Syrian state media: Israeli Defense Forces, IDF strike several targets in Damascus leaves 10 dead

 Syrian reports says Israel struck several targets in the Damascus area; casualties include 7 ‘non-Syrians.’

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

Syrian sources claimed Israeli aircraft struck targets in the Damascus area Tuesday night, leaving at least 10 people dead including seven “non-Syrians.”

The official Syrian news agency SANA reported the “Syrian Arab Army confronted an Israeli aggression” and shot down some incoming missiles that it claimed were fired by Israeli aircraft flying over Lebanon.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the strikes targeted Syrian military sites and were the first in close to a month. SOHR activists reported hearing explosions in the perimeter of Damascus international airport and at least two other locations including “arsenals in the al-Dumayr district.”

Arabic media quoting the SOHR reported that at least 10 people were killed “including 7 non-Syrians,” which is generally a euphemism for Iranian military personnel or members of foreign militias backed by Iran that are in the country supporting Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

There was no official confirmation from any Israel sources, who usually decline to comment on reports of attacks on Syria.

The SOHR noted that Syrian regime forces and Iranian-backed militias were seen on high alert in the perimeter of Damascus international airport for unknown reasons since early June.

The organization said the latest air attack appears to be the first since a May 5 helicopter strike by the Israel Air Force on a Syrian military post near Quneitra that was manned by members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, injuring three of them.

In April, an old model Russian-made anti-aircraft missile fired by Syria missed its target and flew hundreds of kilometers south before exploding in an open area of the Negev desert near the Israeli nuclear site in Dimona. The incoming missile triggered air defense alerts and caused some panic, but no damage or injuries.

Israeli leaders have repeatedly declared that they will not tolerate an Iranian threat on its northern border with Syria and will take all necessary measures to ensure that such a presence does not emerge.

Iran, which routinely threatens to destroy Israel, arms and funds Hezbollah. Israel has repeatedly intercepted shipments of advanced weapons that Iran has tried to supply to the terror group in Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Forces Strike Targets in Gaza as Hamas fired not less than 3 dozens of Rockets into Israel's territory

By Associated Press

Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired some three dozen rockets into Israel overnight Saturday, while the Israeli military struck back at targets operated by the ruling Hamas group. The exchange came as tensions in Jerusalem spilled over into the worst round of cross-border violence in months.

The barrage of rocket fire came as hundreds of Palestinians rioted in Jerusalem, clashing with Israeli police.  At least four police and six protesters were injured.

The riots have become a nightly occurrence throughout the month of Ramadan and show no signs of stopping.

The Israeli military said a total of 36 rockets were fired into Israel throughout the night. It said six rockets were intercepted, while most of the others landed in open areas. There were no reports of injuries or serious damage, but the incoming rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel.

The military imposed limits on outdoor gatherings in southern Israel early Saturday but lifted the restrictions several hours later and allowed people to resume their normal routines.

Israel and Hamas, an Islamic terror group sworn to Israel’s destruction, are bitter enemies that have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 after a bloody battle with rival Palestinian factions.

Although neither side appears to have an interest in escalating tensions, Hamas may feel obligated to act ahead of upcoming Palestinian parliamentary elections.

At dawn, hundreds of people in Gaza challenged nightly curfews imposed by Hamas to curb the coronavirus outbreak and took to the streets in an act of solidarity with fellow Palestinians in Jerusalem, burning tires.

The Palestinians want Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, to be the capital of their future state.

Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police on a nightly basis since the start of the month of Ramadan nearly two weeks ago.

The clashes intensified Thursday evening when hundreds of Palestinians hurled stones and bottles at police, who fired a water cannon and stun grenades to disperse them.

At the same time, a Jewish group known as Lahava led a march of hundreds of protesters chanting “Arabs get out!” toward the Damascus Gate. The group, led by a disciple of the late rabbi Meir Kahane, is allied with elements of a far-right party elected to Israel’s parliament last month.

The show of force came in response to videos circulated on TikTok showing Palestinians slapping religious Jews at random. After keeping them a few hundred yards (meters) away from Damascus Gate, police used water cannon, stun grenades and mounted police to push Israeli protesters back toward Jewish areas of Jerusalem.

In all, police said 44 people were arrested and 20 officers were injured.

IDF Demands Billions of Shekels to attack Tehran as Iran-Israel war looming

Israel's Prime Minister

The Israeli Defense Ministry (IDF) made its demand in the background of Iran’s growing nuclear threat. A report said on Tuesday.

Accord to the report by  Kan 11 News, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday evening with the finance and defense ministers, their top staff, and the chief of staff to discuss the allocation of “at least” 3 billion shekels to prepare for a possible attack on Iran.

The Defense Ministry made its demand in the background of Iran’s growing nuclear threat as it continues to abrogate terms of the 2015 agreement.

The Islamic republic of Iran has greatly enlarged its uranium stockpile and recently began enriching the material to 20%, a level that sharply reduces the time needed to make a bomb.

In an interview with NBC News Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Iran could be “weeks away” from having enough fissile material for a bomb if it keeps up its current pace. Others say it is up to two years.

In a speech last Tuesday at an Institute for National Securities Studies conference, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi stated Israel would not just stand by and let Iran obtain a nuclear weapon.

Warning that a return to the 2015 nuclear deal with only slight modifications was untenable, Kochavi said that offensive military operations are already on the table. Such a long-range mission would be very complicated, as Iran has spread out the various components of its program over several sites in the country, some deep underground.

During the discussion over Kochavi’s 3 billion request, one sticking point was how to fund it. Finance Ministry officials objected to the funding unless budget cuts were made in other areas to make up for the shortfall. The Defense Ministry countered with two suggestions that were dubbed “creative” by Kan 11 commentator Shaul Amsterdamski.

The first was to take the money from a special emergency fund currently containing some 12 billion shekels that is set aside for rehabilitation of the country and compensation in case of a severe earthquake or war.

 This fund is replenishable as it consists of a certain percentage of property taxes that citizens pay. The second was to grant a VAT exemption to the defense establishment on future defense imports.

Neither proposal was acceptable to the Finance Ministry, Amsterdamski said. The first suggestion was nixed because the purpose of the emergency fund is not to supplement Defense Ministry needs, and the second idea would impair the future budget of the entire country.

No decision was made at the hours-long meeting as Netanyahu said he would convene the security cabinet Wednesday, the first time it is meeting in nearly two months.

Israeli and Palestinian forces trade cross border fire as Anti-Netanyahu Protest hits DC

Sydney, London, Cambridge, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco also set for Sunday

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The Israeli army spokesman reported that there were exchanges of fire between the army and the Palestinian forces near the border fence with the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, tweeted on Sunday that gunfire was heard at the security fence in southern Gaza, which resulted in the suspension of work there.

Adraee said that gunfire was fired from the Gaza Strip towards an Israeli military force that rushed to the area without causing any casualties.

No further details were released.

Last week, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes over the Gaza Strip, following accusations of launching incendiary balloons towards the settlements bordering the Palestinian territory.

Terrorists in Gaza launched explosive balloons into Israel throughout the day.

In response, our aircraft just struck Hamas underground terror infrastructure in Gaza.

We won't let Hamas terrorize Israeli civilians.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 6, 2020

Meanwhile, Protesters will demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resign due to his alleged corruption at a demonstration that will be held on Sunday morning outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, JPOST reported.

The international protests, which were first reported in The Jerusalem Post, have spread from San Francisco to England, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and across the United States.


"Although we live, at the moment, outside of Israel, Israel is still our home, our culture, said Yoni Charash, who will attend the Washington protest. "This year I was released from my duties as an officer in the IDF's reserve forces and for me to join the protest even from here, out of my love for Israel and precisely because I care so much about it, is the best service I can do right now for Israel. I see from here how and where the country is deteriorating, and I am genuinely afraid that if there is no real change, which must begin with the removal of a corrupt and criminally charged prime minister, my children and I will have nowhere or for what to return home."

The protest movement against Netanyahu by Israeli ex-pats abroad is gaining momentum. For the past seven weeks disgruntled Israelis have flooded the streets of Jerusalem and other major cities in Israel, demanding an end to alleged corruption in Israeli politics and calling for Netanyahu to step down. Now they are getting support from Israelis abroad.

There was already a protest held on Sunday near the Harbor Bridge in Sydney, Australia. More demonstrations are set to take place on Sunday in London, Cambridge, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Demonstrations were held in Miami and Boston on Friday and in Basel, Switzerland on Saturday.

"These are not demonstrations of Right and Left," international protest leader protest leader Offir Gutelzon said. "In Los Angeles, there are right-wing people who don’t want an indicted person to be Israeli prime minister and want to maintain Israeli democracy."

In a statement, the UnXeptable protest movement explained that their motivation was to challenge a prime minister indicted for criminal bribery, a situation they believe threatens the foundations of Israeli democracy. They called upon the people of Israel to band together to fight against a culture of corruption and fear mongering, and to reinstate the values upon which the State of Israel was founded.

Gershon Diner, of UnXeptable San Francisco told The Post: "We are the native Israeli ambassadors. We are tightly connected to the state of Israel and the people who protest to defend our democracy. The faithful ambassadors will always be involved and stand by our state, regardless of their location. We cannot let a corrupted prime minister tear us apart and ruin everything our founders established in the past 72 years. We are demanding the obvious, NO to corruption, NO to bypassing democracy, NO to violence, and PM Netanyahu is the cause for these violations."