Six Wounded in Ma’aleh Adumim Shooting Attack, Terrorist Killed: Two people were seriously wounded and four others were wounded in light-moderate condition in a terrorist shooting attack near a shopping mall in Ma’aleh Adumim in Judea and Samaria on Tuesday afternoon, August 1.
The suspected terrorist was shot by an off-duty Border Police officer, with footage from the scene showing the suspect laying unresponsive on the ground. The terrorist reportedly was dressed as a security guard, used a handgun in the attack and was carrying a backpack containing extra ammunition.
The Shin Bet said on Tuesday that the terrorist was Muhannad Muhammad Suleiman Al-Mazara’a, 20, a resident of the town of al-Eizariya and Bethlehem, near Ma’aleh Adumim, who worked as a cleaner in a community center in the city.
Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanou responded to the attack stating “The strikes of the revolutionaries and resistance fighters will not stop in defense of our land and sanctities.” The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement responded as well, praising the “heroic Palestinian resistance fighter.”
Later, on Tuesday evening, a terrorist was shot after attempting to carry out a stabbing attack at the Eshtamoa Junction in southern Judea and Samaria, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
Additionally, on Wednesday afternoon, a suspected terrorist fired out of a moving car in the Jordan Valley and soldiers are currently searching the area for the terrorist, who was not apprehended at the scene. As a result of the shooting, a 31-year-old woman was treated for both shock and for light injuries to the face caused by shards of glass. (JPost / VFI News)
“God, we pray that You speed the recovery of all citizens that were injured during the latest terrorist attacks. We thank You for helping our soldiers prevent more serious predicaments and we trust that any future attacks will be successfully thwarted.”
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.
Iranians Tried to Hack State Employees and Researchers, Shin Bet Says: The Shin Bet security agency said Sunday, July 30, that it had uncovered an Iranian phishing campaign against Israeli civilians in recent months, mostly targeting state employees and researchers, in a bid to obtain intelligence on state policy.
According to the agency, Iranian operatives would contact Israeli targets on LinkedIn while posing as acquaintances, and the conversation would move to an email, where the operatives would either invite them to a conference by sending them a document with further details, or share a research paper.
Documents shared by the Iranian operatives, once opened, would grant the latter permission to the target’s computer, according to the agency, which said none of the phishing attempts was successful.
The Shin Bet said the initial messages with the Israelis were carefully written based on research the Iranian operatives had conducted into the various targets, with the subject matter being of specific interest to each target.
“The Shin Bet, along with its partners in the intelligence community, are working to disrupt and thwart Iranian attempts to collect information on Israeli citizens, and calls on the public to be alert to the “phishing” phenomenon on the Internet,” the agency said. (TOI / VFI News)
“Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.” – Psalm 21:11
Iran Slams Israel for Alleged Strikes in Syria, Possible Saudi Normalization – Analysis: Iran is closely watching the reports of potential moves for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. In a long series of comments to the media by Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, the regime revealed how closely it is monitoring these developments.
In addition, Iran is focused on Syria and it is threatening Israel regarding Syria. Iranian media reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met his Syrian counterpart and slammed Israel’s actions in Syria.
“We strongly condemn the repeated attacks of the Zionist regime on the territory of Syria and the continuation of these attacks,” he said. “This regime is the main source of instability in the region.” Amir-Abdollahian hinted that these alleged incidents would not go “unanswered” and that the region would not be “indifferent” to the actions of Israel.
Meanwhile, Iran is attempting to seize command of the Syrian army. The takeover was achieved in part by the assimilation of Shiite militias into the Syrian army. According to an Israeli media outlet’s assessment, the “al-Imam Hussein Brigade” militia (or at least some of its subunits), was integrated as an organic force within the 4th Division, and the militia operatives actually became division soldiers.
Also, Iran is seeking to take over other key parts of the Syrian defense industry, such as its chemical weapons industry, a new report by the Alma Research and Education Center, said on Wednesday, August 2. “Iran’s major focus is to develop and manufacture precision missiles and rockets, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Syrian soil,” the Alma report says. (JPost / VFI News)
“God, we ask that You assist us in creating powerful political alliances and in thwarting any and all attempts to destabilize our nation. We trust that no foe will be able to interrupt our plans or create misconceptions about our mission and military actions. We also pray that their own malicious plans will not flourish.”
Israel and Saudi Arabia to Be Linked by Future Railway – Netanyahu: Israel and Saudi Arabia can be linked by a future railway, the opening leg of which Israel is embarking on now with a NIS 100 billion project to construct a high-speed train linking Kiryat Shmona in Israel’s north with its furthermost southern city of Eilat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, July 30.
He linked that project with the potential of an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal, which is expected to be part of any deal between Riyadh and Washington that is now under discussion between those two capitals.
He spoke just two days after US President Joe Biden told supporters at a 2024 campaign event in Freeport Main.
“In the future, we will be able to transport cargoes of goods by train from Eilat to our ports in the Mediterranean Sea, and we will also be able to connect Israel by train to Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula. We are working on that too,” Netanyahu said.
Additionally, Israel’s largest solar energy company, SolarEdge, has signed a joint venture with Ajlan & Bros Holding (AHB) to adopt solar energy in Riyadh.
The joint venture will support the deployment of smart renewable energy solutions in Saudi Arabia and aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative, aiming to reduce the country’s dependence on oil by the end of the decade. (JPost / VFI News)
“One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.” – Proverbs 22:11
Saudi Arabia Could Convert Civilian Nuclear to Military, Israeli Expert Warns: A former top official for the Israel Atomic Energy Commission has warned that agreeing to Saudi Arabia’s demand to be allowed to build a nuclear power plant as part of a normalization deal with Israel may create a dangerous international precedent and effectively prompt a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
“It won’t matter how many guarantees we receive from the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Ariel (Eli) Levite, who served as principal deputy director general for policy at Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission from 2002 to 2007, told Israeli media, on Monday, July 31.
Saudi Arabia has reportedly set three conditions for signing a normalization agreement with Israel — access to advanced American defense technology such as the THAAD missile system, the establishment of a defense alliance with the United States, and a green light to develop nuclear power for civilian purposes.
For the last demand, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said Monday that Israel’s approval would not be required. “Dozens of countries operate civilian nuclear programs. This is not something that endangers them or their neighbors,” Hanegbi added, clarifying that the issue would be solely between Washington and Riyadh.
Levite added that there was no problem with nuclear reactors for energy production as long as they are properly maintained. However, he cautioned for an enormous environmental fallout should a security or operational failure occur, and for the possibility of a civilian reactor being converted for military applications. (TOI / VFI News)
“God, we pray that the Middle East will be free of nuclear war and incautious use of nuclear energy. We ask that any nation that displays such activity will go to great lengths to assure international safety and will not use the energy for malevolent purposes.”
All 15 High Court Justices to Convene for Judicial Reform Law Hearing: For the first time in the history of the High Court of Justice, an expanded bench of all 15 justices will consider petitions against the Law to Cancel the Reasonableness Standard in a hearing on September 12, the court decided Monday, July 31.
The High Court has never before struck down a Basic Law amendment, and there has been debate about whether it has the authority to do so. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the petitioners, praised the move to expand the bench.
“The [High Court] president did well to include all the judges of the High Court in this important discussion.” In response, Likud MK Boaz Bismuth wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “15 people wearing judges’ robes, replacing 120 representatives of the people… this is the end of democracy.”
The court will hear arguments for eight petitions filed in rapid succession. The petitioners include the Israel Bar Association, Smoke Free Israel, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, and the OMETZ movement.
September is expected to be a month filled with dramatic High Court hearings, with petitions regarding the Judicial Selection Committee to be heard as well. (JPost / VFI News)
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” – Leviticus 19:15
Israeli Vessel Breaks through Moscow’s Black Sea Grain Blockade – Report:An Israeli merchant ship that embarked from the Port of Ashdod Monday, July 31, became the first vessel to openly defy Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea since they pulled out of a deal with Ukraine allowing the country to export grain from its ports in mid-July, a Ukrainian news outlet reported on Monday.
Israeli vessel Ams1 seemingly ignored Russian threats and entered the Ukrainian branch of the Danube Monday afternoon, according to Ukrainian reports.
It crossed the Black Sea on a direct route from Ashdod Port while the American aircraft P8 Poseidon provided aerial security, and was followed by four more vessels that have either anchored or will anchor in the Danube shortly, the reports added.
Russia stepped away from the agreement in mid-July, arguing that demands to improve its own food and fertilizer exports had not been met and that not enough Ukrainian grain had reached the poorest countries under the Black Sea deal.
The Black Sea grain deal that Russia withdrew from two weeks ago was brokered by the UN and Turkey a year before in an effort to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. (JPost / VFI News)
Palestinians in Gaza Protest Economic Hardship, Call to End Hamas Rule: Following Sunday’s, July 30, widespread demonstrations in the Gaza Strip in protest of the high cost of living and shortage in electricity and gas supplies, Palestinian activists announced that they will resume the protests on Friday.
Thousands of Palestinians participated in the demonstrations that erupted in various parts of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. According to some reports and witnesses, Hamas security officers used force to disperse the protesters.
Scores of Palestinians were arrested and injured, they claimed. The demonstrations are seen by Palestinians as a big embarrassment for the Hamas leaders, many of whom are currently based in Qatar, Turkey, and Lebanon.
It was not clear whether the latest protests in the Gaza Strip were part of a larger campaign against Hamas. It was also unclear whether a single party was behind the demonstrations.
“Oh, the shame! Oh, the shame! They sold Gaza for dollars,” the protesters chanted on Sunday night. At other protests, they chanted the famous slogan from the Arab Spring: “The people want the regime to fall!” In one video, the protesters are heard chanting: “Oh, Abbas, Oh, Haniyeh, the [Palestinian] people are the victims.”
The latest protests coincided with increased talk about a possible reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. (JPost /VFI News)
“You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked.” – Psalm 12:7
The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.
