LLX News

“One year from now – Israel will be the first country to have partial laser protection. In two years there may be complete protection,” said Yuval Steinitz.

By: Yonah Jeremy Bob – The Jerusalem Post; jpost.com

Israel will have partial laser defenses by this time next year, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems chairman Yuval Steinitz told Army Radio on Sunday.

“One year from now – Israel will be the first country to have partial laser protection. In two years there may be complete protection – against missiles, shells, rockets, or anything else. This will protect us both in the South and in the North,” said Steinitz.

Israel’s push for laser air defenses

This past February, senior Defense Ministry official Brig.-Gen. (res.) Danny Gold said Israel’s air-defense lasers, when fully deployed, will be able to shoot down the drones Iran has been sending Russia to use against Ukraine.Speaking at the Artificial Intelligence conference at Tel Aviv University at the time, the MAFAT [Directorate of Defense Research & Development] director said his ministry was working on developing “the next generation of using lasers.”

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-756455

Despite having a population a little larger than New York City, Israel’s cyber prowess is that of a global superpower, says professor Chuck Freilich.

By: Yaakov Lappin – Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

Israel’s position as a cyber superpower places it in an exclusive club of world powers, despite having a population a little larger than New York City, according to former Israeli defense official Chuck Freilich.

Freilich, a senior research fellow at the MirYam Institute and the Institute for National Security Studies and a former deputy national security adviser in Israel, recently published a book on the subject, titled, “Israel and Cyber Threat: How the Startup Nation Became a Global Cyber Power.”

A former senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School who teaches at Columbia and at Tel Aviv University, Freilich said Israel’s cyber capabilities are prominent at both the civilian and military levels. The number of cyber start-ups in Israel equals the total number of cyber start-ups in the world, excluding the United States, he noted.

https://www.jns.org/israel-news/idf/23/8/17/311451/

By: Emanuel Fabian – The Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com

Deal with Rafael partner Raytheon, expected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, includes 44 launchers and US-made command centers

The United States Marine Corps plans to acquire three batteries of Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system with nearly 2,000 interceptor missiles, according to an official notice of intent published Thursday, in a deal that is likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

The deal would be signed with the US-based Raytheon, with which the Iron Dome’s manufacturer, Rafael, has a partnership.

An existing prototype system — known as the Marine Corps’ Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) — combines the Iron Dome’s launcher and Tamir interceptor missiles with a Marines radar and command center.

The US Marine Corps has conducted two successful series of tests with MRIC, in July and October 2022.

According to the notice of intent published to the System for Award Management site, which collects data on US acquisitions and contracts, the Marine Corps plans to procure three MRIC batteries with 1,840 Tamir interceptor missiles, 44 launchers and 11 US-made command centers.

Additionally, the Marine Corps intends to procure 80 Tamir missiles for the initial MRIC prototype, as well as “logistics and technical support” for all the systems.

The exact cost of the deal was not published but was expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

cont’d…

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-marines-plan-to-procure-3-iron-dome-batteries-nearly-2000-interceptor-missiles/

By: Dale Hurd – Christian Broadcasting Network; cbn.com

CBN News has received confirmation that Christian evangelist and refugee Torben Søndergaard was deported from the United States in the last 24 hours. 

He was reportedly escorted by two U.S. Immigration officers back to Denmark, as per standard protocol. The officers treated him with dignity and respect.  

Upon arriving in Denmark, he was subject to normal passport control and was allowed to immediately turn around and fly to another country. He is now free and is safely reunited with his family outside of Denmark.

Søndergaard’s legal team says, “Now comes a time of much-needed rest and healing, and gratefulness to God that his painful experience of being detained is now over. Torben has requested privacy and will not be online or responding to calls and emails for the time being. Please continue to pray for Torben’s pending Asylum petition in the US federal court. If it is granted, he will be able to return to the US immediately with his family.”

cont’d…

https://www2.cbn.com/news/us/evangelist-torben-sondergaard-deported-us-after-1-year-ice-jail-cell-please-pray

The warehouse is said to have contained missiles intended for transfer to Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.

Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

Unexplained “violent explosions” that rocked Damascus in the early hours of Sunday destroyed an arms depot belonging to Iranian-backed groups, according to U.K.-based group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Unconfirmed reports said the warehouse contained missiles intended for transfer to Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

In the past, such incidents have been attributed to Israeli air strikes.

cont’d…

https://www.jns.org/middle-east/syria/23/8/13/310070/

Members of a special IHF delegation recently returned to the US from a meaningful and life-changing six-day experience in Israel.

Israel National News (Arutz Sheva); israelnationalnews.com

Members of a special Israel Heritage Foundation (IHF) delegation recently returned to the US from a meaningful and life-changing six-day experience in Israel. The diverse group, consisting of politicians, rabbis, medical professionals, and businesspeople, traveled throughout the Holy Land from August 4-9, 2023. The packed schedule included dancing along with thousands at the Western Wall on the Sabbath eve, praying at the burial places of the Jewish matriarchs and patriarchs in Hebron and Bethlehem, witnessing the testimonies at Yad Vashem about the atrocities committed by the Nazis, and tasting the very fulfillment of Biblical prophecies at a winery in the town of Shilo.

Led by Dr. Joseph Frager, Rabbi David Katz, and Gov. Mike Huckabee, members of the delegation also met with numerous dignitaries who spoke cogently about the need for judicial reform and the importance of spreading the word in the US about all the good that Israel has to offer. Capped off by a gala event hosted together with Israel National News – Arutz Sheva at the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem and emceed by Yoni Kempinski, they were addressed by leaders that included Governor Huckabee, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, and MK Simcha Rothman as well as MK Ohad Tal.

cont’d…

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375534

By: John Waage – Christian Broadcasting Network; cbn.com

Perhaps to remind Israelis that Israel’s governing coalition has been working on other issues besides judicial reform, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting to announce goals and progress in three other areas: connecting the country with a high-speed rail network, fighting inflation by lowering prices on consumer goods, and accelerating Israel’s involvement in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

On the transportation front, the prime minister announced the launching of the “One Israel” project, “to link the entire country with a fast railway from Kiryat Shemona (in Israel’s far north) to Eilat (Israel’s southernmost city).”

“This project is underway with 100-billion shekel ($27 billion) multi-year budget, he said, adding, “My vision is that every citizen in the country will be able to go to and from the center of the country, from anywhere in the state, in less than two hours.”

Netanyahu also suggested that the rail line would one day be connected to Saudi Arabia as the Biden administration apparently warms to the idea of fostering improved relations between Israel and the Desert Kingdom.

cont’d…

https://www2.cbn.com/news/israel/wake-judicial-battle-netanyahu-adds-new-priorities-hi-speed-trains-inflation-fight-ai

The protesters won’t stop until they bring Netanyahu’s government down.

By: Melanie Phillips (melaniephillips.substack.com) – Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

The night before Monday’s Knesset vote on the first of the government’s proposed judicial reforms, a video filmed on the escalators in Jerusalem’s central train station went viral on social media.

It showed a great tide of people holding Israeli flags going down one escalator on their way back from protesting against the reforms in Jerusalem, and a great tide of people holding Israeli flags going up the other escalator on their way back from demonstrating in support of the reforms in Tel Aviv.

What was so remarkable and moving was that people on each escalator were leaning over to shake hands with those on the other side, in recognition of the importance of putting people before a cause.

This image deeply touched many who are horrified by the chasm that has opened in Israel over the reforms.

cont’d…

https://www.jns.org/column/israel/23/7/27/306042/

‘I never comment on internal debates of other democracies,’ PM tells Fox News in rebuke of US and others; says he seeks consensus, reservists’ refusal is the real democratic threat

By: The Times of Israel Staff; timesofisrael.com

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed international criticism that his judicial overhaul is undermining democracy and said he will not be swayed by outside pressure.

Speaking to Fox News’s Mark Levin on Sunday, Netanyahu, in an apparent rebuke to the Biden administration and others, said other countries should not interfere in Israel’s internal issues.

Netanyahu said that in his 16 years in power, “I never commented on the internal debates of other democracies,” adding that “everybody has an opinion on Israel; they don’t have an opinion on the riots in France or the protests there, or the debates that happen in other countries.”

cont’d…

https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-rebuffs-international-criticism-of-overhaul-well-make-our-own-decisions/

Knesset testimony exposes flagrant peace violations by Palestinian leaders and educators. Is the world listening?

By: Ryan Jones – Israel Today; israeltoday.co.il

A young Palestinian Arab resident of eastern Jerusalem appeared before the Knesset Education Committee on Sunday to expose the incitement to anti-Israel terrorism being taught in schools in the Israeli capital.

The young man, who was identified only as “E” and had his face covered for his own safety, was brought to the Knesset by Israeli Arab Christian activist Yoseph Haddad.

Haddad began by calling out virulently anti-Israel Member of Knesset Ahmad Tibi, who conspicuously left the committee session before E had a chance to speak.

“It’s a shame MK Ahmad Tibi left before having the opportunity to hear a genuinely courageous voice from eastern Jerusalem, but I knew he’d do that, I knew he wouldn’t engage,” said Haddad.

E told the committee that he was “educated at a school that taught the Palestinian curriculum, from first grade until graduation. And from the very start I was taught that there is no State of Israel. I learned that we are Palestinians and that we are under occupation…”

cont’d…

https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/palestinian-reveals-what-jerusalem-arabs-are-really-taught-in-school/