Israelis Shocked by Heat Wave and Earthquake

A prominent journalist covering the Middle East for the French newspaper Le Figaro sent several tweets in recent days indicating that the Lebanese Shi’ite terror militia Hezbollah pressured him and his colleagues to hide Israel’s responsibility for the recent assassination of Hezbollah military commander Mustafa Badreddine. Analysts have speculated that Hezbollah does not want their operatives and supporters to know how deeply Israeli intelligence has infiltrated their ranks and also doesn’t want to be face pressure to retaliate against Israel which might spark a war they know they would lose.

Historians from around the world were showing interest Tuesday in a cache of excellently preserved artifacts recently recovered from a shipwrecked Roman vessel off the Israeli coastal city of Caesarea. The artifacts include hundreds of small statues, coins from the time of Emperor Constantine (306-337 AD) and other items well preserved by the salt water and sand. Plans to display the items at Israel’s museums are already being made.

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics released disappointing numbers for Israel’s economy on Monday, culminating in an anemic 0.8% growth rate for the first quarter of 2016. Analysts warned that the per capita income of Israel’s rapidly expanding population would suffer if economic growth did not improve.

Israelis were hoping for some relief Tuesday from a severe heat wave which has sparked dozens of fires and caused hundreds of heat-related injuries in recent days. Near-record temperatures were recorded in several communities even as Israelis were jolted by a small earthquake Sunday night.

The real issue is the deep bench of loyal, trained fighters that Mughniyah and Badreddine built over three decades—and how one of the world’s more notorious extremist movements will fare without its commanders.