Israel Celebrates First Olympic Medal in Eight Years

Israelis were overjoyed Tuesday evening to see that Yarden Gerbi had won a bronze medal in the women’s under-63 kilogram judo competition at the Rio Olympics, Israel’s first Olympic medal since The 2008 Games in Beijing. “We are all proud of you, you gave the whole country a wonderful feeling,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Gerbi. “Really, it’s a great achievement.”

The Palestinian Ma’an News Agency reported Wednesday morning that a terror tunnel being dug from the Gaza Strip, under the border and into Israeli territory had collapsed, wounding 8 terrorists who were working on it. In related news, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror militia issued a statement Tuesday demanding an increase in terror attacks against Israelis.

On Tuesday, the US delivered $50 worth of hardware and ammunition to the Lebanese Army, meant to assist it in keeping the Islamic State (IS) terror militia and other terror groups from encroaching on its eastern border. “This year alone, we provided over $221 million in equipment and training to the Lebanese security forces,” US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard said.

In light of increasing fears over Iran’s regional ambitions, the Arab governments of the Persian Gulf region have continued to buy large quantities of military equipment. Saudi Arabia’s request for $1.15 billion worth of M1A2S Abrams tanks and related equipment was approved by the State Department Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, Kuwait signed a deal with European aerospace giant Airbus for $1.1 billion worth of transport helicopters and training. Another $1.78 billion worth of Kuwaiti orders for French weapons and military equipment are pending.

The attempted coup of 15 July not only destabilized NATO’s second largest army and exposed it to the risk of serious operational vulnerabilities; it also left Turkey at risk of engaging in potentially dangerous liaisons with playmates of different kind — Russia and Iran & Co. — at least for now.