Latest news with #GolaniBrigade
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Explosions from Gaza Strip heard in central Israel after IDF introduces new tactic
The IDF has introduced a new tactic involving old armored personnel carriers (APCs) loaded with tons of explosives and operated remotely. An unusual number of explosions were heard in the Gaza Strip on Monday after the IDF detonated a large amount of infrastructure in the enclave. The sound of the explosions was heard throughout the Negev as well as in the central region and Jerusalem. Residents in central Israel reported that their house windows were shaking from the force of the explosions. However, a new IDF tactic employed during Operation Gideon's Chariots could explain why residents of Israel are hearing explosions from multiple kilometers away. The IDF recently introduced a new tactic involving old armored personnel carriers (APCs) loaded with tons of explosives and operated remotely. These vehicles, known internally as 'suicide APCs,' are sent toward designated targets and detonated in a controlled manner to minimize risk to soldiers. According to security sources, each APC carries several tons of explosives. The resulting blasts produce shockwaves that can be heard over large distances, including throughout central Israel. This method was adopted following the loss of an APC from the Golani Brigade during fighting in Shejaia, a neighborhood in Gaza City. Since then, the tactic has become a standard procedure to clear routes, demolish buildings, and destroy enemy infrastructure without exposing troops to direct danger. The IDF began its renewed operations in Gaza on May 17 in order to clear Hamas out of Gaza and return the hostages.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Inside Israel's buffer zone in Syria
The Merkava main battle tank is parked as discreetly as possible behind the makeshift antenatal clinic, but its enormous turret still pokes out. Batal Ali, 25, does not seem fazed, however. Her mind is elsewhere. Nine months into her fourth pregnancy she has just been informed that the level of amniotic fluid around the baby is dangerously low. 'She needs to have a C-section and we're just working out which hospital to evacuate her to – probably Haifa,' says the chief physician. If this conversation were taking place just two miles to the west it would be unremarkable. But we are standing in Syria, part of Israel's controversial 150 square mile 'buffer zone' along its north-eastern border, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) seized in December 2024 after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. To critics it was a cynical land grab, nothing short of an invasion. According to the Israelis, however, it is a vital defensive measure to safeguard their communities in the Golan Heights from marauding jihadis and ultimately to prevent another Oct 7-style massacre. Nine forward operating bases have now been built across the dramatic countryside between Mount Hermon and the Jordanian border. Machine gun-mounted Humvees bearing the flag of the front-line Golani Brigade, and more ponderous armoured personnel carriers, churn up the roads in clouds of dust while sentries watch from the hilltops. The soldiers are fully armed and body armoured at all times. In the words of one Israeli military official from the 210th Division, the communities here are 'fragmented, suspicious'. Tension radiates out of the hills. The official says that Hezbollah elements have been detected in the region. There are also Isis supporters in the more southern section of the border zone, he claims. Although he concedes that the IDF has detected no active plots for an incursion into the Israel-controlled Golan Heights, he says hatred of the Jewish state constitutes a perpetual threat. 'There are streams that run underground,' he says. 'It's not happening yet but it will happen.' Alongside the military presence, the Israelis are providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian border communities – those who will accept it at least. By and large these are the Druze, the minority Arab sect of Islamic origin with strong links to Israel thanks to the roughly 150,000 who live there. The liberation of Syria from Assad's tyranny has been a troubling time for many of them, with reports of sectarian clashes and massacres at the hands of the Sunni majority. The new IDF field clinic near the village of Hader is, in part, designed to give the Druze access to advanced healthcare now that the road to Damascus, less than 40 miles away, is so dangerous for them. 'I would rather go to Haifa for the birth than take my chances going to Damascus,' says Batal, who is now sitting in the waiting room, a large khaki tent, with her husband. 'It isn't safe for us.' She is one of about 40 patients who will visit the clinic that day, a collection of temporary metal cabins and army tents in the lee of Mount Hermon that has been open now for nearly a month. There, the team can carry out essential diagnostic work, such as Batal's ultrasound, along with blood tests and X-rays. 'Anyone with an immediate threat to life we evacuate [to Israel],' says the chief physician, an IDF colonel who cannot be named. 'We're trying not to replace the local doctors in the villages, that's a key humanitarian principle. But we'll tell them that, for example, on Thursday we'll have an orthopaedic clinic, on Monday we have our Obgyn specialist [obstetrician-gynaecologist], so they can tell their patients when to come.' Judging by the men's exuberant moustaches, distinctive dark clothes and short-sided white and light-blue hats, all the dozen or so patients waiting are Druze. The official confirms that the Sunni villages, by and large, want nothing to do with the Israelis, although the clinic will treat anyone who turns up. At first patients were presenting with war injuries, some months old, that had been left untreated. Now it's more likely to be everyday complaints. Once seen, each patient is handed a detailed discharge form written in Hebrew and English. In the past, this would have been a highly dangerous practice. During the early years of the Syrian civil war, when the IDF provided some medical care in this border region, they went to vast lengths to do so in secret, cutting the labels out of clothes they gave patients, aware that anyone known to have received Israeli help would be in grave danger. 'It's different now,' says the chief physician. 'Everyone knows we're here and we're helping them.' As well as assisting a community to which Israel has traditionally felt a strong sense of responsibility, the clinic at Hader serves their agenda by reminding the world of the sectarianism and continued violence east of the border, justifying their military takeover of the region and their wider scepticism of the new regime. Since Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a former jihadi with previous links to both al-Qaeda and Islamic State, swept to power in December 2024, Israel has been reminding anyone who will listen that you can't trust a 'terrorist in a suit'. They have continued their campaign of air strikes against former regime facilities and heavy weapons that could be used against Israel, and even bombed near the presidential palace recently as a 'warning' to the new leader not to allow attacks on the Druze. However, it is an argument they appear to be losing, as demonstrated by Donald Trump's decision in May to lift all sanctions to give Syria 'a chance of greatness'. Indeed, rather than fretting about his terrorist past, much more of a neo-conservative preoccupation than a Maga concern, Mr Trump praised Al-Sharaa as an 'attractive, tough guy'. There have even been suggestions of a Trump Tower in Damascus. On Thursday, the US's newly appointed envoy for Syria was in the capital as the Stars and Stripes were raised over the ambassador's residence for the first time since 2012. Meanwhile, seemingly ignored by its closest ally in Washington, Israel digs in, literally. It is digging a vast anti-tank defensive ditch along the border, with 30km now completed and another 30 to go. 'Mortal danger. Active military zone,' reads the sign on the border fence, topped with coils of vicious-looking barbed wire. That more or less sums up Israel's attitude to Syria at the moment, despite the great wave of hope across the Middle East unleashed by the fall of Assad. The day before The Telegraph visited, troops stationed on the Israel-occupied Golan side of the border conducted an exercise to see how fast they could reach certain Syrian villages in an emergency. And they say that while they have had some success in persuading villagers in the border zone to give up their weapons, few communities trust the situation enough to hand over all their guns. 'We don't want to occupy, we don't want to kill,' the official said. 'We just want to protect the border and protect our people.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Inside Israel's buffer zone in Syria
The Merkava main battle tank is parked as discreetly as possible behind the makeshift antenatal clinic, but its enormous turret still pokes out. Batal Ali, 25, does not seem fazed, however. Her mind is elsewhere. Nine months into her fourth pregnancy she has just been informed that the level of amniotic fluid around the baby is dangerously low. 'She needs to have a C-section and we're just working out which hospital to evacuate her to – probably Haifa,' says the chief physician. If this conversation were taking place just two miles to the west it would be unremarkable. But we are standing in Syria, part of Israel's controversial 150 square mile 'buffer zone' along its north-eastern border, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) seized in December 2024 after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. To critics it was a cynical land grab, nothing short of an invasion. According to the Israelis, however, it is a vital defensive measure to safeguard their communities in the Golan Heights from marauding jihadis and ultimately to prevent another Oct 7-style massacre. Nine forward operating bases have now been built across the dramatic countryside between Mount Hermon and the Jordanian border. Machine gun-mounted Humvees bearing the flag of the front-line Golani Brigade, and more ponderous armoured personnel carriers, churn up the roads in clouds of dust while sentries watch from the hilltops. The soldiers are fully armed and body armoured at all times. In the words of one Israeli military official from the 210th Division, the communities here are 'fragmented, suspicious'. Tension radiates out of the hills. The official says that Hezbollah elements have been detected in the region. There are also Isis supporters in the more southern section of the border zone, he claims. Although he concedes that the IDF has detected no active plots for an incursion into the Israel-controlled Golan Heights, he says hatred of the Jewish state constitutes a perpetual threat. 'There are streams that run underground,' he says. 'It's not happening yet but it will happen.' Alongside the military presence, the Israelis are providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian border communities – those who will accept it at least. By and large these are the Druze, the minority Arab sect of Islamic origin with strong links to Israel thanks to the roughly 150,000 who live there. The liberation of Syria from Assad's tyranny has been a troubling time for many of them, with reports of sectarian clashes and massacres at the hands of the Sunni majority. The new IDF field clinic near the village of Hader is, in part, designed to give the Druze access to advanced healthcare now that the road to Damascus, less than 40 miles away, is so dangerous for them. 'I would rather go to Haifa for the birth than take my chances going to Damascus,' says Batal, who is now sitting in the waiting room, a large khaki tent, with her husband. 'It isn't safe for us.' She is one of about 40 patients who will visit the clinic that day, a collection of temporary metal cabins and army tents in the lee of Mount Hermon that has been open now for nearly a month. There, the team can carry out essential diagnostic work, such as Batal's ultrasound, along with blood tests and X-rays. 'Anyone with an immediate threat to life we evacuate [to Israel],' says the chief physician, an IDF colonel who cannot be named. 'We're trying not to replace the local doctors in the villages, that's a key humanitarian principle. But we'll tell them that, for example, on Thursday we'll have an orthopaedic clinic, on Monday we have our Obgyn specialist [obstetrician-gynaecologist], so they can tell their patients when to come.' Judging by the men's exuberant moustaches, distinctive dark clothes and short-sided white and light-blue hats, all the dozen or so patients waiting are Druze. The official confirms that the Sunni villages, by and large, want nothing to do with the Israelis, although the clinic will treat anyone who turns up. At first patients were presenting with war injuries, some months old, that had been left untreated. Now it's more likely to be everyday complaints. Once seen, each patient is handed a detailed discharge form written in Hebrew and English. In the past, this would have been a highly dangerous practice. During the early years of the Syrian civil war, when the IDF provided some medical care in this border region, they went to vast lengths to do so in secret, cutting the labels out of clothes they gave patients, aware that anyone known to have received Israeli help would be in grave danger. 'It's different now,' says the chief physician. 'Everyone knows we're here and we're helping them.' As well as assisting a community to which Israel has traditionally felt a strong sense of responsibility, the clinic at Hader serves their agenda by reminding the world of the sectarianism and continued violence east of the border, justifying their military takeover of the region and their wider scepticism of the new regime. Since Ahmed Al-Sharaa, a former jihadi with previous links to both al-Qaeda and Islamic State, swept to power in December 2024, Israel has been reminding anyone who will listen that you can't trust a 'terrorist in a suit'. They have continued their campaign of air strikes against former regime facilities and heavy weapons that could be used against Israel, and even bombed near the presidential palace recently as a 'warning' to the new leader not to allow attacks on the Druze. However, it is an argument they appear to be losing, as demonstrated by Donald Trump's decision in May to lift all sanctions to give Syria 'a chance of greatness'. Indeed, rather than fretting about his terrorist past, much more of a neo-conservative preoccupation than a Maga concern, Mr Trump praised Al-Sharaa as an 'attractive, tough guy'. There have even been suggestions of a Trump Tower in Damascus. On Thursday, the US's newly appointed envoy for Syria was in the capital as the Stars and Stripes were raised over the ambassador's residence for the first time since 2012. Meanwhile, seemingly ignored by its closest ally in Washington, Israel digs in, literally. It is digging a vast anti-tank defensive ditch along the border, with 30km now completed and another 30 to go. 'Mortal danger. Active military zone,' reads the sign on the border fence, topped with coils of vicious-looking barbed wire. That more or less sums up Israel's attitude to Syria at the moment, despite the great wave of hope across the Middle East unleashed by the fall of Assad. The day before The Telegraph visited, troops stationed on the Israel-occupied Golan side of the border conducted an exercise to see how fast they could reach certain Syrian villages in an emergency. And they say that while they have had some success in persuading villagers in the border zone to give up their weapons, few communities trust the situation enough to hand over all their guns. 'We don't want to occupy, we don't want to kill,' the official said. 'We just want to protect the border and protect our people.'
Roya News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
Outrage grows over 'Israeli' troops in Morocco's military drills
'Israeli' forces are participating in this year's African Lion 25, the largest US-led joint military exercise on the African continent, currently underway in Morocco and neighboring countries. The drill, which began on April 14 and runs through May 23, involves over 10,000 troops from more than 50 countries including 'Israel". While African Lion includes exercises in Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia, 'Israeli' troops are only taking part in operations held inside Morocco — a move that has sparked political backlash due to the ongoing 'Israeli' offensive in Gaza. Local protests and statements from civil society groups in Morocco have condemned the presence of 'Israeli' forces, particularly reports that soldiers from the Golani Brigade's special operations unit — accused of killing 15 Palestinian medical workers in Gaza in March — are among those deployed. The Moroccan Front for Supporting Palestine and Against Normalization, a coalition of left-wing parties, unions, and civil society groups, called the participation of 'Israeli' troops a 'provocation' and demanded their immediate removal from the drills. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese also raised concerns over unconfirmed reports and imagery suggesting the presence of Golani soldiers in Morocco, warning it could constitute a breach of international law if those accused of war crimes were not investigated. The 'Israeli' military has not disclosed which units are participating, but photos circulating on social media show troops wearing Golani Brigade insignias during joint training near the city of Agadir. The image appeared to be taken during a special operations phase of the exercise, although the date has not been verified. African Lion 25, led by US Africa Command and hosted primarily by Morocco, is designed to bolster interoperability and readiness across allied forces. Activities in Morocco include field training exercises, live-fire drills, and humanitarian cooperation. According to US officials, the exercise also demonstrates the US's ability to project power and respond rapidly alongside its partners on the continent. Despite official silence on 'Israel's' participation, a traffic accident involving two 'Israeli' paratroopers during the exercise last week briefly brought their presence into local news. Both soldiers were treated in hospital for moderate injuries. 'Israel' has taken part in African Lion exercises since 2022 following the resumption of military ties with Morocco under the US-brokered normalization agreement in late 2020. This year marks 'Israel's' third consecutive participation.
Middle East Eye
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli flag flies in Morocco during military drill, sparking indignation
As the annual 'African Lion' military drill kicked off in Morocco last week, troops from various nations were filmed marching across a red carpet, flanked by rows of flags. Near the centre, the blue and white of Israel fluttered - a rare sight on Moroccan soil. The yearly exercise, jointly organised by Rabat and the US Africa Command, brings together 10,000 troops from more than 40 participating countries. It is the third time Israel has taken part in the drill. But unlike last year - when Israeli involvement was kept out of the public eye amid its war on Gaza to avoid domestic Moroccan backlash - this year's participation was out in the open. 'For the Moroccan regime to not only collaborate with the [Israeli] military but to rub it in our faces publicly with no shame, honestly I have no words for it,' Yassir Abbadi, of the Moroccan Front for the Support of Palestine and Against Normalisation, told Middle East Eye. Images of Israeli soldiers in Morocco drew heavy criticism online, including one purporting to show troops from the Golani Brigade waving an Israeli flag and their battalion's insignia during the drill. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In late March, troops from the Golani Brigade were involved in killing 15 Palestinian emergency workers in Gaza and digging mass graves to cover up the crime. Reacting to the photo, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on Palestine, called on Rabat to uphold the rule of law and arrest soldiers from the brigade. 'If confirmed, this would mark a new threshold of depravity - and a violation of the international obligation to investigate and prosecute individuals implicated in atrocity crimes,' she said. Meanwhile, Israelis were celebrating their presence in the North African country. One viral video appeared to show two Israeli soldiers - one wearing a Moroccan thobe - stepping out of a military vehicle and dancing in celebration. Separately, it was reported that two Israeli soldiers involved in the exercise were wounded in Morocco during a car accident. 'Disregard for the people' 'We have to clearly differentiate between the Moroccan population and the authorities, with King Mohamed VI at its head,' said Abdelkader Abderrahmane, an independent expert on North African security and geopolitics. 'The Moroccan population in general has always demonstrated its support for the Palestinian people and their suffering in Gaza,' he told MEE. He cited frequent protests over the past two years, as well as direct action last month when the Tangier port workers' union refused to unload or service a Danish-flagged vessel headed to Israel. 'The Moroccan population in general has always demonstrated its support for the Palestinian people' - Abdelkader Abderrahmane, analyst 'The Maersk Nexoe was coming from the US, loaded with spare parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel,' Abderrahmane said. An Arab Barometer survey in January found that Moroccan support for normalisation with Israel fell from 31 percent in 2022 to only 13 percent in 2023 and 2024. For Abbadi, the message is clear. 'The state does what it wants with complete disregard to what the majority of people want,' he said. 'That's how normalisation happened in the first place. It's a dictatorship - that's how authoritarian regimes behave.' Despite widespread public opposition, cooperation between Morocco and Israel has steadily expanded. The two countries normalised relations in 2020 under a US-brokered agreement that also saw Washington recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara - a disputed territory that Rabat has controlled since the 1970s. 'Business as usual' despite war Since normalisation, trade between Morocco and Israel has grown rapidly, reaching $116.7m in 2023, double the previous year's figure. 'It's business as usual between Rabat and Tel Aviv,' said Abderrahmane. 'Numerous accords of cooperation have been signed between the two, in the fields of energy, technology, trade and many others.' Morocco selects Israel's Elbit Systems as major weapons supplier Read More » He cited Israeli companies Netafim and Gala Energy investing in Moroccan irrigation and renewable energy projects, as well as an offshore gas drilling permit granted to a Morocco-Israeli consortium near the Canary Islands. Arms and intelligence cooperation is expanding, too. In February, Morocco chose Israel's Elbit Systems as one of its main weapons suppliers. 'It feels very unfortunate to say this, but the military ties between the two regimes have expanded because of the Gaza genocide,' said Abbadi, citing weapons deals and ships carrying Israeli weapons docking in Moroccan ports. Abderrahmane added that Morocco was on the verge of a $1bn deal to purchase a spy satellite from Israel Aerospace Industries. That would add to previous acquisitions of Israel's NSO Group's Pegasus software, which was used to spy on Moroccan activists, journalists and even foreign politicians, including French President Emmanuel Macron. 'This close military cooperation would eventually bring more instability to the wider North Africa-Sahel region,' said Abderrahmane. Ignacio Cembrero, a Spanish journalist specialising in Moroccan affairs, said that Morocco's royal palace had taken a risk by going against the public tide. 'Not even a live-streamed genocide... is going to make the Moroccan regime even flinch' - Yassir Abbadi, activist 'Israel must be a valuable ally in its arms race with neighbouring Algeria. It is also a necessary step toward deepening relations with the United States,' Cembrero told MEE. 'It is counting on Washington to get the international community moving on the Western Sahara issue.' Algeria, which has fallen out with Morocco over Western Sahara and a host of other issues, is boycotting the African Lion exercise. Though Algiers hasn't publicly spoken on the matter, analysts have speculated that Israeli involvement in the drill may have been a contributing factor. Abbadi said none of this surprises him - military contact between Morocco and Israel had predated normalisation by decades. 'We know that King Hassan II helped Israel win the Six-Day War by providing crucial information about the Arab states,' he said, referring to the 1967 war. 'Not even a live-streamed genocide and thousands of body parts in streets of Gaza is going to make the Moroccan regime even flinch - or consider cutting ties, or at least hide them.'
