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Syrian air defense intercepts Israeli missiles targeting military facility

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Israel has launched several missiles at a Syrian military facility located close to the capital Damascus.

“Our air defenses are confronting an Israeli missile attack on one of our sites in the Damascus suburbs and three of the targets were downed,” said a report by state news agency SANA published late on Monday.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has launched sporadic attacks against various targets on Syrian soil, in assaults slammed by Syria as attempts to boost the terror groups wreaking havoc on the country.

On several occasions, the Syrian army has also confiscated Israeli-made arms and military equipment from terrorists fighting the government forces. Israel has also been providing medical treatment to the extremist militants wounded in Syria.

Investors of Israeli company, selling drones to Azerbaijan, file lawsuit for $115 million

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Investors of the Israeli company Aeronautics filed a lawsuit against the company for $115 million. The suit was filed at the Tel Aviv District Court, CTech reported.

Tamar Zandberg, a member of the Israeli parliament, criticized Israel’s policies on the export of weapons and military technologies in a post to her Facebook page on Thursday.

In the post, Ms. Zandberg referred to a July incident in which Israel-based UAV manufacturer Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd. had allegedly carried out a live demonstration of one of its suicide drones on an Armenian army post, at the request of its client, the Azerbaijani army.

In August, the Israeli Defense Ministry began investigating the allegations, which Aeronautics denied. That same month, Aeronautics reported that the Israeli Defense Ministry halted its license to export its Orbiter 1K drone to an “unnamed but prominent customer,” blocking a deal valued by the company at $20 million.

Earlier this month, the Israeli police announced that Aeronautics is under criminal investigation, concerning a deal the drone maker signed with a “key customer.” An Israeli court has issued a sweeping gag order on all details about the investigation, which has been underway since September.

In her post, Ms. Zandberg wrote that she had appealed to the Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman, requesting that he cancels Aeronautics’ license to import drones to Azerbaijan, where, she said, they could be used to fuel the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia, violating the fragile ceasefire agreement between the two countries. Ms. Zandberg’s letter to Mr. Lieberman was included in a motion for a class action suit filed against Aeronautics by the company’s investors.

Kuwait Airways can bar Israeli passengers, German court rules

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Kuwait Airways canceled an Israeli passenger’s ticket because of their citizenship. Nothing wrong with that, said a court in Frankfurt — and provoked an outcry.

A court in the German city of Frankfurt ruled on Thursday that Kuwait Airways was within its rights to refuse to transport an Israeli because of their citizenship.

In its judgement, the court said it was “not reasonable” for the airline to transport a person if doing so risked severe legal consequences for its employees in Kuwait.

Kuwaiti law prohibits companies from doing business with Israelis.

The passenger had sued the airline for discrimination after it refused to fly him from Frankfurt to Bangkok via Kuwait City in 2016.

The details of the ruling

The court adjuged that:

  • Their evaluation did not consider “whether the law of a foreign country … makes sense” from a German legal view
  • The Israeli could not be compensated for the airline’s action because it was not discriminatory under German law
  • “Germany’s anti-discrimination law prohibits, among other things, discrimination because of race, ethnicity or confession. Discrimination because of citizenship is, by contrast, not covered by the law.”

What were the reactions?

The case in Frankfurt follows similar discrimination cases against Kuwait Airways in Switzerland and the US. Courts in those instances ruled against the company.

The Israeli’s lawyer, Nathan Gelbart, condemned the judgement. “This is a shameful verdict for democracy and for Germany in general,” he said. “This verdict cannot stand.”

Frankfurt Mayor Uwe Becker echoed the sentiment, saying: “To my mind, an airline that practices discrimination and anti-Semitism by refusing to fly Israeli passengers should not be allowed to take off or land in Frankfurt, or at any other airport in Germany.”

Source: http://www.dw.com/en/kuwait-airways-can-bar-israeli-passengers-german-court-rules/a-41414435

Israeli jets hit Syria army position in Hama Province, kill 2 soldiers

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At least two Syrian soldiers have been killed after Israeli fighter jets targeted an army position in the west-central province of Hama, in yet another act of aggression against the Arab country

“Israeli warplanes at 2:42 a.m. today fired a number of missiles from Lebanese air space, targeting one of our military positions near Masyaf, which led to material damage and the deaths of two members of the site,” the army said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement further warned against the “dangerous repercussions of this aggressive action to the security and stability of the region.”

“This aggression comes in a desperate attempt to raise the collapsed morale of the ISIS (Daesh) terrorists after the sweeping victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army against terrorism at more than one front, and it affirms the direct support provided by the Israeli entity to the ISIS and other terrorist organizations,” it added.

Masyaf is located approximately 60 kilometers east of the coastal city of Tartus, where Russia holds a naval base.

Earlier media reports said the Israeli military had struck a scientific research facility in Masyaf.

Citing pro-government activists, Al-Masdar News, a pan-Arab news and commentary website, said Thursday that Israeli warplanes targeted the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) in Masyaf in Hama.

Meanwhile the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two facilities were hit, a scientific research center and a nearby military base. It said the Israeli assault also wounded five people.

“Many explosions were heard in the area after the air raid,” said the group’s head, Rami Abdulrahman, adding that some of the blasts may have been secondary explosions from a missile storage facility being hit.

Israeli officials have not immediately commented on the reports.

Over the past years, the Israeli military has carried out sporadic attacks against various targets across Syria in what Damascus views as an attempt to boost the Takfiri terror groups that have been taking heavy blows from the Syrian army and allied forces on the battle ground.

The latest Israeli strike comes just days after the Syrian army, backed by popular defense groups and Russia airpower, managed to break the years-long siege imposed by the Daesh terror group on the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr.

Israeli Arms Exporter Demonstrated Drone to Azeri Buyers by Attacking Christian Armenian Army Positions

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Israeli-manufactured drone Iran shot down, which was based in Azerbaijan (AFP)

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Yossi Melman reports in Maariv that the Israeli drone manufacturer, Aeronautics, sought a contract to sell military drones to Azerbaijan.  Though the Orbiter 1K drone the Azeris contemplated buying had been tested in battle, in order to seal the deal, they demanded to see the drone attack an Armenian army position.  The government even planned to broadcast video of the attack on national TV.  But there was a wrinkle in the plan.  The drone operators who were to orchestrate the flight and attack refused to carry it out.

Aeronautics executives, desperate to seal the lucrative deal, pressured the pilots, warning them they would torpedo an important commercial sale.  But the drone operators remained firm in their refusal.  The executives were forced to arm, fly and conduct the entire mission themselves.  Though they attempted to attack the Armenians, the flight failed and no one was injured.  Though not for lack of trying.

One of the two pilots who refused to carry out orders quit the company and the second is in the process of leaving.

Melman says that a complaint has been filed with the Israeli defense ministry (he doesn’t say by whom) because the export license granted to the company explicitly prohibits Israeli personnel taking part in any military action between hostile parties.  In other words, Israel just sells them the weapons to kill each other.  It doesn’t do the killing directly.  This way it can keep accusations of military intervention at arm’s length.  The ministry doesn’t permit either direct or indirect intervention of this kind.  Though of course selling the parties these weapons is a form of intervention.

This is a delicate matter both for the Israeli arms exporter and for the defense ministry since Azerbaijan is a critical Israeli ally in the region.  At a joint press conference, the country’s president boasted that he’d bought $5-billion worth of Israeli weapons to fuel his ongoing war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.  An even more important element in the relationship for the Israelis is that Azerbaijan is perfectly situated geographically for spying on its neighbor, Iran.  Israel spies are active inside the country, as are Iranian spies.  The country has also leased an air base to the Israeli military to serve as a refueling station for Israeli aircraft should they attack Iran.  Israel also carries out clandestine spying missions inside Iran using Israeli drones based in Azerbaijan.

As my recent piece published at Middle East Eye shows, Israel does intervene directly in the wars of client states.  In this case it was on behalf of Libyan strongman, Gen. Khalifa Haftar.  In the Azerbaijan case, the intervention was perhaps not sanctioned directly (and therefore problematic) by the defense ministry.  But the fact that Aeronautics senior executives were willing to do it in order to seal the deal shows that rules and regulations were made to be broken as far as Israeli arms exports are concerned.

Source: https://www.richardsilverstein.com/2017/08/13/israeli-arms-exporter-demonstrated-drone-azeri-buyers-attacking-armenian-army-positions/

Two killed in shooting incident at Israeli embassy in Jordan

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At least two people have been killed in a shooting at the Israel embassy in Amman following anti-Israeli protests in the Jordanian capital.

According media reports, two Jordanians were killed and one Israeli seriously injured in the Sunday incident which occurred outside the Israeli embassy, located in the city’s Rabiyeh neighborhood.

The heavily-protected area around the embassy has been sealed off by the police while security forces have been deployed throughout the compound which has so far been evacuated.

Local police said that the two killed Jordanians were working for a furniture firm and had entered the complex before the shooting began, and that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

Jordan has been the scene of severe public outrage against Israel since July 14 when the Tel Aviv regime bolstered security measures at al-Aqsa Mosque.

On Friday, thousands of people took to the streets in Amman to protest against Israel’s installation of metal detectors at a site sacred which is also holy to Jews. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed new tensions ever since Israeli forces introduced restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds in August 2015.

More than 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the ongoing tensions since the beginning of October 2015.

The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem al-Quds over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population. Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city.

Israelis Commemorate Genocide as Government Still Doesn’t Recognize

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Armenian Genocide

An Armenian child holds a map commemorating those murdered in the Armenian genocide of 1915. Taken in the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem on April 24, 2017. (Photo: Yoav Loeff/i24News)

Members of the Armenian community in Jerusalem pay tribute to the 1.5 million massacred from 1915-1923

JERUSALEM, Israel (i24 News)—Hebrew University professors and students along with representatives of the Armenian community in Jerusalem gathered Tuesday in order to pay tribute to the 1.5 million Armenians massacred by Ottoman soldiers in the Armenian genocide committed from 1915 to 1923.

The Armenian genocide, commemorated annually on April 24th, coincided with Israel’s national Holocaust Memorial Day this year. While 29 governments and parliaments recognize the systematic murder and deportation of Armenians, also known as the “Armenian Holocaust,” Israel does not. Turkey vehemently rejects the use of the term “genocide” to describe the mass killing of Armenians during World War I, arguing the episode was a collective tragedy in which both Turks and Armenians died.

Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Jerusalem Tsolag Momjian addressed the crowd and affirmed that he hopes for a day when Israel recognizes the Armenian genocide.

“Yesterday Armenians all over the world commemorated the anniversary of the Armenian genocide,” he said. “Yesterday Israel also marked annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, on this occasion I would like to express my solidarity with the Jewish people who died during the Second World War.”

Very Reverend Father Samuel Aghoyan of the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem speaks at a ceremony honoring those killed in the Armenian genocide on April 25, 2017. (Photo: Yoav Loeff/i24News)

Very Reverend Father Samuel Aghoyan, who spoke on behalf of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, explained that, while Armenians were being killed, the world remained silent.

“The world at the time was silent and never tried to stop it, thus Armenians lost more than one and half million of their people,”Aghoyan said. “My parents were the lucky ones to escape from being killed but their relatives and brothers were the victims.”

“Turkey today vehemently denies that its ancestors committed such barbaric acts and it is sad to say that the Israeli government has not the courage to side with justice by recognizing the historical fact of genocide of the Armenians,” he said.

Aghoyan affirmed that the world has not learned the lessons of the past.

“It seems that the world has not been changed since 1915, because today we hear of and witness new genocide being carried out on different scales and in different parts of the world, “ he said, affirming that “the great powers could care less- by shutting their eyes they silently permit them to happen.”

Aghoyan issued a call saying that “It is time for Turkey to stop lying,” and admit to the “horrible and inhumane” massacres committed by its ancestors.

Israeli Blogger Alexander Lapshin become victim of Azerbaijan and Belarus dictatorship

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famous-blogger-lapshinIsraeli Blogger Jailed in Belarus Extradited to Azerbaijan
Joint Israeli, Russian efforts have failed to prevent the deportation of Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan, which he has criticized in posts.
Lapshin’s Extradition to Baku Widely Criticized,

The Belarus Supreme Court denied Lapshin’s appeal on the extradition verdict issued by the General Prosecutor of Belarus.

Lapshin faces up to 5 years imprisonment in Azerbaijan, under charges of “public calls against the state”, and “unauthorized crossing of borders”.

Belarus police arrested Alexander Lapshin on December 15, 2016 in Minsk. Lapshin, a Russian and Israeli citizen, resides in Moscow and writes for the famous Russian Travel Blog. He is wanted by Azerbaijan for visiting Nagorno Karabakh in 2011, 2012 and 2016, and criticizing Azerbaijan’s policy in his blog.

Baku demanded the extradition of Lapshin from Belarus.

Earlier it was reported that the Deputy Prosecutor General of Belarus has made a decision to uphold the request of Azerbaijan’s General Prosecutor on extraditing Citizen of Russia and Israel Alexander Lapshin, who is wanted for violating Articles 281.2 and 318.2 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said on February 3 : “Belarus has no grounds to not extradite Lapshin to Azerbaijan”. He said the issue will be solved based on law and international agreements.

The Russian foreign ministry said it is inadmissible to extradite Russian citizens to third countries.

 

Breaking News: Security Council approves motion demanding end to Israeli settlements

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The resolution calling for an end to Israeli settlements was passed with a U.S. abstention. (Osamu Honda/Associated Press)

Delayed resolution passes with rare U.S. abstention that may be seen as parting shot by Obama at Netanyahu.

The UN Security Council has passed a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, defying pressure from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump as well as Israel and several U.S. senators who urged Washington to use its veto.

The United States abstained Friday from voting on the resolution, which passed with 14 of 15 Security Council members in favour. This is a relatively rare step by Washington, which usually shields Israel from such action.

The resolution had been abruptly withdrawn by Egypt on Thursday but later presented by four other members.

A U.S. abstention will likely be seen as parting shot by U.S. President Barack Obama, who has had an acrimonious relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and who has made settlements a major target of peace efforts that ultimately have proved to be futile.

Still, the resolution is unlikely to result in any major change in one of the thorniest Middle East conflicts. Netanyahu and Trump, who had both called for a veto, are expected to have a more amicable relationship.

A senior Israeli official Thursday that if adopted, there would be “zero chance” the Israeli government would abide by the measure. Under the UN charter, member states “agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council.”

The resolution asks the UN secretary general to report to the council every three months on the implementation of the resolution, and says the council will “examine practical ways and means to secure the full implementation.”

New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal, who were co-sponsors of the draft resolution, requested Friday’s vote.

Pressure from Trump

The 15-member council had been due to vote on Thursday, but Egypt withdrew the draft resolution, under pressure from Israel and Trump, who spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said the Republican president-elect had spoken with both Netanyahu and al-Sisi about the proposed Security Council action.

“He put out a statement about the Egyptian motion that was going to happen at the UN. It was revoked,” Spicer said Friday on NBC’s Today program. “President al-Sisi called, Prime Minister Netanyahu called. He [Trump]is getting results, whether it’s domestically or abroad.”

On Friday, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, called on Washington to “stand by” Israel. In one of the harshest personal attacks by Netanyahu’s government, a senior Israeli official said Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry pushed a “shameful” anti-settlement resolution at the Security Council.

A senior U.S. official said the Obama administration has not been involved in crafting or promoting the resolution.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who heads the Senate subcommittee that oversees U.S. funding for the UN, threatened earlier on Friday to pull financial support for the international body if it moves forward with a vote and for any nation that backs the measure.

Israeli Iron Dome psychological tool for Azerbaijan – Armenian expert

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Styopa Safaryan, the head of the Armenian Center of International and Security Affairs.

The mobile air defense system Iron Dome, which Azerbaijan is going to purchase from Israel, will be used as a psychological tool by the country’s government for mitigating public sentiments, according Styopa Safaryan, the head of the Armenian Center of International and Security Affairs.

Speaking to Tert.am, the expert said he believes that the Azerbaijani struck the deal to acquire the powerful system as a counter-balance to 9K720 Iskander, the short range Russian ballistic missile system showcased at Armenia’s recent independence parade.

“I think it is basically designed to ensure anti-air defense in border settlements. The April war made Azerbaijan fear its possible defeat due to a poor geographic location. The Iron Dome cannot be effective against the Iskander rockets, but it may work in the case of short-range rockets,” he explained.Asked to comment on Armenia’s possible diplomatic impact on the US$5m worth military transaction, Safaryan said, “Ever since they launched the arms race back in the 2000s, I have always insisted on finding possible ways to avert it. Armenia was slow, unfortunately, a little bit. Over the past years, the sides have acquired a considerable quantity of weapons; hence, no wonder at all that the region is now treated as a ‘gunpowder barrel’, as one of the most militarized regions across the globe. Azerbaijan has already struck large-scale military deals with not only Israel but also Russia. So the issue shouldn’t have been raised now, given especially that Azerbaijan has concluded an agreement with our strategic ally. It should have been raised from the outset, especially at the international tribunals to have a restrictive value,” he added.

 

Azerbaijan’s plan to purchase the Iron Dome was announced recently by the country’s minister of defense, Yavar Jamalov.

Marine Kharatyan