Shalom and good evening, this is TV7 Israel
News broadcast to you from Jerusalem;
And in today’s top stories;
Jerusalem is making every effort to combat
the unrelenting spread of the coronavirus
throughout the Jewish State, yet according
to national security adviser Meir Ben Shabbat
- the director the country’s special corona
task force - Israel remains in the danger
zone in its battle against the contagion.
Israeli aircraft allegedly launched a surprise
strike against Iranian targets in Syria, bombing
several installations in the war-torn country’s
Homs Governorate.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared
this morning that the United States had missed
a historic chance to lift sanctions on his
country - over the continued spread and deadly
implications of the coronavirus – as part
of the regime’s continued propaganda campaign
against the Trump administration.
Jerusalem is making every effort to combat
the unrelenting spread of the coronavirus
throughout the Jewish State, yet according
to national security adviser Meir Ben Shabbat
- the director the country’s special corona
task force - Israel remains in the danger
zone in its battle against the contagion.
As of eight o’clock this morning, 760 additional
cases have been confirmed since a day prior,
raising the number of afflicted Israeli individuals
to 5,591.
According to the official data, which was
released by the Israeli Health Ministry: out
of the confirmed cases, 96 Israelis are classified
as ‘critically ill’.
I’m sad to report that the Israeli Health
Ministry also confirmed that the number of
victims rose to 21 individuals who succumbed
to the disease.
Meanwhile;
National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat
warned in a cabinet briefing that a single
outbreak could be enough to scuttle all of
the efforts Israel has made to date.
Therefore, Ben-Shabbat insisted that it remains
imperative to maintain the nation-wide restrictive
measures in place.
It is important cite several domestic reports,
however, which reveal the grim situation within
the less adherent ultra-orthodox communities
throughout the Jewish State, as oppose to
the rest of the general Israeli public.
While in most Israeli cities the number of
new corona patients over the past 24 hours
has increase by only 15 individuals, the remaining
745 newly afflicted were discovered in populated
centers that are predominantly ultra-orthodox;
including in Bnei Brak, where the number rose
by 159 cases, followed by Jerusalem, with
131 newly confirmed cases.
In light of this emerging data, the interim
government in Jerusalem is deliberating the
possibility of imposing blockades on several
of the plagued communities.
And while a final decision has yet to be made,
numerous police checkpoints have been placed
at all entry-points to those communities,
to deter non-residents from entering the plagued
areas by means of financial fines.
In other news;
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
instructed the Defense Ministry to quarantine
all persons entering Israel from abroad in
designated hotels under supervision, effective
immediately.
In addition to this newly enacted measure,
the Israeli premier further instructed the
Defense Ministry, in accordance with the requirements
set by the Ministry of Health, to carry out
tests to all those returning to the Jewish
State from abroad.
Now to another, yet related, matter;
Numerous independent Christian and Jewish
organizations, from Hong Kong to San Francisco
and elsewhere, have coordinated with the Israeli
health ministry donations of tens of thousands
of protective gear, including protective suits,
masks, gloves and other medical equipment
– in a global effort to help the State of
Israel during these times of crisis.
Among the numerous welcomed donations, which
reflects the genuine desire of many around
the world to bless Israel and its people,
the Israeli consulate in the American city
of Boston used a financial donation to procure
two much needed ventilators.
Turning now to Israel’s northern neighbor
where;
Israeli aircraft reportedly launched a surprise
bombardment in Syria yesterday evening, targeting
several installations in the war-torn country’s
Homs Governorate.
According to several reports, which were subsequently
confirmed to TV7 by sources on the ground,
the alleged Israeli strike – which originated
from Lebanese airspace – targeted the Al-Shayrat
military airport, where an unidentified cargo
plane had just arrived from the Syrian T4
airbase.
During the strike, which also targeted other
installations in the eastern part of Homs
Governorate, Syria’s aerial defense array
was activated.
A Syrian military source was quoted by the
country’s SANA news agency as claiming that
a number of the incoming missiles were intercepted.
Nevertheless, the military source stopped
short of unveiling the extent of the damaged
caused by the strike.
While the IDF Spokesperson’s unit did not
confirmed nor deny Israel’s alleged responsibility
for the reported strike; it is important to
highlight that both the Al-Shayrat and Tiyas-4
military airports are frequently utilized
by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards elite
Quds Force.
An Israeli intelligence official, who requested
to remain anonymous as he was not permitted
to talk, reiterated to TV7 “Jerusalem’s
red-lines” that include operational activities
to thwart the Islamic Republic’s “ongoing
efforts to entrench militarily” in Israel’s
northern neighbor – which he emphasized,
“will be enforced by all means necessary,
regardless of any circumstantial distractions.”
Nevertheless, the official stopped short from
confirming Israel’s responsibility for the
attack.
Meanwhile in the Islamic Republic of Iran;
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said this
morning that the United States had missed
a historic chance to lift sanctions on his
country over the continued spread and deadly
implications of the coronavirus.
In a televised cabinet meeting, the Iranian
leader was quoted as saying, “it was a hreat
opportunity for Americans to apologize…
and to lift the unjust and unfair sanctions
on Iran.”
It is important to clarify that the comments
by Rouhani came in response to reports over
a statement made by U.S. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo, which supposedly alluded to the
possibility that Washington might consider
easing sanctions that have effectively crippled
Iran’s economy.
Nevertheless, the referred to statement by
Secretary Pompeo, which was reported by major
media outlets around the world, was evidently
taken out of context from the clear wording
the top American diplomat made in a state
department briefing that was held yesterday.
“When it comes to humanitarian assistance,
medical devices, equipment, pharmaceuticals,
things that people need in these difficult
times, those are not sanctioned anywhere at
any time that I’m aware of.
I mean, just read that whether it’s – it’s
not always an American sanction.
In North Korea there are UN Security Council
resolutions.
In other places they are, in fact, American
provisions.
But in each of those, if you read them, it’s
quite on its face that these items aren’t
sanctioned.
There’s no prohibition on moving humanitarian
assistance into these difficult and challenging
places.”
Secretary Pompeo further asserted that while
the Islamic Republic – among other totalitarian
regimes - accuse the United States for their
domestic hardships, they continue to build
bombs and missiles and nuclear capability,
all the while, their people are starving.
“Some of these countries continue to build
bombs and missiles and nuclear capability,
all the while their people are starving.
So, when they make the claim that, boy, they
just don’t have the money to feed their
people, these are decisions that these people,
leaders have often made, not in the best interest
of those peoples.
It’s, indeed, quite sad to see those governments
make those decisions which harm their own
people.”
Secretary Pompeo also responded to a question
about a surge in attacks, by Iranian-backed
militias in Iraq, which are directed against
U.S. installations.
“So, we have seen attacks on Americans,
attempted efforts in some cases as well inside
of Iraq conducted by Shia militias.
Our response has been very consistent.
Two things: One, we will always respond to
protect and defend Americans.
Whether it’s our diplomats in our embassies
and consulates inside of Iraq, or Department
of Defense people who are serving or there
are civilians who are contractors, we’ll
always do everything we can to defend and
protect them.
We will respond if they are threatened.
We’ve also made clear that in Iraq in particular
we know that those Shia militias who have
attacked the Americans are trained, equipped,
underwritten, by the regime of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, and it’s been President
Trump’s policy consistently that says that
we will respond against all of those who facilitated,
trained, equipped, and enabled those attacks
on America.
That holds as true today as it did two weeks,
four weeks, or back in the beginning of January,
when we took a strike against Qassem Soleimani.”
For more information on Israel 
and its region visit our website at WWW.TV7ISRAELNEWS.COM
