Iran in focus as CENTCOM chief arrives in Israel for urgent visit
(JNS) — Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), was scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday afternoon for a brief visit.
Kurilla, who is highly respected by Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior commanders in the Israel Defense Forces, will remain in the country for approximately 36 hours.
The prevailing assumption is that his visit will center on planning for a potential military strike on the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as on countermeasures to defend against any Iranian response, should U.S. President Donald Trump decide to implement the military option.
Sa’ar welcomes US lawmakers to Israel on Yom Hashoah
(JNS) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar welcomed a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers to Jerusalem on the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) on Thursday.
The visit, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), coincided with national commemorations and highlighted the ongoing partnership between Israel and the United States.
In a statement shared on social media, Sa’ar expressed appreciation for the American delegation’s solidarity.
“We will never again be a defenseless nation,” he wrote. “Israel will not allow anyone, including the so-called ‘international legal institutions’, to undermine our basic right to self-defense.”
Global antisemitism has declined since peaking in the months after Oct. 7, study says
(JTA) — Rates of antisemitic incidents have experienced a “sharp decline” across the world more than a year after Oct. 7, 2023, according to the author of a new study from Tel Aviv University.
The study of global antisemitism, published this week, noted that the number of incidents decreased in many countries in 2024, including France, Britain, Germany, Mexico and South Africa, although rates broadly remain higher than they were before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the outbreak of the war in Gaza.
In Australia last year, according to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, there were 1,713 antisemitic incidents, compared to 1,200 in 2023. Italy saw 877 antisemitic incidents in 2024, compared to 454 in 2023, according to a Jewish watchdog group.
The report was published the same week as another study of antisemitism in the United States by the Anti-Defamation League that reported 9,354 antisemitic incidents across the country, marking a 5% increase from the previous year.
Iran hardens nuclear sites amid ongoing talks with US
(JNS) — Iran is bolstering its nuclear infrastructure with newly constructed underground tunnel complexes, creating a massive security perimeter around them, according to a report published by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) on Wednesday.
The report, based on satellite imagery, comes as the United States and Iran prepare for a third round of talks on a potential deal that could reinstate restraints on Iran’s uranium enrichment program. The talks, scheduled for this weekend, are taking place amid rising tensions, including threats of military action against the Islamic Republic from the United States and Israel, Reuters reported.
