By Anna Ahronheim, Jerusalem Post— Israel has seemingly upped its “war-between-wars” (MAMBAM) campaign against Iran in Syria as the country’s top officer warns that the IDF is accelerating its plans to deal with Iran’s nuclear program. At least seven airstrikes targeting Iranian and Shi’ite militias have been blamed on Israel in the past month alone,…
By Aaron Boxerman, Times of Israel— Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem told reporters on Friday that although Hezbollah did not believe it was heading towards an escalation with Israel, they were “prepared to respond” should Israel strike Lebanese territory again. “Israel must understand that it must stay deterred. Otherwise, we are prepared to respond,” said…
By Shlomi Diaz , Lilach Shoval and Daniel Siryoti, Israel Hayom— Three rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon on Wednesday afternoon, triggering sirens in communities near the border and a quick response from IDF forces that continued in intervals over several hours. By the Wednesday evening, it appeared that the flare-up was over,…
By JNS News Service—- Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror organization is advancing its preparations for the possibility that the state may collapse, Reuters reported on Friday. The group is expanding its food ration card system, importing medicine and preparing storage for fuel to be delivered by the organization’s patron, Iran, the report said. These steps are aimed…
By Emanuele Ottolenghi, Jewish Policy Center— Will the Biden administration go after Hezbollah’s drug trafficking and money laundering networks? Hezbollah’s direct involvement in the drug trade is well documented, ongoing, and a threat to U.S national interests. The Biden administration needs to build on the past four years and pursue Hezbollah’s money laundering and drug…
By Con Coughlin, Gatestone Institute— The conviction of a senior Hezbollah terrorist for assassinating Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has provided the hard-pressed Lebanese people with incontrovertible proof of the malign influence Iran exerts over their political system. Following an investigation that has lasted for more than a decade and cost a staggering $1 billion,…
By Arlene Bridges Samuels, CBN Israel— Once considered the “Paris of the Middle East,” Beirut has been in decline for decades. When 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were recklessly stored (and then neglected) for years in a port warehouse, it was a recipe for disaster. And on August 4, a massive explosion blasted a 141-foot-deep…
By Benjamin Kerstein, Algemeiner— Under the pressure of continuing IAF air strikes, Iran is beginning to drawn down its military presence in Syria, unnamed Israeli security officials were quoted as saying on Tuesday. The Israeli news site Walla cited the officials saying, “For the first time since Iran entered Syria, it is reducing its forces…
By Shoshana Bryen, Jewish Policy Center— The German government has pulled the plug on Hezbollah, labeling it a terrorist organization – its political “wing” as well as its military “wing” – and banning its activity on German soil; associated organizations will also be outlawed. What took so long? Surely there was no benefit to Germany…
By Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute— Why are Iran’s Palestinian proxies, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, disturbed about the death of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, who was killed in a US airstrike on January 3, 2020? The two Iranian-backed groups in the Gaza Strip were quick to mourn the “martyr”…