Amman announces defense deal allowing US troops to enter Jordan
Jordan has finalized a defense agreement with the United States that allows US forces, aircraft and vehicles to freely enter the kingdom, French news agency AFP reported Sunday.
Israel
Western officials fear Iran hiding equipment it could use to build nuke — report
Iran is hiding equipment from international officials that could enable it to build a nuclear bomb, according to a Monday report.
‘Life-saving’ nose spray that kills 99.9% of viruses begins production in Israel
A nasal spray that will be marketed as capable of killing 99.9 percent of virus particles has started rolling off production lines in an Israeli factory.
Iran’s atomic energy agency announces ‘cold test’ of new Arak nuclear reactor
Iran will cold test its redesigned Arak nuclear reactor as prelude to fully commissioning it later in the year, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said on Friday.
Surge in US firearms imports in 2020
A new report estimates that the US in 2020 saw a 60% increase in personal firearm imports, compared to the same category of imports in 2019. Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting (SAAF) reported an estimated 6.4 million handgun and long-gun units were imported in 2020, a surge from 4.0 million in 2019. SAAF said its import estimates are based on raw data obtained from the International Trade Commission.
Iran threatens Washington army base, top US general — intelligence officials
Iran has made threats against Fort McNair, an Army base in the nation’s capital, and against the Army’s vice chief of staff, two senior US intelligence officials said.
Israeli scientists grow fully formed mouse fetuses outside the womb
Israeli scientists are claiming a major breakthrough as they have been able to take mouse embryos from their mothers and grow them outside the womb into fetuses with fully formed organs, the Times of Israel (ToI) reported Wednesday. Prof. Jacob Hanna of the Weizmann Institute of Science said this development “could be relevant to humans.”
US and Israel to establish joint team for sharing information on Iran
The US and Israel have decided to establish a new joint team for sharing intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program, the Times of Israel (ToI) reports. The decision to set up a team was made at a meeting led by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat last week, ToI reports.
Knesset approves electronic bracelet for citizens returning from abroad
The Knesset on Wednesday approved a COVID-19 bill that requires Israelis returning from abroad to choose either to wear an electronic bracelet that ensures they isolate at home or be quarantined in a hotel, the Jerusalem Post reports. According to the government, such measures are necessary to reopen Israel’s borders, at least to citizens.
Syria says Israel targeted Damascus area in airstrikes
Syria’s official SANA news agency said Tuesday evening that Israel carried out airstrikes on targets in the Damascus area and southern Syria, Israel National News (INN) reports. In its report, SANA said Syria’s air defense systems had been activated due to “Israeli aggression,” and that several missiles had been intercepted.
Viability of Jewish life in Europe is threatened
The Chief Rabbi of Moscow warned this week that Jewish life in Europe is once again under serious threat due, among other things, to the intolerance of ritual slaughter and male circumcision practices that are central to Jewish religious expression. Writing in the Times of Israel, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt attested: “There is almost no value in remembering the past if a country and its politicians don’t allow its Jewish population to live their life in the present.”
New Dead Sea Scroll Fragments of Biblical Prophets Revealed after Daring Rescue Operation
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Tuesday that it has recovered dozens of fragments of a biblical scroll for the first time in about 60 years in what was described as a “complex and challenging national archaeological operation.”
Israel May Begin Welcoming Vaccinated Tourists Next Month
After a year of virtually no tourism, Israel may begin to allow vaccinated tourists into the country as early as April, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Iran now using advanced new centrifuges to enrich uranium at Natanz plant
Iran has begun using the highly advanced new IR-4 centrifuge to enrich uranium at its Natanz plant in a further breach of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, the Reuters news agency reported Tuesday, citing a UN atomic watchdog document.
Israel Pursuing Four More Peace Deals, Bibi Says
Israel is pursuing four more peace deals with countries in the region and elsewhere, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
Netanyahu vows to authorize illegal West Bank settler outposts if elected to form government
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to authorize illegal West Bank settler outposts if the upcoming March 23 election enables him to form a right-wing government, the Jerusalem Post reports. The PM made his election pledge Sunday as he visited the Givat Harel outpost in the West Bank’s Binyamin region.
Italy, France, Germany join countries that have suspended AstraZeneca vaccine
Italy and Germany on Monday joined Ireland and Holland as the latest European Union member states to suspend the use of the British-Swedish AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Reuters reports. The decisions follow Norwegian reports of blood clots and brain hemorrhages among people who had taken the shot; Denmark, Norway, and Bulgaria have also suspended use of the vaccine.
Israeli group files lawsuit with International Criminal Court: Israel vaccination campaign involves “crimes against humanity”
The International Criminal Court is considering a lawsuit filed by a group of Israeli lawyers and doctors who believe Israel’s warp-speed COVID-19 vaccination campaign is a “medical experiment” that violates the Nuremberg Code and constitutes crimes against humanity, All Israel News reports.
Iran urges US to rejoin nuclear pact before election stalls ‘progress’
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday urged the United States to quickly rejoin the international agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, warning that the Islamic Republic’s upcoming elections could stymie progress in any talks.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard inaugurates new underground missile facility
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard on Monday inaugurated a new underground facility designated for missile storage, the country’s state TV reported.