The Israeli army used unmanned aerial vehicles at least three times since January to disrupt the flow of Iranian weapons from Sudan to the Gaza Strip, according to recent reports. The additional details involving the strikes indicated that the weapons convoys carried missiles that could reach both Tel Aviv and Israel’s nuclear reactor in Dimona. Israeli aircraft attacked ground-based smugglers on January 27 and February 11 while also destroying a ship in the Red Sea.
The saga for the return of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Sahlit continues with competing reports of simultaneous stalled and progressing negotiations. Ofer Dekel, Israel’s negotiator for Shalit’s release, travels to Cairo today to resume the talks. If Israel refuses to release all of the requested prisoners to exchange for Shalit, Hamas reitirated that it would abduct more soldiers. This Hamas stance also applies to Palestinians, however, with the terror group arresting various Fatah officials in the Gaza Strip. Many analysts view the abduction of Fatah officials by Hamas as the terror group’s method to quickly solidify power prior to reconciliation finalization in order to obtain a better posture in the future government.
At an anti-settlement protest outside of Hebron, some Palestinian publications contend that Israeli troops assaulted an arab member of Knesset from the Hadash party. The Israeli army denied the accusation and claims to possess video footage refuting the charge, although the military has yet to release the evidence. Skirmishes between soldiers and the demonstrators erupted due to the military’s claim that the protest was ‘illegal.’
