24 june 2015
Army investigators looking into the possibility a soldier may have provided angry mob with information on route of military ambulance transporting wounded Syrians.
An initial IDF investigation into a brutal mob attack on a military ambulance transporting wounded Syrian rebels found that the ambulance was blocked by rocks on the road, and that it was attacked by Druze rioters on ATVs.
Overnight Tuesday, the IDF arrested ten Druze suspected of being involved in the Monday night incident and in a similar incident in the early hours of Monday in Hurfeish.
The initial investigation into the second incident, in which one of the wounded rebels was killed, found that the soldiers in the ambulance, an army doctor and a Druze NCO, defended the wounded Syrians with their bodies, and seemed to have "prevented a massacre."
When faced with the Druze mob hurling stones and the rocks blocking the road, the soldiers in the ambulance decided to drive to the nearby moshav Neve Ativ, fearing more Druze rioters were waiting for them near the Druze village of Ein Qiniyye.
Both the medical team and the military police accompanying the ambulance reported the incident to the head of the division.
When the ambulance arrived in Neve Ativ, it was joined by at least ten IDF officers and fighters, among them the division's head of operations with his team, the division's chief medical officer and a Golani patrol force that was nearby.
For a reason that remains unclear, the Neve Ativ entry gate was not closed behind the ambulance, allowing some 100 rioters to enter the moshav.
The mob demanded the two Syrian wounded to be given to them, while the IDF troops protected them. The troops fired into the air, but decided not to fire at protesters or at main instigators.
Investigators are also examining the possibility a soldier might have leaked to the Druze rioters the ambulance's planned route.
Meanwhile, the two soldiers who were wounded in the attack was released from the hospital on Tuesday. The second wounded Syrian, who suffered gunshot wounds to his lower body in fighting in Syria, and beaten in his upper body and head by the mob, is in serious but stable condition.
The Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, where he is hospitalized under increased security, said he suffered only light injuries in the mob attack.
The hospital said Syrian wounded hospitalized in Israel have always been under security, but so far the security guards' job was to ensure the wounded did not try to leave the hospital, rather than protect them from outside threats.
In response to the incident, the IDF said it would not stop treating wounded Syrians, and plans to increase the security around the
ambulance transports. A decision was made Tuesday to have a military police car escort every ambulance trip. The police, meanwhile, said they were in full contact and cooperation with the IDF and would provide any help needed to secure the evacuations. An IDF spokesman went on to clarify that the wounded Syrians that were being treated in Israel do not belong Jabhat al-Nusra, an Islamist organization fighting against the regime of President Bashar Assad.
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot held a meeting with the head of the Northern Command, Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, condemning the attack on the soldiers and wounded Syrians; "It is unacceptable that IDF soldiers and the wounded would be attacked by Israeli citizens."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commented on the serious incident, and promised that "We will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands. We will not allow anyone to interfere with IDF soldiers and their duties. We will find those responsible and bring them to justice."
Tuesday saw Druze leaders from all over the country hold an emergency session, which led to a unanimous condemnation of the attack.
The spiritual leader of the community, Sheikh Moafaq Tarif said: "This is a serious act conducted by a few individuals, who do not represent the community, and we will not accept these acts."
During the meeting it was decided to socially boycott anyone who takes part in such acts, and it seems like the decision has already yielded results: A protest which was meant to take place outside a hospital treating wounded Syrians was cancelled due to fear of social boycotts on the participants.
With that said, there are still many Druze in the Golan who represent a more divided viewpoint. Patan Afif, a resident of Majdal Shams – from which the mob came - condemned the attack, but clarified that "What is happening should not be happening, but this is what the state cooked up. Why are they treating Jabhat al-Nusra, who kill our relatives?"
She went on to say that while visiting a hospital she met a wounded Syrian who was being treated in Israel, who told her that he was fighting to "kill all the Christians and then all the Druze."
10 Druze arrested over attacks on wounded Syrian rebels
Police raids Druze villages in Galilee, Golan overnight in search for perpetrators of two attacks on IDF ambulances taking wounded Syrian rebels for treatment in Israel, which resulted in death of one rebel.
Police said Wednesday it arrested ten people overnight who are suspected of involvement in two attacks earlier this week on military ambulances transporting wounded from Syria for treatment in Israel.
Police also searched the suspects' homes in Druze villages in the Galilee and the Golan Heights.
Inflamed by media reports suggesting some of the hundreds of wounded Syrians admitted to Israel for medical care belong to jihadi rebel groups fighting the Druze in Syria, the crowds of Druze blocked two army ambulances for inspection.
Early Monday morning, an IDF ambulance transporting wounded Syrians was attacked in the Druze local council of Hurfeish. One of the rioters was run over by the ambulance and taken to a Nahariya hospital for treatment.
Late Monday night, another ambulance was attacked in Majdal Shams. The ambulance managed to flee the lynch mob but attacked again in Neve Ativ, where one of the wounded Syrian rebels it was transporting was killed, while the other was critically wounded. An IDF doctor and another soldier were lightly wounded in the attack.
The suspects will be brought for a remand extension on Wednesday at the Nazareth Magistrate's Court. The Druze have protested Israel's continued treatment of wounded Syrian rebels, while pro-Assad Druze villages in Syria are in danger of being attacked by rebel forces, including jihadists from the al-Nusra Front.
Radical Islamists see the Druze, whose religion is an offshoot of Islam, as apostates to be combated. Druze in Syria and many in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, have long been loyal to President Bashar Assad.
Police increased security over the past few weeks in a hospital in Nahariya where wounded Syrians are being treated, out of fear they will be targeted by Israeli Druze.
Druze leaders condemned the attack at the end of an emergency meeting on Tuesday and urged calm. "This is a criminal act, which completely contradicts the values of the Druze community that is known for generations for its aid and help to others, even when to its enemies. Any act of protest must be done within the limitations of the law. Those involved must be brought to justice," they said in a statement.
The Druze are an important minority in Israel and have influence within the government and the military.
Netanyahu's office said in a statement he would convene Druze leaders on Wednesday with a call "to calm tensions and to say to every Druze citizen of Israel to respect soldiers, law and order and not to take the law into their own hands".
Israel has also signaled it would intervene to prevent a massacre of Syrian Druze, with local media suggesting it might offer refugees from the community safe haven on the Golan.
An initial IDF investigation into a brutal mob attack on a military ambulance transporting wounded Syrian rebels found that the ambulance was blocked by rocks on the road, and that it was attacked by Druze rioters on ATVs.
Overnight Tuesday, the IDF arrested ten Druze suspected of being involved in the Monday night incident and in a similar incident in the early hours of Monday in Hurfeish.
The initial investigation into the second incident, in which one of the wounded rebels was killed, found that the soldiers in the ambulance, an army doctor and a Druze NCO, defended the wounded Syrians with their bodies, and seemed to have "prevented a massacre."
When faced with the Druze mob hurling stones and the rocks blocking the road, the soldiers in the ambulance decided to drive to the nearby moshav Neve Ativ, fearing more Druze rioters were waiting for them near the Druze village of Ein Qiniyye.
Both the medical team and the military police accompanying the ambulance reported the incident to the head of the division.
When the ambulance arrived in Neve Ativ, it was joined by at least ten IDF officers and fighters, among them the division's head of operations with his team, the division's chief medical officer and a Golani patrol force that was nearby.
For a reason that remains unclear, the Neve Ativ entry gate was not closed behind the ambulance, allowing some 100 rioters to enter the moshav.
The mob demanded the two Syrian wounded to be given to them, while the IDF troops protected them. The troops fired into the air, but decided not to fire at protesters or at main instigators.
Investigators are also examining the possibility a soldier might have leaked to the Druze rioters the ambulance's planned route.
Meanwhile, the two soldiers who were wounded in the attack was released from the hospital on Tuesday. The second wounded Syrian, who suffered gunshot wounds to his lower body in fighting in Syria, and beaten in his upper body and head by the mob, is in serious but stable condition.
The Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, where he is hospitalized under increased security, said he suffered only light injuries in the mob attack.
The hospital said Syrian wounded hospitalized in Israel have always been under security, but so far the security guards' job was to ensure the wounded did not try to leave the hospital, rather than protect them from outside threats.
In response to the incident, the IDF said it would not stop treating wounded Syrians, and plans to increase the security around the
ambulance transports. A decision was made Tuesday to have a military police car escort every ambulance trip. The police, meanwhile, said they were in full contact and cooperation with the IDF and would provide any help needed to secure the evacuations. An IDF spokesman went on to clarify that the wounded Syrians that were being treated in Israel do not belong Jabhat al-Nusra, an Islamist organization fighting against the regime of President Bashar Assad.
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot held a meeting with the head of the Northern Command, Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi, condemning the attack on the soldiers and wounded Syrians; "It is unacceptable that IDF soldiers and the wounded would be attacked by Israeli citizens."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commented on the serious incident, and promised that "We will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands. We will not allow anyone to interfere with IDF soldiers and their duties. We will find those responsible and bring them to justice."
Tuesday saw Druze leaders from all over the country hold an emergency session, which led to a unanimous condemnation of the attack.
The spiritual leader of the community, Sheikh Moafaq Tarif said: "This is a serious act conducted by a few individuals, who do not represent the community, and we will not accept these acts."
During the meeting it was decided to socially boycott anyone who takes part in such acts, and it seems like the decision has already yielded results: A protest which was meant to take place outside a hospital treating wounded Syrians was cancelled due to fear of social boycotts on the participants.
With that said, there are still many Druze in the Golan who represent a more divided viewpoint. Patan Afif, a resident of Majdal Shams – from which the mob came - condemned the attack, but clarified that "What is happening should not be happening, but this is what the state cooked up. Why are they treating Jabhat al-Nusra, who kill our relatives?"
She went on to say that while visiting a hospital she met a wounded Syrian who was being treated in Israel, who told her that he was fighting to "kill all the Christians and then all the Druze."
10 Druze arrested over attacks on wounded Syrian rebels
Police raids Druze villages in Galilee, Golan overnight in search for perpetrators of two attacks on IDF ambulances taking wounded Syrian rebels for treatment in Israel, which resulted in death of one rebel.
Police said Wednesday it arrested ten people overnight who are suspected of involvement in two attacks earlier this week on military ambulances transporting wounded from Syria for treatment in Israel.
Police also searched the suspects' homes in Druze villages in the Galilee and the Golan Heights.
Inflamed by media reports suggesting some of the hundreds of wounded Syrians admitted to Israel for medical care belong to jihadi rebel groups fighting the Druze in Syria, the crowds of Druze blocked two army ambulances for inspection.
Early Monday morning, an IDF ambulance transporting wounded Syrians was attacked in the Druze local council of Hurfeish. One of the rioters was run over by the ambulance and taken to a Nahariya hospital for treatment.
Late Monday night, another ambulance was attacked in Majdal Shams. The ambulance managed to flee the lynch mob but attacked again in Neve Ativ, where one of the wounded Syrian rebels it was transporting was killed, while the other was critically wounded. An IDF doctor and another soldier were lightly wounded in the attack.
The suspects will be brought for a remand extension on Wednesday at the Nazareth Magistrate's Court. The Druze have protested Israel's continued treatment of wounded Syrian rebels, while pro-Assad Druze villages in Syria are in danger of being attacked by rebel forces, including jihadists from the al-Nusra Front.
Radical Islamists see the Druze, whose religion is an offshoot of Islam, as apostates to be combated. Druze in Syria and many in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967, have long been loyal to President Bashar Assad.
Police increased security over the past few weeks in a hospital in Nahariya where wounded Syrians are being treated, out of fear they will be targeted by Israeli Druze.
Druze leaders condemned the attack at the end of an emergency meeting on Tuesday and urged calm. "This is a criminal act, which completely contradicts the values of the Druze community that is known for generations for its aid and help to others, even when to its enemies. Any act of protest must be done within the limitations of the law. Those involved must be brought to justice," they said in a statement.
The Druze are an important minority in Israel and have influence within the government and the military.
Netanyahu's office said in a statement he would convene Druze leaders on Wednesday with a call "to calm tensions and to say to every Druze citizen of Israel to respect soldiers, law and order and not to take the law into their own hands".
Israel has also signaled it would intervene to prevent a massacre of Syrian Druze, with local media suggesting it might offer refugees from the community safe haven on the Golan.
23 june 2015
Ynet has learned that IDF directed forces transporting wounded Syrians not to enter Druze villages, hours before deadly attack.
The IDF on Monday distributed a directive to avoid transporting wounded Syrians through Druze villages, Ynet has learned – hours before an attack that night on an IDF ambulance in which two soldiers were wounded and one Syrian rebel was killed by an angry mob of Druze.
The IDF ambulance was attacked Monday night by Druze who claim that Israel is helping members of the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliated group who recently killed some 20 Syrian Druze. Tensions have been high in the north since many of Israel's Druze have family who are at risk in Syria.
Leaders of Israel's Druze community in the north released a statement Tuesday afternoon, condemning the attack.
"This was a criminal act that completely goes against the values of the Druze community. Any protest activities have to be within the boundaries of the law," they said in the statement. "Those involved in the incident must be brought to justice." The incident also drew a sharp response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who demanded that community leaders call for calm while insisting that those responsible would be captured and brought to justice.
Druze community leaders also said in the statement that such violent acts are likely to harm Syria's Druze despite the intent of helping them. They also noted however, that Syrian rebels in Israeli hospitals declared in media interviews that they would attack the Druze upon their return to Syria. "They (Israel) are providing fertile ground for criminal and uncivilized acts." In light of developing events within the Druze community, police security has been increased in a Nahariya hospital over the last few weeks. A small Druze protest on the site was dispersed by police recently. Participants demanded that Israel cease treating Syrian rebels.
On Monday morning, a military ambulance carrying wounded Syrians was pelted with stones while leaving the Druze town of Hurfeish – a town that is relatively deep inside Israeli territory in the upper Galilee and whose residents, unlike those of Majdal Shams, serve in the IDF.
The incident led officials to decide that wounded Syrians won't be transported through Druze villages anymore.
But the decision was not implemented in time. The ambulance passing through Majdal Shams did so because the wounded had been rapidly evacuated from Mount Hermon and the only available road skirted the Druze town.
Around 150 Druze residents ambushed the ambulance, throwing stones as it attempted to escape – and eventually overtaking it and attacking its wounded passengers.
One question that remains unanswered is whether the crowds in Majdal Shams and Hurfeish had any advance knowledge about the ambulances' routes and the identities of the passengers. The incident in Hurfeish occurred around 4 AM.
A military source told Ynet that the soldiers who were under attack did not serve in combat roles and had no means for dispersing riots.
The IDF has denied claims that it assists Nusra Front. Senior IDF officials recently claimed that certain parties have been working to spread lies among the Druze in the north.
Pro-Assad TV channels in Syria reporteding on the Monday evening attack called the Druze protesters "our heroic countrymen."
A report on the Syrian government's official news agency SANA said that "two terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra were killed after the heroes of the occupied Golan blocked and attacked a Zionist ambulance transporting (the wounded) to one of the Israeli enemy's hospitals for treatment."
PM: We will capture those from Druze lynch mob
Netanyahu takes harsh stance against those who 'take the law into their own hands' in wake of Druze attack on an IDF ambulance; 'We are not part of the anarchy that's spreading around us.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed rising tensions in Israel's northern Druze communities Tuesday morning at an international cyber conference, saying that authorities wound capture those responsible for a Druze lynch mob that attacked an IDF ambulance on Monday night, wounding two soldiers and killing a Syrian rebel who was enroute to a hospital.
"We are a State of laws," said Netanyahu. "We are not part of the anarchy that's spreading around us. We won't let anyone take the law into their hands; we won't let anyone interfere in the missions of IDF soldiers."
One of the soldiers who was wounded in the incident saw an improvement in his medical condition overnight and was expected to be released from Rambam hospital on Tuesday. The wounded Syrian who survived the attack with serious wounds was considered stable after an operation late Monday night.
"I call on the leaders of the Druze community, which is a magnificent community with which we have brotherhood, I call on them to calm things down and say to every Druze citizen in Israel, respect the law, respect the soldiers, do not take the law into their own hands - this is what I ask our fellow Druze; this is what I ask from every citizen in the State of Israel," said Netanyahu.
Members of the Druze community however, threatened Tuesday morning that they would continue preventing ambulances transporting wounded Syrian rebels to Israeli hospitals. The Druze claim that Israel is caring for rebels from the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front group, which recently killed some 20 ethic Druze in Syria. Many of Israel's Druze have family and friends across the Golan border and have been calling on Israel to provide them humanitarian and even military aid over the last few weeks.
One Druze resident in the Golan Heights told Ynet, "The incident yesterday happened because of the anger about the murder of our Druze brothers in Syria and the help that Israel is giving to the Nusra Front who are behind the murder of our family members. We, the Syrian Druze, hope for peace and don't want problems but when we are attacked we one sit in silence."
The IDF on Monday distributed a directive to avoid transporting wounded Syrians through Druze villages, Ynet has learned – hours before an attack that night on an IDF ambulance in which two soldiers were wounded and one Syrian rebel was killed by an angry mob of Druze.
The IDF ambulance was attacked Monday night by Druze who claim that Israel is helping members of the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliated group who recently killed some 20 Syrian Druze. Tensions have been high in the north since many of Israel's Druze have family who are at risk in Syria.
Leaders of Israel's Druze community in the north released a statement Tuesday afternoon, condemning the attack.
"This was a criminal act that completely goes against the values of the Druze community. Any protest activities have to be within the boundaries of the law," they said in the statement. "Those involved in the incident must be brought to justice." The incident also drew a sharp response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who demanded that community leaders call for calm while insisting that those responsible would be captured and brought to justice.
Druze community leaders also said in the statement that such violent acts are likely to harm Syria's Druze despite the intent of helping them. They also noted however, that Syrian rebels in Israeli hospitals declared in media interviews that they would attack the Druze upon their return to Syria. "They (Israel) are providing fertile ground for criminal and uncivilized acts." In light of developing events within the Druze community, police security has been increased in a Nahariya hospital over the last few weeks. A small Druze protest on the site was dispersed by police recently. Participants demanded that Israel cease treating Syrian rebels.
On Monday morning, a military ambulance carrying wounded Syrians was pelted with stones while leaving the Druze town of Hurfeish – a town that is relatively deep inside Israeli territory in the upper Galilee and whose residents, unlike those of Majdal Shams, serve in the IDF.
The incident led officials to decide that wounded Syrians won't be transported through Druze villages anymore.
But the decision was not implemented in time. The ambulance passing through Majdal Shams did so because the wounded had been rapidly evacuated from Mount Hermon and the only available road skirted the Druze town.
Around 150 Druze residents ambushed the ambulance, throwing stones as it attempted to escape – and eventually overtaking it and attacking its wounded passengers.
One question that remains unanswered is whether the crowds in Majdal Shams and Hurfeish had any advance knowledge about the ambulances' routes and the identities of the passengers. The incident in Hurfeish occurred around 4 AM.
A military source told Ynet that the soldiers who were under attack did not serve in combat roles and had no means for dispersing riots.
The IDF has denied claims that it assists Nusra Front. Senior IDF officials recently claimed that certain parties have been working to spread lies among the Druze in the north.
Pro-Assad TV channels in Syria reporteding on the Monday evening attack called the Druze protesters "our heroic countrymen."
A report on the Syrian government's official news agency SANA said that "two terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra were killed after the heroes of the occupied Golan blocked and attacked a Zionist ambulance transporting (the wounded) to one of the Israeli enemy's hospitals for treatment."
PM: We will capture those from Druze lynch mob
Netanyahu takes harsh stance against those who 'take the law into their own hands' in wake of Druze attack on an IDF ambulance; 'We are not part of the anarchy that's spreading around us.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed rising tensions in Israel's northern Druze communities Tuesday morning at an international cyber conference, saying that authorities wound capture those responsible for a Druze lynch mob that attacked an IDF ambulance on Monday night, wounding two soldiers and killing a Syrian rebel who was enroute to a hospital.
"We are a State of laws," said Netanyahu. "We are not part of the anarchy that's spreading around us. We won't let anyone take the law into their hands; we won't let anyone interfere in the missions of IDF soldiers."
One of the soldiers who was wounded in the incident saw an improvement in his medical condition overnight and was expected to be released from Rambam hospital on Tuesday. The wounded Syrian who survived the attack with serious wounds was considered stable after an operation late Monday night.
"I call on the leaders of the Druze community, which is a magnificent community with which we have brotherhood, I call on them to calm things down and say to every Druze citizen in Israel, respect the law, respect the soldiers, do not take the law into their own hands - this is what I ask our fellow Druze; this is what I ask from every citizen in the State of Israel," said Netanyahu.
Members of the Druze community however, threatened Tuesday morning that they would continue preventing ambulances transporting wounded Syrian rebels to Israeli hospitals. The Druze claim that Israel is caring for rebels from the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front group, which recently killed some 20 ethic Druze in Syria. Many of Israel's Druze have family and friends across the Golan border and have been calling on Israel to provide them humanitarian and even military aid over the last few weeks.
One Druze resident in the Golan Heights told Ynet, "The incident yesterday happened because of the anger about the murder of our Druze brothers in Syria and the help that Israel is giving to the Nusra Front who are behind the murder of our family members. We, the Syrian Druze, hope for peace and don't want problems but when we are attacked we one sit in silence."
The wounded Syrians taken out of the ambulance after the attack
For second time in 24 hours, Druze in northern Israel pelt ambulance with stones; two IDF soldiers lightly hurt in attack, one of the Syrian wounded killed.
For the second time in 24 hours, some 150 Druze protesters attacked and hurled stones at a military ambulance transporting wounded Syrian rebels near Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Monday night, killing one of the rebels.
Two IDF soldiers who were also in the ambulance, one of them an army doctor, were lightly hurt in the attack. Both Syrians were in serious condition when arriving in Israel. After the attack on the ambulance, both rebels were in critical condition, one of them succumbing to his wounds on the way to the hospital. The two soldiers were taken to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, while the Syrians were airlifted to the Ramban Medical Center in Haifa.
The ambulance, accompanied by a Military Police patrol car, was making its way to Kiryat Shmona when it encountered the Druze protesters near Majdal Shams, where they hurled stones at it. The ambulance managed to escape, and protesters chased it to Neve Ativ.
An IDF source said the Druze protesters were able to lay their hands on the wounded Syrians, and says the attack likely worsened their condition.
One of the soldiers saw an improvement in his medical condition overnight and is expected to be released from Rambam hospital on Tuesday, while the other was released overnight.
The surviving Syrian who was was in the ambulance during the attack, suffered serious wounds but was considered stable after an operation late Monday night.
Large police forces that arrived at the scene closed off the area as the protesters started clashing with IDF and Border Police forces.
Pro-Assad TV channels in Syria who reported on the attack called the Druze protesters "our heroic countrymen."
A report on the Syrian government's official news agency SANA said that "two terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra were killed after the heroes of the occupied Golan blocked and attacked a Zionist ambulance transporting (the wounded) to one of the Israeli enemy's hospitals for treatment."
An IDF official denied that the wounded rebels were members of the Islamist organization Jabhat al-Nusra.
The Druze protesters were threatening that they would not allow Syrian wounded into Israel for treatment. They called for a protest outside the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya where other wounded Syrians are hospitalized.
The spiritual Leader of the Druze Community in Israel, Sheikh Moafaq Tarif, strongly condemned the incident, saying, "This is not our way, and we are hurting over the criminal act done by lawbreakers, and call on authorities to act."
The sheikh will hold an emergency meeting of the Druze leadership in Israel on Tuesday morning at the Tomb of Nabi Shu'ayb.
Members of the Druze community criticized the IDF for failing to learn from a similar incident early Monday morning and chose to once again go through Druze villages with the military ambulance without taking the proper security measures.
Following the two attacks, the IDF will increase security over dozens of wounded Syrians currently hospitalized in Israeli hospitals out of concern they will also be attacked by Druze protesters.
Twice in 24 hours
In the early hours of Monday morning, several dozens of residents in the Druze local council of Hurfeish in the Upper Galilee attacked a military ambulance that passed through the village, also transporting wounded Syrians to the Galilee Medical Center. Suspects have yet to be arrested.
The residents demanded to know who was in the ambulance. Once the ambulance managed to get away, some of the residents started chasing it and throwing stones at it and blocked its way.
The ambulance driver was able to get away from the checkpoint, but hit one of the residents, a 54-year-old Hurfeish native. He was moderately wounded and taken to the operating room.
The military ambulance finally managed to reach the police station in Ma'alot, and from there it was escorted by police to the hospital in Nahariya.
Those in the ambulance, two soldiers and two wounded Syrians, were not wounded, and the army said that they viewed this as a serious incident. Officials involved in the incident said that the attackers were a handful of delinquents.
The heads of the Druze community in Israel condemned Sunday night's attack, as well as the rumors being spread about the identity of the wounded Syrians that Israel is treating.
In the last few weeks, following tensions in Syria between the rebels and Druze residents, security was beefed up at the hospital by the police. On Saturday night, a demonstration by Druze citizens protesting the continuing treatment of wounded rebels was broken up.
For second time in 24 hours, Druze in northern Israel pelt ambulance with stones; two IDF soldiers lightly hurt in attack, one of the Syrian wounded killed.
For the second time in 24 hours, some 150 Druze protesters attacked and hurled stones at a military ambulance transporting wounded Syrian rebels near Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Monday night, killing one of the rebels.
Two IDF soldiers who were also in the ambulance, one of them an army doctor, were lightly hurt in the attack. Both Syrians were in serious condition when arriving in Israel. After the attack on the ambulance, both rebels were in critical condition, one of them succumbing to his wounds on the way to the hospital. The two soldiers were taken to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, while the Syrians were airlifted to the Ramban Medical Center in Haifa.
The ambulance, accompanied by a Military Police patrol car, was making its way to Kiryat Shmona when it encountered the Druze protesters near Majdal Shams, where they hurled stones at it. The ambulance managed to escape, and protesters chased it to Neve Ativ.
An IDF source said the Druze protesters were able to lay their hands on the wounded Syrians, and says the attack likely worsened their condition.
One of the soldiers saw an improvement in his medical condition overnight and is expected to be released from Rambam hospital on Tuesday, while the other was released overnight.
The surviving Syrian who was was in the ambulance during the attack, suffered serious wounds but was considered stable after an operation late Monday night.
Large police forces that arrived at the scene closed off the area as the protesters started clashing with IDF and Border Police forces.
Pro-Assad TV channels in Syria who reported on the attack called the Druze protesters "our heroic countrymen."
A report on the Syrian government's official news agency SANA said that "two terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra were killed after the heroes of the occupied Golan blocked and attacked a Zionist ambulance transporting (the wounded) to one of the Israeli enemy's hospitals for treatment."
An IDF official denied that the wounded rebels were members of the Islamist organization Jabhat al-Nusra.
The Druze protesters were threatening that they would not allow Syrian wounded into Israel for treatment. They called for a protest outside the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya where other wounded Syrians are hospitalized.
The spiritual Leader of the Druze Community in Israel, Sheikh Moafaq Tarif, strongly condemned the incident, saying, "This is not our way, and we are hurting over the criminal act done by lawbreakers, and call on authorities to act."
The sheikh will hold an emergency meeting of the Druze leadership in Israel on Tuesday morning at the Tomb of Nabi Shu'ayb.
Members of the Druze community criticized the IDF for failing to learn from a similar incident early Monday morning and chose to once again go through Druze villages with the military ambulance without taking the proper security measures.
Following the two attacks, the IDF will increase security over dozens of wounded Syrians currently hospitalized in Israeli hospitals out of concern they will also be attacked by Druze protesters.
Twice in 24 hours
In the early hours of Monday morning, several dozens of residents in the Druze local council of Hurfeish in the Upper Galilee attacked a military ambulance that passed through the village, also transporting wounded Syrians to the Galilee Medical Center. Suspects have yet to be arrested.
The residents demanded to know who was in the ambulance. Once the ambulance managed to get away, some of the residents started chasing it and throwing stones at it and blocked its way.
The ambulance driver was able to get away from the checkpoint, but hit one of the residents, a 54-year-old Hurfeish native. He was moderately wounded and taken to the operating room.
The military ambulance finally managed to reach the police station in Ma'alot, and from there it was escorted by police to the hospital in Nahariya.
Those in the ambulance, two soldiers and two wounded Syrians, were not wounded, and the army said that they viewed this as a serious incident. Officials involved in the incident said that the attackers were a handful of delinquents.
The heads of the Druze community in Israel condemned Sunday night's attack, as well as the rumors being spread about the identity of the wounded Syrians that Israel is treating.
In the last few weeks, following tensions in Syria between the rebels and Druze residents, security was beefed up at the hospital by the police. On Saturday night, a demonstration by Druze citizens protesting the continuing treatment of wounded rebels was broken up.
17 june 2015
Israeli Druze watch battles across the border in Syria
Government-held village of Hader faces offensive from various groups of rebels as Israel promises to prevent massacre of refugees on the border.
Rebels surrounded a government-held Druze village on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line on the Golan Heights on Wednesday after heavy fighting, a monitoring group said.
The advance came a day after Israel, which has a significant Druze population, said it was preparing for the possibility that refugees fleeing fighting in the area might seek to cross to the Israeli side of the strategic plateau.
After fierce clashes with pro-government forces, rebels, including Islamist fighters, surrounded the village of Hader on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. "Hader is now totally surrounded by rebels, who just took a strategic hilltop north of the village," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
The village lies along the ceasefire line with the Israeli-occupied Golan to the west, and by the border with Damascus province to the northeast.
He said the rebels had received reinforcements from elsewhere in Quneitra province, which covers much of the Golan. "The regime has not sent reinforcements yet, but the Druze villagers are standing with the government," Abdel Rahman said. Fighting around Hader, which began Tuesday, has left at least 10 rebels and 14 pro-regime fighters dead so far, he added.
The encirclement of Hader comes amid rising fears in Syria's Druze community. Last week, 20 Druze villagers were killed in an altercation with members of Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front in Idlib province in the northwest.
Shortly after the deaths, rebel forces in southern Syria briefly overran a government air base in majority-Druze Sweida province, in their first such advance in the government-controlled region. While the rebels were eventually expelled from the air base, fighting has continued nearby. The Druze are followers of a secretive offshoot of Shiite Islam, and made up around three percent of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million.
The community has been somewhat divided during the war, with some members fighting on the government side and others expressing sympathy for the opposition. Thousands of Druze men have evaded military service in the Syrian army's dwindling ranks and have mostly taken up arms only in defense of their own areas. In Sweida, Druze have formed a local militia to protect themselves from the rebels, residents say.
On Tuesday, Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot said authorities were preparing for a possible influx of Syrian refugees. A spokesman confirmed he was referring to a potential influx from areas adjacent to the ceasefire line on the Golan. His comments did not directly mention the Druze, but came after leading members of the minority in Israel called on the government to help their brethren in Syria following the recent violence.
Officials say there are 110,000 Druze in northern Israel, and another 20,000 in the Israeli Golan.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the plateau in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
Government-held village of Hader faces offensive from various groups of rebels as Israel promises to prevent massacre of refugees on the border.
Rebels surrounded a government-held Druze village on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line on the Golan Heights on Wednesday after heavy fighting, a monitoring group said.
The advance came a day after Israel, which has a significant Druze population, said it was preparing for the possibility that refugees fleeing fighting in the area might seek to cross to the Israeli side of the strategic plateau.
After fierce clashes with pro-government forces, rebels, including Islamist fighters, surrounded the village of Hader on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. "Hader is now totally surrounded by rebels, who just took a strategic hilltop north of the village," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
The village lies along the ceasefire line with the Israeli-occupied Golan to the west, and by the border with Damascus province to the northeast.
He said the rebels had received reinforcements from elsewhere in Quneitra province, which covers much of the Golan. "The regime has not sent reinforcements yet, but the Druze villagers are standing with the government," Abdel Rahman said. Fighting around Hader, which began Tuesday, has left at least 10 rebels and 14 pro-regime fighters dead so far, he added.
The encirclement of Hader comes amid rising fears in Syria's Druze community. Last week, 20 Druze villagers were killed in an altercation with members of Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front in Idlib province in the northwest.
Shortly after the deaths, rebel forces in southern Syria briefly overran a government air base in majority-Druze Sweida province, in their first such advance in the government-controlled region. While the rebels were eventually expelled from the air base, fighting has continued nearby. The Druze are followers of a secretive offshoot of Shiite Islam, and made up around three percent of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million.
The community has been somewhat divided during the war, with some members fighting on the government side and others expressing sympathy for the opposition. Thousands of Druze men have evaded military service in the Syrian army's dwindling ranks and have mostly taken up arms only in defense of their own areas. In Sweida, Druze have formed a local militia to protect themselves from the rebels, residents say.
On Tuesday, Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot said authorities were preparing for a possible influx of Syrian refugees. A spokesman confirmed he was referring to a potential influx from areas adjacent to the ceasefire line on the Golan. His comments did not directly mention the Druze, but came after leading members of the minority in Israel called on the government to help their brethren in Syria following the recent violence.
Officials say there are 110,000 Druze in northern Israel, and another 20,000 in the Israeli Golan.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the plateau in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
Explosions in Syria seen from Israel
Alert believed to be triggered by fighting in Syria, as intense battles rage nearby; no rocket landings reported.
A Code Red siren sounded in the Golan Heights shortly before noon on Wednesday.
It was later reported that the siren was caused by fighting from Syria. No rocket hits in Israel were discovered immediately after the incident.
An alliance of rebels in southern announced a major offensive on Wednesday to capture remaining positions held by the Syrian military in Quneitra province, near the Golan Heights.
Quneitra sits in a sensitive region around 70 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of the capital Damascus and has been the scene of frequent fighting between various insurgent groups and the Syrian military backed by allied militia.
Rebel spokesman Issam al-Rayes wrote on Twitter that insurgent groups fighting in the operation had signed a pact, which did not involve al Qaeda's Syrian wing Nusra Front.
The groups in the offensive are fighting under the banner of the rebel Free Syrian Army, he said. Nusra has fought in southern Syria but is not thought to be the main insurgent force there, unlike in other parts of the country.
A Reuters photographer watching from the Israeli-occupied Golan said there had been heavy shelling since early Wednesday in the Quneitra area, with scores of bombardments.
Alert believed to be triggered by fighting in Syria, as intense battles rage nearby; no rocket landings reported.
A Code Red siren sounded in the Golan Heights shortly before noon on Wednesday.
It was later reported that the siren was caused by fighting from Syria. No rocket hits in Israel were discovered immediately after the incident.
An alliance of rebels in southern announced a major offensive on Wednesday to capture remaining positions held by the Syrian military in Quneitra province, near the Golan Heights.
Quneitra sits in a sensitive region around 70 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of the capital Damascus and has been the scene of frequent fighting between various insurgent groups and the Syrian military backed by allied militia.
Rebel spokesman Issam al-Rayes wrote on Twitter that insurgent groups fighting in the operation had signed a pact, which did not involve al Qaeda's Syrian wing Nusra Front.
The groups in the offensive are fighting under the banner of the rebel Free Syrian Army, he said. Nusra has fought in southern Syria but is not thought to be the main insurgent force there, unlike in other parts of the country.
A Reuters photographer watching from the Israeli-occupied Golan said there had been heavy shelling since early Wednesday in the Quneitra area, with scores of bombardments.
2 june 2015
Lebanese media says attacks took place in area where Hezbollah is fighting rebels aiming to oust Assad; Hezbollah denies attacks.
Israel Air Force jets struck targets in the are of the Lebanon-Syrian border in the Bekaa valley, Lebanese media reported Tuesday afternoon.
The reports said that there were wounded in the strikes. The intended target was initially unclear in the reports.
According to the reports, the two attacks occurred in the mountain region where Hezbollah has been fighting rebels aiming to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Hezbollah officials, in an interview with Al-Manar television and the Lebanese news website Al-Ahad, both affiliated with the organization, denied reports of the attacks in the Bekaa Valley.
According to the same sources the sound heard in the border region between Syria and Lebanon was due to the penetration of airplanes into Lebanese airspace.
If the reports are proven to be correct, Tuesday would not be the first time that Israel has struck targets in lebanon deemed to be a threat to national security. Such strikes have included the destruction of missile shipments to Hezbollah.
Israel Air Force jets struck targets in the are of the Lebanon-Syrian border in the Bekaa valley, Lebanese media reported Tuesday afternoon.
The reports said that there were wounded in the strikes. The intended target was initially unclear in the reports.
According to the reports, the two attacks occurred in the mountain region where Hezbollah has been fighting rebels aiming to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Hezbollah officials, in an interview with Al-Manar television and the Lebanese news website Al-Ahad, both affiliated with the organization, denied reports of the attacks in the Bekaa Valley.
According to the same sources the sound heard in the border region between Syria and Lebanon was due to the penetration of airplanes into Lebanese airspace.
If the reports are proven to be correct, Tuesday would not be the first time that Israel has struck targets in lebanon deemed to be a threat to national security. Such strikes have included the destruction of missile shipments to Hezbollah.
4 may 2015
Two UN peacekeepers were wounded on Monday when mortar rounds fired from Syria hit their base in the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights, an army spokesman said.
"Mortar shells hit the Golan in Ein Zivan and in the Zivanit UNDOF base. Two UN peacekeeping soldiers were evacuated to Israel for medical care," Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner wrote on his official Twitter account.
Israel public radio said the two were lightly wounded. The army said the fire was not deliberately aimed at the Israeli side of the plateau, but was stray fire from the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of rockets and mortar rounds hitting the Israeli side, mostly stray, prompting the occasional armed response.In January, a Spanish UN peacekeeper was killed on the Israel-Lebanon border during an exchange of fire between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that fighting has been taking place since last week between rebel groups in an area close to the ceasefire line. "There is still infighting going on among rebel groups in Qahtaniya near the ceasefire line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
They’re exchanging shellfire," he said. Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers of the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
"Mortar shells hit the Golan in Ein Zivan and in the Zivanit UNDOF base. Two UN peacekeeping soldiers were evacuated to Israel for medical care," Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner wrote on his official Twitter account.
Israel public radio said the two were lightly wounded. The army said the fire was not deliberately aimed at the Israeli side of the plateau, but was stray fire from the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of rockets and mortar rounds hitting the Israeli side, mostly stray, prompting the occasional armed response.In January, a Spanish UN peacekeeper was killed on the Israel-Lebanon border during an exchange of fire between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that fighting has been taking place since last week between rebel groups in an area close to the ceasefire line. "There is still infighting going on among rebel groups in Qahtaniya near the ceasefire line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
They’re exchanging shellfire," he said. Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers of the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.
3 may 2015
The United Nations relief agency, UNRWA, has called on the Syrian government to refrain from targeting the Yarmouk camp for Palestinian refugees with explosive weapons.
UNRWA said in a press statement afternoon Saturday it is increasingly alarmed about the safety of civilians in Yarmouk, amid reports of armed clashes, the use of heavy weapons and air strikes.
“Civilians in the camp went through a night of extreme trauma and distress,” said the agency, calling on Syrian authorities to refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas. UNRWA said it will closely monitor reports of civilian fatalities and casualties.
Since the upsurge of violence following the entry of particular armed groups into Yarmouk on 1 April, civilians have faced increased threats and trauma on a large scale. Thousands have fled the camp and escalating violence to neighboring areas of Damascus where UNRWA teams have been providing critical humanitarian assistance to them.
UNRWA has repeatedly expressed strong concern for the security of civilians and has demanded access to those civilians, both Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians, who remain inside Yarmouk.
“We again demand that all armed actors protect civilians in accordance with their obligations under international law and we urge all those with influence over the relevant parties, including armed groups in the camp, to demand that they fully comply with their obligations in relation to the protection of all civilians,” declared the agency.
Thousands of Palestinian refugees have been trapped and others killed inside the Yarmouk camp besieged by regime army forces since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011. The situation has gone from bad to worse ever since Daesh terrorists, ISIS, took over the camp in early April.
UNRWA said in a press statement afternoon Saturday it is increasingly alarmed about the safety of civilians in Yarmouk, amid reports of armed clashes, the use of heavy weapons and air strikes.
“Civilians in the camp went through a night of extreme trauma and distress,” said the agency, calling on Syrian authorities to refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas. UNRWA said it will closely monitor reports of civilian fatalities and casualties.
Since the upsurge of violence following the entry of particular armed groups into Yarmouk on 1 April, civilians have faced increased threats and trauma on a large scale. Thousands have fled the camp and escalating violence to neighboring areas of Damascus where UNRWA teams have been providing critical humanitarian assistance to them.
UNRWA has repeatedly expressed strong concern for the security of civilians and has demanded access to those civilians, both Palestinian refugees and displaced Syrians, who remain inside Yarmouk.
“We again demand that all armed actors protect civilians in accordance with their obligations under international law and we urge all those with influence over the relevant parties, including armed groups in the camp, to demand that they fully comply with their obligations in relation to the protection of all civilians,” declared the agency.
Thousands of Palestinian refugees have been trapped and others killed inside the Yarmouk camp besieged by regime army forces since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011. The situation has gone from bad to worse ever since Daesh terrorists, ISIS, took over the camp in early April.
2 may 2015
The Syrian regime warplanes dropped overnight nine barrel bombs on Yarmouk refugee camp to the south of Damascus.
Anadolu News Agency quoted local activist Abu Obeida as saying that nine barrel bombs were dropped on Yarmouk camp amid intensive fire of mortar shells. Heavy property damage was reported.
No casualties were reported, Abu Obeida added.
The local activist pointed to the very poor humanitarian situation in the refugee camp due to the shortage of aid supplies and medical equipment.
On the other hand, a Palestinian young man died on Friday of injuries he sustained during a similar bombing targeting the Yarmouk camp.
A Palestinian woman was also tortured to death as she was detained two years ago in the Syrian regime’s prisons, the Syrian center for Human Rights said.
Approximately 18,000 Palestinian refugees were besieged in the camp before hundreds of them fled to the neighboring towns following ISIS's savage attack on the camp in early April.
The remaining residents have been suffering from very poor and difficult living conditions due to siege imposed by the Syrian regime. Yarmouk has been under siege for 671 consecutive days, power outages for more than 741 days, and water outages for 231 consecutive days.
Anadolu News Agency quoted local activist Abu Obeida as saying that nine barrel bombs were dropped on Yarmouk camp amid intensive fire of mortar shells. Heavy property damage was reported.
No casualties were reported, Abu Obeida added.
The local activist pointed to the very poor humanitarian situation in the refugee camp due to the shortage of aid supplies and medical equipment.
On the other hand, a Palestinian young man died on Friday of injuries he sustained during a similar bombing targeting the Yarmouk camp.
A Palestinian woman was also tortured to death as she was detained two years ago in the Syrian regime’s prisons, the Syrian center for Human Rights said.
Approximately 18,000 Palestinian refugees were besieged in the camp before hundreds of them fled to the neighboring towns following ISIS's savage attack on the camp in early April.
The remaining residents have been suffering from very poor and difficult living conditions due to siege imposed by the Syrian regime. Yarmouk has been under siege for 671 consecutive days, power outages for more than 741 days, and water outages for 231 consecutive days.
29 apr 2015
Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan (R) and Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij saluting during a military parade in Tehran on April 28, 2015
Takfiri terrorist groups in the region are fighting a “proxy war” in the interest of the United States and Israel, Iran’s defense minister says.
Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan made the remarks during a meeting with Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij in Tehran on Tuesday.
Dehqan said that “providing permanent security for the Zionist regime, weakening and disintegrating Muslim countries, altering the Middle East’s map, countering the wave of Islamic awakening, and ultimately complete domination over this Islamic region” are the main objectives of this war.
He also reiterated Iran’s full support for Syria in its battle against terrorism, saying that dialog is the only solution to the crisis in the Arab country.
“The people and government of Syria, with their unparalleled resistance made bullies understand that by exporting terrorists, arming and supporting them, and launching military attacks, they cannot force the region’s Muslim nations to surrender,” he added.
Dehqan went on to say that Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen also runs parallel with the joint strategies of Israel and the United States, adding, "Undoubtedly the designers and executors of this sinister scenario... will not reach their ominous goals.”
Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 222,000 people, according to UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Takfiri terrorist groups in the region are fighting a “proxy war” in the interest of the United States and Israel, Iran’s defense minister says.
Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan made the remarks during a meeting with Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij in Tehran on Tuesday.
Dehqan said that “providing permanent security for the Zionist regime, weakening and disintegrating Muslim countries, altering the Middle East’s map, countering the wave of Islamic awakening, and ultimately complete domination over this Islamic region” are the main objectives of this war.
He also reiterated Iran’s full support for Syria in its battle against terrorism, saying that dialog is the only solution to the crisis in the Arab country.
“The people and government of Syria, with their unparalleled resistance made bullies understand that by exporting terrorists, arming and supporting them, and launching military attacks, they cannot force the region’s Muslim nations to surrender,” he added.
Dehqan went on to say that Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen also runs parallel with the joint strategies of Israel and the United States, adding, "Undoubtedly the designers and executors of this sinister scenario... will not reach their ominous goals.”
Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 222,000 people, according to UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A vehicle drives on a devastated street in the northwestern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour after it was seized by al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups on April 26, 2015
The ISIL militants, with members from several Western countries, control parts of Syria and Iraq, and have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all ethnic and religious communities.
Since Saudi Arabia started its aggression against Yemen on March 26, the regime’s warplanes have repeatedly targeted residential areas in cities including Aden and Ta’izz.
On April 21, Riyadh announced the end of the first phase of its military aggression, which has claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 people so far, but airstrikes have continued with Saudi bombers targeting different areas across the country in a new phase.
The ISIL militants, with members from several Western countries, control parts of Syria and Iraq, and have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all ethnic and religious communities.
Since Saudi Arabia started its aggression against Yemen on March 26, the regime’s warplanes have repeatedly targeted residential areas in cities including Aden and Ta’izz.
On April 21, Riyadh announced the end of the first phase of its military aggression, which has claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 people so far, but airstrikes have continued with Saudi bombers targeting different areas across the country in a new phase.
