News Digest — 8/23/22
Report: Iranian IRGC Officer Killed In Syria
A senior officer in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC), Brig.-Gen. Abolfazal Alijani, was killed in the Aleppo region of Syria on Monday morning (22nd), according to Iranian and Lebanese media.
Alijani was a “military adviser” from the city of Isfahan; the circumstances of his death are not clear.
Iranian authorities stated that Alijani was a senior ranking officer in the IRGC. He will be buried in the coming days according to KAN News.
Last week three Syrian officers were killed in an air attack. Syrian media reported that air defense systems had been activated following an attack by the Israeli Air Force in the Tartus area, located northwest of Damascus, according to Ma’ariv.
Reports claimed that the target of the attack was an Iranian base where there was a detection radar, a stockpile of precision missiles, as well as Iranian and Syrian officers who supervised it.
In July, Iranian media reported that a senior officer in the Revolutionary Guards Navy had been killed. The official Fars news agency reported that V.-Adm. Baitullah Dibsalar was killed during a mission in Salah al-Din province.
In June, Iran accused Israel of the death of five IRGC officers. A few days later, two Revolutionary Guard air force officers, Mohammad Abdous and Ali Kamani, who had been involved in developing weapons for Hezbollah in Lebanon, were pronounced dead. The cause of death, according to Saudi-backed Iranian news TV station Iran International, was not an accident, despite claims by Islamic Republic officials to the contrary.
Iran’s Central Province Corps, at the time, issued a statement announcing that Kamani had died “as a result of a traffic accident” during an operation in the city of Khomeini. Also announced at the same time was that a military employee of the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Republic, Mohammad Abdous was killed “during the mission.”
Abdous and Kamani were both Revolutionary Guard air force engineer officers who worked on “building and developing weapons for Hezbollah in Lebanon” according to Iran International.
(jpost.com; kan.org.il; ynetnews.com)
Lapid To Travel To Germany To Discuss Procurement Of Israel’s Arrow 3 Missile Defense System
Prime Minister Yair Lapid is expected to travel to Germany in the coming weeks to discuss, among other things, the country’s request to procure a missile defense system from Israel or the United States, Israeli media has learned.
Germany is looking to acquire Arrow 2 – built by Israel Aerospace Industries – and the US THAAD system – produced by Lockheed Martin – to defend against threats, including Russian Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad.
The country first made the request at the beginning of 2022, when Naftali Bennett was prime minister, and talks are expected to continue for some time.
The Israeli political-defense echelon has expressed great support for the move.
“Germany is one of Israel’s biggest friends in the world, and every such request should be granted,” one official said.
Lapid is expected to travel to Germany on September 12, a week before flying to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
UAE Planning To Return Ambassador To Iran As Ties Upgraded
The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday (21st) that its ambassador to Iran, Saif Mohammed Ali Zaabi, would return to Tehran “in the coming days,” more than six years after the Gulf Arab state downgraded ties with the Islamic Republic.
The move is in line with UAE efforts to strengthen relations with Iran “to achieve the common interests of the two countries and the wider region,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The UAE downgraded its ties with Iran after Saudi Arabia severed its own relations with Tehran in January 2016. The move followed the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran by Iranian protesters after Riyadh executed a prominent Shiite cleric.
After years of animosity on different sides of geo-political rivalries, the UAE started re-engaging with Tehran in 2019 following attacks in Gulf waters and on Saudi energy sites amid heightened tensions after Washington quit global powers’ nuclear pact with Iran.
Last year Sunni Muslim powerhouse Saudi Arabia moved to improve ties with foe Shiite Muslim Iran with five rounds of direct talks so far. This has come at a time when Gulf Arab states are closely eyeing efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear pact, which they deem flawed for not addressing Iran’s missile program and behavior.
Though Riyadh and Abu Dhabi want an end to Tehran’s push for dominance in the region, they also want to contain the tensions as they focus on economic priorities.
The UAE has had business and trade ties with Iran stretching back more than a century, with the Dubai emirate long being one of Iran’s main links to the outside world.
Fellow Gulf state Kuwait earlier this month appointed its first ambassador to Iran since 2016. Then, in solidarity with Riyadh, it recalled its envoy to Tehran while maintaining relations as part of a balanced foreign policy.
Russian Court Postpones Ruling On Fate Of Jewish Agency For 30 Days
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court during a hearing over the weekend postponed by 30 days its verdict on whether to shutter the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Operations in Russia according to Russian media.
Russia claims that the Jewish Agency, which helps Jews immigrate to Israel, broke laws by collecting private data on Russian citizens.
The reports said that Jewish Agency lawyers asked for the additional time in order to gather evidence that the organization had not violated any laws, and to outline steps already taken to modify its activities in accordance with Russian Justice Ministry directives.
During a special meeting held in Israel on July 24 to discuss the matter, interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that “closing the Jewish Agency offices would be a serious event that would affect relations between the two countries.”
An Israeli delegation left for Russia thereafter following a significant delay caused by Moscow’s apparent unwillingness to issue entry visas.
Most analysts believe that Russia’s move against the Jewish Agency is either meant to punish Israel for speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine, or a pressure tactic aimed at dissuading Jerusalem from taking more concrete action in support of Kyiv.
(jns.org)
Israeli Experts Consulted On South Africa’s Water Crisis
A delegation of Israeli water experts arrived in South Africa earlier this month for consultations with local municipalities on crucial issues affecting water infrastructure and how Israeli technology can help.
The visit, organized by the Jewish National Fund of South Africa (JNF-SA), included a public panel discussion titled “Joburg’s Water Crisis: How Can Israel Help?” featuring Johannesburg-raised Clive Lipchin, director of Transboundary Water Management for the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in southern Israel.
Lipchin has worked globally with institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, and with Jordanian and Palestinian water treatment teams, and recently hosted a group of water technology academics from South Africa’s University of the Free State seeking water solutions in Israel.
The JNF-SA explained that South Africa is plagued by many water-related issues. Leakage alone wastes as much as 37% of urban water. Inadequate or broken wastewater infrastructure leads to disease and a lack of drinkable water supply. Already, Nelson Mandela Bay can no longer supply municipal water.
The technologies that Israel developed include: drip irrigation, desalination, leak detection, drawing water from the air and wastewater recycling. Israel is the world’s leader in wastewater recycling, with 90% being treated and reused for agriculture.
Randal Williams, Executive Mayor of Tshwane, issued a statement saying he welcomed the Israelis “to support us in improving wastewater management in Tshwane…and discuss how we can leverage their expertise.”
“This delegation offers an important opportunity for South Africa and Israel to work together to help solve these issues,” he said. “The team will conduct site visits with city officials, culminating in recommendations to improve the capital city’s water management.”
Rowan Polovin, National Chairman of the South African Zionist Federation, added, “This cooperation between South Africa and Israel is a welcome step forward for our country towards mitigating its serious water crisis, and we hope that other municipalities will follow suit.”
Brooklyn: Teens Attack Orthodox Jews In Two Separate Incidents
Police are searching for a group of teens who are believed to be responsible for two attacks on Orthodox Jews in Williamsburg over the weekend, Hamodia reported on Sunday (21st).
Footage posted to social media shows two suspects chasing a Jewish man Sunday morning (21st), on Lee Avenue between Taylor Street and Roebling Avenue. The victim’s shtreimel fell to the ground as he ran, and was stolen by one of the suspects.
On Sunday (21st) also, a suspect approached a Jewish man with three other teens, and after separating from the group, sprayed his Jewish victim twice with a chemical fire extinguisher, covering the victim from all sides. He then hurled the canister at the victim, but missed before striking the victim in the face causing injury. The victim who was 66 years of age was on his way to shul. The suspect then fled and rejoined his friends.
Shomrim responded to the scene of both incidents and is investigating. The NYPD is treating the attacks as hate crimes.
The NYPD told Harmodia that police will increase their presence in the community, adding “We take these incidents very seriously and will ensure safety for all.”
Just last week, a synagogue in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn was vandalized with the word “Hitler” spray-painted on the side of the building.
The NYPD is also investigating this incident.
(isnn.com)
