Latest news with #Ashdod
LBCI
7 hours ago
- Politics
- LBCI
First boat carrying 1,500 stranded Israelis docks in Israel: Army
Israel's army said that the first boat carrying Israelis stranded abroad due to the Iran-Israel war arrived Friday with 1,500 citizens aboard. "As part of the Ministry of Transportation's Operation 'Safe Return,' a passenger ship bringing Israelis from the Port of Limassol in Cyprus docked today... at the Ashdod Port with over 1,500 Israelis on board," the army said in a statement. AFP
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed' Newsletter: Evangelicals with Trump in support of Israel's war on Iran
Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world. IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER: - Evangelical leaders praise Trump's support for Israel amid war with Iran- DeSantis-sponsored rescue flights evacuate 1,500 Jewish Americans from Israel- 'Globalize the intifada' phrase stirs tensions on NYC campaign trail TOP STORY: Some of the most influential evangelical leaders in the U.S. told Fox News Digital that they believe President Donald Trump's support for Israel is unwavering as the Jewish state finds itself at war with Iran. Pastor John Hagee, founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, which numbers 10 million members, said, "I do not think President Trump will allow himself to be played by Iranian negotiators or American isolationists. VIDEO: Americans Against Antisemitism founder Dov Hikind joins 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the latest on escalating tension between Israel and Iran and the possible role the U.S. could play as both nations trade missile strikes. WATCH HERE: RON TO THE RESCUE: As violence escalates in Israel during its conflict with Iran, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is dispatching four planes to evacuate 1,500 stranded Americans. Mano Maritime cruise ship Crown Iris picked up the evacuees in Ashdod, Israel, and took them on a 13-hour steam trip to Lanarca, Cyprus. Most passengers were from a program called Birthright Israel, which provides educational trips to the Holy Land. BIG APPLE BIGOTRY: Middle East tensions seeped onto the New York City campaign trail this week as President Donald Trump considers striking Iran. Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani refused to support banning the phrases "Globalize the intifada" and "From the river to the sea", comparing that leadership style to Trump. See what rival Andrew Cuomo had to say. HARDENING TARGETS: The NYPD ramped up security at Jewish sites across New York City after Israel launched strikes on Iran, kicking off a new war in the Middle East. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are increasing security at houses of worship and at Israeli diplomatic sites,' Mayor Eric Adams wrote on X. "I am praying for peace in the region." UN REPORT BLASTS ISRAEL: A new UN report accuses Israel of committing "the crime against humanity of extermination." Israel is restricting religious freedoms at holy sites in Jerusalem by subjecting Palestinians to "increased security checks, checkpoints, harassment and assault. DEGREES OF HATE - Recent UCLA graduate Isabella Brannon writes about how her Humanities commencement and others at the school were marred by blatant antisemitism, while students cheered and faculty stood by. GUEST EDITORIAL: Helena Ivanov, an associate research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, writes that unchecked misinformation on social media is helping to fuel campus antisemitism. Fabricated stories about Israel and Hamas in the wake of Oct. 7 have left students with a warped perspective on Jews and the Middle East, she found. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "They claim Jews exclude non-Jews from religious sites when the exact opposite is true. Only Israel protects freedom of religion for Christians, Muslims and Jews, while Jews have been banned and Jewish religious sites have been systematically trashed by Palestinian Arabs for a century." - Ann Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, responding to new UN report blasting Israel. - Looking for more on this topic? Find more antisemitism coverage from Fox News here. - Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe to additional newsletters from Fox News here. - Want live updates? Get the Fox News app here
Al Arabiya
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
First boat carrying 1,500 stranded Israelis docks in Israel: Army
The Israeli military said that the first boat carrying Israelis stranded abroad due to the Iran–Israel war arrived Friday with 1,500 citizens aboard. 'As part of the Ministry of Transportation's Operation 'Safe Return,' a passenger ship bringing Israelis from the Port of Limassol in Cyprus docked today... at the Ashdod Port with over 1,500 Israelis on board,' the military said in a statement. 'The ship was secured (during its journey) by an Israeli Navy missile boat,' the military added. After Israel's airports were closed and outbound flights canceled following Israel's attack on Iran last Friday, an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 Israelis found themselves stranded abroad, according to transport ministry figures. Around 5,000 returned by plane on Wednesday and Thursday, Israeli Transport Minister Miri Regev said on Thursday, adding that double the number of flights were expected on Friday. National carrier El Al said that it would operate 'recovery flights' from Europe, the United States, and Thailand.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
1,500 Jewish Americans evacuated from Israel as DeSantis sponsors rescue flights to Tampa
As violence escalates in Israel during its conflict with Iran, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is dispatching four planes to evacuate 1,500 stranded Americans. Mano Maritime cruise ship Crown Iris picked up the evacuees in Ashdod, Israel, and took them on a 13-hour steam trip to Lanarca, Cyprus. Most passengers were from a program called Birthright Israel, which provides educational trips to the Holy Land for young Americans of Jewish descent or creed. Israeli airspace has been closed since the bombings from Iran began. After the ship arrived in Lanarca under the protection of the Israeli navy, according to the Times of Israel, Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said it was a "complex and emotional operation, carried out under immense pressure, and we are proud to have brought 1,500 young adults safely to Cyprus." From Cyprus, DeSantis and the Florida Department of Emergency Management volunteered four wide-body planes to take the Jewish Americans home. Additionally, a Tampa lawmaker and retired Green Beret told the Floridian Press he left Hillsborough County for Israel earlier in the week as part of an effort to help get thousands more Americans home. State Sen. Jay Collins, a Republican considered a potential pick for the lieutenant governorship in 2026, said Sunday he and the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation were looking to help evacuation efforts, according to the outlet. In 2023, DeSantis also dispatched planes to Israel to evacuate Americans after Hamas massacred Jews on Oct. 7 of that year. The governor told Fox News at the time he felt the need to "fill the void" left by the Biden administration in their own response to the terror attack. "It was sad because the State Department and the embassy over in Israel were not helpful to these people. If you think about it, illegal aliens come across our southern border and the federal government will fly them all over the country for free," he said at the time, referring to Biden's "ghost flights" that sent migrants to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; White Plains, New York, and other smaller airports. In that operation, at least 300 people were evacuated from Tel Aviv and met by the governor and Florida first lady Casey DeSantis at Tampa International Airport in Florida's third-largest city. Florida has the third-highest Jewish population, behind New York and California, according to reports – with an estimated 650,000, particularly in Miami Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Israeli travelers stranded in Cyprus by fighting begin return trip by boat
David Agami has been eager to leave Cyprus and get back to his wife and six children since his flight from the U.S. was diverted when Israel and Iran began trading air attacks last week. On Thursday, he was among hundreds of other Israelis who found spots aboard the Israeli cruise ship Crown Iris, which embarked on the trip of about 270 kilometers (167 miles) to Israel. The ship docked in the port city of Limassol Wednesday morning after dropping off hundreds of Jewish emigrees from the U.S. who were evacuated from Israel. 'There's nothing you can do, it's all God's hands. If it's your time it's your time, I think we'd prefer to be there than here definitely,' said Agami, who is to attempting reach Bet Shemesh between Israel's port city of Ashdod and Jerusalem. Cyprus' chief Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin told The Associated Press that approximately 6,500 Israelis were in Cyprus after being diverted to the east Mediterranean island, the closest European nation to Israel, or traveling there voluntarily in hopes of catching a flight or boat trip back to their country. Cyprus has become a key transit point for the repatriation of third-country nationals fleeing conflict areas in the region, as well as Israelis and others wishing to return home in the absence of direct flights there. Like many other Israelis, Agami said a collective drive to assist their homeland's defense overrides any concerns about personal safety or security. 'If any other country, I don't think you'd have anyone, you know, going. Everyone would be fleeing,' Agami said. He described an Israeli corporate CEO he knows who left his company and returned to join the army. "If we're not gonna fight for it, who is?' It's a sentiment shared by Ben Fox, the pulmonary unit chief at the Shamir Medical Center, and his wife Liat Fox, an oculoplastic surgeon in central Israel. The couple wanted to get back to their three daughters in Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut after attending separate medical conferences in Germany and Sweden. But they also were eager to help the defense effort as medical professionals. 'I mean, you know, obviously what's happening is very worrying, what's happening with the rocket fire,' Ben Fox said. 'On the other hand, we're very happy that our army and our government's taking care of the Iranian problem and of course we want to be with our family and we want to be available to help, you know, if there's medical problems and just, you know, go back home.' The couple were aware of a missile strike against Soroka Hospital in the Beersheeba area of Israel on Thursday, which wounded at least 40 people. 'It's a very important medical center. It's the only medical center for the south of Israel ... And it's just a travesty that it was attacked,' Ben Fox said, expressing suprise that Iranian forces would target a hospital serving a mixed population of Jews, Arabs and Bedouins. Another Israeli in Cyprus, Haifa resident Hanit Azulay, said she doesn't care about the missiles because Israelis have become inured to the threat. 'No, I don't scare. My little daughter is over there, my family is over there and we're regular to this,' Azulay said.
