Today’s Top Stories
1. The IDF announced that Iran’s Quds Force fired 20 rockets at Israel last night. Some were shot down by Israel’s missile defense technology, and no injuries were reported. In response, Israel launched attacks on dozens of Iranian targets in Syria, including intelligence centers, weapons depots, anti-aircraft networks, and more. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced that Israel, “hit almost all Iranian infrastructure in Syria.” This is a departure from Israel’s usual policy of being ambiguous as to whether it was responsible for attacks. More on the night’s events below.
The IDF has struck dozens of Iranian military targets in Syria in response to the Iranian rocket attack against Israel. Quds force is behind attack and has played the initial price. IDF remains ready for various scenarios but does not seek to escalate the situation pic.twitter.com/1h71zRIsuT
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) May 10, 2018
2. Continuing fallout from President Trump’s announcement that the United States will withdraw from the JCPOA, (the Iran nuclear deal). There was a predominantly negative EU reaction , but journalists rarely mention that Europe purchases over one million barrels of oil per day from Iran, raising a possible conflict of interest. There were primarily supportive American Jewish reactions via LA Times, and mostly supportive Israeli view in the Times of Israel.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
3. Will European countries boycott the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem? Some reports say yes, but Israel’s Foreign Ministry says it has not heard of any such decision. Either way, we’ll find out on Monday, May 14. Watch this space for more as events unfold.
4. IDF’s Defense of the Gaza Border: What’s the Truth? Will 100,000 Palestinians breach Israel’s border on Tuesday? Will there be violence and will Israel be condemned? HonestReporting helps you prepare for the conversation.
Iran and Syria
• Secretary of State Pompeo : We will work with our allies to find a lasting solution to the Iranian threat.
• Amid Iranian missile barrage, US says Israel has right to defend itself.
• After Putin meet, PM indicates Moscow won’t curtail Israeli strikes in Syria.
• Will recent events on the Syrian border lead to war with Iran? Israel’s former national security adviser Yaakov Nagel doesn’t think so:
No one wants a war. Usually wars happen because of misunderstandings, because people are talking about war too much [but] Iranians know full well Israel’s capabilities, and its willingness to defend itself.
• Iranian Lawmakers Shout “Death to America,” Set U.S. Flag Ablaze at Parliament – Nasser Karimi
• Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, is caught between Syrian forces and Islamic State as battles continue.
Window into Israel
• Despite a rash of scandals involving the Israeli PM, his Likud party continues doing well in the polls, at least to some extent due to Trump’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA.:
The poll found that if an election were held now, Netanyahu’s Likud party would rise from its current 30 Knesset seats to 35…When the poll asked respondents whether they supported canceling the Iran deal, 62% said yes, 17% said no, and the rest did not offer an opinion
• What is the “Supreme Court override bill” and why do Israelis care? JPost’s Lahav Harkov weighs in.
• Israel continues to negotiate with the UN on a plan for African migrants. HonestReporting previously explained the overall situation in this post.
Around the World
• Sussex U. students renew commitment to boycott Israel.
• Stony Brook University’s Muslim chaplain under fire from pro-Palestinian students for defending campus Hillel.
• German police caught the 89-year-old “Nazi Grandma,” Ursula Haverbeck, after she failed to report to jail to begin a two-year sentence for Holocaust denial and incitement.
• Fourteen Boston-area students accused of vandalizing a high school with swastikas and anti-gay slurs.
Commentary
• David Horowitz: Problems are mounting for Iran, which may make it particularly dangerous.
• Allister Heath: The Iran deal was a monument to Western myopia and groupthink. Good riddance.
• Con Coughlin: Iran’s aggression, not Donald Trump’s, has sundered the nuclear deal.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Avi Issacharoff: Airstrikes are a setback, but Iran fully intends to cement its presence in Syria
– Eli Lake: Trump is now free to fight for Iranian freedom
– Jonathan Tobin: Wrong man, right decision
– Bassam Tawil: Palestinians: The best path to peace
– Rafael Medoff: Columbia U. vs. the Jews, again
– Dr. Reuven Berko: Hamas and the Trump Effect
Featured image: CC BY-NC-ND Spyros Papaspyropoulos;
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
Before you comment on this article, please remind yourself of our Comments Policy. Any comments deemed to be in breach of the policy will be removed at the editor’s discretion.
