israel news

Israel News for 12-12-18

Terror Ramming
A terrorist crashed his vehicle into an Israeli Civil Administration vehicle near Hebron yesterday. As the terrorist tried to escape, he hit a Border Police officer with his car, lightly wounding him. Border Police shot and killed the terrorist. In another incident, a terrorist attempted to ram his vehicle into an IDF force in the village of Al-Jiftlik in the Jordan Valley. The soldiers fired into the air, stopping the vehicle. The terrorist was wounded and received medical care. IDF forces are still searching for the terrorist responsible for the shooting in Ofra this Sunday.

For further reading click here.

Northern Tunnels
The IDF has so far uncovered 3 Hezbollah tunnels running from Lebanon into Israel as part of Operation Northern Shield. The IDF said it held the Lebanese government responsible for the attack tunnels dug from its territory. PM Netanyahu visited the northern border yesterday and met with IDF commanders and soldiers. He warned Hezbollah, “If they make the mistake of choosing to harm us, they will sustain an unimaginable blow.” Lebanon’s President said that there was no threat to peace as a result of the Israeli operation and that Lebanon was a firm supporter of UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the last war between Hezbollah and Israel. 

For further reading click here.

Mines Cleared
Israeli and foreign engineers have finally cleared out all the mines around three churches on the western bank of the Jordan River, along the Israeli Jordanian border, near where Jesus is believed to have been baptized. Seven churches have lain abandoned for more than 50 years in the area of operations, about a kilometer (half-mile) from the Qasr al-Yahud baptism site in the West Bank, which is a major draw for Christian pilgrims.

Israel’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that mine-clearing had been completed around three of the shrines—belonging to the Franciscan order and the Greek Orthodox and Ethiopian churches—though they have yet to be formally opened to the clergy or the public. Work around the other four shrines—Syrian Orthodox, Coptic, Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic—would take months to complete, and engineers worry that some of them might have been booby-trapped.

For further reading click here.