Two rockets fired at Israel from northern Gaza
(JNS) — The Israeli Air Force on Thursday afternoon intercepted two rockets fired at the Jewish state by terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip.
Air-raid sirens sounded in the border villages of Kibbutz Mefalsim, Kibbutz Nir Am and Ibim, as well as in the nearby city of Sderot, sending tens and thousands of civilians running for shelter.
On Monday night, the IDF said that it had “most likely” intercepted two rockets fired by Palestinian terrorist groups from central Gaza.
Last week, a mortar shell fired from the Strip hit a structure in Kibbutz Nirim after the Israeli army failed to intercept it due to “human error.”
The shell caused minor damage to the kibbutz’s “Youth Neighborhood,” which is undergoing reconstruction after 24 homes were completely destroyed during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, in which five residents were murdered.
Syrian detente hopes dim as president accuses Israel of sowing ‘chaos and destruction’ with strikes
(JTA) — The interim president of Syria, Ahmed al-Shaara, accused Israel on Thursday of attempting to sow “chaos and destruction” following the Israeli army’s intervention in his country’s sectarian violence.
Much remains murky about the situation that has flared this week in the Sweida province of Syria. But it is clear that one result may be a retreat from the warming of relations between Israel and Syria that leaders of both countries were recently indicating could be on the way.
The conflict has centered on Sweida, a province near the Israeli border that is home to large numbers of the Druze religious minority. The Syrian army entered the region in recent days, ostensibly to quell violence between the Druze and Bedouin tribes there that has likely caused hundreds of Druze to be killed or injured.
The move triggered panic among the local Druze, who are skeptical about the commitment of Shaara, a former Islamist leader, to religious minorities. It also ignited a response from Israel, which has vowed to protect the Druze and also has an interest in preventing Shaara from amassing his forces close to the Israeli border.
Likud, Religious Zionism MKs vote against bill to cut aid to Gaza
(JNS) — Members of Knesset from the Likud and Religious Zionism parties voted on Wednesday against an opposition bill that sought to bar the delivery of humanitarian aid and civil supplies to the Gaza Strip, including electricity, water and fuel.
The bill failed to pass, with 49 votes against and only 10 in favor. Opponents argued that halting humanitarian aid would damage Israel’s international standing and jeopardize efforts to free the remaining hostages and defeat Hamas.
Yisrael Beiteinu lawmaker Yulia Malinovsky, who introduced the bill, criticized the government during the deliberation, saying that even as the war continues in Gaza, “we continue to engage in commerce” with the Palestinian enclave. “How can we, on the one hand, say we want to defeat Hamas — that Hamas is Gaza — and on the other hand, ensure it is fully supplied?” she asked.
After Damascus strikes, IDF chief vows to shield Syrian Druze
(JNS) — Israel “will not allow southern Syria to become a terror stronghold,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday evening.
He spoke after a situational assessment held at the IDF’s Camp Nafah, aka Camp Yitzhak, in the Golan Heights, on the backdrop of Israeli military strikes in Damascus sparked by regime-linked massacres of the Druze population in southern Syria.
“We are acting with determination to prevent hostile elements from establishing a presence beyond the border, to protect the citizens of the State of Israel, and to prevent the harming of Druze civilians,” said Zamir.
“We will not allow southern Syria to become a terror stronghold. We will not rely on anyone else, we will defend the communities along the border,” he added.
