Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday accused Iran of attacking an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week, a mysterious explosion that has further escalated regional tensions. Netanyahu told Israeli media: “It was indeed an act by Iran, that’s clear,” adding that the Islamic Republic was “the greatest enemy of Israel, I am determined to halt it. We are hitting it in the entire region.”
Earlier, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he believed that Tehran was behind the explosion. On Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi called the attack a “reminder” from Iran.
Local media reported that security officials have concluded that the explosion was intended as a warning. The attackers “did not intend to sink” the vessel, one said, “but rather to tell Israel about their future intentions.” The country’s security establishment believes that more attacks will be attempted in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Security officials believe that the IRGC’s naval force attacked the ship in order to avenge the assassination in a US drone strike of former Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani, as well as the killing of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in what is believed to have been an Israeli operation.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media overnight Sunday-Monday reported a series of alleged Israeli airstrikes near Damascus, saying air defense systems had intercepted most of the missiles. Israeli media reports suggested the purported strikes targeted Iranian positions in response to the ship attack.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the strike hit the area of Sayyida Zeinab south of Damascus, where Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah are known to operate.
Israel will administer COVID-19 vaccines to approximately 120,000 Palestinians who work in Israel or Jewish communities in the West Bank, the IDF’s liaison to the Palestinians confirmed.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which administers Palestinian civilian affairs, announced that it would roll out an immunization campaign at border crossings and industrial zones across the West Bank in the next few days. According to COGAT, Israeli healthcare workers will administer the shots.
Around 87,000 Palestinians hold work permits for Israel, and an additional 35,000 work in Israeli settlements, according to Defense Ministry figures. Sunday’s announcement came a week after Israeli health officials met their Palestinian counterparts in Ramallah to discuss matters relating to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority expects to begin its inoculation campaign this month with the arrival of a major shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz secretly met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, according to local media. Three months ago, the two reportedly convened in the Jordanian capital of Amman for security talks.
Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi has also met twice in recent months with his Jordanian counterpart.
“I have a continuous and ongoing connection with the Jordanian king and other senior Jordanian officials, and I know we can have great achievements,” Gantz was quoted as saying.
“I think Jordan is a great asset to Israel, and I think that our relationship with Jordan could be 1,000 times better,” he noted, adding, “I believe that it’s possible to do one or two civilian projects each year with Jordan, and within 10 years up to 20 or 30 projects.”
Russian soldiers are searching for legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen’s remains, the London-based Arabic website Rai al-Youm reported. The search effort is allegedly being conducted as a part of the recent prisoner swap between Jerusalem and Damascus.
Cohen was an Israeli secret agent who, in the early sixties, gained the trust of top Syrian government officials and offered advice to its defense ministry. He was caught and executed in 1965. The whereabouts of his remains are unknown.
According to recent reports, the Russian military has been searching for Cohen’s body at the Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus. In early February, local media reported on excavations at Yarmouk’s cemetery.
In a Moscow-brokered prisoner swap, Israel released two Syrian shepherds two weeks ago. In return, Damascus released an Israeli woman who had been captured after crossing the border.
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