File photo
Israeli warplanes struck “militant” positions on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line that runs through the Golan Heights, Israeli media reported Thursday.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, seven “militants” were killed by the airstrike.
Israel on Wednesday marked the launch of a new Jewish heritage center in Jerusalem.The center, which will cost over $1 million, will be housed in an old Yemenite synagogue that will soon be renovated. The synagogue is located in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem.A ceremony marking the launch was attended by Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin and Culture Minister Miri Regev. Former Arkansas governor and U.S. presidential candidate Mike Huckabee was also present.Israeli PM warns Iran over attempt to close key straitAccording to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, the director of the center, Jawad Siyam, and Committee Head of Batn al-Hawa neighborhood Zuhayr ar-Racabi were arrested by Israeli police prior to the center’s launching ceremony.The Palestinian Abu Nab family had been living in the old synagogue but were forced out in 2015 by Jewish settlers in cooperation with Ateret Cohanim, a group that works to establish a Jewish majority in the Old City and East Jerusalem.
Israel marks launch of Jewish center in Jerusalem
The broadcaster did not provide any further details.
In a statement, the Israeli army appeared to confirm the strikes, saying its aircraft had fired on a concentration of “terrorist operatives” on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday warned Iran of a military response if it attempts to close the key Bab al-Mandab Strait on the Red Sea.“If Iran tries to close Bab al-Mandab, I’m sure it will face a strong coalition which will prevent it,” Netanyahu said at a graduation ceremony of naval officers in the northern city of Haifa.“Israel will be in that coalition too,” he said, but did not specify the other countries that would be part of it.He said the sea provides Israel with many opportunities, and Israeli ships were able to reach a vast area thanks to it.Israel commits 90 breaches against journos in July: NGO“This gives the state of Israel considerable power,” he added.Last week, Saudi Arabia suspended crude oil shipments through the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait after two of its oil tankers were allegedly attacked by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels off Yemen’s coast.Following the attacks, an Iranian military commander warned that the Red Sea would “no longer be safe” for U.S. vessels amid an ongoing war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian military officials.'Double standards of the Israeli judicial system'The remarks, made by Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, come amid tensions between Tehran and Washington that have steadily mounted since Trump withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the West.Iran rejects Trump offer of talks as 'humiliation', without value“Never, ever threaten the U.S. again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have suffered,” Trump recently told his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Twitter.
Israeli PM warns Iran over attempt to close key strait
While searching the area on Thursday morning, Israeli troops found explosive belts and an AK-47 assault rifle, according to the army statement.
Shells fired from Syrian territory occasionally land in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, prompting “retaliatory” strikes by Israeli warplanes.
Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.