A day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran had begun injecting uranium hexaflouride gas into advanced centrifuges at Natanz, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told the Iranian Fars News Agency that an “accident” struck the nuclear facility’s electrical distribution network.
According to media, the incident may not have been an accident at all, with the Jewish state possibly being behind the latest disruption at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. The damage is reportedly “much graver than what Iran is presenting to the public.”
Israel and Iran are engaged in a long-term “shadow war” on the backdrop of fears that Iran’s nuclear program is intended to bring it to weapons-grade capability. Israel and Iran have apparently traded blows in recent months, with explosions on ships belonging to each attributed to attacks by the other. Going further back, Natanz was targeted in 2007 by a cyber-warfare campaign allegedly run by Israel and the US involving the Stuxnet computer virus which sent hundreds of centrifuges out of control.
After a mysterious blast, later described as sabotage, at the site last July, Iran is now rebuilding the Natanz facility in a more secure location set into the side of a mountain.
With tensions rising in the region as Washington engages in talks to revive the 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran, and on the backdrop of Iran’s botched inauguration of new centrifuges in Natanz , US defense chief Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Sunday to meet with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the course of a two-day visit.
Discussions will cover “shared priorities” and Austin will reaffirm Washington’s commitment to Israel maintaining military superiority over its neighbors, the Pentagon said in a statement.
After concluding his meeting with Austin, Gantz told the media that, “the Tehran of today poses a strategic threat to international security, to the entire Middle East and to the State of Israel and we will work closely with our American allies to ensure that any new agreement with Iran will secure the vital interests of the world, of the US, prevent a dangerous arms race in our region and protect the State of Israel.”
For his part, Austin said that the Biden Administration is strongly committed to Israel’s security: “Our bilateral relationship with Israel is central to regional stability…. This is a relationship built on trust that had developed over decades of cooperation.” Austin added that “our commitment to Israel is enduring and ironclad.”
The two defense chiefs also spoke about continuing the wave of normalization between Israel and Arab countries across the Middle East.
The tour will feature a trip to the Nevatim air force base, as well as stops at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center and a memorial for fallen soldiers in Jerusalem.
Israel has declared its intention to formally reject any probe launched by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into potential war crimes committed against the Palestinians. Top ministers decided that they will not cooperate with any such investigation, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction.
Despite Israel not being a member of the ICC, the Israeli government nonetheless responded to a letter issued by ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in March.
Bensouda has indicated that she intends for the court to prosecute Israel over alleged war crimes related to the existence of Israeli communities outside of the Green Line, Israel’s conduct during the 2014 war in Gaza, and its conduct with respect to violent Palestinian rioters along the Gaza border.
HonestReporting addressed the underlying claims last year in this article, and further here.
Israel should soon be able to further ease coronavirus restrictions, said a top immunity expert, as the country seems to have reached a ‘sort of herd immunity.”
Speaking to local media, Eran Segal, a computational biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science who has garnered a large social media following due to his detailed analyses of coronavirus trends and related policy in Israel, said he believes “it is possible that Israel has reached a sort of herd immunity and regardless, we have a wide safety net,”
Over 4.9 million Israelis have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and daily COVID-19 cases have declined by 97 percent since peak levels in mid-January.
In recent weeks, Israel has significantly eased most of the coronavirus restrictions in place, including allowing most businesses to reopen, as well as shopping centers, restaurants and cafes in the wake of the country’s world-leading vaccination drive. According to widespread media reports, the Health Ministry is likely to end the compulsory wearing of masks outdoors in the coming weeks.
HonestReporting has organized an exclusive trip to the Syrian border, where individuals can observe the prevailing security reality and have their pressing questions answered.
Itinerary:
- Travel to the Oz 77 memorial, which commemorates the Yom Kippur War and overlooks the Valley of Tears, where some of the fiercest battles took place;
- Visit the Monument to Eli Cohen, the noted Israeli spy that infiltrated the highest echelons of power in Syria before getting caught and being executed. The site is located on an IDF special operations training facility in the Golan Heights;
- Tour the Israel-Syria border, where participants can view the town of Quneitra and a destroyed Syrian military building;
- Have free time at Ein Zivan, home of the De Karina Boutique Chocolate Factory and various other shops.
Recommended Reading
- The ICC Attempts to Place Israel on a Par with Terror Armies (Yakkov Lapin, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies)
- Iron Dome Developers Set the Record Straight on its Evolution (Jacob Nagel and Shachar Shohar, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
- Israel’s Own Indiana Joneses Beat Antiquities Robbers to the Treasure (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom)
- ‘In Treatment’ Executive Producer Noa Tishby Drops Debut Book on Israel (Malina Saval, Variety)
- 73 Fun Facts About Israel (Nicky Blackburn, Israel21C)
