A7News: Bolton sought to prepare plan to attack Iran

Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
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Sunday, Jan. 13 '19, ז' בשבט תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. BOLTON SOUGHT TO PREPARE PLAN TO ATTACK IRAN
2. ISRAEL ATTACKED IRANIAN WEAPON STOREHOUSES IN SYRIA
3. WATCH: POST-SHABBAT 'MELAVEH MALKA' AT SHIN BET FACILITY
4. MAYOR PARTIALLY RETRACTS BLAME OF JEWS OVER ANGELA DAVIS
5. ADDITIONAL TERROR TUNNEL LOCATED AS OPERATION COMES TO A CLOSE
6. REPORT: NASRALLAH SUFFERS HEART ATTACK
7. IDF ATTACKS TWO HAMAS UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES
8. SYRIA URGES UN TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST ISRAEL


1. BOLTON SOUGHT TO PREPARE PLAN TO ATTACK IRAN
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The White House asked the US Defense Department a few months ago to present a plan to attack Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton appealed to the Department of Defense and the State Department in Washington asking them to formulate proposals for a military response against Iran, according to the paper.

The background to the request, according to the report, was the mortar attack in September that landed near the American Embassy in Baghdad.


2. ISRAEL ATTACKED IRANIAN WEAPON STOREHOUSES IN SYRIA
by Tal Polon

Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed during Sunday's cabinet meeting that Israel had carried out an attack on Iranian weapon storehouses at the Damascus international airport over the weekend, following reports of an Israeli strike in Syria.

"In the past 36 hours the air force attacked storehouses of Iran with Iranian weapons at the Damascus international airport," Netanyahu revealed, as he thanked outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot for his service in the IDF over the past 40 years, and his work as chief of staff in the past 4.

"We are more determined than ever to act against Iran in Syria, just as we promised. Overnight, the air force also attacked in Gaza, and this morning we announced the discovery of the tunnel in the north, possibly the most important one to cross the border into our territory.

"Thus, we approach the conclusion of the goal we defined: to cancel out Hezbollah's tunnel weapons."

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257537


3. WATCH: POST-SHABBAT 'MELAVEH MALKA' AT SHIN BET FACILITY
by Arutz Sheva Staff

About 100 supports arrived at the Shin Bet's Petach Tikvah facility for a Melaveh Malka, a traditional post-Shabbat celebration, of dancing and singing.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257536

Two weeks ago, on December 30, 2018, two suspects and a young man were arrested at their Yeshiva in the Samaria area in a Shin Bet raid. A gag order of the arrest was initially put by the court and the three were forbidden to meet with their attorneys.

It was later revealed that they were suspected of being involved in the death of an Arab woman who's husband claimed died from rocks being thrown at their car while they were driving.

A week later, another two minors were arrested as well. They were also forbidden from meeting their attorneys.

On January 7, one of the suspects spoke to Judge Guy Avnon, of the Rishon Letzion Municipal Court, behind closed doors. He had told the judge of the he trauma he had gone through during a prolonged Shin Bet interrogation, including being shackled from behind for hours, enduring shouts, cursing and humiliation by Shin Bet officers.

The judge ordered that the Department of Complaints of Interrogees be put under investigation for handling the interrogation in such a violent manner.

On January 10, Shin Bet announced that four of the five suspects were to be released to house arrest.

Attorney Adi Keidar of the Honenu Organization said at the time that he expects the police and Shin Bet to apologize to the youths, their parents and their rabbis.


4. MAYOR PARTIALLY RETRACTS BLAME OF JEWS OVER ANGELA DAVIS
by Ben Sales, JTA

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin partially retracted a statement that blamed local Jews for getting a civil rights award rescinded from Angela Davis. But the mayor still blamed some Jews.

In an initial statement issued last Sunday, Woodfin wrote that "after protests from our local Jewish community and some of its allies," the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute withdrew an award from Davis, a former member of the Communist Party USA and the Black Panthers. The prize, called the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, was to be given in February.

But on Thursday, Woodfin issued a new statement saying he did not intend to blame all local Jews for getting the award retracted, though he then reiterated that he still thought some Jews were to blame.

"Birmingham's Jewish community is not monolithic in thought," he said. "I consider myself an ally of Birmingham's Jewish community… It was not my intent to suggest that the entire Jewish community was opposed to Dr. Angela Davis receiving the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award.

"With that said, members of the community, Jewish and otherwise, were indeed vocal in their opposition of Dr. Davis receiving the Shuttlesworth Award."

The head of the local Jewish federation has declined to comment on the story, as have most of the board of the institute and its president.

But local reports offered substantiation that certain Jewish leaders objected to Davis' award on the grounds of her endorsement of a boycott of Israel. Davis wrote that her pro-Palestinian activism was the reason for the withdrawal.


5. ADDITIONAL TERROR TUNNEL LOCATED AS OPERATION COMES TO A CLOSE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Yesterday, Saturday, the IDF, led by the Northern command and the 91st Division, exposed an additional cross-border attack tunnel that had been dug from the village of Ramyeh and crossed from Lebanese territory into Israel. The tunnel will be neutralized in the coming days.

Tunnel route (IDF Spokesperson)
Heads of the relevant local authorities and UNIFIL have been notified.

With today's development, the IDF has now exposed all cross-border tunnels dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel. The tunnels will be neutralized in the coming days.

This marks the completion of Operation "Northern Shield", which aims to expose and neutralize attack tunnels which infiltrate into Israeli territory.

The IDF is simultaneously monitoring several locations where Hezbollah is digging underground structures which have yet to cross into Israel.

Operation "Northern Shield" deprived Hezbollah of the unique offensive abilities it had built for years as part of its planned attack on Israeli territory. The operation reflected advanced operational and intelligence technological capabilities and multi-stage detection of underground areas that have developed even more over the past few weeks.

Until the exposure and neutralization phase is completed, the IDF will continue conducting a broad defense effort on the Lebanese border, integrating various means and technologies. The IDF will continue constructing the defensive barrier ("Defensive Obstacle" Project), as well. In addition, IDF troops and the underground detection laboratory will continue operating regularly along the Lebanese border.

The IDF emphasized it is determined to carry out the task of protecting the citizens of Israel and will continue operating in the area and will monitor possible underground activity.

The perseverance and strength of the residents of the Galilee helped achieve the objectives of the operation, the IDF noted, adding that it will continue updating them as necessary.

The IDF also said that it holds the Lebanese government responsible for everything happening in its territory, and warned against entering the tunnels.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/257532

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6. REPORT: NASRALLAH SUFFERS HEART ATTACK
by Tzvi Lev

The Lebanese media reported on Saturday that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was hospitalized after apparently suffering a heart attack.

Additional reports said that Nasrallah is also fighting cancer.

Israel Hayom quoted Lebanese journalist Jerry Mahar as saying that "an intelligence source confirmed that a senior figure in the Hezbollah organization was hospitalized today in a hospital in the capital Beirut, and other sources confirmed that it was Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who has been fighting cancer for years."

The reports were not confirmed by any official source in the country and Hezbollah did not respond to the report.

Nasrallah has not been seen in the media since reports of the exposure of Hezbollah tunnels in Operation Defensive Shield.

In his last public appearance in November, Nasrallah blasted reports of a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel and warned the Jewish State not to attack Lebanon.

"We condemn any form of normalization with the Zionist entity," Nasrallah said. "I say to the Palestinian people, do not lose hope over the Arab states' normalization with Israel; what before went on behind the scenes now is taking place publicly. The current normalization has put an end to Arab hypocrisy, and removed the mask from the swindlers and hypocrites."


7. IDF ATTACKS TWO HAMAS UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES
by Elad Benari

IDF fighter jets on Saturday night targeted two Hamas underground structures in the Gaza Strip.

The air strike was in retaliation for a rocket that was launched from Gaza towards Israeli territory earlier on Saturday.

"We will continue operating to defend Israeli civilians," said the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.

The rocket that was fired from Gaza exploded in an open area without causing physical injuries or damage.

A siren was activated in seven communities in the Sha'ar Hanegev and Sdot Negev Regional Councils, and the residents entered protected areas. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed that one rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.

On Friday, IDF aircraft targeted two Hamas military posts following violent riots on the Gaza border, in which 13,000 Gazan rioters threw grenades and explosives.

There were three incidents of Gazans breaking through the border fence into Israel. The soldiers stopped them before they could reach the homes of Israeli families who live minutes away.

"The IDF holds Hamas responsible for all violence that emanates from the Gaza Strip," the IDF Spokesperson stressed.

The Hamas-run "health ministry" in Gaza claimed Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian Arab woman during the violent border riots, reported AFP.

Since March 30, Gaza Arabs have held weekly riots along the border, dubbed the "March of the Return".

The violent border riots in the past included Gazans attempting to infiltrate into Israel, as well as using kites and balloons with explosives attached in order to set fire to Israeli property.

In recent weeks, the protests had not been as violent as they had been when they started. However, the violence flared up again on Friday, likely due to the fact that Israel halted the transfer of Qatari money into Gaza, following escalation in the south earlier this week.


8. SYRIA URGES UN TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST ISRAEL
by Elad Benari

The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Saturday complained to the UN against Israel, following an air strike near Damascus on Friday night which Syria blames on Israel, the Syrian news agency SANA reports.

In the complaint, sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council, Syria stressed that the "Israeli aggression" is part "of the ongoing Israeli attempts to prolong the crisis in Syria and the terrorist war"

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said that the air strikes are "clear proof of the fact that what Israel is doing is no different from what Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra organizations are doing in terms of terrorist methods and threatening international peace and security which unveils the reality of the joint agenda of 'Israel' and those terrorist entities."

"Syria stresses that the continuation of Israel in its serious aggressive approach would not have been possible without the political, military and media cover provided by the US administration in the context of a state of immunity from any accountability provided by well-known states in the Security Council, which could enable Israel to continue to practice state terrorism and threat peace and security in the region and the world without any deterrent," the ministry said in its letter.

The Ministry added that Security Council's silence regarding such flagrant violations cannot be justified and demanded it shoulder its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security and take prompt against Israel.

There have been several air strikes in Syria in recent years which have been blamed on Israel, though it has not formally commented on these strikes.

Last month, an air strike in Syria hit a series of Iranian targets were hit. The IDF did not comment on the air strike, but an unnamed Israeli security official confirmed to The Associated Press that Israel was behind it.

On Saturday, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot shed light on Israel's aerial effort to thwart Iran's entrenchment in Syria.

Speaking with the New York Times, Eizenkot admitted that the IDF carried out many attacks in Syria and Lebanon during his term.

"We operated under a certain threshold until two-and-a-half years ago. And then we noticed a significant change in Iran's strategy. Their vision was to have significant influence in Syria by building a force of up to 100,000 Shiite fighters from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq."