Hundreds Riot Along Gaza Border, IDF Responds With Tear Gas, Live Fire

Hundreds of Palestinians rioted along the northern border of the Gaza Strip Monday (19th), throwing rocks and explosive devices at Israeli soldiers on the other side of the security fence, the army said.

In response, Israeli troops launched containers of tear gas, and, in some cases, fired live shots at rioters, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The IDF spokesperson said approximately 800 people participated in the riots across from Kibbutz Zikim – a decrease from previous weeks.

Meanwhile, the army said 20 ships set sail from the Palestinian enclave toward Israel in an apparent attempt to break through the naval blockade Israel has placed around Gaza.  Israel said the blockade is necessary to keep terror groups in the Strip from obtaining weapons and war materials.

Since March, Palestinians have been holding weekly “March of Return” protests on the border, in attempts to breach the border fence.

Israel is demanding an end to the violent demonstrations along the border in any ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Last Friday (16th), nearly 10,000 Palestinians participated in riots and demonstrations near the border.  Most stayed away from the fence, but some burned tires and threw rocks and explosives at soldiers who responded with tear gas and occasional fire.

(timesofisrael.com)

 

‘We Won’t Let Hizbullah Establish Terror Infrastructure In The Golan’

Senior IDF officials on Sunday (18th) attended a special ceremony marking the dissolution of a special administration heading the military efforts to aid Syrians affected by the civil war raging off Israel’s northern border.

Launched in the summer of 2016, Operation Good Neighbor has provided tons of food, medicine and clothing to displaced Syrians.  Israel also provided life-saving medical care to hundreds of wounded Syrians, who were admitted to hospitals in northern Israel as needed.

“Despite the newfound stability of the regime in Syria, this sector still poses many complex challenges for Israel,” GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick said at the ceremony, held on an IDF base near the Golan Heights border.

“We are well aware of Iran’s increasing attempts to establish itself militarily in many areas of Syria,” he continued.  “We see how the Iranians are trying to transfer weapons to Hizbullah in Lebanon through Syria. We know that Hizbullah is trying to establish terrorist infrastructures on the Syrian Golan Heights, near our border, but the IDF will not allow this to happen.”   

Strick further warned that “anyone seeking to undermine Israeli civilians’ security, in the immediate of distant future, will encounter a strong and determined response by a military that is well aware of what is going on beyond its borders.  We will counter those who want to harm us.”

Lt. Col. Eyal Dror, who headed the Operation Good Neighbor Administration, told Israeli media he felt “privileged” to have overseen this operation, which in many ways epitomized Israel’s defense concept.” “This was an amazing project that illustrated how Israel makes the decision to aid the civilian population in an enemy state,” he said.

(israelhayom.com)

 

Only Palestinians ‘Attack Indiscriminately,’ Haley Corrects UN Envoy

US Ambassador Nikki Haley took to task the United Nations’ special envoy for Mideast peace Nickolay Mladenov over his demands that both Israel and the Palestinians restrain themselves following a massive rocket onslaught launched on the Jewish state by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip last week.

At a meeting of the Security Council, Haley dressed down UN member states for placing a disproportionate amount of blame on Israel for the most recent flare up in the conflict.

Specifically, Haley slammed Mladenov for “missing the mark” by calling for “maximum restraint” by both sides.

“Fact,”  said Haley, “There is only one side that attacks indiscriminately.  One side that targets civilians. One side that terrorizes to achieve its objectives,” reported Times of Israel.

“Israel launched airstrikes on military posts, weapons depots, and intelligence assets in Gaza … in response to over 400 rockets and mortars that were fired indiscriminately from Gaza into Israel,” she explained.

“Neighborhoods were targeted.  A bus was bombed by an anti-tank missile.  Families were forced into bomb shelters to escape the barrage,” she added.

Haley issued the remarks after Mladenov spoke before the council.

He singled out “Israel’s persistent use of live fire against the protesters” in an apparent reference to the violent riots Hamas stages on the border, during which terror group operatives use human shields, including minors to attack IDF troops and attempt to infiltrate Israeli territory.

(worldisraelnews.com)

 

Mossad Allegedly Provides Intelligence To Thwart Hizbullah Plot In Argentina

The Mossad allegedly provided intelligence to Argentina which helped successfully thwart a Hizbullah plot to attack Jewish community centers in Buenos Aires, according to Channel 2 on Monday night (19th).

Two citizens from Argentina were arrested on Thursday (15th) because they had suspected links to Lebanon’s Hizbullah, according to Al Jazeera.

According to the report, the two men, 23 and 25, were arrested in Buenos Aires after police found they had a cache of weapons including rifles, shotguns and a number of other weapons.

Police said they found an image of a Hizbullah flag, credentials in Arabic and proof that the two had traveled abroad.

The US State Department designated Hizbullah’s Hassan Nasrallah’s son Jawad Nasrallah, as a terrorist on Tuesday (13th).  The department also accused him of carrying out attacks against Israel in the West Bank.

In 1992, Iran bombed the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires killing 29 people, and injuring 242.  Two years later, Hizbullah bombed the AMIA Jewish community center in the city, an attack that killed 85 people and injured hundreds.

(jpost.com; reuters.com)

 

UK Parliament Welcomes Jordanian MP Who Lauded Murder Of Israeli Girls

A Jordanian Member of Parliament who hailed the murder of seven Israeli schoolgirls in 1997 was feted in the British House of Commons last week.

According to The Daily Mail, Dima Tahboub, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Islamic Action Front party in Jordan, attended the Women MPs of the World Conference, which included the Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.

The event was held on the floor of the House of Commons and included delegates from more than 100 countries.

Tahboub is noted for her ferociously anti-Israel sentiments.  Most notably, she praised Ahmed Daqamseh, a Jordanian border guard who slaughtered seven Israeli schoolgirls in their early teens in 1997.  She called Daqamseh a “hero” and charged that the girls had ‘mocked’ Islam and Jordan and therefore deserved to be killed.

“They were not only schoolgirls, they were people who mocked our country, who mocked our religion.  We regard him as a hero because he retaliated to the mockery of the Israelis,” she said of Daqamseh.

Exiled Jordanian dissident Mudar Zahran commented, “By hosting Tahboub, the British Establishment was either knowingly or unknowingly endorsing hatred and terrorism.”

(algemeiner.com)