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I've Been Thinking:
The Pro-Iranian hacker group Al Tahrea announced that they had launched a cyber-attack against Israeli targets. According to their claim, Al Tahrea launched a cyberattack on soft Israeli sites.
Al Tahrea and Israel have history. This is the same group that recently took down the Israel Airport Authority website.
Israel has come under attack from many hacker groups. The most common modus operandi for the hackers is to identify and then attack soft Israeli targets.
The objective of these hackers is not merely to infiltrate Israeli targets. It is to show the world that Israel is vulnerable. That contrary to reputation, Israel, the Start-UP Nation, is not superior in computer technology. That they, the hackers are better at their craft.
The hackers want to inconvenience Israelis, they want to make life difficult for Israelis, rather than to cripple the country.
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I've Been Thinking:
Vladimir Putin is on the war path against Israel.
Russia is shutting down the office of the Jewish Agency in Moscow. They are arresting Russian who did not declare their Israeli citizenship within 30 days of their arrival in the country.
Russia's Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, Ministry Maria Zakharova, said that Israel has taken an "unhelpful" stance towards Russia in the last few months.
In her statement, Zakharova explained that Russia’s issues with the Jewish Agency are legal rather than national. She also acknowledged that Israel's support of Ukraine "raises questions".
During a TV interview Maria Zakharova said: “It is up to Russia's Ministry of Justice to take a decision on the fate of the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency, which helps Jews emigrate to Israel.”
When asked about the fate of the Jewish Agency in Moscow the spokeswoman responded: "It's a question for the Ministry of Justice, that's the information I have. It definitely is a legal matter.”
The Israel-based Jewish Agency is the largest Jewish organization in the world.
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I've Been Thinking:
Time heals diplomatic wounds.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made his first trip to any European Union country since the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The country he chose to visit on this maiden voyage is Greece.
Bin Salman travelled with a large delegation composed of both government and business representatives. Included in the crown prince’s itinerary was a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the signing of a series of bilateral investment and defense agreements.
The EU in general, and Greece in particular, has much to gain from Saudi interaction and investments.
In the end business, is more important any other issue. Business triumphs.
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I've Been Thinking:
srael has acknowledged that, in May, IDF jets came under Russian anti-aircraft fire over Syria. Israel’s defense systems, they report, prevented Russia from hitting their target.
Downplaying the situation, Israel has termed the confrontation as just a "one-off incident".
This disclosure, which came from Defense Minister Benny Gantz, came as tensions between Israel and Russia over the Israel’s condemnation of the Ukraine war and Russia’s scrutiny of the Jewish Agency’s role in their country, intensified.
Russia has helped Syrian President Bashar Assad turn the tide of their more than a decade-old civil war. Their influence in Damascus is strong and widely accepted. And Russian forces in Syria have also regularly turned a blind eye when Israel conducted air strikes against suspected Iranian-sponsored deployments and arms transfers in Syria.
For these reasons and others, it is very important that tensions between Russia and Israel do not spiral out of control.
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I've Been Thinking:
Russia supplies oil and gas to the European Union. And the EU is afraid that Russia will cut off the supply.
Moscow has said that despite the sanctions, the supply will not be shut off. That’s because Russia needs the money. And as far as Russia is concerned, the more expensive the oil and gas, the better it is for Russia.
The status quo is too uncertain and the EU needs to find alternative oil. If they can accomplish that maneuver, it will make them more secure and it will hurt Russia.
Of all countries, Nigeria has popped up as an alternative.
Matthew Baldwin, deputy director general of the European Commission's energy department, is the person who first made this possibility public.
Baldwin was in Nigeria where he held meetings with officials from Africa's largest oil producer when he was told that Nigeria was improving security in the Niger Delta and planned to re-open the Trans Niger pipeline sometime after August.
If it happens, it would yield more gas exports to Europe and solve the problem of their reliance on Russia.
This is very good news for everyone - except Russia.
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I've Been Thinking:
Israeli journalist Gil Tamari posted that he had crossed into Islam’s holy city Mecca. On his post it was possible to watch Tamari as he drove into Mecca proper and crossed under the huge hands holding a Koran at the entrance to the city.
Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia, is a city for believers only. It is forbidden for non-believers to enter.
It was just a matter of time before an Israeli, even a respected journalist like Gil Tamari, would try to pull off a stunt like this. And police in Mecca say they have arrested a Saudi man who helped Tamari sneak into Islam's holiest city, defying a rule that only Muslims can enter the area.
While Muslims of any nationality and background can enter Mecca, non-Muslims are not permitted. A very specific code of conduct and behavior is required of all people within Mecca’s boundaries. That code includes certain forms of modesty, ritual cleansing and prayers.
The public backlash over the Israel’s visit was immediate on social media. It was hostile, with Muslims and Saudis expressing their anger over Tamari’s deception and apparent disregard for the sanctity of the site.
Tamari was wrong. He acted arrogantly and selfishly. He could have driven up to the edge of the city and not broken through the invisible, but very spiritual, boundary to the city – Islam’s holiest site.
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I've Been Thinking:
If you have been paying attention to reports from and about Iran then you know that they Iranians are advancing toward nuclear capabilities at a very rapid pace.
And one of the projects Teheran has undertaken is the dismantling of the international watchdog’s equipment specifically set up to monitor their nuclear development.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has admitted to having very limited visibility on what is happening. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the Spanish media outlet El Pais that Iran’s nuclear program is moving at a very rapid rate.
In June, Iran began removing essentially all of the agency's monitoring equipment, originally installed under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. At the time, Grossi said that the dismantling of their equipment by Iran could deal a "fatal blow" to chances of reviving the Nuke Deal following the pullout by the United States in 2018.
Grossi told El Pais: "The bottom line is that for almost five weeks I have had very limited visibility, with a nuclear program that is galloping ahead and, therefore, if there is an agreement, it is going to be very difficult for me to reconstruct the puzzle of this whole period of forced blindness."
This is neither good news nor is it surprising news. This is how Iran does things.
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I've Been Thinking:
Times are certainly changing. The United States is withdrawing troops from the Straits of Tiran. People are being replaced with cameras. These cameras will monitor events and safe shipping lines travelling through the water at the mouth of the Red Sea.
US officials have announced that remote-controlled cameras will take over responsibility from U.S.-led peacekeepers for ensuring that international shipping retains freedom of access to the Gulf of Aqaba.
The coastline of the Gulf of Aqaba is shared by Israel and three Arab nations.
During his visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the tiny Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) contingent on Tiran, which lies at the mouth of the Gulf, would be departing.
Israel is skeptical about the feasibility of this new arrangement, but has not impeded the change in protocol.
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I've Been Thinking:
The opening of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Arab world is many-faceted.
Exchanges of security, military material and intelligence is a key benefit of these new relationships. Technology is another. Trade and tourism benefits both sides.
As part of an official trip to Morocco, IDF Chief of Staff Major General Aviv Kochavi visited the "Ben Grier" Moroccan airbase. There, Kochavi met with the commander, Colonel Major Hassan Mahuar. The military leaders spoke about cooperation between their country’s air forces.
During his visit Kochavi also met with members of the Moroccan Jewish community. Addressing the crowd in the synagogue he said: "Morocco is an ally to Israel and is an example to deep connections between peoples based on a common heritage."
This bodes well for Israel and for Morocco. It is a very good sign for the future of Israel’s relationship with the Arab world.
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I've Been Thinking:
The buck stops where?
US President Harry S. Truman had a sign prominently displayed on his desk that read “the buck stops here.” In other words, ultimate responsibility rests with the leader. Great leaders take responsibility.
But it seems that not all leaders subscribe to that sentiment.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified that he bears no responsibility for the safety gaps that led to the deadly stampede that killed 45 people last year on the Jewish holiday and festival called Lag B’Omer.
The incident, which was the worst civilian disaster in the country's history, took place on Mount Meron in northern Israel in April of 2021. Around 100,000 worshipers attended the celebration despite coronavirus regulations limiting outdoor assemblies to 500 people, and in spite of longstanding warnings about the safety of the site.
Testifying before an independent commission investigating the tragedy, then Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that he only became involved in preparations for the Festival at Meron because of the coronavirus pandemic. As for safety gaps or measures, he said, “I didn’t deal with safety … The prime minister doesn't deal with that."
That is simply a sham.
Netanyahu also said that he did not step in to investigate how it happened, why it happened and who was derelict.
The death of 45 people on his watch, countless others injured and still suffering and Netanyahu has the gall to claim no involvement.
This tragedy, this catastrophe, will be a blight on his long career as an Israeli leader.
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I've Been Thinking:
I think that we are approaching the point of no return for Iran and their nuclear technology – their nuclear bomb.
France is convinced that there only a few days left for diplomacy because Iran is on the brink of having a bomb.
Kamal Kharrazi, senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently told Al Jazeera's Arabic media that Tehran will also directly respond against Israel should its security be targeted.
He said: "In a few days we were able to enrich uranium up to 60% and we can easily produce 90% enriched uranium ... Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb but there has been no decision by Iran to build one."
This is truly, bone chillingly, frightening.
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I've Been Thinking:
The Taliban attacked an ISIS group, killing some and arresting the others.
ISIS had perpetrated attacks against Uzbekistan and Tajikistan from Afghan soil, so, in response, the Taliban raided ISIS.
"Last night, special forces of the Islamic Emirate discovered and destroyed a center of Islamic State militiamen. During the operation, three of them were killed and five others were arrested," said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid.
In a message disseminated through his Twitter account, Mujahid pointed out that ISIS "weapons and several vehicles" were seized. He wrote: "It was not so long ago that they launched several rockets against Uzbekistan and Tajikistan."
Why all this tension between the Taliban and ISIS? Here’s the explanation. ISIS attacked two countries from Taliban controlled Afghanistan. That made the Taliban look bad. This attack was to shut down the ISIS cell that perpetrated those attacks.
For the Taliban, the mission was a success.
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I've Been Thinking:
In an interview with CNN, on the day after US President Joe Biden left Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia that will normalize relations with Israel only after there is a two-state solution.
The Saudi foreign minister said: "We have said that Saudi Arabia supports the Arab Peace Initiative. In fact, we offered it. We have made it clear that peace comes at the end of this process, not at the beginning of it."
"We have also said that the countries that signed the Abrahamic Accords with Israel, those are sovereign decisions made by those countries. We hope that those decisions will have a positive impact on Israeli domestic efforts."
Small steps are important, and those have been taken – even if Saudi Arabia has not changed its official stance on normalizing with Israel.
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I've Been Thinking:
A New UNESCO report just blew my socks off.
Around half the public content related to the Holocaust on the Telegram messaging service denies or distorts facts about the killing of six million of Europe's Jews in the Holocaust.
The UNESCO report found that 80% of public German-language messages about the Nazi genocide during World War II denied or distorted facts. The same distortion was true for 50% of both English language and French language posts about the Holocaust.
The research analyzed 4,000 Holocaust-related posts across five top social media platforms. In addition to what they found on Telegram, the researchers found Holocaust denial or distortion in 19% of content on Twitter, 17% of content on TikTok, 8% on Facebook and 3% on Instagram.
The report defined distortion as posts that celebrated the genocide, smeared or blamed its victims, equated it to other events such as Israeli policy towards Palestinians, or omitted facts about Nazi perpetrators and their collaborators.
Asked about the report, a Telegram spokesperson said: "Telegram is a platform for free speech where people are welcome to peacefully express their opinions, including those we do not agree with."
The most important point of this report is not the numbers. These social media platforms provide us with a snapshot of today’s youth.
Only young people are using these platforms. Today’s youth have been infected with a POV that rejects the Holocaust.
That is astounding – and very alarming.
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I've Been Thinking:
China is the United State’s one true competitor in the world today. And the United States has forced Israel to put the brakes on high-tech cyber security deals with China.
Pressure from Washington has been mounting for some time. It started during the Trump administration. As China was pinpointed for the COVID outbreak, serious efforts to stymie Israeli /Chinese tech sales intensified.
Israel is considered a hub for cybersecurity firms, many of which are manned by veterans of Israel’s military's intelligence units.
According to the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, over 40% of private investments in cybersecurity globally are funneled into Israeli firms. Additionally, many foreign high-tech companies have also opened research and development centers in Israel.
Until 2018, China solidified its place as an important partner to Israel's burgeoning high-tech sector, which was looking for a reliable source of capital and access to one of the biggest global markets. In 2018 alone, Chinese investors poured $424 million into Israeli start-ups.
Chinese behemoths such as Ali Baba and Huawei also opened their R&D centers in Israel.
But the Unites States wants China to leave Israel.
According to a US Embassy spokesperson who spoke to Bloomberg News: “We would like to see Israel’s investment screening system strengthened and expanded, especially in the field of high tech. We have been candid with our Israeli friends over risks to our shared national security interests.”
The spokesperson was, of course, referring to China.
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I've Been Thinking:
On June 27th, in the city of Muscat, in Oman, there was a secret meeting between Egypt and Iran. The meeting took place while Egyptian President el-Sisi was in Oman.
Iran wanted to make certain that the ongoing Negev Summit was not about plotting an attack against Iran. Egypt calmed their fears and explained that the Summit’s objectives truly were purely economic.
During their meeting, Iran and Egypt discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip, the Syrian issue, and other matters in the Middle East. The meeting opened the door to relations between the two countries.
While Iran’s Mehr News Agency confirmed the meeting in Oman, it did not specify the issues that were discussed between Cairo and Tehran.
Interestingly, there was no other coverage of the meeting.
Egyptian and Gulf news agencies and newspapers did not report any news about Iran meeting with Egypt.
On July 3rd, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian did, however, acknowledge that “Egypt is an important country in the Islamic world,” but then indicated that there were no direct discussions between the two countries.
Interesting, indeed.
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I've Been Thinking:
Iran successfully attacked both Jerusalem and Eilat with a cyber strike that caused real alarms, as well as metaphorical alarms, to sound.
Yoram Cohen, who heads Israel's internet association, said that while the hack did not appear to harm any vital infrastructure, it revealed, once again, how vulnerable civilian systems are to attack.
Cohen said: "There is a gap between Israel's excellent cyber defenses on critical infrastructure compared to non-critical civilian systems."
"This was not the first cyberattack to demonstrate the gap and there must be increased awareness of the fact in order to protect Israel's networks."
Iran will continue to try to attack soft and weak Israeli targets. It is a big emotional victory for Iranian leadership as they think that Israel is vulnerable.
For that reason alone, these soft targets must be hardened.
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I've Been Thinking:
Adir Ynako, the YNET reporter Adir Ynako covering US President Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia arrived in the Gulf State several days ahead of the president.
This reporter’s descriptions of Jeddah were powerful - especially on his second day in the city when he decided to tell people in a shopping mall that he was from Israel.
For most of the people he broached the subject with, that little tidbit of information turned into a great big conversation stopper. In other words, Saudi leadership might be inching toward normalization with Israel but the masses are not there yet.
Yanko also pointed out that, in the lead up to Biden’s arrival in Jeddah there were no United States flags to be seen. There was no fanfare… no pomp… and certainly no circumstance. Compare that to Jerusalem where there were not only flags upon flags flying – the flags were ironed before they were displayed.
In fact, Ynako pointed out, vendors at the mall did not even know that the US president was due to arrive in their country.
That observation was significantly telling.
Giving an Israeli journalist tourist a cold shoulder was to be expected. But not knowing about, not promoting the arrival of the president of the United States, is a negative statement.
It was a major, intentional, diplomatic dis.
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I've Been Thinking:
Iran is playing the nuclear enrichment game.
Iranian and Western press are reporting that Iran is not just enriching uranium, they are increasing their uranium enrichment.
Iranians are using more advanced machines to achieve their enrichment goals. It is happening at Fordow, Iran’s underground under-ground nuclear facility. The reports describe that in Fordow, as opposed to their other nuclear facilities, Iran can more easily change between enrichment levels.
Changing between enrichment levels means increasing enrichment levels.
The IAEA, the atomic watchdog of the United Nations, has reported on Iran’s new nuclear status and the Iranian press has verified the report.
Western diplomats and the IAEA have been concerned about these advanced devices and the goings-on at Fordow for a very long time. With these centrifuges, so-called modified sub-headers means, Iran can switch more quickly and easily from enriching uranium at acceptable levels to higher purity levels – all it takes is a quick moment.
Iran is required to inform the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, about any change in enrichment. But Iran, as we all know, does not believe in being compliant.
Iran does not play by the rules.
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I've Been Thinking:
Prime Minister Yair Lapid recent announced that Israel maintains freedom of action against Iran's nuclear program.
During his remarks at the opening of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Lapid did not mince words when he said: "Israel reserves political and military freedom of action in fighting the Iranian nuclear program."
In that same meeting Israel’s caretaker prime minister also appealed to Middle
Eastern Sunni Muslim countries to engage in steps of rapprochement with Israel. Speaking for their benefit he said: "Israel extends a hand to the countries of the region and calls to change history for the sake of our children."
Israel is issuing their message loudly and clearly and for everyone to hear. Iran is the most significant threat to regional stability and all nation in the region should join forces to prevent them from attaining nuclear capabilities - especially nuclear weapons.
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srael's regional cooperation minister has asked Saudi Arabia to allow direct flights from Tel Aviv to Riyadh for Muslim pilgrims.
Israeli officials have also been seeking expanded permission for their airlines to fly over Saudi soil to better reach Asian destinations.
A person in Washington who was familiar with the matter said the new aviation deals sought by Israel could be announced around the time of Biden's visit, but that details still needed to be worked out and may not be completed in time.
Israel’s Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Freij is a member of Israel’s 18% Muslim minority. Speaking as both a Muslim and a member of government, he said: "I want to see the day when I can depart from Ben-Gurion (airport near Tel Aviv) to Jeddah to fulfil my religious obligation" of pilgrimage to Mecca.”
"I took this matter up with Saudi Arabia and I really hope that day will come," he told Israel's Army Radio, without expanding on where or when such discussions took place.
Saudi Arabia has long admitted Muslim pilgrims from Israel, but they must travel through third-party countries to get there. That ends up costing around $11,500 for a week-long stay, Freij said. Pilgrims from neighboring Arab countries pay around half that much for their travel.
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A Russian missile hit a tanker that has been drifting in the Black Sea for over four months carrying diesel.
The Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported the hit, citing Ukraine's military which called the ship an "ecological bomb".
The Moldova-flagged tanker Millennial Spirit has now been struck by Russia twice since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24th.
It was first hit with a missile fired from a warship mere days after the invasion began. At the time Moldova claimed that the ship had a Russian crew and that two crew members were seriously wounded.
Hitting a tanker and causing a spill could result in one of the most serious environmental disasters in decades. But it does not surprise me that Russia would be so cavalier about ecology.
The West should have stepped in immediately, grabbed that tanker and offloaded the diesel. Now, it might be too late.
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ISIS is on the attack - and ISIS is succeeding in the mission.
They are striking sites, especially prisons, and freeing hundreds of their captured commanders and soldiers.
ISIS claimed responsibility for a raid on a Nigerian prison in the capital city Abuja. The raid freed around ISIS 440 inmates. These former inmates are now fighters and they will join other fighting groups.
ISIS is gaining strength.
Shuaib Belgore, permanent secretary of the Nigerian interior ministry, spoke to journalists gathered outside the Abuja prison. He told them that the prison houses 900 inmates and that one security officer was killed during the raid and three others were injured.
A total of 879 inmates fled, according to a statement released by the Nigerian prison service. 4 inmates were killed and 16 were injured. 443 are still at large. The remainder have been recaptured.
The 443 unaccounted for inmates have almost certainly escaped with ISIS. That was, after all, the purpose of the attack.
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Israel’s cycling team is making Tour de France headlines.
Simon Clarke, an Israeli cyclist and team member, won Stage Five in the Tour de France. This is the first time an Israeli team member has ever won any segment of the Tour de France. Clark pulled out the win in the final 50 meters of this portion of the competition.
The name of the team is Israel–Premier Tech. Originally called Team Israel Start-Up Nation, it was established in 2014 and joined the World Tour in 2019. The team competed in the 2020 Tour de France, and has now partnered with the Canadian company Premier Tech for the 2022 season, renamed Israel Premier Tech.
The team roster consists of eight riders, including Guy Niv, an Israeli. A second Israeli rider, Omer Goldstein, was scheduled to compete but was forced to give up his place after exposure to Covid. He was replaced with Canadian Guillaume Boivin.
The Tour de France is a world renowned bicycle race that covers 2,000 miles in 23 days.
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The Abraham Accords are changing the modus operandi, the way things work, in the Middle East.
Israel and Morocco normalized relations in late 2020 as part of the US brokered Abraham Accords.
And for the first time ever, Israeli defense officials took part in a military exercise in Morocco. The drill was called African Lion 2022.
Israel sent a very modest delegation to Morocco. No troops participated, instead, there were high level observers. Three representatives of the IDF and the Defense Ministry watched the military drill.
The event was coordinated and led jointly by the African Command of the United States Army and the Royal Army in Morocco.
This is a very important step for Morocco. It will pave the way for many more coordinated activities way beyond military maneuvers.
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I've Been Thinking:
Hezbollah sent the three low flying drones toward Israel’s natural gas rigs in the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel shot them down.
Hezbollah was sending a series of messages.
# 1: Hezbollah argues that these rigs are in Lebanese waters - not Israeli waters. And Hezbollah wants Lebanon to make the claim to the United States.
# 2: Hezbollah also wanted to let Israel know that their gas rigs are vulnerable.
# 3: Hezbollah was delivering a message from Iran. Iran wanted Israel to know that they have a far reach and can hit Israeli targets.
The drones were all shot down miles from the rigs. One was shot down by an Israeli air force fighter jet. The second was shot down by an Israeli navy Corvette. The third drone was downed by a Barak-1 surface to air missile known as a SAM.
The drones did not explode when hit which indicated that they were not carrying explosives. Rather than destroy the rigs, their mission was to take pictures that would be used to embarrass Israel and to show the vulnerability of the precious natural gas rigs.
Hezbollah’s/Iran’s plans backfired.
Israel’s defenses were 100% on target.
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Russia is once again lowering the “Iron Curtain.” They are creating a massive wall between them and the West.
Speaking at a press conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explained the separation between Russia and the West this way: "It's practically already coming into place. Let them just behave carefully.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, Russia has been a pariah state.
Moscow has been isolated by the rest of the world. In response, Russia is proactively responding to the distancing by creating a distance on their own.
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US President Joe Biden congratulated Yair Lapid as he assumed his new position as the new prime minister of Israel.
The blessing came in the form of a tweet in which President Biden spoke of the strong the relationship between the countries .
The new Israeli prime minister responded with a tweet of his own. In his tweet, Lapid wrote: "Thank you, Mr. President. The ties between Israel and the United States are unbreakable. They are based on deep foundations of shared values and a common vision for the future.”
"I look forward to welcoming you to Israel and strengthening the unique alliance between the U.S. and Israel."
Times have certainly changed. Heads of state tweeting congratulations to each other is not what I would have imagined – especially in this case.
Biden and Lapid are not strangers to each other, they have actually developed a bond. I would have expected that the president would have picked up the phone and called the prime minister, not merely send a tweet.
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