Syrian media claimed that Israel for the first time in over a month executed an airstrike in the territory of its northern neighbor. Syrian news agency Sana cited a military source stating that some Israeli missiles, which came from the direction of Lebanon, were shot down.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described “violent explosions felt in Damascus and around the city, followed by Israeli strikes on military positions.”
The strikes targeted the town of Sahnaya and sites belonging to the First Divison in Al-Kiswah, as well as air defense batteries and a missile battalion belonging to the 155th Brigade north of Damascus. Sites in Homs and Latakia were reportedly also hit.
There was no immediate confirmation from Israel, which does not generally comment on individual airstrikes in Syria. The IDF has launched hundreds of strikes since the start of the civil war in 2011 in response to moves by Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria, and efforts to transport advanced weapons to terrorist groups in the region – principally Hezbollah.
Attacks have significantly slowed down in the past few months, and the last recorded strikes took place on May 5 and 6 after a Syrian missile exploded over the Israeli Negev region in late April.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate regarding the renewal of funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA), stating that the allocations should not continue if the agency continues its anti-Jewish educational curriculum.
“We’re determined that UNWRA pursue very necessary reforms in terms of some of the abuses of the system that have taken place in the past, particularly the challenge that we’ve seen in disseminating in its educational products antisemitic or anti-Israel information,” Blinken said.
According to America’s top diplomat, the US State Department will be closely monitoring the mechanisms that UNRWA claims it has in place in order to address problematic educational materials.
Additionally, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) has challenged the State Department to give precedence to this issue.
“UNRWA had been telling donor countries for years that it combats incitement in the Palestinian textbooks. In fact, we found that, in places, UNRWA’s own content is even worse than that of the Palestinian Authority… The era of UNRWA trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes while teaching hate every day needs to be well and truly over,” IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff said.
The Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist groups still have enough rockets and fighters to wage additional week-long or even months-long battles, despite the recent escalation of violence with Israel.
According to Le Beck, a Middle East-based geopolitical and security consultancy group, “The Israeli operation did not critically cripple Hamas nor PIJ… while both can still fire shorter-range rockets for weeks (if not months), a significant portion of their long-range rocket arsenal has likely been depleted.”
The two terrorist organizations reportedly still have some two-thirds of their original rocket arsenal from the beginning of the altercations last month. However, because Israel struck the underground tunnel system used to transport rockets and fighters so as to launch attacks, Hamas is still much more vulnerable than it was before the conflict began.
“The targeted assassinations of R&D/production officials, in addition to continued strikes against the groups’ rocket-production capabilities, will delay their ability to replenish their arsenal, yet won’t prevent them from doing so,” states the Le Beck report.
In addition, the security consultancy organization commended the Israeli military for its “significant” improvements in the use of new technologies to quickly detect threats, spot rocket launchers, and map out terrorist capabilities.
The Israel Defense Forces issued a statement regarding Hamas’ terrorist activity in the al-Jalaa building in Gaza City, which also housed journalists from Associated Press and Al Jazeera, before the Israeli airstrike on May 15.
The IDF stated that the building “was of high military value to Hamas,” which conducted both intelligence research and electronic warfare operations at the site in an attempt to disrupt the Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system.
And since residents and office workers in the al-Jalaa building were warned in advance of the attack, there were no civilian casualties despite the damage to the property.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, visited the New York City Associated Press headquarters to further explain why the building was targeted. Additionally, Erdan promised AP that Israel would assist in the rebuilding efforts.
I reaffirmed that Israel upholds the importance of press freedom and strives to ensure the safety of journalists wherever they are reporting. Israel is willing to assist AP in rebuilding its offices and operations in Gaza. 4/4
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) June 8, 2021
AP called the meeting with Erdan “positive and constructive,” yet the wire service remains skeptical as to Israel’s assertion that Hamas was using the building for terrorist purposes.
After over a year of pandemic-related delays, Birthright trips have officially returned, bringing more than 6,000 young adults to Israel throughout this summer and another 20,000 slated for 2022.
Over the past 21 years, approximately 750,000 participants – aged 18 to 32, and coming from 68 different countries – have gotten to experience Israel through the unique lens of their free Birthright trip. Now, with the isolation caused by COVID-19 coming to an end, there is an opportunity for Jewish men and women to meet and explore their heritage once again.
According to the director of the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Rabbi Shalom Gestetner: “The only lasting way to strengthen Jewish identity is to come to the land filled with Jewish history, where you can hear our ancient language spoken on the street and walk on the same 2,000-year-old stones our ancestors walked on.”
HonestReporting is pleased to inform you that it is organizing a remarkable mission to the Jewish state from October 5-12, 2021.
The behind-the-scenes trip includes:
- 5-star accommodations at the Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
- Exclusive briefings by political, defense and academic leaders
- Tour of the Lebanon border with an anti-terrorism expert
- Insider’s look into the complexities of the disputed West Bank
- Examination of Israel’s vibrant democracy at the Supreme Court
- Meetings with influential journalists… and much more!
For more information, please contact us.
Recommended Reading
- Why Cutting off Aid to Hamas Is Insufficient (Julia Schulman, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
- For First Time Ever, Israel Receives Seat on UN Economic and Social Council (Algemeiner)
- Satellite Images Show Activity at Iran Site Exposed in Mossad-Seized Nuke Files (Times of Israel)
- It’s a Jewish Responsibility to Help India at Its Time of Crisis (Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Jewish News Syndicate)
- 12 Books to Help You Understand Israel’s History (Naama Barak, Israel21C)
