Iran Doubles Down on ‘Liberating’ Golan Heights From Israel; Czech Parliament Votes to Outlaw Hezbollah

Iran’s judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, told Syria’s ambassador to Iran that it supports the “resistance” to retake the Golan Heights from Israel. “Resistance” in this context refers to the Islamic Republic’s use of its Lebanese Shiite proxy Hezbollah. With regard to the Golan Heights and other “occupied” areas that it wished to “liberate,” Tehran hinted at potential new operations.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad views the Golan, an area that prior to the 1967 Six-Day War was frequently utilized as a launching pad for attacks on Israeli farmers and property, as part of Syria. Israel claims the region as its own. In 2019, the United States recognized the Jewish state’s sovereignty over the strategically vital territory.

Raisi praised Syria, remarking that Damascus and Tehran must work together to “accelerate the demise of the fake Israeli regime.”

In the past week, Defense Minister Benny Gantz has warned Iran and the Hezbollah terrorist group against entrenching near the Golan.

Israel and Lebanon on Wednesday held a second round of US-mediated talks over their disputed sea border that has held up hydrocarbon exploration in the potentially gas-rich area. The talks, expected to last for two days, were held at the headquarters of UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL in the Lebanese border town of Naqoura.

Each side unveiled maps outlining new borders. The Lebanese proposal extended farther south than the border Beirut had previously presented to the United Nations. Meanwhile, the Israeli team’s map pushed the boundary farther north than Jerusalem’s original position.

The discussions follow three years of quiet shuttle diplomacy by Washington. They also come after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to establish full relations with Israel under US-brokered deals.

The teams will meet again on Thursday to continue negotiating.

The Czech parliament on Wednesday moved to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Passed by an overwhelming majority, the resolution also pushes the European Union to end its artificial division of the Lebanese-based group into a military and political wing.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi hailed the move made by Israel’s longtime ally and urged other countries in the European Union bloc to follow suit.

“I call on the European Union and additional countries to recognize Hezbollah in all its forms as a terrorist organization,” Ashkenazi said.

While the EU designates Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist entity, its political arm is still able to operate across most of the continent. However, Germany earlier this year moved to ban the group outright from its soil – conducting raids on Hezbollah members operating in the country.

The coronavirus cabinet was set to meet Thursday to continue charting the country’s exit from its second national lockdown, with ministers expected to debate reopening places of worship and stores.

A major bone of contention is whether to allow stores to reopen, as the decision will likely also affect the status of synagogues.

Under the current virus restrictions, gatherings of up 10 people are allowed indoors and up to 20 outdoors, though synagogues and other houses of worship are barred from opening.

The Health Ministry said on Thursday that 688 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed over a 24-hour period, bringing the number of infections since the pandemic began to 312,787. There were 33,295 tests carried out on Wednesday, with 2.1 percent returning positive. The death toll remained at 2,494.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told Congress on Wednesday that Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s antisemitic tweets — including calling Israel a “cancerous tumor” — do not violate company rules. Testifying virtually before the Senate Commerce Committee, Dorsey said Khamenei’s tweets qualified as “saber-rattling.” But because the Iranian leader’s posts were not directed at his own citizens, the tweets were allowed under Twitter’s policy vis a vis world leaders.

“We believe it’s important for everyone to hear from global leaders, and we have policies around world leaders. We want to make sure we are respecting their right to speak and to publish what they need,” Dorsey said.

On a lighter note, the warming ties between Israel and UAE and Bahrain has led to a rise in the number of businesspeople in the Gulf learning Hebrew online. Besides the the peace treaties that have recently been signed between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi and Manama, another factor contributing to the surge in online Hebrew-language courses has been the pandemic.

Among the reasons for people wanting to learn Hebrew are potential investment opportunities in Israel and engaging with Israelis on a more personal basis Some students are even Jews living in the Gulf who are discovering their heritage,