Syria is directly involved in terrorism and will not be granted immunity by Israel, the deputy defense minister said yesterday, but stopped short of claiming formal responsibility for the killing of a Hamas leader in Damascus.
Israeli security sources have acknowledged Israel was responsible for the killing of Izz Eldine Subhi Sheik Khalil in a car bombing on Sunday. Hamas and Syria blamed Israel for the attack, and the group vowed to take revenge.
Security at Israeli diplomatic missions abroad is being increased in response to the Hamas threats, Israeli government officials said.
Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim said the issue was not who killed Khalil, but rather Syria's deep involvement in terrorism.
"Syria is responsible for directing terrorism against us and therefore it is not immune from our operations to prevent terrorism," Boim told Israel Radio.
"This is a central thing that needs to be said ... anyone who hurts Israel, anyone who takes part in terrorism that leads to murder and death ... of Israelis, he'll pay for it, and it doesn't matter if he operates in Israel or abroad," he added.
Boim described Syria as a "central intersection" of terrorism and Syrian President Bashar Assad as the "traffic officer" directing the operations and harboring the groups.
Hamas' threats, Boim said, should not be taken lightly, "but we have to very aware and not take our eyes off the special place Syria holds in the chain of terrorism, regionally and globally."
Meanwhile, Israeli troops hunting militants raided a West Bank hospital on yesterday, and Palestinian witnesses reported exchanges of fire in the area.
In the Gaza Strip, three Palestinians were killed by army fire, including two militants and a civilian who stood at the gate of the school when he was hit.
In the West Bank raid, dozens of Israeli armored vehicle entered the town of Jenin and the adjacent refugee camp by the same name before dawn yesterday. Witnesses said soldiers took over several buildings, including a school and a government office, and exchanged fire with gunmen.
Three Palestinians were wounded, hospital officials said.
After dawn, troops entered the private al-Arazi Hospital, the army said, confirming Palestinian witness reports. Yehiyeh Alan, who lives near the hospital, said he saw a firefight outside the hospital.
In other operations, the army imposed curfews on two refugee camps adjacent to the West Bank city of Nablus and sealed off all exits, witnesses said.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers fired machine guns toward the Khan Younis refugee camp, Palestinian security officials said. A 55-year-old civilian was killed as he stood at the gate of a local school, the officials said.
Also in Gaza, killed two armed Palestinians near the Jebaliya refugee camp, the army said. The militants, who were carrying explosives, were crawling in a no-go zone near the border fence with Israel when soldiers opened fire, the army said.
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
Indonesian police have arrested 13 people after shocking images of alleged abuse against small children at a daycare center went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, officials said on Monday. Police on Friday last week raided Little Aresha, a daycare center in Yogyakarta on Java island, following a report from a former employee. CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most younger than two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic. Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room just 3m by 3m. “So
About 240 Indians claiming descent from a Biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. The newcomers passed under a balloon arch in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, as dozens of well-wishers welcomed them with a traditional Jewish song. They were the first “bnei Menashe” (“sons of Manasseh”) to arrive in Israel since the government in November last year announced funding for the immigration of about 6,000 members of the community from the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. The community claims to descend from
‘TROUBLING’: The firing of Phelan, who was an adviser to a nonprofit that supported the defense of Taiwan, was another example of ‘dysfunction’ under Trump, a US senator said US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been fired, a US official and a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in another wartime shakeup at the Pentagon coming just weeks after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ousted the Army’s top general. The Pentagon announced his departure in a brief statement, saying he was leaving the administration “effective immediately,” but it did not provide a reason or say whether it was his decision to go. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Phelan was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to
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