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Explosions were heard in Damascus Friday night, which Syrian media said were the result of an Israeli attack near Syria’s capital that was launched from the Golan Heights.
As reported in Israeli media, the Syrian Defense Ministry claimed that Syria’s air defense systems were activated and intercepted the “hostile targets” in the capital’s skies. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that the targets of the attack were Syrian army bases and Iranian militias in a suburb of Damascus.
תיעוד בסוכנות הידיעות הסורית: ההגנה האווירית הגיבה למתקפה בפרבר הדרומי של דמשק. היעדים לפי האופוזיציה הסורית בסיסי צבא ומליציות איראניות. טרם דווח על נפגעים והיקף הנזק. pic.twitter.com/jgHSP5G3JI
— Jack khoury.جاك خوري (@KhJacki) May 20, 2022
The areas targeted were identified with the pro-Iranian militias operating in Syria, according to local media. Reports from Arab-language media state that the attack was reportedly aimed at weapons depots owned by Hezbollah.
In the southwest Damascus area, there have been a number of attacks in recent months that were attributed to Israel. Last week, two Israeli strikes allegedly targeted sites near the Syrian border. Last month, four Syrian soldiers were killed in another alleged Israeli airstrike on Damascus.
There was no comment from Israel, which rarely confirms its activities inside Syria.
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Asaf Zamir, Consul General of Israel in New York City, challenged comments made by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-NY, after she accused Israeli forces of killing Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh last week.
Abu Akleh, who reported on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for over two decades, was covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city Jenin – a known hub of Palestinian terrorist activity.
Ocasio Cortez drew ire from the Israeli envoy for comments she made in an Instagram video late last week: “I think it’s really important for us to have eyes on what happened with Shireen Abu Akleh in Palestine, she was killed by Israeli forces — a venerated journalist, a US citizen…. We can’t allow this stuff to be happening with our resources.”
Zamir countered the congresswoman’s comments and said, “It’s dangerous to accuse Israel when even the Palestinian coroner has made no determination.
“This is exactly what leads to more violent antisemitism in NYC,” he added in a Twitter post.
“In New York City antisemitic incidents have quadrupled in the last year – and there’s a connection,” Zamir stated.
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Israel has ended mandatory COVID-19 testing for arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport as the number of virus cases continues to decline.
The new rule, which was brought in on Saturday and will apply to all air, land and sea crossings, comes more than two years after the start of the global pandemic and is one of the last public health restrictions still in place in the country.
Travelers will still have to fill out a health declaration in the 48-hours before getting on a plane and masks may continue to be required in the cabin on some routes.
On Friday, there were reported to be 16,160 active coronavirus cases in Israel, with the number of serious cases under 100.
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An Israeli Nobel Prize contender is hoping to bring electricity to remote parts of Africa with his solar power technology.
Yosef Abramowitz, an engineer and social activist, made Aliyah to Israel in 2006 and established the Arava Power Company while living on a kibbutz in the Arava valley, north of Eilat.
Following years of hurdles in setting up his business, Abramowitz established Arava Power, the first solar field in the Middle East, in 2011.
Now, Abramowitz is on a mission to help people living in rural parts of Africa, with his efforts earning him a prestigious Nobel Prize nomination.
“There are 600 million Africans without electricity. Three Hundred million Africans are burning diesel for power and Africa’s population will double within a generation,” Abramowitz explained, adding: “If they don’t have electricity, they won’t have education or health care. Vaccinations need refrigeration. Manufacturing needs electricity.”
Recommended Reading
- Tensions Are Rising Between Israel and Its Northern Borders (Seth J. Frantzman, Jerusalem Post)
- Judge Finds Sufficient Evidence Linking American Muslims for Palestine Group to Hamas Supporters (Abha Shankar, Algemeiner)
- How Do Putin and Zelenskyy Get the Holocaust So Wrong? (Mike Wagenheim, Israel Hayom)
- A New Podcast Chronicles the Little-known Stories of Boxers From the Holocaust Era (Jacob Gurvis, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
- In the Negev, a New Breed of Vintners Are Making the Desert Bloom (Jessica Steinberg, Times of Israel)
