News Digest — 8/19/24
Police Confirm Tel Aviv Explosion Was Failed Terror Attack
Police confirmed on Monday (19th) that the Sunday night (18th) explosion in Tel Aviv was a failed terrorist attack, Israel media reported.
The terrorist came from the West Bank, Israel media added.
On Monday morning (19th), Raim Bobalil, Police commander of the Ayalon area of Tel Aviv, said that, following an assessment, the police believed it was a terrorist threat. “It was a miracle that it did not explode at the nearby synagogue or in the shopping center. It could have ended in dozens of deaths.”
“Dozens of calls were received by the emergency center, reporting a loud explosion and body parts scattered on Lehi Street,” according to Central District Commander Perez Ammar at around 8 pm. He further added that when police forces arrived at the scene, they “noticed a mutilated body and signs of an explosion on the wall.”
Police initially said they were “having difficulty identifying the body,” but said the person killed was “not an innocent civilian, but rather the person who was carrying the explosive device.”
Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics said they found an unconscious body with multiple systematic injuries, and later pronounced him dead.
In addition, a 33 year-old-man was moderately injured. MDA paramedics provided the individual medical treatment and evacuated him to Sourasky Medical Center with shrapnel injuries to his limbs and chest.
Large police forces and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) were also at the scene. The circumstances of the incident were under investigation as all possibilities were being examined including a “failed terror attack.”
MDA paramedic Mitzan Faraj said: “We were called to the scene due to citizens who heard a loud explosion. When we arrived, we saw a truck on fire, and next to it, a man about 50 years old was lying unconscious with severe multi-system injuries. After medical tests, he was without a pulse, and all we had to do was pronounce him dead on the spot.”
Israeli Civilian Security Guard Killed in West Bank Hammer Attack
An Israeli civilian security guard was killed in a terror attack at the Bar-On industrial park near the West Bank settlement of Kedumim on Sunday (18th), the military and medics said.
The man, later identified as Gidon Peri, 38, had reported to the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday (18th) that he had been attacked by a Palestinian assailant with a hammer.
Peri was on duty in the industrial park, in the northern West Bank at the time of the attack.
According to medics who arrived on the scene of the attack, Peri was hit over the head with a hammer.
He was taken to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah in critical condition, where his death was later declared.
In a statement, the IDF said that during the attack, the assailant snatched the security guard’s handgun and fled the scene.
A military source said the terrorist was not holed up in the industrial park. IDF troops have begun a pursuit of the terrorist , a military source added.
Following the incident, residents of the nearby settlement of Kedumim were briefly instructed by local security to remain indoors if possible, while the hunt for the perpetrator was ongoing.
Hebrew media claimed that the attacker had a work permit to enter Israel-controlled areas of the West Bank, and that he worked in a factory in the industrial park, although the details were not confirmed and no information was provided to substantiate the claim.
Peri, from Kedumim, was a married father of three, his hometown said in a statement.
Tensions in Israel and the West Bank have soared since October 7, when terrorists burst through the Gaza border into Israel in a Hamas-led attack, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,850 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,960 affiliated with Hamas.
Power In The Skies: The Israeli Jets Capable Of Striking Iran
The Israeli Air Force released on Sunday (18th) a video showcasing a mid-air refueling drill involving its F-35 and F-15 fighter jets, highlighting their capability to reach targets as far as Iran and Yemen.
The drill sends a clear message to Israel’s adversaries and aligns with the Air Force’s long-term strategy to integrate its aging Boeing 707 refueling aircraft with newer KC-46 planes expected to arrive from the U.S. in the coming years.
The Boeing 707s, which are 40 to 50 years old, remain a crucial asset for the IDF, making Israel the only Western military still using them for offensive missions. Despite Boeing no longer manufacturing these aircraft, the company continues to supply critical parts, allowing the IDF to extend its operational life.
Lt. Col. A, who commands the 707 fleet and participated in last month’s mission against the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah in Yemen, emphasized the importance of refueling in such long-range operations.
“After the Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, which killed a civilian, I informed my base commander at Nevatim Air Base, that we were ready to target Yemen,” Col. A told Ynet. “The planning was completed overnight, and the next day, we received the order to proceed. To ensure our fighter jets could safely return, I ordered the removal of unnecessary equipment from the 707 to maximize space for fuel tanks.”
These preparations, he noted, would be essential if the Air Force were ordered to strike Iran. “Disconnecting the fighter jets miles from their target to give them time to organize for their attack, and then hearing minutes later that they had completed their mission, is a great feeling,” Lt. Col. A said. “We demonstrated that we can reach and strike anywhere in the Middle East and return safely, and that’s not even the full extent of our capabilities.”
He added that the operation, along with subsequent missions during Iran’s April attack on Israel underwent a thorough review. “We incorporated all the lessons learned from that strike, both in terms of attack and defense, to ensure we can operate under fire,” he said. “We were prepared then, and we are fully prepared now. We are ready for any mission at a moment’s notice.”
Israel: Leader Of The Free World– George Gilder
The issues in the Middle East could hardly be simpler. On one side is tyranny, dependency, and resentment; on the other is liberty – and the essence of liberty is self -government.
A self-governing people do not whine. They do not expect to be catered to like children. Unlike the so-called “Palestinians” who depend entirely on funds from Western “charities,” the Israelis give back far more than they take. They assume responsibility for their own fate and flourishing. Israelis don’t complain; they fight. The very essence of Zionism is that no Jew should ever again be dependent on the forbearance of some alien elite for survival.
The question is between envy and admiration of excellence. Do you view the exceptional accomplishments of others as examples to admire and emulate, and new sources of opportunity? Or do you greet these achievements with envy and hatred and charges of conspiracy, and demands for some unearned “fair share?”
A nation’s reaction to Israel has become the most crucial test of a free people. Equivocation by the U.S. toward Israel and its enemies, even to the extent of tolerating anti-Semitic violence at home, may be the most alarming signal yet of American decline in leadership for liberty.
Israel has emerged from five deadly wars over 50 years with a per capita income – for Jews and Arabs alike – higher than the per capita income of Germany, the UK, South Korea, or Japan. Fully 100,000 Israeli civilians work in Silicon Valley and are indispensable to its inventive powers. Israel also is the key source of life-saving military technology for America and the Free World.
Forty-plus years after Ronald Reagan launched the Strategic Defense “Star Wars” Initiative, America still does not have a serious missile defense. The US Patriot air defense system is more expensive and less effective than Israel’s system. If the Iranian nuke program is terminated, it will be by Israel and not the U.S. Israel is now fighting our wars and winning. So who is the leader of the Free World now?
The writer, and American investor and economist, is the author of The Israel Test: How Israel’s Genius Enriches and Challenges the World (2024). (RealClearPolitics)
Yearning For Electricity, Lebanese Blame Hezbollah, Iran For National Power Outage
Days after the country plunged into darkness, the people of Lebanon posted on social media that Iran and its Lebanese proxy robbed money to arm themselves.
In the wake of Lebanon’s national power outage, triggered by an oil shortage, the situation has spotlighted Hezbollah’s entrenched influence in the country’s energy sector. Social media users across Lebanon have voiced their frustrations, attributing the country’s worsening energy crisis to Hezbollah, the government and Iran. These claims are not without basis; Hezbollah’s deep-rooted involvement in Lebanon’s energy affairs is well-documented.
On the Saudi network “Al Arabiya.” A report titled “They Robbed Money and Armed Themselves – Lebanese Criticize Hezbollah After Power Outage” captured the public’s sentiment. Lebanese citizens, like Kinda Al-Khatib, pointed fingers at Hezbollah’s longstanding control over the Ministry of Energy, dating back to 2005, as the primary cause of the crisis.
An Alma Center’s 2021 article detailed how the Yamin brothers, prominent figures in Lebanon, use their company LIQUI GROUP, to further Hezbollah’s interests in the energy market. Their operations reportedly include fuel smuggling to Syria and evading international sanctions,with companies like “Liquigas” and “Coral” facilitating these activities, despite being sanctioned by the US.
The Zahrani power plant, the last and only plant still providing electricity in Lebanon reportedly shut down on Saturday (17th) for lack of fuel.
The South Lebanon Water Establishment said that shutting down power plants will negatively affect their ability to pump sufficient quantities of water into the area.
“The Electric Corporation, as per Sawt Beirut International, said that Zahrani no longer supplies electricity as a result of the exploitation of the plant’s oil reserves. This will interrupt basic facilities, including airports, water and sewage, infrastructure and more, “Israel media reported, on Saturday (17th).
Argentine Police Thwart Islamist Terror Cell Planning Attacks On Jewish Community
Argentina’s Federal Police dismantled what it said was a terrorist cell planning attacks on the Jewish community in the city of Mendoza, the country’s National Security Ministry said in a statement on Friday (16th), describing the group as an “Islamic terrorist organization.”
The Argentine Security Ministry said that seven members of the alleged group were arrested. Eight raids were carried out at the homes of the members, resulting in the seizure of firearms, knives, and electronic devices, the ministry added.
Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich posted to social media of the raid on the cell, which she said was uncovered after one of the members threatened a journalist from the Jewish community.
According to the ministry, the organization had been spreading hate messages, attack plans, and content from terror groups such as ISIS and the Taliban.
“We are going to get rid of each and every one of these criminals who intend to sow fear in Argentines, and they will pay,” she wrote.
Argentina has Latin America’s largest Jewish population. A 1994 attack on a Jewish community center killed 85 people in what remains the deadliest such incident in the South American nation’s history and an attack against the Israeli embassy in 1992 killed 22 people.
The Lebanese terror group Heznollah has been blamed for carrying out the deadly bombings on Tehran’s orders.
Last month, the country’s libertarian President Javier Milei, a staunch proponent of both the Jewish community and Israel, promised to beef up the national intelligence system to prevent future attacks.
The incident follows arrests in Argentina in January of three people with Syrian and Lebanese citizenship suspected of plotting what the authorities called a terrorist attack.
The incident comes with Jewish communities around the world on heightened alert following the killing of a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut by Israel and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Israel has not taken credit for killing Haniyeh.
Both Hezbollah and Iran have vowed to respond forcefully to the killings.
