Weekly roundup of world briefs

Over 60 arrested in counter-terror ops in Judea and Samaria

(JNS) — Over the past week, units from the IDF Commando Brigade, including the Duvdevan, Egoz and Maglan units, have carried out operations targeting terrorists across Judea and Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces reported on Saturday.

During these operations, more than 60 individuals wanted for security-related offenses were arrested. Israeli forces also confiscated a substantial cache of weapons, including firearms, explosives and ammunition.

The operations are part of the IDF’s ongoing efforts to combat terrorism in the region. The discovery of explosives in several locations has raised concerns about the continued threat from terrorist groups operating in the area.

The IDF has pledged to maintain its efforts to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens and reaffirmed its commitment to securing the region.

Israel to send medical experts to North Macedonia after deadly fire

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israel is preparing to dispatch medical experts to North Macedonia after a nightclub fire there killed 59 people and injured more than 150, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Sunday.

“I spoke with my counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Timco Mucunski, to express our condolences for the terrible tragedy,” said Sa’ar.

“Israeli medical experts will travel to North Macedonia within the next day to provide medical assistance. I also suggested any other assistance needed. Israel stands by North Macedonia in this difficult time,” he added.

The blaze erupted at around 2:30 a.m. during a concert at the Pulse nightclub in the eastern town of Kocani. Macedonia’s Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said pyrotechnics had caused the roof of the club to catch fire. 

“The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” tweeted Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.

“The people and the government will do everything in their power to at least slightly alleviate their pain and help them in these most difficult moments,” he added.

Israel extradites developer of ‘one of most prolific’ cybercrime groups to US

(JNS) — Israel extradited Rostislav Panev, 51, whom the U.S. government says was a developer for “one of the most prolific” cybercrime groups, to the United States on March 13, the Justice Department said.

The dual Russian-Israeli citizen’s extradition “makes it clear: if you are a member of the LockBit ransomware conspiracy, the United States will find you and bring you to justice,” stated John Giordano, the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.

The Justice Department alleges that Panev, who it said was a developer for the ransomware group since it started in 2019 until at least February 2024, helped grow the illegal entity “into what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world.”

“The LockBit group attacked more than 2,500 victims in at least 120 countries around the world, including 1,800 in the United States,” the department said. “Their victims ranged from individuals and small businesses to multinational corporations, including hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations, critical infrastructure and government and law-enforcement agencies.”

LockBit “extracted at least $500 million in ransom payments from their victims and caused billions of dollars in other losses, including lost revenue and costs from incident response and recovery,” it added.

‘Zionists are not welcome’: Israeli spat on in Dublin eatery

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — A young Israeli man on a business trip to Ireland was verbally assaulted and spat on at a Dublin café, a video he posted Friday on social media shows.

The two women who accosted Tamir Ohayon and his co-worker can be heard shouting, “Zionists are not welcome in Ireland. F*** you and f*** Israel, Israel is on its way out,” while giving him the middle finger.

With the video rolling, the Israeli responded, “I love you too,” at which point one of the women spat on him.

“Did you just spit on me?” he asked.” I did, and I actually did not miss,” the assailant answered.

No one in the eatery intervened in the altercation.

Ohayon can be heard in the clip asking that the police be summoned.

The police came to his hotel two hours later, and did not do anything, he wrote on Instagram.

Irish media subsequently identified the assailants as pro-Palestinian activists Zeina Ismail and Lena Seale.

“This was an act of pure terrorism, and everyone was silent. I couldn’t sleep the whole night and locked myself in my hotel room until I moved to another hotel the following day,” Ohayon wrote on Instagram.

Ohayon said that he will never return to Ireland.

Israel closed its embassy in Ireland last year due to Dublin’s hostility to the Jewish state.

Columbia searched for illegal alien anti-Israel activists

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation to determine whether Columbia University concealed illegal aliens on its campus.

The Trump administration has launched a formal investigation into allegations that Columbia University may have hidden foreign nationals targeted for deportation following their participation in pro-Hamas protests.

A senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice, speaking on Friday, announced the opening of the probe. As part of these efforts, federal agents conducted searches in university dormitories and implemented measures against foreign students and activists involved in the demonstrations.

Department of Homeland Security agents conducted searches with a warrant at two university dormitories on Thursday evening. No arrests were made during the searches, and authorities have not clarified whom they were specifically targeting.

On Friday afternoon, American authorities reported developments concerning two individuals connected to the protests. A doctoral student from India studying at Columbia University, whose visa was revoked by the Trump administration, fled the U.S. on a commercial flight. Additionally, a Palestinian woman who was detained during university protests in April last year was arrested by federal immigration authorities in Newark, N.J., for remaining in the U.S. after her visa had expired.

These actions are part of the president’s mission to end antisemitism in the country, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Israel to send medical experts to North Macedonia after deadly fire

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israel is preparing to dispatch medical experts to North Macedonia after a nightclub fire there killed 59 people and injured more than 150, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Sunday.

“I spoke with my counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Timco Mucunski, to express our condolences for the terrible tragedy,” said Sa’ar.

“Israeli medical experts will travel to North Macedonia within the next day to provide medical assistance. I also suggested any other assistance needed. Israel stands by North Macedonia in this difficult time,” he added.

The blaze erupted at around 2:30 a.m. during a concert at the Pulse nightclub in the eastern town of Kocani. Macedonia’s Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said pyrotechnics had caused the roof of the club to catch fire. 

“The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” tweeted Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.

“The people and the government will do everything in their power to at least slightly alleviate their pain and help them in these most difficult moments,” he added.

Nearly half of Israeli young adults suffering from PTSD, study shows

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Nearly half of young adults in Israel now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study by Beersheva’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. 

The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist invasion from Gaza took the Jewish state completely by surprise and triggered the longest war in Israel’s history. 

According to the study, which was published on Monday, PTSD rates among young adults aged 18-24 soared from 25 percent before the war to 42 percent after it began. 

Among those evacuated from their homes on the Jewish state’s southern and northern borders, the rate increased to 60 percent.

The study also highlighted rises in depression, loneliness and harmful coping mechanisms, such as self-blame and substance abuse.

Stav Shapira and professor Tehila Rafaeli, the study’s lead researchers, emphasized that the conflict particularly affected young adults as they were heavily exposed to trauma, with many affected by the death or injury of loved ones, as well as displacement due to terrorist threats.

The research also concluded that young Israelis reported a significant decline in effective resilience and social support amid the war, which the study said typically act as protective factors against mental distress.

“We examined whether and how resilience resources protect against the subjective sense of threat and mental distress, and we realized, in the current reality, they are not protective factors, and there is a decline in personal resilience and social support, along with an increase in mental distress,” said Rafaeli.

“Despite the tendency to think that young men and women have the resilience and ability to overcome, and therefore naturally investing time and resources in caring mainly for children and adolescents, the study highlights the imperative not to ignore the many needs of this population,” she added.

A study by Tel Aviv University researchers published over a year ago suggested that nearly a quarter of Israel’s entire Jewish population was suffering from PTSD following the Oct. 7 attack.

Meanwhile, Haifa University found that two out of every three Israelis living abroad experienced PTSD symptoms in the initial two months after the outbreak of the war.

Israel extradites developer of ‘one of most prolific’ cybercrime groups to US

(JNS) — Israel extradited Rostislav Panev, 51, whom the U.S. government says was a developer for “one of the most prolific” cybercrime groups, to the United States on March 13, the Justice Department said.

The dual Russian-Israeli citizen’s extradition “makes it clear: if you are a member of the LockBit ransomware conspiracy, the United States will find you and bring you to justice,” stated John Giordano, the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.

The Justice Department alleges that Panev, who it said was a developer for the ransomware group since it started in 2019 until at least February 2024, helped grow the illegal entity “into what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world.”

“The LockBit group attacked more than 2,500 victims in at least 120 countries around the world, including 1,800 in the United States,” the department said. “Their victims ranged from individuals and small businesses to multinational corporations, including hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations, critical infrastructure and government and law-enforcement agencies.”

LockBit “extracted at least $500 million in ransom payments from their victims and caused billions of dollars in other losses, including lost revenue and costs from incident response and recovery,” it added.

Israel marks 33 years since Buenos Aires embassy bombing

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israel on Monday commemorated the 33rd anniversary of the deadly bombing of its embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, an attack orchestrated by Iran and carried out by its proxy, the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah. 

The attack, which took place on March 17, 1992, killed 29 people and injured more than 200.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar marked the somber occasion in a statement, emphasizing the ongoing fight against terrorism. “Today marks 33 years since the horrifying terror attack on our Embassy in Buenos Aires, orchestrated by Iran and executed by its proxy, Hezbollah,” Sa’ar tweeted.

Today marks 33 years since the horrifying terror attack on our Embassy in Buenos Aires, orchestrated by Iran and executed by its proxy, Hezbollah.

“As we commemorate the loss of 29 innocent lives, today, more than ever, we remember that the fight against terrorism is vital to the security of our civilization,” he added.

Sa’ar also reaffirmed Israel’s solidarity with Argentina in efforts to bring those responsible to justice, praising Argentine President Javier Milei for his commitment to accountability. “We stand united with Argentina in this ongoing effort, and we thank President @JMilei for his determination to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.

The anniversary serves as a reminder of Iran’s long-standing role in global terrorism and its support for Hezbollah, which continues to pose a threat in the Middle East and beyond.

“May the memories of the victims be a blessing,” Sa’ar concluded.

HIAS fires, furloughs 40% of staff due to Trump cuts to refugee work

(JNS) — HIAS, which emerged as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1903 and traces its origins to the 1880s, had to fire or furlough more than 100 people in its U.S. office—some 40 percent of its global staff—due to funding cuts for refugee work under the Trump administration, Mark Hetfield, the HIAS president, told eJewishPhilanthropy.

Hetfield also had to shutter many of the HIAS offices overseas, he told the publication, adding that by Oct. 1, when the U.S. government’s fiscal year ends, “we’ll be a very different agency with a much smaller footprint.”

“We never, ever thought, in our worst-case scenario planning, that they would literally rip up all of our contracts and grant agreements,” Hetfield told eJewishPhilanthropy.

The HIAS leader also told the publication that the group had to let more than 20 percent of its staff go previously “after a financial error caused them to go over budget by more than $20 million.”

HIAS has “also launched and joined a series of lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s executive orders,” per eJewishPhilanthropy.

Israel strikes Assad-regime military targets in Syria

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces launched airstrikes on military targets in southern Syria on Monday night, targeting command centers and sites containing weapons and military vehicles, according to the military.

The sites belonged to the “old Syrian regime” and were being refurbished for reuse, said the IDF. “The presence of military assets in southern Syria poses a threat to the State of Israel,” the statement read. “The IDF will not allow the presence of military threats in southern Syria,” it added.

The strikes come amid heightened tensions in the region, with Israel continuing its efforts to counter hostile activity near its borders.

The Israeli Air Force carried out a strike on the headquarters of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in Damascus, Syria on March 13.

On March 10, Israeli fighter jets struck radars and other detection equipment in southern Syria. Additionally, the IAF targeted command positions and sites containing weapons belonging to the former Assad regime.

Israel to send medical experts to North Macedonia after deadly fire

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israel is preparing to dispatch medical experts to North Macedonia after a nightclub fire there killed 59 people and injured more than 150, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on Sunday.

“I spoke with my counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Timco Mucunski, to express our condolences for the terrible tragedy,” said Sa’ar.

“Israeli medical experts will travel to North Macedonia within the next day to provide medical assistance. I also suggested any other assistance needed. Israel stands by North Macedonia in this difficult time,” he added.

The blaze erupted at around 2:30 a.m. during a concert at the Pulse nightclub in the eastern town of Kocani. Macedonia’s Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski said pyrotechnics had caused the roof of the club to catch fire. 

“The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable,” tweeted Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.

“The people and the government will do everything in their power to at least slightly alleviate their pain and help them in these most difficult moments,” he added.