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DAILY ALERT |
Thursday, April 29, 2021 | ||
In-Depth Issues:
Russia Protecting Iranian Ships Smuggling Arms to Syria - Arie Egozi (BreakingDefense)
Iran appears to have moved its overland weapons shipments to Syria - where Israel has regularly tracked and destroyed them - to ships that may be receiving protection from the Russian navy in the Mediterranean. At the same time, Israeli defense sources say Israel has intensified its aerial attacks on targets in Syria once the weapons are delivered by sea. Uzi Rabi, an expert on Iran, said, "The rules of the game at sea are different. What was achievable when Israel operated against the ground and air shipments of weapons from Iran to Syria is not valid when the action is at sea, under a Russian umbrella." The Russian news agency Sputnik reported on April 17 that a joint Russian-Iranian-Syrian force would be established in the Mediterranean to ensure the safe arrival in Syria of oil and other goods.
IDF Downs Hizbullah Drones on Lebanon Border with Electric Pulses (Ynet News)
Israeli forces downed a drone belonging to Hizbullah that crossed into northern Israel from Lebanon on Tuesday, the IDF said. Earlier in the day, troops located another Hizbullah drone that had been downed several weeks ago. The IDF said both drones were downed by electric pulses as soon as they crossed into Israeli territory and not by direct gunfire.
Explosive-Laden "Drone" Boat Targets Saudi Port of Yanbu - Jon Gambrell (AP)
A remotely-piloted boat packed with explosives targeted the Saudi port of Yanbu in the Red Sea on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia claimed to have intercepted and destroyed the attack boat. However, private security firms suggested commercial traffic near the port may have been hit in the assault. The Houthis have in the past used bomb-laden drones and explosive-packed boats in attacks targeting the kingdom.
AP Corrects Story on Israeli Vaccination of Palestinians (CAMERA)
AP has corrected a story which misleadingly reported that Israel has not taken responsibility for vaccinating any Palestinians. In fact, Israel has taken full responsibility for vaccinating all Palestinians aged 16 and up residing in Jerusalem, and has also vaccinated more than 100,000 Palestinian workers employed in Israel or Israeli communities.
Video: The Growing Iranian Threat
to Regional and Western Security (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and the Emirates Policy Center held a joint Zoom Conference on April 26, 2021, on the growing Iranian threat. Speakers include Amb. Dore Gold, Dr. Ebtesam al-Ketbi, Dr. Olli Heinonen, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, Richard Goldberg, Djavad Khadem, Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael Segall, and Admiral (res.) Yedidya Ya'ari.
IsraAID Sending Team to Caribbean in Wake of Volcano Eruption (JNS)
IsraAID is sending a team of emergency responders to St. Vincent in the Caribbean, where a volcano has been spewing ash since April 9, displacing 20,000 people. The IsraAID response team - some of whom will be relocated from current aid missions in Dominica and the Bahamas - will provide clean water, distribute hygiene supplies, and offer "psychological first aid."
Former Israeli Army Soldiers Helped Save San Diego Shooting Victim - Jennifer Kastner (KGTV-San Diego)
Former IDF medics are credited with saving the life of a man who was injured during last week's shooting in San Diego. Shai Gino and Dvir Benesh, in their 20s, now live in San Diego where they work as home remodelers. They saw the shooting and ran to help a man who'd been struck. "We put pressure on his chest," said Benesh. Gino said the man later "texted me that he's okay and he's super grateful and we saved his life."
Druze in the Golan Heights Are Warming Up to Israel - Amos Harel (Ha'aretz)
Relations between the Golan Druze and Israel are becoming closer. The Syrian civil war, with the massacres perpetrated by the regime against its citizens, has weakened the bond between the Druze and the Assad regime, and reduced their desire to be reunited with the country that ruled there until 1967. Photographs of President Bashar Assad have been taken down from the walls of restaurants, while Israeli flags now fly over some of the educational institutions and over sports centers built by the Israeli national lottery. Female IDF soldiers teach classes in the schools. A quarter of the Golan Druze have acquired Israeli ID cards. Only a few people showed up for this year's event to mark Syrian Independence Day.
AP Concocts Settlement "Spike" - Tamar Sternthal (CAMERA)
An AP story on an alleged "Trump-era spike" in "settlement" growth tells a story of "a construction boom," but it seems to be little more than a rehashing of a report by the anti-settlement group Peace Now. There is a major discrepancy between these figures of new construction starts and those recorded by official government data and even the anti-Israel UNHRC. Other media outlets have reported precisely the opposite of what AP is alleging, pointing to a decline in construction starts of residential units during the Trump years.
UAE Wealth Fund to Buy Share of Israeli Gas Field - Simon Henderson (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
On April 26, Israeli company Delek announced it had signed an MOU with the energy arm of Mubadala, the sovereign wealth fund of the UAE, to sell its 22% ownership stake in the Tamar offshore natural gas field. The Delek deal represents the biggest commercial agreement since the two countries normalized their relations last September.
Over 7 Anti-Semitic Incidents Per Day in Canada in 2020 (Jerusalem Post)
Over 7 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded every day in Canada in 2020, with the number of incidents breaking a record for the fifth year in a row, according to B'nai Brith Canada's League for Human Rights. The 2020 Annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, published on Monday, showed an 18.3% increase compared to 2019 with 2,610 incidents. In 2019, 15% of all hate crimes in Canada targeted Jews, despite their being just 1% of the population. See also Anti-Semitic Incidents Rise to Record Level in Austria - Cnaan Liphshiz (JTA)
912 Israeli Startups in EU Employ 24,000 People - James Spiro (Calcalist)
There are 912 Israeli companies in the EU that employ 24,223 people, EIT Hub Israel and CQ Global reported. Search the Recent History of Israel and the Middle East Send the Daily Alert to a Friend If you are viewing the email version of the Daily Alert and want to share it with friends, please click Forward in your email program and enter their address. |
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Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
Iran Palestinians Human Rights Watch Report on Israeli "Apartheid" Weekend Features Observations: Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif's Leaked Tape: Revolutionary Guards and Soleimani Sought to Control Iranian Diplomacy - Iran Desk and Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael Segall (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
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