LOD, Israel: Nearly 100 Ethiopian Jews have landed in Israel in the first wave of new immigration since the government said last year that it would let some of the 8,000 remaining community members join relatives in Israel.
Local Ethiopian community members on Monday welcomed the newcomers after years of delays. Israel recognizes the community’s Jewish roots but does not consider them fully Jewish, so they require special approval to immigrate that has not always been forthcoming.
Alisa Bodner, spokeswoman for an Ethiopian-Jewish activist group, said she was “far from satisfied” by the slow trickle of Ethiopian immigration, long stalled despite government promises to bring all remaining members of the community to Israel.
The bulk of the Ethiopian Jewish community was airlifted to Israel in major operations in the 1980s and 1990s.
First wave of new Ethiopian immigrants arrives in Israel
First wave of new Ethiopian immigrants arrives in Israel
- Local Ethiopian community members on Monday welcomed the newcomers after years of delays
- Israel recognizes the community’s Jewish roots but does not consider them fully Jewish, so they require special approval to immigrate
Syrian security forces dismantle Daesh terror cell near Damascus
- Authorities, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate, struck a terrorist hideout and arrested several militants
- Syria and the US accuse the group of carrying out a deadly ambush against its personnel in Palmyra
LONDON: Syrian internal security units dismantled a cell of the Daesh terror group in the Daraya area southwest of Damascus on Sunday.
Authorities, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate, raided a Daesh hideout and arrested several militants.
Syria and the United States have accused the terror group of carrying out a deadly ambush earlier this month that resulted in the deaths of three Americans and injuries to two Syrian service personnel in Palmyra, in central Syria.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, head of internal security in the Damascus countryside, announced that the operation resulted in the dismantling of the cell and the arrest of a Daesh leader, along with six other members. Several weapons and ammunition were also seized, he added.
He said the operation is part of the interior ministry’s broader strategy to eliminate terrorist sources, avert threats to community security, and maintain peace and stability in the country, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
On Friday, the US military launched large-scale retaliatory strikes and group operations against Daesh targets and operatives in Syria.
