Russian missile launchers reportedly transferred to Syria
(JNS.org) Advanced Russian missile launchers that Israel was trying to prevent from falling into Syrian hands have been transferred to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper of London reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Russia on Tuesday in an attempt to convince President Vladimir Putin not to sell Syria the Russian missile launchers. But 200 launchers for advanced anti-aircraft S-300 missiles are already in Syrian hands, and Syrian experts have been fully trained to use the launchers and no longer need Russian supervision, according to the Al-Quds Al-Arabi report, which was attributed to a Syrian military official.
Israel fears that Syrian possession of the S-300 system, which is able to intercept drones and cruise missiles, will make future aerial offensives by the Jewish state more difficult, in addition to the possibility of Russian weaponry being obtained by the Hezbollah terror group. Two recently reported Israeli airstrikes on Iranian missiles in Syria were not confirmed nor denied by Israel.
“Anyone who provides weaponry to terror organizations is siding with terror,” Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said Monday, accusing Russia of destabilizing the Middle East by selling weapons to Syria.
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Bank of Israel governor cuts interest rate in surprise move
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer made a surprise announcement on Monday that the central bank would cut the base interest rate by 0.25 percent to 1.5 percent. The modified interest rate goes into effect on Friday, two weeks before the original due date, to help stimulate export growth and encourage investment as the shekel continues to rise against the dollar. The dollar bounced back 1.5 percent to 3.6 shekels with Fischer’s announcement.
The last time Fischer cut interest rates ahead of schedule was just after the collapse of the Lehman Brothers investment bank, which helped precipitate the global economic crisis in 2008.
The Bank of Israel said the reduction was outside its normal framework and that it would not rule out a second cut to interest rates this month on the scheduled date, May 27.
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Germany tries to keep Israel out of UN Security Council
(JNS.org) Israel issued a formal complaint against Germany for blocking it from serving on the United Nations Security Council in 2018, Israel Hayom reported. Israel has never held a position on the council, although nations such as Syria and Iran have.
The Security Council comprises five permanent and 10 rotating members, elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms and chosen from regional groups. Due to pressures by the Arab League, Israel was removed from the Asian region and placed in the “Western European and others” regional group.
For years Israel has tried to be part of the council. Germany recently decided to vie for the 2018 spot, and Israel conceivably has no chance of winning against Germany.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Israel and Germany had an agreement in which Germany said it would not run, but the agreement was breached.
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Mosaic floor uncovered near ancient Christian and Jewish communities
(JNS.org) A 1,500 year-old mosaic floor dating back to the Byzantine era has been uncovered near Kibbutz Beit Kama in Israel’s northern Negev desert.
Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) archeologists discovered the mosaic during a dig prior to a highway interchange being built in the area. It was uncovered in an approximately 1.5-acre open field and in remarkably good condition.
The mosaic is decorated with geometric patterns and features designs of peacocks and doves pecking at wine grapes. IAA archeologists consider the mosaic unique because of the large amount of motifs in the design.
“These designs are common and known to be from this period, but the mosaic is unique due to the large number of motifs incorporated together,” Dr. Yigal Yisrael, the IAA’s chief southern district archeologist, told Israel Hayom.
Yisrael added that the region where the mosaic floor was located was home to Jewish and Christian communities who lived side by side during that era.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org