of the detainees were confined in before they were deported to concentration and extermination camps.
On July 16 and 17, 1942, more than 4.500 police officers were mobilized and dozens of buses requisitioned. It was the largest roundup of Jews carried out in France during World War II. Arrests continued until July 20. A total of 13,152 Jews were deported, a third of them children.
It took France’s leadership 50 years after World War II to officially acknowledge the state’s involvement in the Holocaust, when then-President Jacques Chirac apologized for the French authorities’ role in the Vel d’Hiv raids.
