A rocket fired into Israel from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip overnight Sunday prompted retaliatory air strikes Monday afternoon by the Israeli air force and shelling from IDF tanks near the border. The combined arms strikes reportedly hit five Hamas-operated sites in the Strip. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman declared “we have no intention to continue to absorb drippings (of rockets out of the strip). Hamas must take responsibility and relax.”

Israelis were shocked to hear over the weekend that another Jewish cemetery in the US had been vandalize, this time the Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Philidelphia. “Philadelphia Jewish cemetery desecration is shocking and a source of worry. Full confidence #US authorities catch and punish culprits,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Emanuel Nahshon tweeted.

The Iranian Navy held large-scale drills near the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, attempting to demonstrate the viability of Teheran’s oft-repeated threat to close the water route through which nearly 35% of the world’s daily petroleum exports move. In related news, Iran announced over the weekend that it is seeking to buy 950 tons of uranium ore from Kazakhstan over the next three years for what it described as pursuit of a peaceful program for producing energy.

As the Biblical Feast of Passover draws near, reports have surfaced from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula  that the ancient Christian community of the region is making an Exodus of their own amidst growing conflict between the government in Cairo and the local franchise of the Islamic State (IS) terror militia. IS has claimed responsibility for a spike in murders targeting Christians in the cities of Northern Sinai and has also posted videos online warning them to leave the area or face destruction.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to Israel over the weekend following a successful trip to long-standing allies Singapore and Australia. After a brief rest, he faced a deluge of political, diplomatic and legal problems including the release of a highly critical report on his government’s conduct during the 2014 conflict with Gaza Strip-based terror militias, investigations into allegations of corruption by him and his wife and an expected move to initiate a vote of no-confidence in his government by the opposition Zionist Union party.

The office of Israel’s Attorney General issued a statement over the weekend announcing the establishment of a working group to address the rising problem of incitement against Ultra-Orthodox (haredi) men who choose to enlist in the military by extremist elements within haredi communities. Attorneys representing haredi IDF soldiers expressed satisfaction that the issue us being dealt with in an appropriate manner.

The U.S. cannot drive a wedge between Russia and Iran in the near term. Tehran and Moscow share regional and global interests across the Middle East, North Africa, Caucasus, and Central Asia. Their common interests and overarching objective of expelling the U.S. from the Middle East will likely bind Iran and Russia together into an enduring partnership.

For nearly two years, Yoel Strik’s mission as head of Home Front Command was preparing Israeli civilians, government agencies and local authorities to carry on as normally as possible and for as long as possible during protracted rocket and missile attacks. He’s now transitioning into his new role as commander of the Lebanon and Syrian fronts, where his forces must be ready to maneuver swiftly and efficiently through enemy territory in order to expedite an ending to the next war in the north.