A Netanya resident in his 20s was arrested on Friday after landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport with a massive amount of the so-called "date rape" drug, or GBL, which he had attempted to smuggle into the country.

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The man was arrested following a joint operation over the past few weeks into the importation of illegal drugs into Israel between the Israel Police's Central Police Unit and unit 747, an undercover unit whose jurisdiction is around the airport.

The suspect, who has dual citizenship, had more than 10 liters of GBL in his possession, which is also known as liquid ecstasy and has been known to be used as a rape drug. One drop of the substance into a glass is enough to impair the senses and even cause a person to pass out. The amount that was caught was enough to save thousands of potential victims.

As part of the investigation, officers surveilled the suspect as he landed in Israel on Friday, watching him as he disembarked from the plane and then following him through passport control and to baggage claim where he retrieved the suitcase in which the drug was found.

The undercover officers arrested the suspect after he retrieved the luggage. The drug was disguised as mineral water and was passed on to Israel Police's forensic labs for further testing.

The suspect was taken in for further questioning, and the police intend on requesting that a judge extend his remand in custody in accordance with the needs of the investigation.

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The security guard who was murdered on Friday in a terrorist attack in Ariel has been identified as Vyacheslav Golev, 23, of Beit Shemesh.

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Vyacheslav was killed by two Palestinian terrorists who were arrested by Israeli security forces on Saturday evening. They were later named as Yahya Mar'ee, 19, and Yousseff A'asi, 20 from the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, southwest of Nablus.

The attack, claimed by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's military wing, took place at the entrance to Ariel, the largest Israeli city in Samaria, around 9 p.m. on Friday.

According to available details, a vehicle with an Israeli license plate drove up to the guard post at the western entrance to Ariel, stopped, and the two terrorists then emerged from it, opening fire at Golev and a female security guard stationed at the post, then got back into the car and sped away.

Golev shielded the guard, Ashkelon resident Victoria Fligelman, from the gunfire, saving her life. It was later released that Golev and Fligelman were a couple and had gotten engaged just a few weeks ago.

Several hours after the attack, the terrorists' vehicle was found burned in a field between the Palestinian towns of Kafr Thulth and Saniriya.

Eli Novoselsky, who serves as chief of security for Ariel, the largest Israeli city in Samaria, said that his department was unaware that the two were a couple, which is why they were allowed to work together.

He said Fligelman was severely traumatized by the incident. "We got her the help she needs. She had trouble telling us what happened at first but later we learned that he pushed her aside, which save her life. We had no idea they were a couple. If we had, we wouldn't have allowed them to be stationed at the same post."

Ariel Mayor Eliyahu Shaviro offered the Golev family his condolences.

"I, and everyone in Ariel, send condolences to the family of the security guard who was murdered by these cold-blooded terrorists. The wave of terrorism that has been sweeping across Israel has now reached us, as well.

"Ariel is an integral part of the State of Israel, but this is our place and here we will stay. We will draw the necessary conclusions from this incident and implement them as soon as possible."

Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam said he instructed the city's welfare department to see to Fligelman's every need.

"We will stand by Victoria and her family during this difficult time. We offer the Golev family our condolences. May you never know sorrow again."

Beit Shemesh Mayor Dr. Aliza Bloch arrived at the Golev family home on Saturday evening to personally offer her support.

"[Vyacheslav] was a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice to save the guard who was stationed alongside him. Teams from the city's welfare department are with the family and we will stand by them at this difficult time."

Golev is survived by his parents, seven siblings and fiancée.

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Security tensions in recent weeks hit a new high on Friday, the second Friday of Ramadan 2022 and the eve of Passover. By mid-morning Friday, some 300 Palestinian rioters had been arrested.

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Israeli security forces entered Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem before dawn as thousands of Palestinians were gathered for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, setting off clashes that medics said wounded at least 67 Palestinians. Several dozen Palestinians had barricaded themselves in the mosque, and security forces removed them. News sources reported that hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested.

Israel said its forces entered to remove rocks and stones that had been gathered in anticipation of violence. The holy site, which is sacred to Jews and Muslims, has often been the epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian unrest, and tensions were already heightened amid a recent wave of violence.

Videos circulating online showed Palestinians hurling rocks and police firing tear gas and stun grenades on the sprawling esplanade surrounding the mosque. Others showed worshippers barricading themselves inside the mosque itself amid what appeared to be clouds of tear gas.

The Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said it evacuated 67 people to hospitals who had been wounded by rubber-coated bullets or stun grenades, or beaten with batons. The endowment said one of the guards at the site was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet.

The Israeli police said three officers were wounded from "massive stone-throwing," with two evacuated from the scene for treatment.

Early Friday morning, Muslim worshippers began clashing with security forces after several dozen young people marched to the Temple Mount at approximately 4 a.m., waving Hamas and PLO flags. The marchers began amassing piles of wooden planks to disrupt movement.

Some of the worshippers began to riot and throw rocks and fireworks at the forces.

Despite the provocation, security personnel waited until the early morning prayers were over and the worshippers left. Because rocks were being thrown at the Western Wall and the violence was escalating, Jerusalem District police entered the Temple Mount compound and removed the rioters, allowing the rest of the people to leave safely.

A police announcement said: "While many police officers are working to allow freedom of worship and maintain security, law, and order at holy places and throughout Jerusalem, there are some who opt to riot and disturb the peace. We will continue to take strong steps against those who disturb the peace, for the peace and safety of the public."

Some 3,000 police, Border Police, and member of other branches of the security forces were on duty in Jerusalem on Friday.

Due to intelligence about terrorist plots, with Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria being the main targets, police were at the highest level of alert, and operations to locate and arrest suspected terrorists continued nationwide.

On Friday, streets around the Old City of Jerusalem will be closed from 6 a.m. to approximately 4:30 p.m. Other roads in Jerusalem will be closed to traffic as necessary.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke with officials, including from the US and Jordan, about the Temple Mount clashes, and warned of the consequences of "Israel's actions," Ahmad Rawidi, head of the Jerusalem unit in the Palestinian presidency, said.

Rawidi blamed Israel for the violence and accused it of disrespecting the Jordanian custodianship.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry condemned "the invasion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Temple Mount" and the "harming of worshippers," and demanded Israel withdraw its forces from the compound "immediately."

Meanwhile, the IDF reported that in light of security tensions, Defense Minister Benny Gantz had ordered a full closure on Judea and Samaria. Crossings will be closed from 4 p.m. Friday until midnight between Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17. On Saturday evening, the security apparatus will hold another meeting to assess the situation, and decide whether or not to keep the closure in place throughout the week of Passover.

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The groundbreaking tests involved the successful interception of unmanned aerial vehicles, mortars, rockets anti-tank missiles in a variety of simulated scenarios. 

The announcement puts Israel as the leader of the pack when it comes to the development of precise laser interceptors, which are considered less costly and easier to operate. in comparison with traditional methods. The system was developed under the auspices f the Defense Ministry and by Rafael Advanced Defense System and Elbit Sytems 

"A month ago we announced a major decision when we made a massive order for the development of this system, and today this big step becomes an accomplishment that is on a global scale," Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, calling it a "victory for Israeli innovation." He said the ministry will make sure it gets deployed as soon as possible so that it could complement the other interceptors Israel has at its disposal and improve the defense against rockets and missiles. 

Brig.-Gen. Yaniv Rotem, who heads the research and development unit at the ministry's Directorate of Defense Research and Development said this was a "game-changing" system. "The completion of these tests in this high-capacity laser shows that we are realizing the technological vision in energy warfare. For the first time, we managed to intercept a variety of threats from mortar shells, rockets and UAVs in challenging ranges and periods."

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As tensions among the Palestinians and Arab Israelis continue to run high, Israel's security forces continued to arrest suspected terrorist operatives in an attempt to curb the recent wave of terrorism that has killed 14 Israelis. On Thursday morning, Palestinian authorities reported that two young Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops in Jenin

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According to a report on the Palestinian Quds news outlet, one of the men killed was Shas Kammaji, the brother of one of the prisoners who escaped Gilboa Prison in September 2021. The second man was named as Mustafa Abu al-Rab.

On Wednesday, security forces thwarted a terrorist attack planned for Passover Eve.

A joint operation by Border Police special forces and the IDF in the villages of Silwad and Kobar, near Ramallah, led to the arrest of six suspects. The defense establishment received a tip that the suspects were planning an attack, most likely in Jerusalem.

Several dozen Palestinians tried to prevent the arrests, clashing with the forces and throwing rocks at them.

In Kobar, one suspected was arrested in his own home. In Silwad, the forces – along with Shin Bet security agency personnel – surrounded a home where three additional suspects were holed up. After the suspects refused to leave, the forces opened fire on the home until all three emerged, unharmed. These four suspects were detained for questioning by the Shin Bet.

The suspects include Maad Hamed, 33, a Hamas operative from Silwad. Hamed was a member of a cell that killed Malachi Rosenfeld and wounded three other Israelis in a shooting on a passing car on June 29, 2015. Since that attack, Hamad had been in Palestinian prison.

Earlier Wednesday, the Shin Bet obtained intelligence that he had escaped prison. Suspecting that he intended to promote terrorist attacks in the immediate future, the Shin Bet launched an operation to bring him to Israel and put him in prison. Hours later, the suspect was arrested in Kobar.

Upon learning that Hamed had been arrested, Rosenfeld's father, Eliezer, said, "Our beloved Malachi cannot be returned to us, but the person who took his life should rot in prison for the rest of his days."

Rosenfeld said the IDF had contacted him to inform him of Hamed's arrest, and added that for the family, the event represented "closure and the avoidance of more murders."

Also on Wednesday, an Israeli man was rescued from a Palestinian lynch mob in Bethlehem. The man, a resident of Betar Illit, drove into the nearby village of Hussan, where he was surrounded and beaten.

The man managed to escape, but the mob set fire to his car. Hours earlier, security forces shot and killed 14-year-old local who had been throwing Molotov cocktails at IDF troops.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian news outlet Wafa reported Wednesday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the governor of Jenin, Ikram Rajoub, to inquire about the welfare of the residents of the area as the IDF continues its arrest operations. According to the report, Abbas emphasized that he condemned "the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people," and gave instructions to Rajoub to supply urgent aid to residents of the Jenin refugee camp.

In related news, deputy leader of Hamas abroad Salah al-Arouri endorsed a message from the terrorist factions in the Gaza Strip and called for "a general enlistment of the Palestinian public to stand up to the 'occupation's' incursions into cities and villages in the occupied homeland."

Arouri also called on "the Palestinian people, especially in Ramallah and the capital [Jerusalem] to support the people of Silwad and the other areas of conflict, and also unit against the Zionist aggression through any means possible."

Earlier Wednesday, the Gaza terrorist factions met and issued a general call to their supporters to take part in Friday prayers at the Temple Mount and declared a situation of "general enlistment" for Al-Aqsa Mosque.

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A construction worker in his 30s fell 18 stories down an elevator shaft to his death at a construction site in Ramle on Sunday.

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Another workers also slipped, but managed to grab hold of something in the wall at the 16^th floor and stop his fall. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.

A representative of the Labor Ministry was summoned to the site, and the Israel Police launched an investigation into the incident.

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling an odd cargo into Israel – reptiles.

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The man, an Israeli resident of Petah Tikva, arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday evening and was detained for a search. Customs authorities discovered that he was carrying rare reptiles, including turtles, snakes, and lizards in his suitcase, hidden inside socks.

Airport police detained the man for questioning and then transferred the case to investigators from the Agriculture Ministry.

The animals have been confiscated and handed over to the care of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

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The Israel Police is investigating an attempted kidnapping of an 11-year-old boy in Givatayim on Monday, Israel Hayom has learned.

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Earlier, a similar incident was reported by parents in Ramat Gan. According to the family, their son and his friends were playing in a municipal garden when a stranger approached him and reportedly tried to force him into his car after grabbing his jacket. The boy managed to fight back and run off with his friends, after which he immediately called his mother. 

Based on the description, the man is in his twenties, has a red beard, and drives a grey vehicle. After posting about the incident on a parents' Whatsapp group, at least two others reported similar incidents in central Israel.  

"Be careful and protect your children," the mother from Ramat Gan wrote on the group.

The police have launched an investigation into the matter. 

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A Dan city bus rammed into a branch of the Polgat clothing retailer at the Shalom Tower on Ahad Ha'am St. in Tel Aviv Sunday afternoon. Two passengers, a man and a woman in their 50s, suffered minor injuries. No one in the shop was injured.

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The organization that represents bus drivers in Israel called for an immediate investigation into "the reasons and trends that cause buses to be the most dangerous transportation method on the road. It's time for the relevant officials to dig into everything involved in hours behind the wheel, drivers' training, and bus safety."

"Bus drivers don't get the periodic training they deserve, and therefore we are seeing terrible accidents like these," the organization said.

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The Israel Police on Monday arrested a 30-year-old resident of Ramle, a mixed Jewish-Arab city in central Israel, on suspicion of trying to set fire to a local synagogue late on Sunday night.

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Police and fire investigators who arrived at the scene concluded that arson may have been the cause and opened an investigation. A source familiar with the case said the police plan to seek the man's remand at a hearing set for Tuesday morning.

According to available details, the man broke into the synagogue and attempted to set it on fire, but the flames did not spread, damaging only the rabbi's chair.

"A synagogue in the center of Ramle was set on fire tonight," local social activist Meir Layosh tweeted. "Can you imagine what would have happened if it had been a mosque? All the politicians boasting false morality would have rushed to condemn [it], demand the perpetrators face the full extent of the law, and be appalled by the 'incitement.' And now? Silence. Remember that the next time you hear them speak. This is disgraceful."

Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich condemned the incident strongly, saying, "The sight of a torched synagogue comes from the darkest times in the Jewish people's history. The government's indifference toward antisemitic incidents in the heart of Israel is unacceptable."

Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, echoed the outrage, saying, "If this was a mosque the entire world would decry this and MKs would be denouncing it, but when we're dealing with a synagogue no one makes a sound."

He demanded the police "set up a special task force to investigate such acts of terror, just like they do for price-tag incidents.

The police "must use an iron fist in the face of terrorists: in deterrence, punishment and an appropriate response before an escalation occurs," he added. "The terrorists recognize weakness and when there is no response on the ground, they raise their heads. Without an appropriate response, they will continue to raise their heads."

"Price tag" is the name given to attacks and act of vandalism committed by extremist settler youth, primarily across Judea and Samaria, and chiefly against Palestinians.

Such acts have been and are widely condemned by Israeli politicians from all major parties, including by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and former PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who have demanded that those responsible for such acts be brought to justice.

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