Assad Declares Failure of ‘Western Plots’ to Topple Him

As the offensive against remnants of the Islamic State (IS) terror militia by forces loyal to Syria’s Assad regime as well as the Lebanese Shi’ite terror militia Hezbollah continued over the weekend, Assad made a televised statement saying “the signs of victory are there. But signs are something and winning is something else…battle continues, and where we go later and it becomes possible to talk about victory…that’s a different matter”.

Ain Al Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp located near the southern Port of Sidon, was the scene of fierce street battles over the weekend as security forces took on jihadist groups battling for control of the camps. Gunman from the Islamist terror militia, Badr, initiated the hostilities by opening fire on security forces Thursday evening, with rocket and small arms fire being traded over the weekend, leaving at least two people dead.

Israel’s Labor and Social Services Ministry announced recently that it is investing NIS 15 million in a project to recruit and train at least 1,500 Arab citizens into the booming hi-tech sector of the economy. “We want to see more and more young men and women from the Arab sector integrating into hi-tech industries,” Labor and Social Services Minister Haim Katz said. “This will contribute to their well-being and help narrow the gaps in Israeli society.”

As students and teachers head back to school this fall, Israeli universities are noting a growing number of Chinese citizens studying in the Jewish State. A large number of these students are studying at Haifa University and the Technion, under an exchange program with the University of East China Normal University in Shanghai, which is a sister-city of Haifa.

US President Donald Trump’s ‘Peace Team’ will soon arrive in our region. This “peace team” will meet with leaders of regional governments to examine ways to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process while also addressing issues of far more importance to Arab leaders, such as Iranian subversion in the region, the situation in Syria, etc.

A rare workshop for the production of chalkstone vessels, dated to the Roman period, is currently being excavated at Reina in Lower Galilee. Archeologists explain that the vessels are exactly the kind described in the account of Jesus turning water into wine in John 2:1-11.