Gaza’s Hamas rulers said on Sunday their indirect ceasefire talks with Israel have halted, despite expressing optimism regarding the deal earlier following a round of meetings with senior Egyptian intelligence officials in the strip on Saturday. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri blamed the impasse on the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which has voiced its strong opposition to the talks. Abu Zuhri said that in response, his Islamic militant group is escalating its protests in new locations along Gaza’s borders with Israel. Hamas leaders Egypt and the United Nations have been working to mediate to avoid another large-scale round of violence. On Saturday,…
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday warned Hezbollah against attacking Israel, saying any military action by the Lebanon-based terrorist organization would be met with a “crushing blow.” His remarks came hours after the leader of Hezbollah boasted that the Iran-backed group now possesses “highly accurate” missiles, despite Israeli attempts to prevent it from acquiring such weapons. Hassan Nasrallah didn’t offer specifics on the weapons in his traditional televised speech commemorating Ashura, a top religious holy day for Shiite Muslims. But he told supporters they need to be confident in Hezbollah’s capabilities and that the regional balance of power has changed. “I…
A 45-year-old father of four and prolific pro-Israel activist was stabbed to death by an Arab teenager on Sunday morning outside a shopping center in Gush Etzion, Judea. Ari Fuld, a social-media activist and media pundit, who also worked with the “Standing Together” Israel Defense Forces’ soldier support organization was attacked by a 17-year-old Palestinian from the nearby town of Yatta, while standing outside the Rami Levy supermarket, which is frequented by both Arabs and Jews. Security camera footage shows the Palestinian approaching slowly and possibly even communicating with Fuld before stabbing him multiple times. Despite being severely wounded, Fuld…
The Israeli military on Thursday detonated a large bomb that had been placed along the Gaza security fence by Palestinians during a recent riot, the army said. The Israel Defense Forces said the placement of the improvised explosive device showed that the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group was trying to keep up the clashes along the border, despite the reported ongoing ceasefire talks with Israel. The large IED, which was placed inside a blue jerrycan, was found earlier this week by the IDF next to the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. An improvised explosive device placed along the southern…
As the IDF continues to strengthen Israel’s northern border by completing 11 kilometers of a concrete barrier along the Lebanese border, a senior officer in the Northern Command has warned any Hezbollah militant who infiltrates into Israel will be killed. “Anyone who crosses into Israel will not return to Lebanon,” the IDF senior officer told journalists on the Lebanese border on Wednesday, stressing that “in the next war Hezbollah’s Radwan unit will be eliminated.” The border fence with Lebanon was originally built in the 1980s and while sections of it have been upgraded several times it is said to be…
In response to security intel which states that Hezbollah continues to bolster its short and medium-range missile capabilities, the Israel Defense Ministry (IDF) took a significant step towards arming itself against continued threats and enabling it to hit targets with great precision, from a distance, at a relatively low cost per mission. In an announcement on Monday, the IDF stated that it had purchased a vast network of surface-to-surface precision missiles, for an undisclosed sum, and is reportedly seeking longer-range arms that can target the whole region. The ministry said Israel Military Industries will supply the IDF with rockets that can hit targets between 30 kilometers…
A patrol of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was attacked by a Palestinian terrorist, who opened fire in the northern Gaza Strip. The military spokesman explained that there were no injuries among the soldiers and no material damage. Early reports indicate that a terrorist approached the border fence perimeter at about 7.40 a.m. The terrorist opened fire from close range at an IDF force performing routine tasks along the border fence. Combatants of the Rotem unit of the Givati Brigade responded to the fire and shot the terrorist. The Israel Defense Forces are trying to identify the attacker and determine…
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Sunday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was trying to sabotage a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, which controls the Gaza Strip. Abbas, who heads the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, “wants to damage the ties between us and the Gaza Strip,” Liberman told the Kan national broadcaster. “It is not our fight. They are trying to drag us into their internal Palestinian squabbles.” Hamas and the PA have been at odds since the terror group violently took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. A number of reconciliation agreements between…
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah boasted on Tuesday that his organization’s military is now stronger even than the vaunted Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Shiite militia was established in Lebanon by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to push the IDF out of the country and pose a long-term threat to the northern regions of the Jewish state. In 2006, Israel fought a full-scale war against Hezbollah, and many, including reservists who were called upon to take the field, complained that the IDF was not allowed to make full use of its capabilities and defeat the enemy. Next time around (and experts believe…
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman visited the IDF Gaza Division Monday morning and held a situation assessment meeting with the Chief of Staff, GOC Southern Command, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Gaza Division Commander, and a Shin Bet representative. After the assessment, Liberman said, “First of all, I’d like to express my appreciation to the commanders and soldiers who are determined and imbued with the spirit of battle, who perform holy work for the safety of the citizens of Israel. “Since the start of the ‘March of Return’ incidents, Hamas has absorbed 168 dead, 4,348 wounded,…