At Least 100 Rockets Shot at Israel, 12 Injured: At least 100 rockets and mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, May 2 – 3, with two rockets even hitting Sderot and wounding at least 12 civilians.
The first round of rockets started just hours after Palestinian Islamic Jihad official Khader Adnan died following a three-month-long hunger strike against his being held in administrative detention. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad both took responsibility for the rocket fire.
Of the first three rockets, fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Tuesday morning, all landed in open areas near the Gaza border. During that round of rockets, the IDF decided that there was no need to activate the Iron Dome missile defense batteries. The IDF then responded with tank fire on one Hamas military position, a relatively light reaction.
Later Tuesday afternoon, another 22 rockets were fired, this time by a mix of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, causing sirens to go off in Sderot, Nir Am, Sde Avraham, Erez, and some other towns.
Four rockets were intercepted and 16 landed in open fields, but two struck urban areas, according to the IDF. One rocket hit a construction site in Sderot, with another hitting the yard of a home in the city, according to Army Radio.
At least 12 civilians were wounded, including a foreign laborer from China in his mid-20s. The Chinese worker was initially in serious condition, while the condition of the others was less serious. However, the Chinese worker’s condition later improved to being moderately stable.
A 49-year-old woman was also hospitalized after being lightly injured while on her way to a bomb shelter. MDA also hospitalized a person in their mid-20s who suffered from anxiety.
The rocket barrage came as children were set to be picked up from school and daycare, with the schools having to shelter the children in place until it was safe for their parents to come to get them, according to instructions issued by local councils. (JPost / VFI News)
“God, we pray for the full recovery of the citizens that were wounded during the latest attack. We ask that all Israeli citizens are protected from terrorist actions onwards and that hostilities in the region will soon come to an end.”
The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.
IDF Struck 16 Targets in Gaza Overnight in Response to 100 Rockets: A total of 104 rockets were fired into Israel between Tuesday and Wednesday, most by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad with some minor participation from Hamas, the IDF confirmed on Wednesday morning, May 3.
Of the 104 rockets fired into Israel, 11 fell in the sea, 14 fell in Gaza, 24 were shot down by Iron Dome, 48 fell in open areas and the IDF said that the location of the remaining 7 was still unclear.
In response, Israel countered with approximately 16 airstrikes, mostly on Hamas positions, to hold the group responsible for what occurred in Gaza.
IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari said that despite an apparent ceasefire starting around 5:30 a.m. “all options are on the table” should any Palestinian group fire additional rockets at Israel.
Most of the Israeli strikes in Gaza focused on Hamas’ armament capabilities, including weapons factories, operational headquarters for its naval forces, underground tunnels, and other similar sites, with indications that only one Hamas member was killed.
Hagari said that Hamas had participated with land-to-air missiles against Israeli aircraft which were not particularly effective, but had mostly left the fighting to Islamic Jihad, which was an early sign that Hamas did not want a major conflict.
He also rejected media estimates of Iron Dome’s effectiveness dropping to 70%, saying its effectiveness remained around 90%. Lastly, he said that only three people were injured directly by rocket fire, including a foreign worker from China in Sderot, who remains the only moderately injured person on the Israeli side. (JPost / VFI News)
“But the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.” – Proverbs 2:22
Islamic State Leader Killed in Syria by Turkish Intelligence Services, Erdogan Says: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, April 30, that Turkish intelligence forces killed Islamic State leader Abu Hussein al-Qurashi in Syria.
“This individual was neutralized as part of an operation by the Turkish national intelligence organization in Syria yesterday,” Erdogan said in an interview with Turkish media. Erdogan said the intelligence organization had pursued Qurashi for a long time.
Syrian local and security sources said the raid took place in the northern Syrian town of Jandaris, which is controlled by Turkey-backed rebel groups and was one of the worst affected in the Feb. 6 earthquake that hit both Turkey and Syria. The Syrian National Army, an opposition faction with a security presence in the area, did not immediately issue any comment.
One resident said clashes started on the edge of Jandaris overnight from Saturday into Sunday, lasting for about an hour before residents heard a large explosion. The area was later encircled by security forces to prevent anyone from approaching the area.
Al-Qurashi had been the leader of ISIS since November 2022. (JPost / VFI News)
“Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest snatches him away in the night.” – Job 27:20
Senior Iranian Ayatollah Abbas-Ali Soleimani Assassinated – Report: Iranian ayatollah Abbas-Ali Soleimani, a member of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership of Iran, was assassinated at a bank on Wednesday morning, April 24, in the northern city of Babolsar, according to Iranian media reports.
Soleimani was a former representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei’s representatives are clerics who officiate on behalf of the supreme leader at a provincial level.
The Assembly of Experts is a powerful clerical body that supervises, appoints and in theory can sack the supreme leader. The southern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan and one of Iran’s poorest, faced months of intensive anti-government protests sparked by the death in custody of a young Iranian woman in September.
Soleimani’s killer has been detained, IRGC backed media said. The governor of Mazandaran, Mahmoud Hosseinipour, stated that Soleimani was killed by a security guard at the bank.
Initial investigations have indicated that the attacker fired aimlessly and did not know that Soleimani was there, although the attacker’s motive is still not clear, according to Hosseinipour. (JPost / VFI News)
Ensuring Safety in the South: For those living in southern Israel, rocket attacks from Gaza are not uncommon. Since 2007, Gaza has fired over 25,000 rockets at the southern border. While the Iron Dome intercepts many of them, some rockets still touch down in towns filled with innocent civilians. With the generous contributions of our donors, Vision for Israel is able to provide mobile shelters to settlements and cities on the southern border of Israel in order to ensure their safety in the face of these attacks.
Iran Seizes Second Oil Tanker in a Week in Gulf – US Navy: Iran has seized a second oil tanker in a week on Wednesday, May 3, in Gulf waters, the US Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019.
The Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Navy said the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi was seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) at 6:20 a.m. (0220 GMT) while passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz.
In Iran’s first response, Tehran’s prosecutor announced the oil tanker was seized on a judicial order following a complaint by a plaintiff, Iranian judiciary’s news agency said. No further details were provided.
Maritime security firm Ambrey has said it believed the Advantage Sweet’s seizure by Iran was in response to a recent seizure via a court order by the United States of an oil cargo aboard the Marshall Islands tanker Suez Rajan.
The Niovi oil tanker seized on Wednesday had been traveling from Dubai toward the UAE’s Fujairah port when it was forced by IRGCN boats to change course towards Iranian territorial waters, the Navy said. (JPost / VFI News)
“They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.” – Proverbs 4:17
Kevin McCarthy Tells Knesset: We Thank You for the Miracle of Israel: US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy addressed the Knesset Monday, May 1, during the opening ceremony of the Knesset’s summer session.
McCarthy is the second House Speaker in history to address the Knesset, and the first since Newt Gingrich in 1998. The Speaker began his remarks by stating that it is “an honor to join you in the city of Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, Israel’s rebirth is nothing less than a modern miracle, and I thank you for it,” he said. “If we remain united, then the forces of freedom and democracy will always prevail,” McCarthy declared.
“This is the foundation of our special relationship. We are the only two countries in history that were conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all are equal. America is grateful for our friendship with Israel. We are a better nation because of it, and we must never shy away from defending it.”
Earlier, on Sunday, McCarthy said that if US President Joe Biden does not invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the White House soon, he will invite the Israeli leader to meet with Congress.
On Monday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted and McCarthy met for a private working meeting, followed by a wider diplomatic meeting attended by the President’s advisors, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog, and 17 members of Congress who arrived with the Speaker as part of a bipartisan delegation.
During the meeting, the President and Speaker of the House discussed the strong partnership between Israel and the United States, and focused on ways to deepen cooperation between the countries in various fields. (INN / VFI News)
“God, we thank You for the many allies of Israel that are not afraid to defend us globally. We are grateful for all foreign representatives that choose to speak in favor of Israel and condemn hateful actions against us.”
Ukraine Starts Testing Israeli Missile Warning System in Kyiv: An Israeli early warning system for missile attacks began operating in Kyiv this week, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Kornichuk said on Wednesday, May 3.
Kornichuk had asked Israel for missile warning systems since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. The previous government promised the system to Ukraine, but the ambassador credited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal involvement in ensuring the project’s quick completion.
“Hopefully they will finalize [the warning system] quickly and we can copy-paste it to all major cities. The Ukrainian government controls six cities with over a million residents and we will definitely be using Israeli technology to help save people’s lives,” the ambassador said.
The system identifies rockets and missiles of all kinds and projects where they will fall, in order to narrow the radius in which residents may be in danger. It also calculates how much time people in that area have to seek shelter.
“This is very important for our civilian and military infrastructure. It is equipment that will allow us to save lives,” Kornichuk stated.
Israel is also aiding Ukraine in clearing mines, something that Foreign Minister Eli Cohen brought up in his meetings with EU officials in Brussels this week. Kornichuk explained that “over the last six months, we have liberated territory twice as large as Israel that is full of mines.” (JPost / VFI News)
“God, we thank You for enabling us to help other nations during their times of need and allowing us to peacefully assist people that have been plagued by war and terror.”
Malta: Seven Syrians Accused of Encouraging Terror in Europe: Seven Syrian men were accused in a heavily guarded Maltese court on Sunday, April 30, of having encouraged and trained others to commit terrorism in Europe, British media reported.
The seven, aged between 21 and 27, were arrested on Saturday in an operation coordinated with the European police agency Europol, the Malta police said.
The men are accused of association with an extremist organization, inciting terrorism through public messages, recruiting or attempting to recruit others to commit terrorism, instructing others on the use of explosives or firearms and attempting to travel to Europe to commit terrorism.
They pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody at the end of the hearing. The suspects face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment if convicted. No further details about the case were immediately available.
Europe has seen an uptick in terrorist attacks in recent years. Just last week, German authorities arrested a Syrian man on suspicion of planning to carry out an explosives attack motivated by Islamic extremism. In June of 2022, four suspected members or sympathizers of the Islamic State (ISIS) group were detained in Germany and Switzerland. (INN / VFI News)
“How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!” – Psalm 73:19
The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.
