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The IDF said early Monday that it attacked targets in Lebanon after a rocket was fired into Israel earlier in the night. The projectile that was launched at the Jewish state from southern Lebanon landed in an open area near Kibbutz Matzuva, close to the border, without causing damage or injuries.
“We reacted in a quick, deadly and effective way,” said Captain Yotam Zeituni, the commander of the artillery battery that responded to the rocket fire.
Hezbollah-linked media in Lebanon also reported that a rocket had been fired toward Israel, from an area between the towns of Qlaileh and Maaliyeh, southeast of Tyre.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in Lebanon, and no claims of responsibility. IDF spokesperson Ran Kochav said he believed Palestinians were responsible. “It is estimated that these are Palestinian factions and that this is related to the Ramadan period and the events of the Temple Mount,” he told local media.
IDF says it struck an area in Lebanon from which a rocket was launched at Israel last night, with artillery fire. It adds that "infrastructure" was also hit. The rocket landed near the northern town of Matzuva, and caused no damage or injuries. pic.twitter.com/BNTideHkte
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 25, 2022
There have been several instances of rocket fire from southern Lebanon into Israel in recent years, with most blamed on Palestinian factions in the country. However, it is unlikely that these terrorists would be able to fire rockets without at least the tacit approval of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization, which maintains tight control over the area.
The incident comes amid rising tension over clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and renewed rocket fire from Gaza toward Israel.
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US President Joe Biden will visit Israel in the coming months following an invitation from Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the Prime Minister’s Office and the White House announced on Sunday.
The two leaders spoke on Sunday, and Bennett briefed Biden on efforts to “stop the violence and incitement in Jerusalem,” referencing Israeli-Palestinian clashes at the holy city’s Al-Aqsa Mosque. At least 57 Palestinians were injured in confrontations with Israeli police within the mosque compound on Friday, raising concern of a repeat of last year’s Hamas-initiated war with Israel.
US officials have been engaged with Israelis, Palestinians and Arab representatives in the region amid the tensions.
Biden “took note of ongoing efforts between Israeli and Palestinian officials to lower tensions and ensure a peaceful conclusion to the holy season of Ramadan,” and affirmed “his unwavering support for Israel and its defense needs,” the White House said in its statement.
The two leaders also discussed “the threat posed by Iran and its proxies,” the White House added. In particular, they discussed Tehran’s demand to remove Iran’s Revolutionary Guards from the US terrorism list, the Israeli statement said, quoting Bennett as saying: “I am confident that President Biden … will not allow the Revolutionary Guards to be removed.”
The visit will be Biden’s first trip to Israel since taking office in January.
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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) might allow other UN agencies to help service Palestinians for the first time in its 73-year history, in a move that has angered the Palestinians who fear that it’s the first step in UNRWA’s dissolution.
The “plot” against UNRWA will lead to instability in the entire region, claimed senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) official Ahmed al-Mudallal.
Politicians in both Israel and the United States have long said that UNRWA should be dissolved. They have argued that it creates a permanent, growing, class of Palestinian “refugees” that dooms any effort to resolve the conflict with Israel. In particular, they have advocated that Palestinians be serviced by other local governments or other UN agencies including the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Trump administration ended US funding to UNRWA precisely for these reasons, a move that accelerated UNRWA’s current financial crisis. US President Joe Biden has restored that funding, but the agency has remained in financial distress as global attention has turned to other crises, such as that of Ukrainian refugees.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said one option to deal with the fiscal crisis is to “maximize partnerships within the broader UN system.”
The PLO, Hamas and PIJ warned of a conspiracy to liquidate the issue of the Palestinian refugees.
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Almost half of the Israeli public (47%) is worried that another Holocaust will befall the Jewish people, according to a poll conducted by the “Pnima” movement on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Wednesday, April 27.
The poll sought to address sensitive questions about preserving the memory of the Holocaust and Israeli society’s existential anxiety — rooted, among other things, in fears of another Holocaust. Also adding to these concerns, it appears, are Iran’s threats to destroy Israel and the Islamic Republic’s nuclear project.
According to the poll, women are more fearful (55%) compared to men (42%), while youngsters are also more fearful: 24% of Israelis 24 years old and younger said they are very concerned about a second Holocaust, as opposed to 12% of Israelis over the age of 45. Additionally, 23% of those questioned who defined themselves as ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) said they were very fearful of a second Holocaust, compared to 11% among secular Israelis.
As of January 2021, some 165,800 Holocaust survivors were living in Israel, 90% of them 80 years old and above. Every day, an average of 42 Holocaust survivors pass away; and in the future challenge of telling their stories will be even greater.
Recommended Reading
- Terror First: The PA Puts Its Money Where Its Mouth Is (Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, Jewish News Syndicate)
- Israel Stood Firm Against Terrorism, Rocket Attacks and Violent Clashes – Analysis (Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post)
- Israel Has Retained Its High Favorability Among Americans (Yoram Ettinger, Algemeiner)
- The Startup Aiming to Make Blood Donations a Thing of the Past (Brian Blum, Israel21C)
- Preserving Holocaust Memory in a Changing Environment (Rabbi Shai Piron, Israel Hayom)
