Three Attacked in Jerusalem Stabbing Attack, Aish HaTorah Rabbi Killed

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org and combined sources) Three people were stabbed in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Rabbi Reuven Biermacher HY”D, a beloved rebbe in the Aish HaTorah Spanish program, was killed. “He spent the morning teaching Torah and was murdered on his way out of the Old City,” said Bergenfield’s Rabbi Steven Burg, director-general of Aish HaTorah. “May the Almighty strengthen us all during this difficult time and may he bring all those responsible to justice,” said Burg. Burg added that the entire yeshiva would join in burying Rabbi Bierbacher. A second of the three victims, Ofer Ben-Ari, also succumbed to his wounds.

Shortly after 1 p.m., two terrorists armed with knives started attacking passersby at the Jaffa Gate in the Old City. Emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the scene and administered life-saving treatment. All three victims were evacuated to hospitals in the area, with injuries categorized as moderate, serious and critical.

Nahum Bernstein, a first responder, recounted: “When I arrived at the scene, I saw three victims, one of them wounded critically. Together with additional volunteers we administered CPR. This was a gruesome scene on the well-known path to the Western Wall.”

Hamas Terror Cell Planning String of Suicide Attacks Apprehended

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Shin Bet security agency has uncovered a large Hamas terror network operating in Abu Dis, just outside Jerusalem, under the direction of the Hamas military wing in the Gaza Strip. The network was planning to carry out multiple bombings and suicide attacks inside Israel.

So far, 25 suspected members of the network have been arrested, according to information released for publication on Wednesday. Most of the suspects are students attending the Al-Quds University campus in Abu Dis.

The interrogation has revealed that the network was headed by Ahmed Jamal Moussa Azzam, 24, from the Palestinian town of Yasuf. Azzam was reportedly recruited by Hamas officials in Gaza several months ago and instructed to establish a military infrastructure and launch terrorist attacks on Israeli targets.

Another Hamas cell was discovered in the Bethlehem area, whose members also study at the Abu Dis campus. The members of the cell had been recruited by Azzam as suicide attackers.

This discovery demonstrates once again the involvement of the Hamas military wing in masterminding the mass murders of Israelis in Judea and Samaria and in Israel proper. The latest arrests indicate that the Hamas leadership in Gaza is making exerted efforts to take advantage of the current spate of lone-wolf terrorist attacks across Israel to reintroduce bombings and suicide attacks against Israelis.

The arrests have prevented Hamas from carrying out a series of mass attacks in Judea and Samaria and in Israel that could have cost many lives and exacerbated the delicate security situation.

David’s Sling Defense System Passes Final Test

(JNS.org) Israel’s David’s Sling missile defense system passed its final test and will become operational in 2016, the Defense Ministry announced Monday.

David’s Sling is designed to intercept medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles fired from ranges of 40 kilometers (25 miles) to 300 kilometers (186 miles).

The advanced interceptor is part of Israel’s four-tiered air defense, which also includes the Iron Dome system, which intercepts and destroys short-range rockets and artillery shells, the Arrow 2 short- and medium-range ballistic missile interceptor and the Arrow 3 long-range missile defense system, which is now entering the last leg of its development.

The Defense Ministry said the last series of trials tested David’s Sling’s ability to intercept a wide range of threats. In the tests, the system detected, intercepted and destroyed several types of projectiles. While the number of missiles was not disclosed, a defense source said the system recognized various clusters, including missiles carrying warheads that could potentially carry hundreds of pounds of explosives.

David’s Sling is being developed and manufactured as a joint venture of Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and US Missile Defense Agency contractor Raytheon Co.

Israel Uncovers Improvised Explosive Devices Along Gaza Border

(JNS.org) Israel on Friday uncovered a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along its border with Gaza, foiling a possible devastating terror attack.

Israel Defense Forces engineers uncovered the unexploded IEDs, with some devices connected to remote-controlled timers set to be activated by a cell phone, Yedioth Ahronoth reported. Earlier this week, a similar IED detonated near IDF troops.

The IDF and Shin Bet security forces are conducting an investigation into the uncovered IEDs and believe that terrorists had planned a large-scale attack against Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border.

Tensions Mount in Northern Israel in Wake of Samir Kuntar Killing

(JNS.org) Three rockets were fired at Israel from southern Lebanon on Sunday, a day after notorious Hezbollah terrorist Samir Kuntar was killed in an airstrike near Damascus. The strike has been attributed to Israel by foreign media as well as by Hezbollah, which vowed to avenge the killing, but Israeli officials have neither confirmed nor denied the reports.

The Israel Defense Forces responded to Sunday’s rocket attacks with targeted artillery fire, Israeli officials said.

Residents of northern Israeli towns were not surprised to hear sirens wailing throughout their communities Sunday, as they had been bracing for retaliatory Hezbollah fire since news of Kuntar’s assassination broke.

The military said it “holds the Lebanese Army solely responsible for attacks emanating from its territory, and will continue to take action against any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of the State of Israel or compromise the safety of its citizens.”

Lebanese security officials said the rockets were fired from an area south of the Lebanese port city of Tyre.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot convened an emergency situation assessment on Sunday over Hezbollah’s potential retaliation. Israeli officials voiced hopes that the rocket fire and the Israeli response would signify the end of the aftermath of Kuntar’s death, but defense figures stressed that Israel was bracing for the possibility of escalation.

Terror Cell Uncovered in Eastern Jerusalem

(JNS.org) An Israeli Arab terror cell in Jerusalem was uncovered by the Israeli Shin Bet security service and police force recently. The suspects who were arrested were involved in many attacks in the recent terror wave.

The investigation found that Islam Najar, 18, and Hamza Najar, 22, brothers from Ras-Al-Amud, a neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem, as well as Nader Nasser, 22, and two minors aged 16 and 17 were all involved in several Molotov cocktail and rock-throwing attacks against security forces and Israeli citizens, the Shin Bet said.

Along with other terror cell members, the two minors recently overtook an Israeli Egged bus and burned it to the ground after the bus driver fled.

In order to attract police during riots, the terror cell suspects would block off traffic in the streets, burn trash cans, cut electricity and then attack security forces with firebombs.

UN Chief Condemns Rocket Fire From Lebanon on Northern Israel

(JNS.org) The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the rocket fire from Lebanon on northern Israel. The attack was meant to avenge the assassination of terrorist Samir Kuntar in Syria, which has been blamed on an Israeli airstrike.

Ban said that he is “greatly concerned over yesterday’s firing of rockets within UNIFIL’s area of operations from the area of Al-Hinniyah, in the vicinity of Tyr, towards Israel, which is a serious violation of resolution 1701 (2006).”

Three rockets were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel and the Israel Defense Forces sent the Israeli Air Force into southern Lebanon in response for the attack.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is investigating the incident along with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces, Ban said in a statement.