Israel News for December 7, 2016
Israel Bombs Damascus
A Syrian military officials claimed that Israel attacked the Almaza Air Base in western Damascus earlier today, causing several explosions. No injuries were reported. The official told the official Syrian government new agency, “The Israeli enemy launched at 3am several surface-to-surface missiles from Lebanese territory towards western Tel Abu Al Nada. The missiles fell in the area of the Almaza Air Base. As a result, fires broke out at the base with no injuries.”
The Hezbollah media outlet reported that Israeli warplanes attacked the base from Lebanese airspace. Other Arab media outlets including Al Jazeera and AL Arabia reported the explosions but did not confirm the cause.
The Almaza Air Base is considered one of the most secure regime-held areas of the Syrian capital and houses several arms and ammunition depots.
The IDF neither denied nor confirmed the reports saying, “We do not respond to foreign reports.”
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Insufficient Defense
Israel’s State Comptroller has just released a report that claims that over two million Israelis lack adequate shelters in the event of rocket attacks from the north or south. The report stated that, “Although the military has envisaged a scenario in which Israel would be the target of thousands, or even tens of thousands of rockets and missiles, it is doubtful whether it has adequate capacity to defend the country properly.”
The IDF responded to the report as well, saying, “The IDF welcomes the comptroller’s report, will study its main points and will generate the necessary lessons. The Home Front Command will continue to work with state institutions to prepare the citizens of Israel for a variety of emergency situations.”
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French Invite
French President Francois Hollande invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris. The meeting would take place in two weeks, immediately following a Paris foreign ministers’ summit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel informed France several weeks ago that it opposes the foreign ministers’ summit and it will not participate if it occurs. It has not yet responded to the French invitation, although Netanyahu has stated on numerous occasions that he would be happy to meet directly with Abbas.
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Cult Uncovered
A twenty year old women came before the Tel Aviv rabbinical court begging for help to get out of her marriage. After investigating the case the court discovered that the woman had been drawn into a cult that believes in reinstating polygamy, which is technically permitted by Jewish law but was banned by Ashkenazic rabbis over 1,000 years ago and by Sephardic leaders at the time of the founding of the State of Israel.
The young woman had become religious and was studying at a seminary and living with a religious family. After several months the husband and wife began trying to convince the woman to become the husband’s second wife. The couple, which has 10 children, revealed that they were part of a secret cult-like religious group calling itself “Complete Jewish Home” that believes that polygamy is essential to the ultimate redemption of Israel.
In September the woman finally married the husband in a secret ceremony. Soon afterwards, before she actually lived with the man, she regretted her decision and told her relatives, who urged her to get a divorce. The rabbinic court summoned the husband and wife and witnesses to the marriage. The judges issued a restraining order on the husband as well as orders on him and his wife to prevent them from fleeing the country. The husband agreed to grant the divorce.
In the aftermath of the case, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef made a statement denouncing the cult and unequivocally prohibiting polygamy.
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Galid Shalit
Remember Gilad Shalit? He was the soldier kidnapped and held by Hamas for several years until he was finally released in exchange for over 1,000 terrorists 5 years ago. Well, he just got his first job. Shalit will be working at Israel Discount Bank. Best of luck!
[ It’s not really “news”, but we thought you’d want to know. ]
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