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Below is your weekly edition of E-News recapping key developments affecting Israel’s security.
German Intel: Iran Sought to Acquire Weapons of Mass Destruction in 2018
A new German intelligence report from the state of Hesse outlined the Islamic Republic of Iran’s efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction during 2018, as well as illicit espionage activities inside Germany. The intelligence agents said that foreign academics seek to obtain knowledge about the uranium enrichment process and that Iran “attempted to acquire and redistribute such weapons in the context of proliferation, for example by concealing transport routes via third countries.”
On Sept. 17, Israeli voters returned to the polls across the country to decide the newest members of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. These unprecedented follow-up elections, the first in the country’s history, were triggered by the Knesset’s dissolution vote in May after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was unable to form a new government. Turnout in the race was 69.4 percent, higher than the previous election and notably higher than that of U.S. elections. Arab turnout was also up from the previous election. The President of Israel must now choose a member of Knesset to form the next coalition.
U.S. Orders New Sanctions on Iran Following Saudi Attack
Following a major attack on one of the world’s largest crude-processing plant and oil field in Saudi Arabia over the weekend, which top officials in the U.S. administration have attributed to Iran, President Trump on Wednesday ordered the Treasury Department to “substantially increase” sanctions on Iran. The attack, which reportedly included cruise missiles and drone strikes, took 5.7 million barrels of oil per day, roughly half of the facility’s production, offline and triggered the largest spike in crude prices in decades.
In Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Gaza, Iranian forces and terrorist proxies are attempting to surround Israel with increasingly advanced weaponry, preparing for the next large-scale conflict against the Jewish state. The regime is working to permanently consolidate a land bridge linking Iran to Israel’s borders. It is already using the land bridge to shuttle military equipment and terrorists to Israel’s northern border. The Iranian regime prioritizes regional aggression and attacking Israel over the welfare of its own people.
Israeli Company Could Clear World’s Minefields in Just 10 Years
In 61 countries, or one-third of the world, 60 million people daily are at risk from landmines and other explosive remains of war buried under fields and roads. Every hour, a landmine claims a new victim. Former officers of the elite Yahalom Unit of the IDF’s Combat Engineering Corps, Itzik Malka and Nir Cohen founded 4M Defense in 2015 to solve this problem. 4M Defense offers solutions for locating and dealing with explosive remnants of war including landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs in conflict-affected regions. With 4M Defense, it could take just 10 years to clear landmines from affected countries.
