From Iron Dome to FireDome: Israel’s answer to combating wildfires
(JNS) — FireDome, a startup founded in Israel in 2024, is developing an AI-driven defense system to combat wildfires such as those currently ravaging the Los Angeles area. The system is inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense technology.
The system utilizes eco-friendly fire retardants and AI technology to form protective barriers and extinguish spot fires caused by wind-blown embers. Initially designed to protect 100-acre areas, FireDome aims to expand its coverage to larger regions.
Testing is set to begin in Israel in 2025, with U.S. pilot programs planned for 2026.
With $3 million in seed funding and advisory support from Iron Dome co-founder Pinchas Yungman, FireDome seeks to enhance firefighting efforts and reduce the significant damage caused by wildfires, which cost the United States up to $900 billion annually.
Israeli teen arrested in connection with ISIS-linked terror plot
(JNS) — A 16-year-old from southern Israel was arrested in December for planning to join Islamic State and engage in terrorist activities, according to a joint statement released on Thursday by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police.
An investigation revealed that the young man intended to travel abroad to join the group, and had considered forming a terrorist cell in Israel to carry out attacks, according to the statement.
He had also allegedly started manufacturing bombs, and was in possession of documents detailing various kinds of terrorist activity.
An indictment for security offenses has been filed against him.
Israeli passport ranked 19th strongest in the world
(JNS) — The Israeli passport is the 19th strongest worldwide, according to a global ranking released last week.
Israeli passport holders can now enter 170 countries without a visa, according to The Henley Passport Index, which measures the number of visa-free destinations available to holders of a given passport.
The Israeli passport increased in strength from last year, when it was ranked 21st.
Singapore tops the ranking of nearly 200 passports included in the index, followed by Japan, Finland, France, Germany, South Korea and Spain.
The United States passport fell to 9th place on the listing from 7th last year and first a decade ago, with American passport holders eligible to visit 186 countries without a visa.
Israeli fire protection experts to assist with LA wildfires
(JNS) — Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority sent a team of five fire protection experts to California on Wednesday, in an effort to assist firefighters battling the wildfires still blazing in Los Angeles.
The delegation, which will remain in the United States for about a week, includes members who specialize in forest fire prevention, with experience gained from major blazes in Israel in past years.
Both Southern California and Israel share similar climates, with hot and dry summer seasons and only limited rain in the winter months. This, coupled with strong winds, contributes to the outbreak of wildfires.
Earlier this week, a volunteer Israeli search-and-rescue organization offered its assistance in dealing with the devastating wildfires raging in California. The unusual proposal by Zaka, which became known initially for its efforts to gather human remains following disasters, highlighted the group’s South African teams, which are practiced in responding to fires.
Separately, the Israeli NGO IsraAID said on Sunday that it was planning to send an emergency response team to support communities affected by the fires.
The death toll in the California fires, which were the most destructive in the state’s history, has thus far risen to 25.
IDF has seized more than 3,000 weapons in Syria since Dec. 8
(JNS) — Israel Defense Forces soldiers operating in Syria have confiscated more than 3,000 weapons and other gear belonging to the former Syrian Armed Forces since the fall of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, the army stated Wednesday.
Among the 3,300 assets seized from Syrian territory, the Technological and Logistics Directorate’s Intelligence and Technical Haul Collection Unit seized firearms, anti-tank missiles and RPG systems, mortar shells, explosive devices, observation equipment and two tanks, the army said.
Since the start of the current war, which was sparked by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre of 1,200 people in southern Israel, IDF troops have seized more than 170,000 hostile assets from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria, according to the IDF.
Forces of the IDF’s 210th “Bashan” Division continue operations inside Syria to “provide security and protection for the residents of Israel and the Golan Heights in particular,” Wednesday’s IDF statement noted.
