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Two Israelis Killed in Terror Attack Hours Before Shabbat
Israeli security forces stand at the scene of a shooting incident in southern Israel, where at least two people died.
Two Israelis were murdered and four seriously injured just hours before Shabbat in a brutal terrorist attack in southern Israel.
The attack took place at the Re’im Junction, near the southern town of Gadera just outside of Ashdod. According to police, the terrorist approached the intersection, where he made a quick U-turn towards the direction of the bus stop, where he proceeded to begin shooting innocent civilians. The terrorist was dressed “ISIS-style” according to the police – having a large beard and white cap. He was killed by an armed civilian shortly after the shooting began.
“This attack reminds us that the whole country is a front and that the murderers, who come not only from Gaza, want to kill us all,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We will continue to fight until complete victory with all our strength, on every front, everywhere, until we restore security and peace to all citizens of Israel,”
Police said the killer, named as Fadi Jamjoom, was from the Shufat refugee camp in east Jerusalem, where he traveled from Friday morning.
“I was sitting at the entrance to a garage near the scene of the incident and I heard gunshots very close to me,” said Ari Rosenstein, a Magen David Adom first responder who arrived on the scene. “I immediately ran to the scene and noticed a very difficult scene. I noticed at the bus station and near it a number of injured people lying unconscious. We tried to fight for [the life of one who perished] and evacuated him to the hospital while doing CPR. Another young man about 20 years old was unconscious, and a boy about 16 years old and a man about 65 years old were conscious and suffered from penetrating and severe injuries. A 65-year-old woman was also injured and her condition was defined as moderate. A 52-year-old man who managed to escape from the scene called us near the nearby settlement of Yad Binyamin, he was conscious and suffered from a penetrating injury to his body, and we also evacuated him to the hospital as his condition is moderate and stable.”
The civilian who killed the terrorist, who is currently serving in the reserves, told Israeli media “I was on the other side of the road, I saw him shooting and I ran with a gun drawn. I charged at him, first I shot from a distance and then I reduced the distance to him. I advanced towards him while I was shooting, then I reached him and made sure he was neutralized.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been attacked for increasing the approval rate of gun licenses, arrived at the scene of the attack, telling reporters “This event once again proved the concept that guns save lives. We know that in the last month there has been criticism of a very broad policy of distributing weapons, today it has been proven that weapons save people’s lives. Not only did we not submit to criticism, but I will expand and increase our policy to allow Israeli citizens to arm themselves – these weapons save people. We have a police force that works very hard, police officers who give their lives, who cannot be everywhere and anywhere, and we have here a citizen who was a security guard in the past who saves other people’s lives.”
War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz offered his condolences of X, writing “We are fighting for our lives in this country. The prices are difficult, but we are determined. Together, we will break the spirit of terror of our enemies.”
The post Two Israelis Killed in Terror Attack Hours Before Shabbat first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Holding War Games as It Faces Israel Tensions, Trump’s Return
Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Iran was holding air defense exercises on Saturday, state media reported, as the country braces for more friction with arch-enemy Israel and the United States under incoming US president Donald Trump.
The war games take place as Iranian leaders face the risk that Trump could empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran’s nuclear sites, while further tightening US sanctions on its oil industry through his “maximum pressure” policy.
“In these exercises, … defense systems will practice the fight against air, missile and electronic warfare threats in real battlefield conditions… to protect the country’s skies and sensitive and vital areas,” Iranian state television said.
Saturday’s drills are part of two-months-long exercises launched on Jan. 4 which have already included war games in which the elite Revolutionary Guards defended key nuclear installations in Natanz against mock attacks by missiles and drones, state media said.
Iran’s military has said it was using new drones and missiles in the exercises and released footage of a new underground “missile city” being visited by Guards Commander-in-Chief Major General Hossein Salami.
Iran has recently suffered setbacks in Lebanon after Israeli attacks against Iranian-backed Hezbollah and the toppling of Tehran’s ally President Bashar Al-Assad in Syria last month.
But Salami warned, in a speech carried by state TV about a “false sense of delight” among Iran’s enemies, saying Iran and particularly its missile forces were stronger than ever.
While Iranian officials have downplayed Iran’s setbacks, an Iranian general, Behrouz Esbati, who was reportedly based in Syria, said in a speech circulated on social media that Iran had “badly lost” in Syria. Reuters could not verify the recording.
Trump in 2018 withdrew from a deal struck by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2015 in which Iran agreed to curb uranium enrichment, which can yield material for nuclear weapons, in return for the relaxation of US and U.N. economic sanctions.
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IDF Targets Hezbollah Terrorists as Lebanese Army Deploys
US special envoy Amos Hochstein speaks to the media after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 19, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
JNS.org – Israeli Air Force craft on Saturday targeted terrorists exiting a “military” building in Southern Lebanon that belonged to Hezbollah, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.
After their detection, the IAF acted to “remove the threat,” the statement continued.
“The IDF continues to be committed to the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon, is deployed in the Southern Lebanon region and will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the military added.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Armed Forces said in a statement on X that its troops were completing their deployment in eight towns near the Israeli border, as well as in the coastal area between Naqoura and Tyre, ahead of the projected withdrawal of the IDF by the end of the month.
The Lebanese Armed Forces said it was cooperating with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the five-member committee supervising the truce in implementing the deployment.
The LAF called on civilians not to approach the area as it was conducting engineering work to remove unexploded ordnance and to clear rubble off the roads.
According to the Beirut-based, Hezbollah-affiliated Al Akhbar newspaper, US envoy Amos Hochstein has assured Lebanese officials that Israel will fully withdraw its forces from Southern Lebanon as outlined in the 60-day ceasefire agreement that took effect on Nov. 27.
Hochstein met with senior Lebanese officials this past week, among them former army chief Joseph Aoun, whom parliament on Thursday elected president of the country.
According to the report, the US envoy obtained a detailed schedule from Israel with regard to its exit from Lebanon, citing Jan. 26 as the deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw.
Hochstein reportedly asked Beirut to strengthen its army units and raise its level of preparedness, in order to guarantee that the weapons and ammunition belonging to Hezbollah south of the Litani River will be handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Lebanese army officials told the American diplomat that an agreement with Hezbollah was struck and that the LAF will soon announce the removal of all private weapons and all “militant” groups in Southern Lebanon that are not officially under the Lebanese government’s orders.
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Father of Israeli Wounded in New Orleans: ‘Part of his Skull is Missing’
A member of the National Guard Military Police stands, in the area where people were killed by a man driving a truck in an attack during New Year’s celebrations, in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, Jan. 2, 2025. PHoto: REUTERS/Octavio Jones
JNS.org – In an interview, Israeli Hagai Levin described the impact of the injuries sustained by his son Adi, a member of the IDF Armored Corps, during the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans by an ISIS-inspired terrorist who murdered 14 people and wounded dozens of others. The terrorist also died.
“His state fluctuates, but I’m optimistic. I’ll bring my son home. His life will change—he’ll have metal rods in his arms and legs, an open head wound and part of his skull is missing,” Hagai said.
“There are still injuries we’ll fully understand only in a month when we begin the head rehabilitation process. But he’ll return to us, and for that, we’re moving our home from the Golan Heights to Tel Aviv to be closer to Tel HaShomer Hospital [Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan].”
Adi remains bedridden, as does his friend and fellow IDF soldier Y. (who chooses to remain anonymous out of safety concerns). “I miss everyone terribly and am deeply grateful to the Jewish community here for their support,” Y. said.
The pair’s visit to New Orleans was part of a planned three-month road trip that took them from Nebraska to Los Angeles and then on to Texas and Louisiana. They did not make it to their planned destination of Florida.
Having seen the security camera video of the attack, Hagai said that the vehicle driven by Shamsud-Din Jabbar “hit Adi head-on, crushing his legs and head, dragging him along the road, and pushing his friend to the side.”
While praising the hospital as operating at an “incredible standard” and saying that “we are receiving exceptional care,” Hagai said that “despite their travel insurance, a single day of hospitalization here costs roughly the equivalent of the entire annual budget of Israel’s healthcare system combined. The expenses will exceed a million dollars.
“We are facing a long recovery ahead. He’s spent two weeks in the emergency room and will need several months in rehabilitation with complex surgeries. We won’t return to Israel before April.” Hagai said.
The post Father of Israeli Wounded in New Orleans: ‘Part of his Skull is Missing’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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