Israel condemned Sunday the remarks of the United Nations' Mideast coordinator, who took to Twitter on Friday to say that he was "horrified" by the video of an Israeli soldier shooting a Palestinian terrorist in the West Bank on Friday.

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"Horrified by today's killing of a Palestinian man, Ammar Mefleh, during a scuffle with an Israeli soldier near Huwwara in the occupied West Bank," Tor Wennesland wrote in a tweet, failing to mention that the Palestinian, who by then had already stabbed two other Israeli soldiers, was trying to seize the border guard's automatic weapon when he was shot.

He added, "My heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family. Such incidents must be fully & promptly investigated, & those responsible held accountable."

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon slammed Wennesland for "distorting reality," and said that the incident was "a terror attack, in which an Israeli policeman was stabbed in his face and the life of another police officer was threatened and consequently he shot his assailant. This is NOT a 'scuffle' – this is a terror attack!"

Video of the incident showed a bloodied Palestinian struggling with the border guard while two other Palestinians appeared to be assisting the assailant to break free. The guard loosened his grip over the assailant when his automatic weapon fell on the ground, pulled out his handgun and discharged four shots at the terrorist.

According to the Israeli Border Police spokesperson, the attack occurred after a group of suspects approached the patrol of soldiers operating in the area. In a video of the attack, the suspected attacker attempted to steal the Border Patrol agent's gun before stabbing him.

Border police distributed a photo of a knife on the ground and another of a policeman with what appeared to be a stabbing wound to his head.

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Iran is weighing attacks on the Qatar World Cup, head of the Military Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva warned Monday, saying Tehran was "on the whole field, from nuclear to riots."

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Speaking at an Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) conference in Tel Aviv, he said, "Iran is acting in the worst, most unusual, and shocking way. In London, they are preparing for an Iranian attack and they know what they are talking about. Iran is conducting terror activity in the United States as well. I'm not convinced that the world understands the power [of Iran] and the huge problem it represents."

Video: Reuters

Haliva addressed the national protests sweeping the Islamic republic in the wake of the killing of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country's so-called "morality" police.

"The riots are extremely exceptional both in terms of location and intensity. They have almost become a civil uprising, which is not the same thing. The targeting of the government symbols, the number of casualties – all this creates a situation that is very troubling to the regime. Combined with the economic situation and international pressure, this creates a disturbance in the regime that may endanger it."

He warned that Iran will continue to act aggressively at home and in the region and that the only thing "holding them back [from attacking the World Cup] is how the Qataris will react."

With regard to the regime's atomic program, Haliva said the world has not taken "any significant steps or actions" to stop Iran since then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, which has allowed it to make "significant progress" toward producing 90% enriched uranium.

"The time is coming when the greatest test of the international community will come to light, when Iran entertains [the idea of] enrichment at 9%, even if only symbolically," he warned.

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For the first time in decades, the IDF Artillery Corps is now about to upgrade its outdated inventory of SPGs (Self-Propelled Guns) and will begin to phase into service the new Israeli SPG, the Ro'em ("Thundermaker") manufactured by Elbit Systems. Israel Hayom was afforded an initial glimpse of this new weapon system, currently in the final stages of its development, and which is scheduled to become one of the most lethal tools in service with the IDF.

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"This is more than a generation leap it's a multi-generation leap forward," proudly announces IDF Chief Artillery Officer Brig. Gen. Nerry Horovitz, next to the initial prototype of the Ro'em at the Shivta artillery base in the Negev desert.  The IDF's current SPG, known as the Doher (galloper), is essentially the US-made M-109 howitzer developed in the 1960s, some of whose systems have subsequently been upgraded. Naturally, even if they undergo optimal maintenance treatment, the current state of these legacy systems is well past its prime.

For at least twenty years, if not more, the Artillery Corps has been asking to replace these obsolete SPGs, but the plans were repeatedly shelved in favor of allocating these resources to the Israel Air Force and for other urgent needs. The war in Ukraine, in which artillery has proven to be the most dominant factor on the battlefield, has provided an unexpected source of support for the decision to upgrade the IDF's fleet of howitzers.

In contrast to the Doher, which is mounted on a caterpillar track giving it a tank-like appearance, the Ro'em uses the chassis of a giant Oshkosh truck with 10X10 drive, giving it a rather intimidating appearance. The use of a wheel-driven rather than a track-driven system enables rapid mobility between combat fronts, obviating the need for tank transporters, while both simplifying the vehicle's maintenance and rendering it far less expensive.

Each individual Ro'em is capable of generating a volume of firepower almost equivalent to that of an entire battery of Doher SPGs. To illustrate this comparison, the real fire fate of a Doher has remained stable at two shells per minute, while the Ro'em is capable of firing eight shells per minute. This fire rate, which only a limited number of howitzers in the world are capable of producing, is attained thanks to the completely automatic and computerized loading system. The familiar image of the sweating, fatigued loader, breaking his back to bend down and lift shells weighing dozens of kilos, is soon to become a thing of the past.

Will women be able to serve in the Ro'em?

This fact might open up the combat positions in the Ro'em for women too, as in the past the heavy weight of the shells was the main barrier preventing their integration within the IDF's current SPGs. "Today, women are integrated in all the Artillery Corps units – including in the SPG battery command vehicles, even if they do not serve in the Doher SPGs themselves, stresses Brig. Gen. Horovitz, and duly adds: "As far as I am concerned, there is no reason to prevent women from serving as combat soldiers in the new Ro'em systems."

In practice, the Ro'em's practical fire rate can reach up to several shells per second, in a focused volley. This exceptional capability is attained by the integration of cutting-edge technology known as MRSI (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact) in the vehicle's fire computer.

Video: A visit to an IDF artillery base / Yaniv Zohar

Without blinding you with the minute technical details, in essence, the Ro'em alters the barrel angle and the size of the propellant charge that propels the projectiles, causing them to reach the target and hit it simultaneously. This is a significant capability as the first shell, which hits the target before the enemy has had the chance to take cover, has the greatest lethal potential.  A battery of Ro'em SPGs would be able to fire a burst of dozens of shells with precision timing of a single second at a surprised and exposed enemy.

If that isn't sufficient, then the Ro'em's range is almost double that of the IDF's current SPGs, reaching targets at a distance of 40 km. In contrast, the Ro'em is much more economical as it requires a considerably smaller crew of three (male or female) soldiers alone, compared with the seven-man crew needed to operate the Doher.

In addition, the Ro'em is a vehicle that enjoys absolute independence in the field. It is not dependent on a separate fire computer, which is currently located in the battery command vehicle but is equipped with its own computer. "This particular feature affords us maximum flexibility and enables us to operate the Ro'em SPGs in any combat formation we wish, starting with the single howitzer," remarks Horovitz.

Our visit to Shivta took place in parallel to an event organized by the Be'ikvot Lohamim ("in the footsteps of warriors") project – a one-day event organized by the IDF Ground Forces Command for high school students with a view to their upcoming military service, providing the various branches of the military with an opportunity to showcase their weapon systems and capabilities. "With all due respect to technology, the Artillery Corps' main weapon has been and always will be our amazing soldiers," proudly claims Brig. Gen. Horovitz.

Video: The Ro'em SPG in action / Elbit

"In fact, for some time now we have been much more than a corps of artillery guns, so our name is slightly misleading. Our corps is a technology-intensive entity composed of a variety of units such as the drone units, the rocket units, and the PGM (precision-guided munitions) units, which together provide the IDF with the spearhead of its land-based firepower. The soldiers, both male and female, who operate these systems, along with the SPG units, are required to excel in the field of technological literacy, and thankfully they are doing a great job."

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Israeli businessman Itsik Moshe was the target of the thwarted Iranian attack in Georgia, Israeli security sources said on Tuesday. 

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This was not the first time that Iranian forces have tried to attack Moshe, according to an unnamed Israeli security official. The 62-year-old businessman worked as a top Jewish Agency official in Russia and founded Israeli House, which seeks to improve Israel's image in eastern Europe.

Led by Iran, a Pakistani team affiliated with Al Qaeda traveled to Georgia's capital city of Tbilisi to gather intelligence and prepare for the attack, but were arrested by Georgian security forces.

Authorities said the suspects gathered "extensive intelligence on the target for assassination and reached a high level of readiness for execution." 

The uncovered cell has been operating since 2011 and led by an Iranian citizen identified as Mohammad Reza Ebadi Arablu, a veteran of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. 

Another Quds Force commander, Ali Feyzipour, who has been implicated in other Iranian terrorist plots around the world, was heading the operation. 

One of the terrorists was arrested last week, during which a military weapon and other incriminating findings were confiscated. In addition, two operatives with dual Georgian-Iranian citizenship, who were working with an arms dealer in Turkey, were detained. 

All the teams involved in the preparation for the attack were recruited, trained, and financed by the Iranians, according to Israel's security apparatus. An investigation is underway to identify other people involved in the preparation of the attack outside of Georgia.

"This is not the first time that an attempt to carry out a terrorist attack on Georgian soil with Iranian orders has come to light," the unnamed Israeli security official said.

This latest attempt followed other recent Iranian plots to harm Israelis in the region. In June, Turkey and Israel foiled a plan to attack Israelis in Istanbul, and in October last year, there was an attempted assassination of Israeli businessmen in Cyprus.

The Israeli official claimed that some European states are considering declaring the IRGC a terrorist group.

"Iran will pay a heavy price on the international scene because of this," he said. 

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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More than 100 world leaders are about to discuss a worsening problem that scientists' call Earth's biggest challenge, yet observers say it will be hard to make progress given all that is happening in the world.

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Nearly 50 heads of states or governments on Monday will take the stage in the first day of "high-level" international climate talks in Egypt resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh with more to come in the following days. Much of the focus will be on national leaders telling their stories of being devastated by climate disasters, culminating on Tuesday with a speech by Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Sharif, whose country's summer flood caused at least $40 billion in damage and displaced millions of people.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog was welcomed at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport by an Egyptian cabinet minister and upon arriving at the conference venue met with the hosts – Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Herzog said just before leaving to Egypt, "I am departing to Egypt, an important country, to a global climate summit and a historic event in humanity's most important battle – the battle to save the planet." Herzog added that "the Middle East faces major challenges, and in my speech I will present an Israeli vision that I call 'A Renewable Middle East' in which Israel – together with the countries in the region – provides crucial solutions to tackle the climate crisis."

Departing now for #COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with a large Israeli delegation, which has built Israel's first-ever COP pavilion. In my speech and meetings I will present a vision of a Renewable Middle East for the sake of our children. pic.twitter.com/NXaQZlYDqr

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) November 7, 2022

But COP27 may not quite have the drama or headlines that past such meetings have had. Why? Because of bad timing and who isn't showing up, is coming late or are dithering about it.

Video: UN climate conference opens, calling for concrete actions / Reuters

Most of the leaders are meeting Monday and Tuesday, just as the United States has a potentially policy-shifting midterm election. Then the leaders of the world's 20 wealthiest nations will have their powerful-only club confab in Bali in Indonesia days later. Add to that, "there are big climate summits and little climate summits and this was never expected to be a big one," said Climate Advisers CEO Nigel Purvis, a former US negotiator.

Leaders of two of the three biggest carbon polluting nations – China and India – appear to be skipping the climate talks, although underlings are here negotiating. The leader of the other top polluting country – US President Joe Biden – is coming days later than most of the other presidents and prime ministers on his way to Bali.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was initially going to avoid the negotiations, but public pressure and predecessor Boris Johnson's plans to come changed his mind. New King Charles III, a longtime environment advocate, won't attend because of his new role. And Russia's leader Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine created energy chaos that reverberates in the world of climate negotiations, won't be here.

"We always want more" leaders, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell said in a Sunday news conference. "But I believe there is sufficient (leadership) right now for us to have a very productive outcome."

In addition to speeches given by the leaders, the negotiations include "innovative" roundtable discussions that "we are confident, will generate some very powerful insights," Stiell said. The leaders showing up in droves are from the host continent Africa.
"The historical polluters who caused climate change are not showing up," said Mohammed Adow of Power Shift Africa. "Africa is the least responsible, the most vulnerable to the issue of climate change and it is a continent that is stepping up and providing leadership."

"The South is actually stepping up," Adow told The Associated Press. "The North that historically caused the problem is failing." Monday will be heavily dominated by leaders of nations victimized by climate change – not those that have created the problem of heat-trapping gases warming up the atmosphere( ?) from the burning of fossil fuel. It will be mostly African nations and small island nations and other vulnerable nations that will be telling their stories.

And they are dramatic ones, droughts in Africa and floods in Pakistan, in places that could least afford it. For the first time in 30 years of climate negotiations, the summit "should focus its attention on the severe climate impacts we're already seeing," said World Resources International's David Waskow.
"We can't discount an entire continent that has over a billion people living here and has some of the most severe impacts," Waskow said. "It's pretty clear that Africa will be at risk in a very severe way.''

Host leader, Egyptian President Sissi, and United Nations Secretary-General Guterres will kick off the leaders' speeches. Guterres keeps ratcheting up his rhetoric about how little time is left with each public talk.

Leaders come "to share the progress they've made at home and to accelerate action," Purvis said. In this case, with the passage of the first major climate legislation and $375 billion in spending, Biden has a lot to share, he said.

While it's impressive that so many leaders are coming to the summit, "my expectations for ambitious climate targets in these two days are very low," said Climate Analytics' scientist Niklas Hohne. That's because of Putin's invasion of Ukraine which caused energy and food crises that took away from climate action, he said.

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Why have senior US officials not yet called Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on his astounding victory in the election? It's been four days since the results of the vote were announced and two days since they were officially confirmed, so why has President Joe Biden not congratulated his old friend yet? And neither has Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

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US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides was the only one to pick up the phone, minutes after Lapid conceded, congratulating Netanyahu on the win. Administration officials have said that "Biden is expected to speak with Netanyahu" over the weekend.

Israel Hayom learned that there was an unsuccessful attempt to coordinate a phone call between the two on Saturday. Sunday is considered the weekend in the US, so the time frame has not passed yet.

One official said Biden is preoccupied with the mid-term elections, which are being held in the US this week, however, another source – a former official – said it was an excuse and that the delay was not incidental.

"Netanyahu took a good few days to congratulate Biden on his victory in the 2020 election against [Donald] Trump, and he only did so when it became clear beyond any doubt that Trump had indeed lost. There is a connection between Netanyahu's delay then, and Biden's delay now," he said.

But Biden is not the only one dragging his feet. So is Blinken. In the last few days, he participated in the 7G summit and met with several foreign ministers from around the world. During the conference, he spoke on the phone with the leaders of Egypt, Iraq, and the Palestinian Authority. But, as mentioned above, failed to speak with Netanyahu.

At this stage, Netanyahu's associates are waiting patiently and do not analyze the delay. The former senior official told Israel Hayom that "if the conversation does not happen by Sunday, there will be questions."

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Although Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu will only be tapped as prime minister-designate in the coming days, he has already launched a transition by exploring appointments for senior roles.

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Israel Hayom has learned that the opposition leader has already asked former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer to serve as the head of the National Security Council after the new leader assumes office later this month. Dermer turned that offer down but Netanyahu is now considering appointing him as a minister in his new cabinet.

Netanyahu would  have preferred to have Dermer serve as foreign minister but it appears that this portfolio will have to go to someone else because of the political haggling that will inevitably precede any swearing in of a new government. Israel Hayom has learned that Netanyahu is exploring the possibility of having Dermer serve as strategic affairs minister or regional cooperation minister. He might also create a new portfolio for Dermer that would allow him to have a significant say in Israel's foreign policy, but this all depends on how the talks with Likud and other parties progress in the effort to forge a governing coalition.

Dermer is considered to be a close confidant of Netanyahu, almost like family. In Netanyahu's new autobiography, Dermer is the only person who is mentioned dozens of times. When he served as Israel' envoy to Washington, Dermer wielded disproportionate influence compared to previous occupants of the embassy.

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The headquarters of Benny Gantz's State Party was unusually quiet on Tuesday night as almost no activists arrived as the unflattering results of the exit polls began to emerge.
The faction is expected to garner between 11-13 seats, a number that led to disappointment that not even headquarters employees could hide.

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Addressing those present, Gantz lauded Israelis for "having gone out to vote despite it being the fifth election in under four years. They have shown that they care about Israel and the country is dear to them. That they see themselves as an inseparable part of the state and its future."

He said the State Party was waiting for the final results of the election and vowed to continue the work that "is broader than any block or camp and tries to connect all parts of Israeli society."

State Party MK Chili Tropper warned against the right-wing camp celebrating early, saying the results were not yet final. He stressed that the faction would not sit in a government with Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to garner a sweeping victory. Fellow MK Pnina Tamano-Shata reiterated the same message.

Meanwhile, the headquarters of the Yisrael Beytenu party received the exit poll results with mixed feelings, as the faction is expected to garner between 4-5 seats. They too noted that not all votes have been counted yet and expected an increase in the number of mandates.

Shortly after the exit polls were published, leader Avigdor Lieberman responded optimistically, saying "Everything is heaven."

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President Joe Biden has drafted a letter guarantying the United States' commitment to Israel's economic and security rights contained in the new agreement demarcating the maritime border with Lebanon, according to a top US official.

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He said on Saturday that in the document, Biden praises Lapid for bringing about the "historic" agreement and stressed US commitment to Israel's ability to defend itself. It also supports Israel's partial economic rights to the Qana gas field and reiterates that it will prevent the Hezbollah terror group from gaining revenue from it.  In addition, it recognizes the status quo line, which is the five-kilometer buoy line stretching from into the sea from Rosh Hanikra.

Nevertheless, despite the political backing, the drafts seems to fall short of committing to concrete measures should the maritime deal be breached.

The official also explained that Biden's letter was not published, "because contrary to political agreements, it is not customary to disclose such documents."

The Israel-Lebanon agreement was signed Thursday. It draws a border between the two countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZ) based on a boundary known as Line 23, and awards a disputed area of around 840 square kilometers (324 square miles) to Lebanon, while recognizing Israel's claim to the Karish gas field and to royalties from the section of the Qana field that extends into Israel's EEZ.

British-Greek company Energean announced on Wednesday that it had begun extracting natural gas from the Karish platform off the northern Israeli coast.

Israel recently set up a rig at Karish, where the flow of gas was delayed in order to give the talks more time, and amid repeated threats of war by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

  JNS.org contributed to this report.

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Prime Minister Yair Lapid met with his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama on Sunday to work together on countering Iranian cyber threats, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

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Rama had touched down in Israel earlier on Sunday for a three-day visit at Lapid's invitation just weeks after Tirana cut off diplomatic ties with Iran over cyberattacks in the summer.

Lapid pledged to offer assistance to the Balkan country against such attacks.

"Israel will assist as much as possible in the effort against Iran," he said at the beginning of their meeting. "Iran is a common threat to Israel and Albania. We see this as a national interest and a historical duty."

The two leaders also agreed to enhance bilateral relations, including in the fields of tourism and trade. Rama is also slated to meet with President Isaac Herzog and the head of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, Gaby Portnoy.

In September, Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll met with Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka, and offered "to share our knowledge and experience in cyber defense." He also "expressed Israel's appreciation" for Tirana's decision to expel Iranian diplomats.

"We will continue to tighten cooperation between Israel and Albania," Roll said.

Following the cyberattacks on Tirana, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions against Tehran's Intelligence and Security Ministry and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

The attacks disrupted state computer systems, forcing Albania to suspend online services, and leaked supposed government documents and residents' personal information.

JNS.org and i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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