Weekly roundup of world briefs

Israeli company installs water-generation machine in Vatican City

(JNS) — Watergen, an Israeli company specializing in water-generation technology, has installed one of its machines at the Office of Papal Charities in Vatican City. The machine, which produces clean drinking water from the air, will provide Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and his team with a sustainable water source on-site.

The installation reflects a shared commitment to addressing global water scarcity.

Krajewski, who leads the office with a focus on humanitarian aid, will benefit from this new water source, which aligns with the office’s mission to support vulnerable communities.

Established in 2009, Watergen pioneered a patented technology for cost-effective, low-energy production of potable water. The process involves pulling in air, chilling it to extract humidity and transforming the resultant water into drinkable water using a series of filters.

The technology, which relies on a plastic heat exchanger and proprietary software, has been deployed in more than 60 countries, including regions with inadequate water infrastructure such as India and Uzbekistan, as well as drought-stricken areas in developed nations, like California in the United States.

Watergen, under the leadership of its owner and president, Michael Mirilashvili, has donated its machines to crisis regions, including Syria. In collaboration with the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees, it provided an atmospheric water generator to a Syrian medical facility, addressing urgent needs for clean water amid the ongoing civil war.

Gallant, Kurilla discuss defense against Iran, Hezbollah

(JNS) — Gen. Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Monday.

The three “discussed the coordination of defense activities and ways to expand the international coalition facing aggressive actions by Iran and its proxies,” said Gallant.

Gallant thanked Kurilla and the American defense establishment, led by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, for standing with Israel and acting to strengthen its defensive capabilities.

The U.S. general’s visit was “a direct translation of U.S. support for Israel, into action. The relationship between Israel and the United States is unshakeable,” he said, according to his office.

Kurilla’s Middle East trip was previously planned, but its focus was shifted in light of the Islamic Republic’s pledge to retaliate for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. It will now center on building a multilateral defensive alliance similar to the one that fended off the vast majority of the more than 300 missiles and drones Iran fired at the Jewish state in mid-April.

Iran’s Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah has also vowed revenge for the targeted killing of senior official Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week.

Biden told timing, nature of Iranian, Hezbollah attacks unclear

(JNS) — U.S. President Joe Biden convened his national security team in the White House Situation Room on Monday afternoon to discuss recent developments in the Middle East.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were told that it is still unclear when Iran and Hezbollah will launch their threatened attacks against Israel, or what form those strikes would take, three U.S. officials told Axios reporter Barak Ravid.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his counterparts from the G7 countries on Sunday that Iran and Hezbollah could attack Israel in the next 24 to 48 hours, but Monday’s assessment in the Situation Room was more nuanced, according to U.S. officials.

Security officials told Biden and Harris that the attack is predicted to comprise two waves—one from Hezbollah and another from Iran and its other proxies.

According to U.S. intelligence, it is still unclear who will attack first. One U.S. official told Axios that intelligence indicates that the attack plans are “still a work in progress.”

Pro-regime press explains delay in Iranian attack on Israel

By Neta Bar

(Israel Hayom via JNS) — While the world awaits Iran’s response to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, pro-Iranian-regime media outlets are attempting to explain the week-long delay in the “punitive attack” on Israel.

The Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar, which is associated with the terrorist organization Hezbollah, published a series of commentary articles under the headline: “Delay or Haste, the Punishment Will Come, Don’t Be Mistaken.” 

The newspaper’s editorial stated, “The change in the situation allows various factions of the resistance the ability to surround Israel from the air with missiles and drones, in what is termed a ‘quantitative rain,’ aimed at causing destruction, alongside a ‘qualitative attack’ targeting governance-related sites from all sides.” 

Other articles focused on the readiness of the Houthis in Yemen to participate in Iran’s retaliatory attack and on U.S. policy toward Iran.

In Iran’s own media, it seems that the issue of a response from Tehran is hardly being discussed. The conservative Tasnim news agency published a lengthy article addressing Israel’s reasons for assassinating Haniyeh without mentioning the Islamic Republic’s immediate threat of retaliation.

The Aftab-e Yazd newspaper, representing the political center in Iran, dedicated its main article to the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s promise not to violate the sovereignty of other countries in the region, along with additional threats of an attack on Israel.

Originally appeared in Israel Hayom.

Islamic states to discuss Haniyeh killing, other alleged Israeli ‘crimes’

By David Isaac

(JNS) — Foreign ministers from Islamic countries will gather in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for an “extraordinary” meeting “to discuss the continued crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people.” 

The meeting was called by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation at the behest of Tehran, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

Among the “crimes” listed in the OIC’s announcement on its website are the killing of Hamas politburo head Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, and Israel’s “aggressions against the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Also on the agenda are the supposed “atrocities” committed by Israel against the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

The OIC represents 57 states and presents itself as “the voice of the Muslim world.”

Iran holds Israel responsible for Haniyeh’s assassination, although Israel has not taken responsibility for it. Iran has sworn to retaliate, with Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promising a “harsh response.” 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his counterparts from the G7 countries on Sunday that Iran and its Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah could attack Israel at any time.

However, President Joe Biden was told during a briefing in the White House Situation Room on Monday that the timing and nature of the attacks was still not clear, according to Axios.

Hamas could tap ‘shadowy’ figure to succeed Haniyeh, report says

(JNS) — Hamas is leaning toward choosing a relatively unknown successor to political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated last week in Tehran, Channel 12 reported on Monday.

According to the report, a majority of the terror group’s leadership supports Muhammad Ismail to replace Haniyeh, at least as a temporary substitute. He is described as a shadowy figure in the organization who has never made any public statements. 

Ismail “over the years has become the strongest man in the organization’s economic empire,” said the report. “By virtue of this position, Ismail was involved in directing money transfers from Iran to Hamas and in investments around the world.”

He is seen as a compromise candidate between the more hawkish camp of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar and Haniyeh’s camp, which includes Khaled Mashaal, who has shaky relations with Hezbollah and Iran.

According to a Saudi report, Sinwar rejected Mashaal, preferring a figure with stronger ties to Tehran. This message was conveyed to the Hamas leadership at a meeting in Qatar on Saturday.

Another possible replacement for Haniyeh is the current head of Hamas’s Shura Council, Abu Omar Hassan, according to the Hezbollah-aligned Al Mayadeen TV news channel.

Hamas’s politburo and Shura Council will decide on the successor to Haniyeh.

US airlines extend Israel flight cancellations to September

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — United and Delta Airlines will not resume flights to Israel until next month due to the ongoing security tensions in the Mideast.

The decision by the two U.S. legacy carriers, which comes amid concern over a looming Iranian attack on the Jewish state, leaves Israel’s flagship carrier El Al as the only airline offering direct service to and from the United States through the duration of the summer. 

Both U.S. airlines had just resumed service to Israel this spring after suspending flights, like most other carriers, following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre. 

American Airlines has not restarted flights to Tel Aviv since the war broke out.

Delta is rebooking passengers to Tel Aviv on El Al and Air France, with which it is a codeshare partner, while United is only rerouting passengers on its own flights to other countries in the region, including Greece and the United Arab Emirates.

Many foreign airlines, including Lufthansa, Austrian, Iberia and Brussels Airlines suspended service to Israel anew last week amid escalating regional tensions following the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut and Hamas leader in Tehran.

Some, including British Airways and Air France, continue to operate flights to the Jewish state. Budget carrier Wizz is resuming service, while RyanAir has now also canceled flights.

El Al is also increasing flights from Greece and Cyprus for Israelis stranded abroad.

Israeli hospitals operating on war footing

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israeli hospitals across the country are running on heightened alert amid threats of looming attacks by Iran and its regional proxies. 

Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso held a series of emergency medical readiness assessments with hospital directors and health officials last week. Among the topics discussed were emergency preparedness, cyber defense, mental healthcare and ways to rapidly raise readiness levels.

He noted that the healthcare system in Israel has been operating in emergency mode since Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, triggering a war now entering its tenth month and threatening to expand.

Last week, Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service also held a three-day drill in northern Israel that simulated a missile strike on a civilian residential building.

Iran sent message to Jerusalem via Hungary that it will attack

(JNS) — Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Monday that Iran intends to attack the Jewish state, with Tehran delivering the message indirectly via Hungary.

“Iran has informed us that it intends to attack Israel,” Katz said, adding that “the world should exact a price from Iran for any aggressive action it carries out.”

Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, that Iran is going to attack Israel. Szijjártó relayed the message to Katz.

“In a telephone conversation with the foreign ministers of Slovenia and Hungary, I emphasized that the lack of reaction of the United Nations Security Council and the European Union to the crimes of the Zionist regime, including the mass killing of children and women, the genocide in Gaza and the assassination of Palestinian figures in other countries is one of the most important factors of instability in the area,” Bagheri tweeted on Monday.

The regime in Tehran is making a diplomatic push ahead of its pledged joint attack, along with its regional terror proxies, on Israel, in response to the assassination last week of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital. Jerusalem has not taken responsibility for the assassination, although Iran and Hamas immediately blamed Israel.

Iran will make its case for the attack and attempt to gather diplomatic support on Wednesday in an emergency meeting with foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Chattanooga getting its first Jewish food festival

(JNS) — Chattanooga, Tenn., has many Jewish-owned but no kosher restaurants, and the only glatt-kosher kitchen of its kind in the area is at the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga. On Aug. 18, the city will have its first Jewish food festival.

Nosh-A-Nooga will showcase “the amazing recipes of the area’s home cooks,” which “makes what we can provide very different than other cities,” Ann Treadwell, program director of the local Federation, told JNS. “This is the first event of its kind.”

“One of the best ways to learn about a people is through their food and the cultural traditions that go with it,” Treadwell added. She noted that participating cooks will be on hand to answer questions.

The two-hour event will feature both Ashkenazi and Sephardi fare. Among the offerings will also be brisket sliders, according to Treadwell. “As a first-time event, we opted for it to be a tasting rather than full meals,” she said.

Terrorists try to ambush IDF soldiers in Jordan Valley

By Akiva Van Koningsveld

(JNS) — Palestinian terrorists this week attempted to ambush Israel Defense Forces troops in the Jordan Valley with remotely detonated roadside bombs, the military revealed on Wednesday.

An initial assessment shows that the terrorists tried to draw soldiers toward a side road where several explosive devices were planted, the IDF said.

On Monday, Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the agricultural community of Beka’ot in the northern Jordan Valley, according to the army. The suspects fled the scene before security forces arrived.

The next day, Wednesday, members of the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps’ Unit 636 stationed in the area killed a terrorist after he returned to the site in an attempt to carry out another shooting.

“Earlier today, IDF forces conducted searches in the area of the shooting with the goal of removing additional threats,” the army said Wednesday.

In the first six months of 2024, medical authorities recorded 3,272 terror attacks in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, including 1,868 cases of rock-throwing, 456 fire-bombings, 299 IED charges and 109 shootings.

On June 23, Arab terrorists in Samaria remotely detonated explosives near the security fence with the goal of attracting Israeli soldiers to the area of the blast and attacking them upon arrival, according to the IDF.

Sununu signs bill codifying IHRA Jew-hatred definition into New Hampshire law

(JNS) — New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill into law recently that uses the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of Jew-hatred.

SB 508, which addresses “enforcement of New Hampshire anti-discrimination laws as they relate to Jewish people,” codifies both the IHRA working definition and its contemporary examples, which includes “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”

Eliana Goodman, director of public policy at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, stated that the bill will “safeguard the Jewish community in New Hampshire and reinforce the state’s commitment to combating antisemitism in all its forms.”

“New Hampshire joins a growing number of states to take legislative action against the surge in antisemitic hatred targeting Jewish Americans and is among the super majority of U.S. states to have embraced the IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism,” Goodman added.

“With antisemitism having exploded worldwide post-Oct. 7, the IHRA definition remains a tool of paramount importance for helping identify and quell the mounting tide of antisemitism as Jews around the world desperately seek assurances for their own safety,” stated Jordan Cope, director of policy education at StandWithUs.