Weekly roundup of world briefs

Two fighter jets nearly collide at Israeli airbase

By Lilach Shoval

(Israel Hayom via JNS) — A near miss at an Israeli airbase: Drama unfolded at the Ramat David Airbase when an F-16 fighter pilot received clearance from the control tower to take off. While accelerating to 250 km/h, the pilot spotted another fighter jet directly in front of him. At the last possible moment, the pilot shut off his engine and managed to steer the jet away.

In a video of the incident revealed on Monday, the surprised fighter pilot is heard asking the control tower: “Did you see that jet on the Runway? This is very serious.”

The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Office responded to the incident by saying, “A collision between two fighter jets was narrowly avoided during takeoff due to an erroneous clearance issued by the control tower, while another aircraft was still on the runway. The teams responded swiftly and professionally, preventing a severe safety incident. The incident will be investigated, and no property damage or injuries were reported.”

Originally appeared in Israel Hayom.

Poll findings show students believe UCLA prioritized free speech over safety

(JNS) — The University of California-Los Angeles has come under fire following the published findings of a study in response to anti-Israel protests, tent encampments and violence that roiled the campus this spring.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 22 the results of a survey, undertaken by the antisemitism task force at UCLA, which found that of 428 students, a whopping 75 percent thought school administrators treated antisemitism as less serious than other forms of bigotry on campus.

Lisa Katz, government affairs officer of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, said the university’s choice “to prioritize free speech protections over addressing antisemitism on campus is utterly unacceptable. UCLA’s classification of the pro-Hamas encampment on campus as protected speech highlights the lack of clear guidelines distinguishing free speech from hate speech.”

Katz pointed out that “criminal assaults, vandalism, incitement to violence and other criminal behaviors are not protected speech and cannot hide behind First Amendment protections.”

She advocated for the school to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, in addition to doing more “to ensure that Jewish students are safe and protected on campus.”

Australia rejects visa for far-right pundit, citing ‘capacity to incite discord’

(JNS) — Tony Burke, Australia’s minister for immigration and multicultural affairs, said on Sunday that the government has rejected a visa request by far-right American political commentator Candace Owens for a five-stop speaking tour in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

He cited reasons including Holocaust denial and antisemitic conspiracy theories promoted by the former Daily Wire podcaster.

“From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about Mengele through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” Burke said.

“Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else,” he added.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Owens urged the U.S. military to invade Australia to liberate its citizens from what she dubbed an authoritarian state comparable to Nazi Germany, Communist Russia or Afghanistan under the Taliban.

Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia, said “bigotry and antisemitism are unacceptable in any form, regardless of whether they originate from the far left or right,” and “for the sake of our nation’s social cohesion, there is no place in Australia for Candace Owens.”

Tickets for the tour ranged in price from $95 for general admission to $295 for a “VIP meet and greet.” Those willing to pony up $1,500 could also enjoy Owens’ company for a private dinner.

California protester sentenced to prison for stealing, burning Israeli flag

(JNS) — Christopher Husary, 36, of Hayward, Calif., will spend a year behind bars for the theft and destruction of an Israeli flag during a Jan. 6 protest in nearby El Cerrito, in the northern part of the state, against the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a crime that was caught on video.

Judge Charles Burch sentenced Husary to 364 days in jail and two years of probation on Oct. 9, following a guilty plea to a charge of robbery with a hate-crime enhancement, set to begin on Jan. 2.

After Husary left court, he was arrested by waiting New York City police officers who alleged that while out on bail for the flag theft, the California man harassed a Jewish person riding the subway on June 10.

“Everyone has the right to express their beliefs under the First Amendment, and we deeply appreciate those who bravely stood up for their rights despite attempts by the defendant to silence them,” stated Diana Becton, the district attorney in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay area. “As I said when this case was filed earlier this year, the First Amendment does not protect people who threaten others, cause injury, engage in intimidation or damage property.”

Becton said that “when harmful actions are motivated by bias against a person’s race, gender, religion or national origin, it constitutes a hate crime.”

Houthi drone from Yemen hits Ashkelon

(JNS) — A drone launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia struck an open area in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Tuesday morning, according to the military. The impact caused no injuries but sparked a fire.

Late last month, Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out dozens of airstrikes on Houthi targets around Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, including power plants and a seaport.

The port was “used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil,” according to the Israel Defense Forces.

“The Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias, in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability and disrupt global freedom of navigation,” the IDF added.

Yemen’s Houthi militia, aka Ansar Allah, an Iranian proxy force, has launched numerous attacks on the Jewish state in support of Hamas in the wake of the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.

On Sept. 15, Israeli air defenses intercepted fragments of a surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen that exploded over central Israel.

In July, a Houthi suicide drone killed an Israeli civilian in central Tel Aviv, in response to which Israel struck Hodeidah port in a major attack.

IDF chief: Hezbollah terror sites can’t be allowed to return

(JNS) — Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi earlier this week delivered a video message from an underground Hezbollah base in Southern Lebanon, emphasizing that this sort of terrorist infrastructure cannot be allowed to return.

“We have been saying for years that Hezbollah is preparing the area of the border for war. To the countries that doubted it, to the United Nations, to the UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon] force that was [stationed] up here …We caught this in time, before it was too late, and this infrastructure must not return here in future generations,” said Halevi. 

The bunker complex was destroyed shortly afterward.

Speaking to soldiers in one of the tunnels, Halevi stressed that “our task over the years to come will be to make sure that no new [infrastructure] is built.” 

The IDF’s work in Lebanon now means that in future, “you will walk around here, drive around with your grandchildren in the Hula Valley and you will know that you freed the Ramim Ridge from a great threat, a substantial threat,” he said.

South Africa files genocide case against Israel at UN court

(JNS) — South Africa on Monday submitted to the United Nations’ top court its “main case” against Israel, arguing that the Jewish state is intending to commit a genocide in Gaza.

“Undergirding Israel’s genocidal acts is the special intent to commit genocide, a failure by Israel to prevent incitement to genocide, to prevent genocide itself and its failure to punish those inciting and committing acts of genocide,” the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wrote in a statement about the submission to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

South Africa initiated the case in December 2023, and has now filed the bulk of the relevant material to support its claim, according to the statement. Israel has dismissed allegations that it’s perpetrating a genocide, calling them a “blood libel.” South African officials have not published the contents of the documents. 

Separately, the International Criminal Court, which is not part of the United Nations but operates as an independent intergovernmental body, continues to deliberate on a request to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC Prosecutor’s Office submitted the request on May 20.

According to disputed statistics provided by the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza, more than 42,000 people have died in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 as a result of Israel’s war on Hamas, following the latter’s massacre in Israel. According to Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies,  Israeli troops have killed some 17,000 terrorists in Gaza.

Soldier hurt in Gaza succumbs to wounds, bringing IDF toll to 772

(JNS) — An Israel Defense Forces soldier wounded earlier this month while battling Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip has succumbed to his wounds, the military announced on Monday night.

Maj. Guy Yaacov Nezri, 25, of the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion, from Atlit, was seriously hurt in Jabalia on Oct. 19.

His death brings the IDF’s toll in Gaza since launching its ground operation to destroy Hamas on Oct. 27, 2023, to 361.

Additionally, Ch. Insp. Arnon Zamora, a member of the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was fatally wounded during a hostage rescue mission in Gaza in June, and civilian defense contractor Liron Yitzhak was mortally wounded in the Strip in May.

On Sunday, another IDF soldier died of wounds sustained in the northern Gaza Strip. Staff Sgt. Malachi Yehuda Harari, 22, of the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion, was wounded on Oct. 18.

The military on Sunday evening also identified Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shaul Moyal, 47, of the Alon Brigade’s 8207th Battalion, as one of five soldiers killed in action in Southern Lebanon the previous day.

The other four Israel Defense Forces troops killed on Saturday night were named as Cpt. (res.) Rabbi Avraham Yosef Goldberg, 43; Master Sgt. (res.) Gilad Elmaliach, 30; Cpt. (res.) Amit Chayut, 29; and Maj. (res.) Eliav Amram Abitbol, 36. They all served with the Alon Brigade’s 8207th Battalion.

The total IDF death toll on all fronts since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre now stands at 772, according to official figures.

Cyberattack causes credit card transaction issues in Israel

(JNS) — A cyberattack caused some Israeli businesses to experience credit card payment problems on Tuesday morning, Shva (Automatic Bank Services) reported.

According to the Israel-based company, a denial-of-service attack occurred starting at 7 a.m., causing disruptions in processing transactions. Regular service was restored by 9:50 a.m.

“Due to a denial-of-service attack, entities connected to the company via the internet experienced disruptions in the transmission of transactions for credit card approvals,” according to Shva.

Shva is the largest provider of communication and IT services for the country’s banking sector and serves as the leading clearing house for credit card transactions.

While the firm did not offer details on who was behind the cyberattack, the Hebrew-language Bizportal site suggested that it might have been “Anonymous Sudan,” a group with Iranian links that has carried out cyberattacks against Israel before.

Gil Shwed, the outgoing CEO of cybersecurity firm Check Point, was quoted by Bizportal as saying on Tuesday that “the number and sophistication of [cyber] attacks on Israel are among the highest in the world, with over 2,300 attacks per week—a 100% increase compared to 2023. These attacks are caused, among other things, by criminal entities, Iranian actors and other hostile parties.”

In July, Visa Cal credit card holders reported fraudulent charges due to a malfunction at Shva.

Swastikas painted on Paris residence where Holocaust survivor was murdered in 2018

By Neta Bar

(Israel Hayom via JNS) — A troubling wave of antisemitism has surfaced in France, where a Jewish resident is enduring persistent threats in a building already marked by tragedy. Nancy is facing relentless antisemitic harassment, including death threats and Nazi symbols, in the same building where 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll was murdered in 2018. Nancy has already filed multiple police reports.

The harassment has escalated in recent weeks, with perpetrators defacing the building’s common areas with swastikas and targeting Nancy’s personal space. Her door and mailbox have been vandalized with antisemitic death threats, some written in Arabic, while Nazi symbols and Stars of David have been scrawled across the corridor. French news channel BFM brought the case to public attention after visiting Nancy’s home and documenting the ongoing threats.

“The intimidation began with letters, then evolved to symbols appearing in the stairwell and elevator,” Nancy told BFM in a visibly distressed state. “About two weeks ago, threatening letters started arriving. I’ve already submitted six police reports and find myself at the police station every three days to follow up. My life has been completely disrupted. I can’t sleep, I feel lost, threatened, and anxious. I simply cannot comprehend how someone could target another human being this way.”

These incidents are unfolding at the same Avenue Philippe-Auguste address where Knoll was tortured and killed by two assailants, Yacine Mihoub and Alex Krimbikos, who stabbed her before setting her apartment ablaze. The French judiciary officially classified her murder as an antisemitic hate crime.

Naim Qassem elected to replace slain Hezbollah leader Nasrallah

(JNS) — Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah on Tuesday elected its deputy secretary general Naim Qassem to replace secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Sept. 27.

In his third public address since Nasrallah’s death, Qassem on Oct. 15 reiterated the Iranian terror proxy’s unwavering support for Hamas, staunchly rejecting calls to separate a ceasefire in Lebanon from the situation in Gaza.

“We insisted on the demand for a ceasefire in Gaza—and we did not agree to their request to separate Lebanon from Gaza,” Qassem declared, dismissing international pressure to de-escalate the conflict along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Hezbollah has been committing near-daily rocket, missile and drone attacks against Israel since Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas led a mass invasion of southern Israel, murdering some 1,200 people, kidnapping 251 others and committing widespread atrocities.

Qassem had served as deputy secretary general of the radical Shi’ite group since 1991.

Iran ‘naked’ after Israel knocks out its air defense system

(JNS) — Israel’s two strikes against Iran’s air defense system this year have left the country vulnerable to future attacks, with all four of Tehrah’s Russian-made S-300 missile batteries having been destroyed.

On April 19, Israel took out one of the S-300 systems in response to Tehran’s first-ever direct attack against the Jewish state. On Oct. 26, in response to a second Iranian attack, Israel targeted 20 sites in Iran in multiple waves of strikes, destroying the remaining three. 

“The majority of Iran’s air defense was taken out,” a senior Israeli official told Fox News. 

The American media outlet also reported that in an internal call, Biden adviser Amos Hochstein had said “Iran is essentially naked,” with no remaining missile defenses. 

The Islamic Republic launched some 300 missiles and drones at Israel on April 13, followed by the firing of around 180 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state on Oct. 1. The vast majority were intercepted on both occasions. 

Fox News  reported that Israel had knocked out multiple radar systems that Iran needs to guide its ballistic missiles.

“Removing the radar systems prevents Iran from firing those missiles in the future,” a senior official said.

Israel’s aerial offensive inside Iran also caused severe damage to Tehran’s ballistic missile program, according to analyses of satellite imagery.