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Netanyahu Tells UN to Get Forces Out of Harm’s Way in Lebanon
UNIFIL peacekeepers drive in a vehicle in Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, Oct. 13, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Aziz Taher.
JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to remove UNIFIL peacekeepers from areas of IDF activity in Southern Lebanon.
“I want to directly address the U.N. Secretary-General from here: It is time for you to remove UNIFIL from Hezbollah’s strongholds and from the combat areas,” the premier said in a statement.
“The IDF has repeatedly requested this, only to be met with refusal, a refusal aimed solely at providing Hezbollah terrorists with a human shield. Your refusal to evacuate UNIFIL soldiers turns them into hostages of Hezbollah. This endangers both them and the lives of our soldiers,” he continued.
“We regret the harm caused to UNIFIL soldiers, and we are doing everything we can to prevent it. But the simplest and most obvious way to ensure their safety is to simply remove them from the danger zone.
Mr. Secretary-General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately,” Netanyahu said.
“Unfortunately, some European leaders are applying pressure in the wrong place. Instead of criticizing Israel, they should direct their criticism at Hezbollah, which uses UNIFIL as a human shield, just as Hamas in Gaza uses UNRWA as a human shield. Unfortunately, in Gaza, UNRWA even collaborates with Hamas.”
Netanyahu issued the comments following reports that Israeli forces fired on U.N. peacekeeping positions in Lebanon.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said on Saturday that unidentified gunfire hit a peacekeeper on Friday, the fifth U.N. soldier wounded in Southern Lebanon in two days.
UNIFIL also said that buildings in Ramyah “sustained significant damage due to explosions from nearby shelling.”
Two U.N. peacekeepers were injured on Friday by an Israeli strike close to their watchtower in Southern Lebanon, the IDF said, expressing “deep concern” and saying that troops fired at an “immediate threat” coming from near a UNIFIL position.
The IDF said that the peacekeepers were warned hours earlier to take shelter. UNIFIL said the two injured peacekeepers were from Sri Lanka.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati told the AFP news agency on Sunday that Netanyahu’s demand to Guterres “represents a new chapter in the enemy’s approach of not complying with international” norms.
Beirut “condemns Netanyahu’s position and the Israeli aggression against UNIFIL” peacekeepers, the Lebanese leader added.
Meanwhile on Sunday, sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee, central Galilee, Haifa, Acre and surrounding areas of northern Israel amid Hezbollah’s daily rocket, missile and drone fire across the border.
As of 3 p.m., approximately 115 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organization have crossed from Lebanon into Israel today [Sunday],” the military said. “The IDF will continue to defend the State of Israel and its people against the threat posed by the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
Hezbollah terrorist captured
Israeli ground troops operating in Southern Lebanon apprehended a Hezbollah terrorist embedded in an underground compound, the IDF said on Sunday.
During a targeted raid, soldiers discovered an underground tunnel shaft in a building leading to a hideout area for terrorists with an adjacent exit shaft.
Troops encircled the building, scanned the tunnel shaft, and discovered the compound seven meters deep and a 50-meter hideout area, where the terrorist was located alongside weapons and equipment for a long-term stay.
The terrorist surrendered and was interrogated on-site before being transferred to a detention facility in Israel for further questioning, the IDF said.
Drone footage shows Israeli ground activities in Lebanon
The IDF on Sunday published drone footage of ground activities in Southern Lebanon, showcasing the work of the 8th Reserve Armored Brigade alongside the counter-terrorism unit of the Marom Paratroopers Brigade, under the command of the 91st Division, aka the Galilee Formation.
Video documentation from Southern Lebanon includes a tunnel shaft in the heart of a village, dozens of underground infrastructures and the elimination of terrorists.
“The forces are engaging in hand-to-hand combat, eliminating terrorists and destroying terror infrastructures that Hezbollah has deployed along the border,” the IDF said.
“The forces are locating, confiscating and destroying numerous weapons, including dozens of rockets, Kalashnikovs, Kornet [man-portable anti-tank guided] missiles, grenades and ammunition intended for use by Radwan Force,” the army continued.
In addition, the forces located several weapons storage facilities equipped with dozens of missiles inside civilian homes.
200 Hezbollah targets hit
The Israeli Air Force in cooperation with the IDF Northern Command struck some 200 Hezbollah terror targets in Southern Lebanon and deeper into Lebanese territory over the past 24 hours. The targets included terrorist squads, launchers, military structures, anti-tank positions and “military” headquarters.
Moreover, over the past 24 hours, ground troops in Southern Lebanon have “eliminated dozens of terrorists, uncovered shafts and located numerous weapons, including firearms, launchers, anti-tank missiles, ammunition and more.”
Two soldiers severely wounded
Two soldiers from the 9920th Battalion, 6th “Etzioni” Reserve Infantry Brigade, were severely wounded in separate incidents during combat operations in Southern Lebanon, the IDF said on Sunday.
Other soldiers were lightly and moderately wounded during the incidents.
The soldiers were evacuated to the hospital and their families were notified.
Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya reported on Sunday receiving 17 casualties from Southern Lebanon, most with minor injuries. Four were in moderate condition due to shrapnel wounds.
The post Netanyahu Tells UN to Get Forces Out of Harm’s Way in Lebanon first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself. Really?
JNS.org – If I asked you to name the most famous line in the Bible, what would you answer? While Shema Yisrael (“Hear O’Israel”) might get many votes, I imagine that the winning line would be “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). Some religions refer to it as the Golden Rule, but all would agree that it is fundamental to any moral lifestyle. And it appears this week in our Torah reading, Kedoshim.
This is quite a tall order. Can we be expected to love other people as much as we love ourselves? Surely, this is an idealistic expectation. And yet, the Creator knows us better than we know ourselves. How can His Torah be so unrealistic?
The biblical commentaries offer a variety of explanations. Some, like Rambam (Maimonides), say that the focus should be on our behavior, rather than our feelings. We are expected to try our best or to treat others “as if” we genuinely love them.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in his classic text called the Tanya, argues that the actual feelings of love are, in fact, achievable provided that we focus on a person’s spirituality rather than how they present themselves physically. If we can put the soul over the body, we can do it.
Allow me to share the interpretation of the Ramban (Nachmanides), a 13th-century Torah scholar from Spain. His interpretation of the verses preceding love thy neighbor is classic and powerful, yet simple and straightforward.
“Do not hate your brother in your heart. You shall rebuke him, but do not bear a sin because of him” by embarrassing him in public. “Do not take revenge, and do not bear a grudge against your people. You shall love your fellow as yourself, I am God” (Leviticus 19:17-18).
What is the connection between these verses? Why is revenge and grudge-bearing in the same paragraph as love your fellow as yourself?
A careful reading shows that within these two verses are no less than six biblical commandments. But what is their sequence all about, and what is the connection between them?
The Ramban explains it beautifully, showing how the sequence of verses is deliberate and highlighting the Torah’s profound yet practical advice on how to maintain healthy relationships.
Someone wronged you? Don’t hate him in your heart. Speak to him. Don’t let it fester until it bursts, and makes you bitter and sick.
Instead, talk it out. Confront the person. Of course, do it respectfully. Don’t embarrass anyone in public, so that you don’t bear a sin because of them. But don’t let your hurt eat you up. Communicate!
If you approach the person who wronged you—not with hate in your heart but with respectful reproof—one of two things will happen. Either he or she will apologize and explain their perspective on the matter. Or that it was a misunderstanding and will get sorted out between you. Either way, you will feel happier and healthier.
Then you will not feel the need to take revenge or even to bear a grudge.
Here, says the Ramban, is the connection between these two verses. And if you follow this advice, only then will you be able to observe the commandment to Love Thy Neighbor. If you never tell him why you are upset, another may be completely unaware of his or her wrongdoing, and it will remain as a wound inside you and may never go away.
To sum up: Honest communication is the key to loving people.
Now, tell me the truth. Did you know that not taking revenge is a biblical commandment? In some cultures in Africa, revenge is a mitzvah! I’ve heard radio talk-show hosts invite listeners to share how they took “sweet revenge” on someone, as if it’s some kind of accomplishment.
Furthermore, did you know that bearing a grudge is forbidden by biblical law?
Here in South Africa, people refer to a grudge by its Yiddish name, a faribel. In other countries, people call it a broiges. Whatever the terminology, the Torah states explicitly: “Thou shalt not bear a grudge!” Do not keep a faribel, a broiges or resentment of any kind toward someone you believe wronged you. Talk to that person. Share your feelings honestly. If you do it respectfully and do not demean the other’s dignity, then it can be resolved. Only then will you be able to love your fellow as yourself.
May all our grudges and feelings of resentment toward others be dealt with honestly and respectfully. May all our grudges be resolved as soon as possible. Then we will all be in a much better position to love our neighbors as ourselves.
The post Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself. Really? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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‘Nonsense’: Huckabee Shoots Down Report Trump to Endorse Palestinian Statehood
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during the day he visits the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday dismissed as nonsensical the report that President Donald Trump would endorse Palestinian statehood during his tour to the Persian Gulf this week.
“This report is nonsense,” Huckabee harrumphed on his X account, blasting the Jerusalem Post as needing better sourced reporting. “Israel doesn’t have a better friend than the president of the United States.”
Trump is set to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The leader’s first trip overseas since he took office comes as Trump seeks the Gulf countries’ support in regional conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and curbing Iran’s advancing nuclear program.
However, reports citing administration insiders claimed that Trump has also set his sights on the ambitious goal of expanding the Abraham Accords. These agreements, initially signed in 2020, normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. The accords are widely held to be among the most important achievements of the first Trump administration.
The post ‘Nonsense’: Huckabee Shoots Down Report Trump to Endorse Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US to Put Military Option Back on Table If No Immediate Progress in Iran Talks
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – Unless significant progress is registered in Sunday’s round of nuclear talks with Iran, the US will consider putting the military option back on the table, sources close to US envoy Steve Witkoff told i24NEWS.
American and Iranian representatives voiced optimism after the previous talks that took place in Oman and Rome, saying there was a friendly atmosphere despite the two countries’ decades of enmity.
However the two sides are not believed to have thrashed out the all-important technical details, and basic questions remain.
The source has also underscored the significance of the administration’s choice of Michael Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director, as the lead representative in the nuclear talks’ technical phases.
Anton is “an Iran expert and someone who knows how to cut a deal with Iran,” the source said, saying that the choice reflected Trump’s desire to secure the deal.
The post US to Put Military Option Back on Table If No Immediate Progress in Iran Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.