Smoke rises over the Gaza Strip after Israeli airstrikes targeted a tunnel, Gaza Strip, May 12, 2018.
The Israeli military said the air force struck an attack tunnel in Gaza Saturday evening. Explosions were heard in the Strip's north.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the tunnel was located a few meters from Israeli territory and, upon completion, would have led to the Israeli community of Kibbutz Erez.
Major Avichay Adraee, head of Arabic communications for the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, posted a video of the attack on his Twitter account.
The inside of the tunnel that was the target of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on May 12, 2018. IDF Spokesman
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#عاجل قام #جيش_الدفاع مساء اليوم بإحباط #نفق إرهابي هجومي أخر تابع لمنظمة #حماس الإرهابية في منطقة معبر #إيرز. لقد تم احباط مسار النفق من خلال غارة جوية لمقاتلات حربية. pic.twitter.com/yzZJoT7Z1k — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 12, 2018
>> Embassies, Nakba, Ramadan: All you need to know about Israel’s roller-coaster week >>
Palestinian reports said Israel fired seven missiles toward an agricultural area east of the city of Beit Hanoun. No casualties have been reported.
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The IDF sees a direct connection between this tunnel and the tunnel the army destroyed in January, which reached the Kerem Shalom crossing.
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“Hamas’ actions so close to the Kerem Shalom crossing and the Erez checkpoint and the fires set over the past two weeks at the crossing are Hamas’ cynicism toward the civilians in Gaza,” said the IDF Spokesman, Brig. Gen. Ronen Maneles.
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חמאס מפזרת ססמאות על רצונה ב'הודנה' ארוכת טווח אבל בפועל ממשיכה לחפור מנהרות טרור לשטח מדינת ישראל. אנחנו לא קונים את הבלוף הזה. נמשיך, כמו הערב, לפגוע בתשתיות הטרור. הנוסחה היחידה שבאה בחשבון היא פירוז תמורת שיקום. — אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) May 12, 2018 Lieberman tweet on attack in Gaza
On the expected protests this week in the area, Maneles added that Israel is “determined to stop mass breaching of the fence, and certainly to prevent a terror attackHamas intends to take advantage of these protests to launch terror events.”
Meanwhile, Hamas said that Israel’s attack Saturday night in the northern Gaza Strip was intended to deter and intimidate civilians ahead of the marches on Monday and Tuesday and the response will be that Palestinians will come out en masse to demand their rights.
In response to the attack, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Hamas is "spreading slogans about its desire for a long-term hudna," using the Arabic word for truce.
"In practice, it continues to dig terror tunnels into the territory of the State of Israel. We do not buy this bluff," he wrote on his Twitter account. "We will continue, in the evening, to strike at terrorist infrastructures. The only formula in question is demilitarization in exchange for rehabilitation," he added.
Shortly after the strike, Gaza's Health Ministry reported that a 15-year-old Palestinian died of wounds he sustained during Friday's protests along the border. The ministry identified him as Jamal Abu Arahman Afaneh. The development brings the death toll of Friday's protest up to two.
Earlier Saturday evening, Lieberman announced that Israel is closing the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip due to arson caused by Palestinian protesters along the border.
According to the Israeli army, the crossing will be closed except for humanitarian cases that will be approved on an individual basis. The crossing, the only one through which cargo passes from Israel to Gaza, will stay closed until the damage caused by the arson is repaired.
Palestinians protesting along the border Friday set fire to a pipeline through which Israel supplies gas and fuel to Gaza and a conveyor belt near the crossing, causing millions of shekels in damages.
This is the second consecutive week that demonstrators have set fire to the Palestinian side of the crossing.
loading... Militer Tel Aviv telah merilis rekaman video yang menunjukkan rudal Israel menghancurkan sistem rudal pertahanan udara Pantsir-S1 atau SA-22 Greyhound Rusia yang dioperasikan militer Suriah. Secara fungsional, sistem itu tidak akan pernah membiarkan rudal musuh mendekatinya. Rekaman video itu hasil serangan militer Pasukan Pertahanan Israel (IDF) di wilayah Suriah pada Kamis dini hari lalu. IDF dengan puluhan jet tempur menembakkan lebih dari 60 rudal. Menurut IDF, target serangan adalah basis-basis militer Iran di berbagai wilayah Suriah. Sistem Pantsir-S1 buatan Rusia yang dioperasikan Suriah terlihat dihancurkan oleh rudal jelajah Spike NLOS. Mantan Wakil Komandan Angkatan Udara Rusia, Aytech Bizhev, mengatakan bahwa hanya ada dua penjelasan yang mungkin untuk serangan yang mengalahkan sistem Pantsir-S1. "Salah satunya adalah bahwa mereka telah menggunakan cadangan amunisinya. Yang lain adalah bahwa (sistem) itu dimatikan; itu bukan pertempuran yang siap," kata Bizhev kepada Russia Today, yang dilansir Sabtu (12/5/2018). "Tidak ada pilihan ketiga karena (Pantsir-S1) tidak akan membiarkan dirinya dihancurkan. Ketika sistem itu siap tempur, sistem itu melakukan pengawasan konstan terhadap pesawat musuh dan memiliki waktu reaksi yang sangat cepat. Itu akan menjatuhkan rudal jelajah dengan baik," paparnya. Dalam rekaman video tersebut, ada tiga orang yang berdiri di luar kendaraan operasional sistem Pantsir-S1 yang kemungkinan mereka adalah kru. Orang-orang itu terlihat tidak mengoperasikan sistem pertahanan udara pada saat serangan terjadi. Menurut Bizhev, Angkatan Udara Israel menggunakan keuntungan geografisnya untuk membidik militer Suriah yang lengah pada hari Kamis. "Tidak peduli seberapa terlatih personel Anda dan seberapa bagus perangkat keras Anda, Anda tahu bahwa waktu terbang antara Israel dan Suriah adalah nol (karena negara-negara memiliki perbatasan bersama). Selanjutnya, jet tempur F-15 dan F-16 Israel membawa serangan tanpa memasuki area pertahanan udara (Suriah)," ujar Bizhev. "Mereka mendekat di dataran rendah kemudian memantul dari belakang Dataran Tinggi Golan, melakukan serangan dan pergi," papar Bizhev. Menurut ahli militer, Pantsir-S1 membutuhkan waktu antara tiga hingga lima menit untuk beroperasi. Menjaga sistem itu siaga penuh setiap saat adalah tidak mungkin, karena benar-benar melelahkan bagi kru. Seorang pengamat militer untuk situs Gazeta.ru, pensiunan Kolonel Mikhail Khodorenok, juga menunjukkan bahwa sistem pertahanan buatan Rusia sama sekali tidak disamarkan atau ditempatkan dalam posisi yang disiapkan khusus pada saat serangan udara Israel. "Ini menunjukkan bahwa Pantsir-S1 belum siap untuk pertempuran," ujarnya. Khodorenok mengatakan bahwa insiden di Suriah tidak memberikan alasan untuk mempertanyakan kemampuan tempur yang tinggi dari sistem Pantsir-S1. (mas)
Israel's Netta has won the Eurovision song contest 2018.
It was a night filled with drama, including the tense moment a man invaded the stage during UK entry SuRie's performance and grabbed the mic to shout about "Nazis" and the "UK media".
After the night's jury votes, it seemed the competition was down to two of the night's charmers, Austria's Cesár Sampson and Sweden's Benjamin Ingrosso.
However, the public vote changed all that: the favour shifted first to Israel and Cyprus' Eleni Foureira, with Netta finally triumphing with her bright, bonkers pop anthem 'Toy'.
"Thank you for celebrating diversity. Thank you! I love my country! See you in Jerusalem!" she said in her acceptance speech, as a member of the crowd waved their stuffed Pikachu in triumph, referencing the song's lyrics.
You can check out all the action as it happened below:
Eurovision 2018 performances
38 show all Eurovision 2018 performances
1/38 Cyprus' singer Eleni Foureira performs the song "Fuego" AFP
2/38 Israel's singer Netta performs the song "Toy" Getty
3/38 Belgium's singer Sennek performs the song "A Matter Of Time" AFP
4/38 Estonia's singer Elina Nechayeva performs the song "La Forza" Getty
5/38 Croatia's singer Franka performs the song "Crazy" Getty
6/38 Albania's singer Eugent Bushpepa performs the song "Mall" AFP
7/38 Czech Republic's singer Mikolas Josef performs the song "Lie To Me" AFP
8/38 Ireland's singer Ryan O'Shaughnessy performs the song "Together" Getty
9/38 Swiss duo ZIBBZ's singer Corinne Gfeller performs the song "Stones" Getty
10/38 Bulgarian group Equinox' singer Zhana Bergendorff (R) performs the song "Bones" Getty
11/38 Lithuania's singer Ieva Zasimauskaite performs the song "When We're Old" Getty
12/38 Finland's singer Saara Aalto performs the song "Monsters" Getty
13/38 Greece's singer Yianna Terzi performs the song "Oniro Mou" Getty
14/38 Austria's singer Cesar Sampson performs the song "Nobody But You" AFP
15/38 Azerbaijan's singer Aisel performs the song "X My Heart" AFP
16/38 Iceland's singer Ari Olafsson performs the song "Our Choice" AFP
17/38 Armenia's singer Sevak Khanagyan performs the song "Qami" Getty
18/38 Macedonian duo Eye Cue's lead vocalist Marija Ivanovska (R) and guitarist Bojan Trajkovski perform the song "Lost And Found" Getty
19/38 Belarus' singer Alekseev performs the song "Forever" AFP
20/38 Norway's singer Alexander Rybak performs the song "That's How You Write A Song" AFP
21/38 Romanian band The Humans perform the song "Goodbye AFP
22/38 Serbia's band Sanja Ilic & Balkanika perform the song "Nova Deca" Getty
23/38 San Marino's Jessika featuring Jenifer Brening perform the song "Who We Are" Getty
24/38 Denmark's singer Rasmussen performs the song "Higher Ground" Getty
25/38 Poland's singer Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer performs the song "Light Me Up" Getty
26/38 Australia's singer Jessica Mauboy performs the song "We Got Love" Getty
27/38 The Netherlands' singer Waylon performs the song "Outlaw In 'Em" Getty
28/38 Ukraine's singer Melovin performs the song "Under The Ladder" Getty
29/38 Sweden's singer Benjamin Ingrosso performs the song "Dance You Off" Getty
30/38 Slovenia's singer Lea Sirk performs the song "Hvala, ne!" Getty
31/38 Latvia's singer Laura Rizzotto performs the song "Funny Girl" Getty
32/38 Hungary's band Aws perform the song "Viszlat Nyar" Getty
33/38 Malta's singer Christabelle performs the song "Taboo" AFP
34/38 The Netherlands' singer Waylon performs the song "Outlaw In 'Em" Getty
35/38 Georgia's group Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao performs the song "For You" Getty
36/38 Montenegro's singer Vanja Radovanovic performs the song "Inje" AFP
37/38 Russia's singer Julia Samoylova performs the song "I Won't Break" Getty
38/38 Moldova's group DoReDoS perform the song "My Lucky Day" AFP
Netta recently spoke to The Independent about her own body confidence: "[I was told] dress like you have nothing to celebrate Dress in black. Dress big. Short skirts are not for you. Short sleeves are not for you. You’re not sexy or beautiful. You’re funny - that’s what you are. And you are a good friend.
"Well I am here to break that because this is a great evil that is done in the word to so many people."
"People are locked in this state of mind and when I decided that this [gestures to herself] is who I am then that was that. I always wanted to explore pop culture in my music and I didn’t have a chance because being me and presenting that music… it’s not existing."
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