Israel Says Hamas Using Journalists As Human Shields
Israel’s military has denied allegations that it deliberately targets media offices and accused the militant group Hamas of using journalists as human shields.
War
Pakistan Mob Forces Disabled Christian To Accept Islam; Threaten Family
Islamic hardliners are threatening the family of a mentally disabled Christian man in Pakistan who was forced to “convert” to Islam, Christians say.
Israel slammed for strike on AP, Al Jazeera Gaza offices in attack on Hamas
Israel came under heavy criticism on Saturday for striking a 12-story tower in Gaza housing the offices of foreign media affiliates such as the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and other news outlets. The United States government, AP and Al Jazeera each publicly expressed their concerns with the operation moments after the strike.
Pompeo says evidence suggests coronavirus originated from Wuhan lab, risk of bioterror ‘very real’
Current evidence still suggests that the coronavirus originated from a lab in Wuhan, China, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday, warning that the risk of bioweapons and bioterror arising from the region is “very real.”
Police say they were ‘underprepared’ for Jewish-Arab violence engulfing cities
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai on Saturday conceded that forces were underprepared for the violence that swept through Jewish-Arab cities this week, particularly amid the ongoing threat of rocket fire from Gaza.
Rockets Fired From Syria, Lebanon Towards Israel
Israel’s military said Friday at least three rockets were fired from Syria towards Israeli territory, a day after missiles were launched towards Israel from Lebanon.
WHO Urges Rich Nations Not To Vaccinate Children
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged rich nations not to vaccinate children. Instead, the WHO says, the jabs should be donated to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX).
State Dept. releases International Religious Freedom report
The US State Department has published its International Religious Freedom (IRF) Report for 2020, providing an overview of religious freedom and persecution around the world, International Christian Concern reports. This year’s IRF condemned countries including Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and China for their abuses of religious freedom, and stated that the US would continue to address the issue.
Israel Army Attacks Gaza Backed By Air Strikes
Israeli troops attacked the Gaza Strip early Friday, backed by artillery, tanks, and warplanes, Israel’s military confirmed.
Biden signs cybersecurity executive order in the wake of pipeline shutdown
Specifically citing a slew of recent incidents including SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange server hacks and the ongoing Colonial Pipeline situation, President Biden signed an executive order today that focuses on “improving the nation’s cybersecurity.” The steps it lays out are supposed to improve information sharing between agencies, set policies to protect federal networks and improve the response to breaches by creating a standardized “playbook” that will be reviewed by the director of CISA.
Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome stretched to limit by Hamas rocket barrage
Israel‘s state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense system is facing its toughest test to date amid rapid-fire rocket attacks from Hamas, with military analysts in Israel openly wondering whether the Palestinian militant group has found a strategy to partially pierce the shield.
1,200 Rockets in 48 hours – and counting – as cities around Israel teeter on the brink of civil war
Hamas has launched 1,200 rockets in 48 hours from the Gaza Strip and shows little sign of letting up as we enter the third night of Israel under fire.
Netanyahu declares State of Emergency in city of Lod amid “civil war between Arabs and Jews”
Israel declared a state of emergency in the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Lod on Wednesday after Mayor Yair Revivo said a “civil war between Arabs and Jews,” was taking place there. The rioting, including the torching of three synagogues and the death of an Arab man, began on Monday after Arab residents took to the streets in support of Palestinians clashing with police on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
UN Fears “Full-Scale War” Over Jerusalem
The United Nations says it fears a “full-scale war” amid ongoing deadly exchanges between Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli military.
‘Kristallnacht in Lod’: State of emergency as Arab mobs set synagogues on fire
Intense Arab rioting broke out in the central Israeli city of Lod late Tuesday, with three synagogues and numerous shops reportedly set on fire, and dozens of cars set alight. The Israeli government declared a state of emergency in the mixed Jewish-Arab city, and urgently despatched several Border Police companies to work to restore order.
Queen Elizabeth confirms proposed U.K. law that would require voter I.D. at the polls
Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday confirmed that the British government would soon be introducing legislation to “ensure the integrity of elections,” a nod toward a proposal by Boris Johnson’s government to require voter identification during elections in the United Kingdom.
Church Leaders Fear For Jerusalem As Death Toll Rises In Battles
Church leaders have expressed concern about the future of Jerusalem and its neighborhood as several people were killed Tuesday in nearly non-stop Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel and Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Iran has enriched uranium to up to 63% purity, IAEA says
“Fluctuations” at Iran’s Natanz plant pushed the purity to which it enriched uranium to 63%, higher than the announced 60% that complicated talks to revive its nuclear deal with world powers, a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday.
U.S. cutter fires at Iranian vessels in Strait of Hormuz
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter fired at least 30 warning shots at a group of Iranian fast-attack boats Monday while escorting a U.S. Navy submarine through a tense section of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
FBI confirms criminal group DarkSide responsible for pipeline cyberattack, emergency declared
The FBI confirmed Monday the Russia-based criminal operation DarkSide is responsible for the recent cyberattack that has shut down the Colonial Pipeline that supplies the East Coast with 45% of its fuel supply.