A7News: Watch: IDF blows up Hezbollah tunnel

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Friday, Dec. 21 '18, י"ג בטבת תשע"ט



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HEADLINES:
1. WATCH: IDF BLOWS UP HEZBOLLAH TUNNEL
2. WATCH: IDF BEGINS DESTROYING HEZBOLLAH TERROR TUNNELS
3. ISRAELI TEEN RAISED AS A MUSLIM RETURNS TO JUDAISM
4. IDF BEGINS NEUTRALIZING HEZBOLLAH TERROR TUNNELS
5. FATHER AND SON KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENT NEAR SDEROT
6. SHOOTING NEAR ISRAELI TOWN NORTH OF JERUSALEM
7. WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS US WITHDRAWAL FROM SYRIA
8. CRUZ INTRODUCES BILL TO SANCTION PA OVER TERRORIST PAYMENTS


1. WATCH: IDF BLOWS UP HEZBOLLAH TUNNEL
by Tzvi Lev

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256513

The IDF detonated one of the terror tunnels it uncovered snaking under its border with Lebanon. The tunnel began in the Lebanese village of Ramye and penetrated dozens of meters into Israel.

The effort to uncover Hezbollah's tunnels is led by the combat engineering units of the Northern Command and the Yahalom (Special Combat Engineering) Unit.

The IDF confirmed earlier on Thursday that Israeli security forces operating along the border with Lebanon began demolishing the four cross-border terror tunnels located this month.

As part of Operation Northern Shield, Israeli forces are deployed along the northern border to neutralize the terror tunnels found in recent weeks.

Earlier this week, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed that the tunnels violated the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1701, passed at the end of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

"After further technical investigations conducted independently in accordance with its mandate, UNIFIL can at this stage confirm that two tunnels cross the Blue Line, a blatant violation of the UN Security Council resolution 1701".

Detonation of Hezbollah tunnel
IDF Spokesperson's Unit



2. WATCH: IDF BEGINS DESTROYING HEZBOLLAH TERROR TUNNELS
by David Rosenberg

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256472

The IDF has confirmed that Israeli security forces operating along the border with Lebanon began demolishing the four cross-border terror tunnels located this month.

As reported earlier, as part of Operation Northern Shield, Israeli forces are deployed along the northern border to neutralize four terror tunnels found in recent weeks.

"The neutralization and destruction phase of the cross-border attack tunnels, which were exposed by the IDF as part of Operation Northern Shield, has begun," and IDF spokesperson said Thursday.

"This phase will be carried out using several methods and means which will ensure that the attack tunnels cannot be used by the Hezbollah terror organization and will prevent it from implementing its plans."

Four tunnels have been found from southern Lebanon leading into Israeli territory since the launch of Operation Northern Shield earlier this month.

The tunnels were dug by the Hezbollah terror organization, for the purposes of conducting terrorist attacks on targets in northern Israel.

The IDF emphasized that it holds the Lebanese government and military responsible for the cross-border tunnels, which violate Israeli territory.

"The Lebanese Government is held accountable for digging the attack tunnels. The IDF warns against approaching the openings of the tunnels or staying close to them on the Lebanese side."

"Notices regarding the neutralization of attack tunnels will be given to the relevant heads of local authorities and their residences. Simultaneously, the IDF continues its operational efforts in accordance with the approved plan."

"The IDF continues to operate in the Northern Command with reinforced troops, and is prepared with a wide variety of enhanced capabilities for any developments, should they occur. The IDF will continue to operate to neutralize Hezbollah's military infrastructure and to thwart the threat the Hezbollah terror organization attempted to realize against civilians of the State of Israel."

Earlier this week, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) confirmed that the tunnels violated the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1701, passed at the end of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

"After further technical investigations conducted independently in accordance with its mandate, UNIFIL can at this stage confirm that two tunnels cross the Blue Line, a blatant violation of the UN Security Council resolution 1701 ".


3. ISRAELI TEEN RAISED AS A MUSLIM RETURNS TO JUDAISM
by Mordechai Sones

No family came to accompany 19-year-old Kamel when a Brit Yosef Yitzchak organization member performed his hatafat dam procedure, drawing a drop of blood with a pin-sized lance for those who have been circumcised but not for the sake of the Covenant of Abraham. At this time he was given his new Jewish name, Binyamin.

No family member was there, but members of Yad L'Achim who accompanied Kamel (Binyamin) in the past two years stood by him now, a day later, when he immersed in a mikveh to accept Judaism before the judges of the Haifa Rabbinical Court, and thus completed his "return to Judaism" ceremony - a special track for Jews who left their religion and are now returning to Judaism of their own free will.

Binyamin was born in a Arab village in the north of the country to a Jewish mother who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union, and an Arab father. Two years after the mother converted to Islam and married the same Arab in an attempt to start a new life in the Land of Israel - to which, ironically, she immigrated from Moscow so she could live as a Jew.

After years his mother divorced the Arab father after undergoing a life of suffering and violence, but the Arab father, who was well versed in local law, succeeded in deceiving her and Binyamin was transferred to his custody.

Binyamin, who grew up as Kamel, was educated in Islam and grew up as an Arab in every respect. The torture he suffered as a son of a hated Jewish mother caused him to flee the village when he was 15 years old and roam the streets of Acco and Haifa.

His life quickly degenerated into brawls and wars of survival until he was directed to Yad L'Achim by a passing Jew who heard his story and understood that he wanted to return to the Jewish People and open a new and better chapter in his life.

Yad L'Achim hurried to meet with Binyamin and immediately began combined treatment: First, a suitable accommodation was found in an educational institution for young people from difficult backgrounds. At the same time, the organization worked to connect him with a mentor who was especially assigned to him and taught him the Hebrew language and later Judaism and Jewish heritage.

Yad L'Achim even purchased a pair of tefillin for him, helped him find suitable work during the evening hours, and gave him coupons every month for food, clothes, and personal furniture. Only a half-year after he had been picked up from the street, with much help from Heaven and greater willpower than most, Binyamin knew how to open a siddur or a Chumash and read them like one accustomed.

The decisive stage of his return to Judaism also recently ended. The request submitted by Yad L'Achim to the Beit Din for Binyamin's return to Judaism encountered difficulties due to missing documents relating to the Jewishness of his mother, who had no family member or acquaintance in Israel. In the end, after many efforts by Yad L'Achim overseas they managed to obtain some documents, and the court decided on a special genetic test that proved beyond any doubt that Binyamin was 100 percent Jewish and derived from a Jewish family in Poland.

"Binyamin is waiting impatiently for the official document of his return to Judaism, and at the same time he began to observe Shabbat and observe kashrut and so this time too, despite the difficult personal story, we were moved to see that Israel is aware of G-d and His Torah," Yad L'Achim said this week. "These success stories only encourage us to continue to care for thousands of Jews with similar life stories who are desperate for help. We won't rest until we can bring them home."


4. IDF BEGINS NEUTRALIZING HEZBOLLAH TERROR TUNNELS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Israeli security forces began demolishing four cross-border tunnels Thursday along the Israeli-Lebanese frontier, as part of the ongoing Operation Northern Shield.

Earlier this month, the IDF launched Operation Northern Shield to locate and neutralize terror tunnels built from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory by the Lebanese-based terrorist organization Hezbollah.

Since the beginning of the operation, four such tunnels have been discovered.

According to a report Thursday by Channel 2 News, Israeli forces are using alternative methods to demolish the tunnels, without the need for explosives.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hinted at "developments" in Operation Northern Shield, during his meeting with leaders from Greece and Cyprus.

"A few weeks ago, Israel launched a campaign to expose and neutralize cross-border terror tunnels on our northern border with Lebanon," said Netanyahu. "These tunnels were built by Hezbollah with direct support and funding from Iran. This is the Iranian web of aggression in the Middle East, which also terrorizes Europe and the entire world."

"Israel continues its operation against... terror tunnels, and will do so until its completion," Netanyahu continued, adding "As we speak, we are employing 'means' to neutralize these tunnels."

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke at a press conference ahead of the United Nations Security Council meeting on the Hezbollah terror tunnels, and urged the UN monitoring force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, to take action against the tunnels.

"What has to be done now is have UNIFIL do something serious. We await to see that."

Later on Wednesday, the IDF revealed details regarding the fourth tunnel discovered along the border.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256462

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5. FATHER AND SON KILLED IN ROAD ACCIDENT NEAR SDEROT
by Reut Hadar

A father and his son were killed in the early afternoon hours today (Friday) in a collision between a private vehicle and a commercial minivan on Route 232 in southern Israel, near Sderot.

A third man, aged about 60, suffered moderate injuries.

Medical crews that arrived on the scene determined the death of the father and son on the spot. The injured man was evacuated by helicopter to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.

Alex Kusinov, a paramedic, told reporters: "When we arrived on the scene we saw a commercial vehicle and a private vehicle crushed on the road. Outside the private vehicle, a man aged about 40 was lying on the ground, not breathing, with no pulse and severe multi-system injuries.

"Inside the two vehicles, the drivers were trapped in the drivers' seats".

"In the private vehicle, a young man aged about 20 was unconscious with a severe multi-system injury. After initial medical care we transferred him to an MDA helicopter that is evacuating him with a chest trauma in moderate condition to Soroka Hospital," said Kusinov.


6. SHOOTING NEAR ISRAELI TOWN NORTH OF JERUSALEM
by David Rosenberg

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256477

Shots were reportedly fired at Ofra Junction, outside of the Israeli town of Ofra, Thursday night, a week and a half after a drive-by terrorist shooting there which left seven Israelis wounded.

Initial reports suggest the gunfire emanated from the nearby Arab village of Ein Yabrud, and was aimed at Ofra Junction.

No injuries have been reported.

Israeli security forces have been dispatched to the scene and are investigating.

Route 60, the primary north-south traffic artery, was temporarily closed in both directions as a result of the shooting.

The IDF confirmed that there were no injuries in the shooting, and that security forces had been dispatched to the scene, adding that soldiers returned fire.

"Following the previous report regarding shooting at the Ofra Junction, shots were apparently fired from the nearby village of Ein Yabrud, south of Ariel," an IDF spokesperson said. "No injuries were reported. IDF troops responded with fire, and are blocking routes and conducting searches in the area."

On December 9th, terrorists affiliated with the Hamas terror organization opened fire on a group of Israeli civilians at a bus stop at Ofra Junction.

Seven people were wounded, including a 21-year-old woman who was 30 weeks pregnant. Her child was born prematurely as a result of the attack, and died three days later.


7. WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS US WITHDRAWAL FROM SYRIA
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The White House confirmed Wednesday that it has started withdrawing US troops from Syria, following reports that the US was considering a complete withdrawal from the country.

"We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed in a statement.

"Five years ago, ISIS was a very powerful and dangerous force in the Middle East, and now the United States has defeated the territorial caliphate," Sanders said. "These victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign."

She added that the US and its allies "will continue to work together to deny radical Islamist terrorists territory, funding, support, and any means of infiltrating our borders."

A US official told Reuters that all State Department personnel in Syria will be evacuated from the country within 24 hours, and that all US forces will depart within 60 to 100 days, once the final operation against ISIS has been completed.

US President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday afternoon that his only reason to have US troops in Syria was to defeat ISIS, a mission which he said the US has accomplished.

"We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."

According to Reuters, the United States still has about 2,000 troops in Syria, many of them special operations forces working closely with an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, which is led by Kurdish YPG forces.

The US move comes as Turkey threatens a new offensive against the US-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria. Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to attack the YPG Kurdish militia operating east of the Euphrates River. The YPG has been battling ISIS with the assistance of the US.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blasted the US presence in Syria at a news briefing, Reuters reported.

"From being a factor in the fight against terrorism, the illegal American presence in Syria is becoming a dangerous obstacle to the path to a settlement," she said.



8. CRUZ INTRODUCES BILL TO SANCTION PA OVER TERRORIST PAYMENTS
by Elad Benari

US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Thursday introduced the End Palestinian Terror Salaries Act of 2018.

The bill would impose sanctions against Palestinian Authority officials who provide financial rewards for Palestinian Arab terror attacks within 90 days of being enacted.

"Palestinian terrorists have wounded or killed more than a dozen Israelis over the last few months, including 45-year old American-Israeli Ari Fuld," Cruz said in a statement.

"The Palestinian government continues to provide hundreds of millions of dollars each year rewarding such terrorists and their families, providing an incentive for ever more violence. It's past time for Congress to impose direct costs on the Palestinian officials who manage the programs that provide these rewards," he added.

Earlier this year, the US Senate passed the Taylor Force Act, which cuts aid to the PA as long as the PA continues to pay salaries to terrorists. The legislation was named for US army veteran Taylor Force, who was murdered in a stabbing attack in Jaffa.

PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas has been undeterred by the legislation and the repeated calls on him to stop paying terrorists and their families.

Abbas has continuously stressed that "families of the martyrs will continue to receive their allowances in full."

In a recent speech, Abbas called the PA's continued payments to terrorists a "red line" that would not be halted under any circumstances.

"The salaries of the shaheeds (martyrs) are our red line. We absorb a lot of pressure, but we will not compromise or give up on this matter, the money will go to them - until the last expulsion," Abbas said during a speech at the Executive Committee of the PLO in October.