Israel News for 8-8-18
Tank Fire
IDF tanks fired at a Hamas position near Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza yesterday, killing 2 Hamas terrorists. The terrorists had initially opened fire at IDF forces. The 9th Battalion of the 401st Brigade shelled the manned Hamas position with a Merkava Mark IV tank mere minutes after the troops came under fire. Unlike previous incidents, the IDF returned fired immediately, without waiting for Hamas personnel to evacuate the position. The incident did not affect the construction of Israel’s underground obstacle on the Gaza border, which continued near the area of the incident.
Earlier Tuesday, firefighters—with help from the IDF, KKL the Nature and Parks Authority and security coordinators in the Gaza border communities—put out four other fires started by incendiary kites and balloons.
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Mossad Work
According to a senior Middle East intelligence source cited in the New York Times on Monday, Mossad was reportedly behind the assassination of Syrian missile scientist Dr. Aziz Asber in Hama on Saturday night. Asber was killed in an explosion in his car along with his driver several minutes after leaving his home. After watching him for months, the Mossad reportedly planted a bomb in his car.
Dr. Asber was involved in Syria’s chemical weapons development as well as in the Iranian Fateh missiles program. He worked on the development of medium- and long-range missiles as well as building a solid-fuel plant for missiles and rockets. He headed Sector 4, a top-secret unit at the Scientific Studies and Research Center in Masyaf.
The source quoted by the Times, a member of an intelligence agency in the Middle East that was updated on the operation, said this was the fourth time over the past three years that Israel had eliminated a weapons scientist at a foreign nation.
By Israeli law, only the prime minister can authorize an assassination operation by the Mossad. Spokespeople for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman declined to respond to the Times report.
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Female Commander
A female pilot, Maj. G., will be promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and will be the first woman in the Israeli air force to command a flight squadron. Maj. G., 34, will command over the IAF’s 122nd Squadron, also known as the Nachshon Squadron, which takes part in covert aerial operations, hundreds and thousands of kilometers away from Israel. The unit uses G550 aircraft made by the Israel Aerospace Industries.
There are already female officers in command of aircraft and maintenance squadrons at the heart of IAF operations, as well as a female deputy commander of a combat squadron and several female officers in key roles at the IAF’s command center. But Maj. G. would be the first to command a flight squadron.
Maj. G. is married with children.
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Nurses Strike
The National Association of Nurses announced Tuesday that significant progress had been made in negotiations with representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health on the matter of hospital violence. A short time later, the Health Ministry spokesman announced that the negotiations had borne fruit and the strike was cancelled. The Finance Ministry agreed to fund a significant increase in hospital security as well as additional health care staff positions.
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New Towns
The National Board for Planning and Building today recommended the establishment of two new communities in the Negev: Daniel and Ir Ovot. The Ministry of Construction and Housing submitted the proposals, which will now be submitted for cabinet approval.
Daniel, a rural community, is slated for the northwestern Negev adjacent to the Aleh Negev rehabilitation village for disabled children and adults and west of the town of Ofakim. Construction of the community will be in stages, with a final total of 450 housing units. The community is designed to provide a housing solution for the families of Aleh Negev patients and the institution’s staff, young couples from the regional council, and permanent army soldiers serving in the area. Ir Avot will have 250 housing units constructed. Several other proposed communities were not approved.
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