Israel-Palestinian Conflict

Israel and the United States are set to hold a series of joint military exercises in the coming months.

Less than two days after Aleppo International Airport was shuttered when its runway was damaged in an airstrike attributed to Israel, Syria’s Transportation Ministry announced Tuesday evening it would reopen overnight.

Papua New Guinea and Sierra Leone have announced they will be opening embassies in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, CBN News reports.

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a 300-meter-long (984-foot) stretch of an ancient aqueduct that served Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Monday.

The official Syrian SANA news broadcaster reported Monday morning that Israel carried out an airstrike on the airport in Aleppo, causing heavy damage and putting it out of service. An hour after the attack was reported, the Civil Aviation Authority of Syria issued a notice to the pilots that the only runway at the airport in Aleppo was closed for repair work in the wake of the attack.

Amid consternation about a recent spate of visa denials for international Christian clergy, Israeli government officials are discussing new visa provisions for the permanent staff of evangelical organizations, including the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ), Bridges for Peace, and Christians United for Israel, the Christian Post (CP) reports.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on Sunday to threats of an escalation over the weekend from a Hamas leader, saying anyone carrying out terrorist activity “will pay the full price.”

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

The Biden administration told the Israeli government last week that it would have to make considerable concessions to the Palestinians if a U.S.-brokered deal with Saudi Arabia is to succeed.

Israel and Saudi Arabia might establish diplomatic ties as early as “early next year,” a senior Israeli official told Ynet Wednesday night on condition of anonymity, after “progress has been made” in talks between the Saudis and the United States.

Archaeologists in Israel have found a blood-red combat arena at Legio, a massive military base that housed Rome’s “ironclad” legion in the second century.

Following the terrorist attack in Huwara, in which Shai Silas Nigreker and his son Aviad Nir were murdered, and a second attack in Hebron Mount, in which Batsheva Nigri was killed and Aryeh Gottlieb was seriously injured, the security cabinet convened on Tuesday after pushing forward the date from the planned September 10.

Israel struck targets on the outskirts of Damascus, Syrian state news agency SANA reported Monday night.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a press conference on Monday evening at the site in the Hebron Hills where, earlier in the day, Batsheva Nigri was murdered in a terrorist shooting attack.

The historical water arch in Caesarea suffered a collapse during the early hours of Friday. This arch stands on the Aqueduct Beach, a popular bathing spot. Representatives from the Antiquities Authority were present at the site this morning, and a team from the Antiquities Authority’s Conservation Directorate is expected to evaluate the extent of the damage on Sunday. The collapsed portion of the arch, a 1,870-year-old addition built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, faced this unfortunate fate.

A major evangelical organization is concerned about its future in Israel. The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) is telling Israeli media the government has rejected its request for clergy visas on the grounds that it no longer qualifies as a “religious institution.”

The US Ministry of Defense on Thursday announced it has approved the $3.5 billion sale of Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany, in what is Israel’s largest security deal ever, Ynet News reports. Senior officials in the German and Israeli defense ministries will be convening to ratify the deal.

The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, is set to visit Israel next week to address concerns and assess the Israel Defense Forces’ readiness for war following months of nationwide protests against the government’s judicial reform program, i24News reports.

Archaeologists have uncovered a 5,500-year-old city gate in southern Israel, the most ancient city gate ever unearthed in the Holy Land, the Jerusalem Post reports. Discovered close to city fortifications, the gate represents the beginning of urbanization in the Land of Israel and the Levant.

Amid heightened tensions on Israel’s border with Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah announced Monday that Israel will “cease to exist” if a new conflict between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group should ignite, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.