Hezbollah terror plot against Israeli tourists in Bangkok foiled
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The investigation into two alleged Hezbollah terrorists arrested in Thailand recently was progressing swiftly, the Bangkok Post reported Thursday, as one of the suspects reportedly admitted to a planned attack on Israeli tourists in Bangkok’s popular Khao San Road tourist hub. There are several Israeli travel agencies and other establishments in the area, along with a Chabad house.
The men have been identified as French-Lebanese national Daoud Farhat and Lebanese-Filipino national Youssef Ayad. Both suspects reportedly arrived several days before the beginning of Thailand’s Songkran festival on April 13.
Thailand’s deputy national police chief, Winai Thongsong, said the men were arrested at different locations in Bangkok after Thai police received intelligence from Israel about a planned attack on Israeli tourists during Passover.
A Thai source said investigators believe at least nine suspected foreign terrorists connected to Hezbollah are somewhere in Thailand. Authorities are attempting to track them down, the source said.
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11 Israeli backpackers injured in Argentina after minibus overturns
(JNS.org) Eleven Israeli backpackers were injured in Argentina on Thursday when the minibus they were traveling in overturned.
According to local media reports, one backpacker sustained serious injuries to her head and was hospitalized. The rest were suffered light wounds.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said, “None of the injuries are life-threatening,” according to Israel Hayom.
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Israeli security agency arrests Arab journalist for ties to Hezbollah
(JNS.org) Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said that it has arrested an Israeli-Arab journalist over his alleged ties to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
Majd Kayyal, a 23-year-old journalist who works for the Israeli NGO Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, reportedly traveled to Lebanon recently for a conference with the Lebanese newspaper As-Saphir. At the conference, he allegedly made contact with Hezbollah agents, the Shin Bet said.
As-Saphir recently published an interview with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Kayyal, who was arrested last Saturday on the suspicion of being recruited by Hezbollah, had entered Lebanon through Jordan with travel documents provided by the Palestinian Authority.
After lifting the gag order on the arrest, the Shin Bet said it will likely drop the Hezbollah charge and instead charge Kayyal for traveling to Lebanon.
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Rioting, violence rage in Hebron and elsewhere on Palestinian ‘Prisoners Day’
(JNS.org) Riots and violent clashes flared up on Thursday as Palestinian protesters attacked Israeli soldiers and border police officers in Hebron.
In Hebron, nearly 2,000 Palestinians turned out to mark “Prisoners Day” in solidarity of Palestinians being held in Israeli prisoners. But several dozen demonstrators began throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers and border police officers that man a checkpoint separating the Palestinian Authority-controlled area with the Jewish section.
The violence took place as Jewish worshippers visited the Cave of the Patriarchs during Passover.
Palestinian protesters also took to the streets of Nablus and Ramallah to call for the release of Palestinian prisoners. In total, there are 5,300 Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails, with many held on terrorism charges.
The protests come as the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have stalled. Israel delayed the release of the last round of 26 Palestinian terrorist prisoners late last month after the Palestinians demanded that the Jewish state free Israeli Arabs as part of the release, in violation of Israeli sovereignty. Israel then officially canceled the prisoner release after the Palestinians applied for 15 international conventions, in violation of the parameters of the peace talks.
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Syrian Christian refugees seek return to ancient town after government recapture
(JNS.org) Syrian Christian refugees from the ancient town of Maaloula are seeking to return to their home after it was recaptured by Syrian government forces this week.
“I would love to go back and celebrate Easter there, but it’s still a bit early,” said Fadi Mayal, a former Maaloula resident who currently lives in Damascus’s Christian quarter, Lebanon’s Daily Star reported.
“There are still sleeper cells in Maaloula,” Mayal said, referring to jihadist groups in the area.
Maaloula, located 56 kilometers from Damascus, is an ancient Christian town where many of the residents still speak Aramaic, the same language spoken by Jesus.
Last September, jihadists invaded the small village of about 5,000, attacking Christian homes and churches and threatening them with beheadings. As a result, all of the residents fled to Damascus and elsewhere.
But after an extensive campaign, the Syrian army said it has restored “security and stability” to Maaloula and that residents could return.
Reports, however, indicate that the town suffered extensive damage, with many homes and churches destroyed.
“I’m saddened by the destruction of the churches,” said Antoinette Nasrallah, another former Maaloula resident, the Daily Star reported.
“We want to spend next summer there,” she said. “Celebrating the Feast of the Cross there on September 14, as we do every year, has become a dream.”
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