RSS
Swedish Maccabi Haifa Player Wants to Leave Team Amid Safety Concerns During Israel-Hamas War: Report
Daniel Sundgren, right, of Maccabi Haifa battling for the ball during the Conference League second leg match between ACF Fiorentina and Maccabi Haifa at Stadium Artemio Franchi in Florence, Italy, on March 14, 2024. Photo: Andrea Martini via Reuters Connect
Swedish professional soccer player Daniel Sundgren wants to be released from the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Haifa because he fears for his safety in Israel amid the country’s ongoing war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, according to Ynet.
Sundgren’s family — he has a daughter with his Swedish fiancé, who is Jewish — does not wish to return to Israel because of the war and concerns about a possible confrontation in northern Israel with the Hezbollah terrorist organization, Ynet added in its report. Maccabi Haifa officials are reportedly aware of Sundgren’s concerns and will not stand in his way if he decides to leave the team.
The 33-year-old signed with Maccabi Haifa in 2022 and plays as a right-back for the Israeli Premier League club. He became an Israeli citizen last year, but in November 2023, he came under fire for refusing to join his teammates in holding a banner on the soccer field that called for the return of the hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appealed to revoke Sundgren’s Israeli citizenship in light of his refusal to hold the banner, Israel’s Kan reported at the time.
Following the incident, Sundgren took to social media to defend himself. “It’s just about a misunderstanding that caused a lot of damage,” he reportedly wrote in an Instagram post. “I came back to play for a club I love, Maccabi Haifa. We didn’t know what was on the banner, and all we want is peace. I hope all the hostages can be released and return to their families. I am grateful for everyone showing love. I love you guys, and I hope we’ll be able to figure this out.”
The post Swedish Maccabi Haifa Player Wants to Leave Team Amid Safety Concerns During Israel-Hamas War: Report first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.
According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.
In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.
The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.
Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.
RSS
Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen
The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.
Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.
Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
RSS
Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.
“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”